Halestorm brings the freaks out in Indy

It’s hard for a band these days to really catch fire and make it big. When a band makes it, though, it’s usually a pretty quick process and they just blow up out of nowhere. Halestorm are one of those bands who paid their dues, stuck with it and have really exploded over the last few years. Their latest record, the sophomore The Strange Case Of… has catapulted them to headline tours, spots on every major festival and an overwhelming amount of fans. Not only that but frontwoman Lzzy Hale has picked up where legends like Joan Jett and Lita Ford left off and made female-fronted bands seem badass. Their latest headlining tour recently stopped off in Indianapolis for a sold-out crowd of Halestorm-addicts, most of which had seen the band before. Prior to Halestorm taking the stage, Kentucky-based Whitener kicked off the night with a set of eclectic musical influence and the crowd couldn’t help but dig it. With shades of rock, blues, country and more, Whitener are a band you must check out. Their stage presence needs a little work, but what local unsigned band doesn’t need to work? Then throw in a killer cover of Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” and you’ve got an opening set that really blew the roof off the place- you couldn’t help but love the guys. After Whitener wrapped things up, it was time for Halestorm, who made the small sold-out crowd (which couldn’t have had more than 1000) people sound like a wave of 10,000 people. With a near-two hour set, Halestorm played virtually every major song and fan favorite, Halestorm sounded as good as ever and showed no errors whatsoever. They pulled out a few songs they hadn’t played on previous tours (“Break In,” “In Your Room” and “I Hate When You See Me Cry”) and they even pulled out “Daughters of Darkness” from The Strange Case Of…, before which Lzzy Hale took time to address the girls in attendance, mentioning how when she was younger there wouldn’t be any way that many girls would go to a rock show. She went on to refer to them as her minions and referred to how many of her fans call themselves “Lzzbians,” which got a roaring response. The band also played a number of covers including Dio, Fleetwood Mac and more- offering up one of the most complete sets you’ll find anywhere from any band. Closing with “Here’s to Us,” which has become an anthem of its own, Halestorm made one thing clear- they know how to put on a hell of a show and they’re not going anywhere. In fact, they’re just getting stronger and stronger and becoming one of the most powerful forces in all of rock and metal. -Reggie Edwards Click here for more photos of Whitener Click here for more photos of Halestorm