After many opening gigs on the stage of PNC Bank Arts Center, Halestorm has swept into the Holmdel, NJ venue as a powerhouse headliner. The Grammy-Award winning hard rock outfit from neighboring Pennsylvania performed alongside a badass all-female fronted lineup featuring The Pretty Reckless, The Warning and Lilith Czar.
With three years of touring to make up for, Halestorm wasted absolutely no time kicking up the heat on their 90-minute high voltage set. “I’m back from the dead!” soared Lzzy Hale as the band took the stage, announcing both their much-anticipated presence and the set’s opening track. To say it set the mood for the remainder of the night is an understatement. Hale’s ability to oscilate between full out screaming to super clean vocals is always impressive. But Thrusday’s show wasn’t all bombastic. Halestorm brought the energy down for a rest during the fan-favorite “Break In.” It’s no surprise that earlier hits like “I Miss The Misery,” “Freak Like Me” and “Love Bites (So Do I)” got the most pop, as they’ve become rock anthems over the last decade, but the band had no issue keeping its audience on their feet and engaged through the 90 minute set.
Halestorm will be on tour in the US through early October before moving across the pond to Europe later this fall. Go here for all tour dates and tickets.
Photos of Halestorm:
It’s truly exciting to see The Pretty Reckless return to the stage after so many postponments and cancellations. The band used its time well in recording and releasing 2021’s Death by Rock n’ Roll, a banger of a hard rock album that has feels like a throwback to 2010’s Light Me Up. I for one, absolutely love the overall return to an edgier sound and aesthetic, since that was what I fell in love with all those years ago. While Taylor Momsen’s performance was raw grit and empowering attitude, New Jersey fans got a special performance of the toned down ballad, “Harley Darling.” An emotional song that guitarist Ben Phillips admitted to only having done live once before.
Photos of The Pretty Reckless:
The big surprise of the night The Warning. The sister trio hailing all the way from Mexico are on their first US tour, and turning heads and dropping jaws with their bombastic and magnetic performance. Classically trained at a young age, the trio made a splash on Youtube circa 2014 with their outstanding cover of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” Now touring with a brand new album “Error,” The Warning is definitely a band to watch out for.
Photos of The Warning:
Potentially my top favorite musical rebirth of recent years, Lilith Czar opened up the night at 6pm sharp. But as early as it was on a steamy Thursday night, there were plenty of fans lining the seats waiting for their dose of female-empowering tunes from 2021 release, Created from Filth and Dust. Czar is not only captivating to watch, strutting like a dark Goddess wrapped in leather despite the 90F heat, she’s got a set of unmatched pipes that truly shines within the new landscape of hard-rock anthems. The 6-song set was far too short, and I honestly cannot wait to see her occupy longer tour slots. I’ll be keeping my ears perked.
Photos of Lilith Czar:
All photos taken by Ana Santos
on July 28, 2022 at
PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ
