On a lovely sunny Sunday evening I set off alone on the 5:26 train to Glasgow in search of an evening of acoustic musical magic. When I reached The Garage just over an hour later I was met by a rather lengthy queue. At least it was in the sun making the half hour wait for the doors to open quite pleasant.

This show promised to be something special and was one I had really been looking forward to. Not surprisingly it was sold out.

This show was the first of a handful of intimate acoustic shows from Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger.

There had been two tiers of rather pricey VIP packages on sale for this one so I knew that a rail spot was out of the question but I did manage to secure a spot with a reasonable view about five rows back. Best I could do.

I’ve no idea what the piano dirge was that was playing while the fans impatiently waited for show time but it was beyond depressing. There was no support act for this show and that music did nothing to warm up the crowd!

At eight o’clock Lzzy and Joe took to the stage to a rapturous welcome from the Scottish fans.

There was a distinct “adult” theme to the start of the show. I Get Off opened proceedings much to the delight of the sellout crowd. This was swiftly followed by one of my personal Halestorm favourites that I don’t recall hearing live before, Do Not Disturb. Before they started the song Lzzy confirmed the tale is true.  A cover of Little Big Town’s Girl Crush rounded out the opening trio.

Do Not Disturb- Lzzy Hale & Joe Hottinger @The Garage Glasgow 14/06/26

Already this one was shaping up to be one for the history books.

Lzzy has an incredible voice and hearing it again in a small venue reminded just how talented this lady is. Joe too is super talented and I was glad that Lzzy didn’t play guitar all night, leaving him to do his thing. These two have been together for a very long time and the chemistry is there for all to see and hear.

This truly was a stripped back show. Joe, a selection of acoustic guitars, Lzzy and a piano accompanied by her awesome voice, some stories, a lot of laughs and a joke from Joe.

The two-hour, twenty-two song set was split into two halves and had been carefully curated, drawing heavily on the older Halestorm material with a few covers thrown in.  

Several more of my favourites made the cut during the first half but if had to choose just one, it has to be The Silence, which Lzzy described as being her and Joe’s story.

The Silence- Lzzy Hale & Joe Hottinger @The Garage Glasgow 14/06/26

(Sorry not the best video but I am only 5’3” and I was 5 rows back)

A while back Lzzy got the opportunity to play with some of her musical heroes and fronted Skid Row for a few shows. She recalled the experience fondly so it was appropriate that the first half was brought to a close with a cover of I Remember You.

Lzzy returned to stage alone to open the second half of the show. The evening was disappearing way too fast! Having taken a seat at the piano, Lzzy treated us to an incredible, raw, passionate version of Dear Daughter. This one struck a chord with me on a personal level and tears flowed freely right through the song. Magical moment even if there were tears.

Lzzy followed it with a tale about covering the next song with Amy Lee from Evanescence and the relevance of “eggo waffles” to that experience. The song? The beautiful Break In, another of my favourites and another emotional one for me so yes, there were more tears.

More stalwarts of a Halestorm set got an outing but for me the highlights were the covers. It was great to hear Lzzy tell about the female rock icons that her mother introduced her to before they played Fleetwood Mac’s Gold Dust Woman. Awesome cover! A few songs later it was time to enjoy Lady GaGa’s Bad Romance. Spellbinding performance.

All night the Scottish fans were in fine voice, treating Lzzy and Joe to the usual Glasgow chant and a more pertinent World Cup related “No Scotland No Party” chant.

With curfew approaching rapidly Rock Show was the penultimate song of the night. Another firm fan favourite. When it was over Joe nipped off stage for a moment only to return, much to the delight of the fans, wearing a Scotland away top. Lzzy too had slipped a Scotland top on over her blouse. This homage to the Scotland team’s victory the night before earned them a second rendition of No Scotland No Party before Lzzy and Joe brought the night to a climax with Here’s To Us. Awesomeness.

Here’s To You, Lzzy and Joe, Magical night from start to finish.  Thank you for sharing it was us.