Halestorm opened their Birmingham show with the kind of cinematic flair that most arena acts only aspire to. The venue plunged into darkness, a heavy curtain masked the stage, and Black Sabbath’s pulse echoed through the room an unmistakable tribute to the city’s own legacy. Silhouettes thrashed behind the shroud, and when the curtain finally split, the room was blasted with white-hot light, smoke, and a ferocious Lzzy Hale. In an instant, the entire arena surged forward as if pulled by a magnet.

The blackout dissolved into ‘Fallen Star’s slow ignition, and suddenly the atmosphere snapped from suspense to full confidence. Live, the song played exactly as an opener should; Lzzy’s vocals ripping it up. The production was undeniably polished, yet it never felt slick. Halestorm hit that sweet spot where precision meets instinct. ‘I Miss The Misery’ flipped the energy entirely. The set locked into Halestorm’s signature axis-muscular riffs, elastic pop-rock choruses, and the audience filled in the refrains without hesitation. Flames burst from the stage, confetti cannons erupted, and the entire show swelled into a spectacle big enough to make KISS look over their shoulder. ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ landed with a wallop, its Grammy pedigree undeniable as thousands leaned into its sinfully catchy chorus. Then came the heart of the ‘Everest’ material. ‘Broken Doll’ and ‘Like A Woman Can’ brought weight and emotional voltage, giving Lzzy a chance to pivot from venom to vulnerability. The crowd mirrored her every inflection. When ‘How Will You Remember Me?’ was dedicated to those lost this year including, with an especially poignant nod to Ozzy, the arena seemed to collectively inhale, then erupted as the song climbed into its cathartic chorus.

‘I Am The Fire’ followed with molten force one of the night’s most explosive performances. But the most theatrical moment arrived with a tease of ‘Familiar Taste of Poison’. Cloaked and commanding, Lzzy delivered a brief address before taking a ceremonial sip from an ornate goblet and flinging it into the crowd. It was part gothic ritual, part rock-opera flourish, and pure Halestorm theatre. ‘Rain Your Blood On’ Me became the set’s centrepiece, a near-liturgical performance that the audience matched note for note. The frenzy dissolved into a rapid-fire run of ‘Freak Like Me’ and ‘Mz Hyde’, where the band’s talent for flipping from bombast to whisper, shadow to shine was fully on display. Later, ‘K-I-L-L-I-N-G’ and ‘Uncomfortable’ slid in seamlessly alongside the classics. The main set closed with ‘I Gave You Everything’, a tender, aching contrast to the pyrotechnic mayhem that preceded it.

The arena fell into a hush, then roared as the final note dissolved and the lights dropped. The encore had Halestorm’s take on Ozzy’s ‘Perry Mason’ began as a salute and ballooned into an all-out singalong, giving the audience a moment to honour their hometown hero. ‘Here’s To Us’ followed, equal parts toast, anthem, and emotional handshake before finishing with ‘Everest’, the title track of their latest.

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe