Halestorm / In This Moment / New Years Day @ Hammerstein Ballroom New York City: Concert Review

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November 24th 2018- Hammerstein Ball Room New York City- Concert Review: Halestorm / In This Moment / New Years Day.

An exceptional bill of some of the leading ladies on the female fronted hard rock/ Heavy Metal scene. Me, being a big fan & supporter of the genre for many years, thought this was an outstanding night & a concert for the ages. 

My friend Jimmy & I were pleased to see many people beyond the millennial age in attendance as well as us. Seasoned veteran rock & roll fans know good stuff & anyone who says there's no good rock music out there today, certainly doesn't know these bands exist. In a genre that has been fading with new talents, this is the crème of the crop.

Ashley Costello (NYD)  / Lzzy Hale (Halestorm) / Maria Brink (In This Moment)

Halestorm: The headliner was Halestorm, a hard rock outfit from Red Lion, PA. featuring sister & brother combo, the Hales- Lzzy Hale (vocals/guitar) & Arejay Hale (drums). 

 The band released their first album back in 2009 & have gotten better & bigger thru the years, constantly touring & now a major force in rock music, one of the best if not THE best. This tour supporting their latest album "Vicious" the years best album release by far.

Tonight was an incredible performance by the this awesome band. Lzzy Hale is rock & rolls best front person of the current era, male or female. This girl can rock, belting out the lyrics, almost effortlessly, with a raw but yet melodic vengeance on their hard rock classics- "Love Bites' "Black Vultures" "Uncomfortable"  "I Miss the Misery" "Vicious" "Amen"...…..


Lizy also sings the ballads with her versatile vocals, moving over to the piano for a surprising rendition of - "I Will Always Love You". She also did a couple of fine ballads, acoustically with guitarist, Joe Hottinger- " Dear Daughter" & "The Silence". 

Not to get overlooked as a musician, Lzzy Hale is one hell of a guitarist too. 

 The energy that she spews as she dominates the audience is amazing. It seems she can do it all as her amazing stage presence locks the crowd in, with full fist pumping, sing a longs & plenty of vocal support.

Donning her latest short hair style, reminiscent of Joan Jett, Lzzy donned an open slited leather skirt, fishnet stockings & black thick ankle high, high heel boots KISS would be proud of.

 The band overall is pumping with raw energy, they are a tight unit, confident & blistering out pure hard rock. This may very well be the best band in rock today!


Lzzy's brother Arejay Hale, is an incredible drummer who beat his butt off all night, his drum solo was outstanding, with full audience participation. At one point he bashed away with giant drum sticks then led the crowd to a "Why Don't You Get A Job" sing along. 

I thought I heard a bit of the Beatles, The End drum solo in their as well. Also singing back up vocals, he is major forces behind the Halestorm sound. 

Joe Hottinger was great on the lead guitar, he seemed to have an almost calm, laid back relaxed look while he played, almost surpring at the rocking notes coming from him. 

He sported his long beard & donned a stylish hat, keeping off to the side buy Lzzy did give him main spotlight on many leads, as she backed off toward the drums.

 Bass player John Smith a (member since 2004- taking the place of Roger Hale Lzzy & Arejays dad) did a fine job as the other part of the rhythm section. He & Hottinger also provided backing vocals on stage.



Halestorm Set List:

I Am the Fire
Love Bites (So Do I)
Black Vultures
I Get Off
Do Not Disturb
Amen
I Will Always Love You
Dear Daughter
Uncomfortable
Vicious
Drum solo (with the Offspring Why Don't You Get A Job)
Freak Like Me
Killing Ourselves To Live


encore:
The Silence
I Miss the Misery
Here's To Us (with In this Moment / New Years Day members)
I Like It Heavy


In This Moment: The second band on the bill, was- In This Moment. An fantastic, outrageous theatrical stage performance led by lead singer Maria Brink, who can be described as an erotic, Heavy Metal Lady Gag Ga.

 The stage show is something Alice Cooper & KISS would be proud of, in all it's erotica & theatrics. 

Maria Brink's elaborate stage performance offered costume changes after each song. 

An exceptional performer, with a choregraphed show that brings theatrical rock & metal to new heights. 

 The only negative was the smoke effects may have kept the audience from witnessing the true performance thru its haze. Lucky I had my trusty binoculars, able to witness this incredible stage show from afar thru the smoke & fog. 

Maria Brink is surrounded by two sexy masked female dancers,"the Blood Girls" who perform around her, almost answering to Maria's gyrations & stage theatrics. Like harem girls responding to their mistress' orders. They are as important to the live show as anyone in the band. It was incredible, a must see.

The guys in the band are not to go unmentioned, certainly not as lovely as the ladies, they look like they just crawled out of the grave. Dirty, long haired, evil make up, leather & flying V guitars. The bass player even wears a studded leather face mask adding to the horror.
They did a Metallica instrumental medley of For Whom the Bell Tolls & Creepy Death, it was certainly another highlight. Amazing how the crowd responded with the Creeping Death sing along " Die- Die " some 35 years after Metallica released the song, their impact, huge" 


The stage featured plenty of crosses & pentacles, flashing light show, lots of smoke & fog. On the final song "Whore" Maria stood at a podiem wearing a long dunce hat with whore written on it. 

 During "Oh Lord" with the girls holding large lighted globes & during a cover of Phil Collins "In The Air Tonight" it gave the sense of attending some kind of a ritual or mass.

This band may be the current best thing in Heavy Metal & metal stars noticed. On record, their song "Black Wedding"  featured Judas Priest's, Rob Halford sharing vocals with Brink. Former Ozzy guitarist, Guitarist Jake E. Lee, shocked everyone on "That Metal Show" a few years back, when he said this was a band to look out for. Well they are here now & are a force to reckoned with.


As mentioned, the bands biggest song "Whore" ended the show with red & white balloons unleashed to fill the theater. 

 Brink says Whore is about defying what other people call you & proving them wrong to succeed. 

In This Moment Set List:
Salvation
Blood
River of Fire
Adrenalize
Roots
(Band Introductions) Whom the Bell Tolls/ Creeping Death (Metallica Instrumentals) & Rock You Like A Hurricane (Scorpions Instrumental) 
Drum solo
Black Wedding (with Ashley Costello)
In the Air Tonight
Big Bad Wolf
Oh Lord

encore: 
Whore


Lzzy Hale- Maria Brink- Ashley Costello
New Years Day: Ashley Costello led her band New Years Day in a short opening set, getting lost in all the greatness of the next two headlining acts.

New Years Day set list:

Killed or Be Killed
Fu@*ing Hostile
Epidemic
Skeletons
Scream 
Defame Me

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