Halestorm, with special guest Lita Ford and openers Dorothy, would take the stage at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire’s Casino Ballroom for night one of a two night sold-out stand. The Casino Ballroom, set next to the Atlantic Ocean, opened in 1899. Although its name contains “casino”, it’s not what we think of as a casino in modern times. The original term is Italian for “summer house” and came to describe a social gathering place. Having played host to many greats over the years, including U2, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin, the Casino Ballroom was ranked #23 in the top 100 Worldwide Club Venues by Pollstar in 2010. It’s a great place to see a show, without a bad vantage point in the house.
The evening started with L.A. rockers, Dorothy. Labeled by Rolling Stone magazine as “a band you need to know”, as well as #14 of the 50 Best New Artists for 2014, this is definitely a band to watch. Fronted by the charismatic Dorothy Martin, along with guitarist Mark Jackson, bassist Gregg Cash, and drummer Zac Morris, they set out to “make songs that we think Beavis and Butthead would like.” All joking aside, they provided a highly energetic great sounding set with songs from their self-titled EP that got the Hampton crowd fired up. You definitely want to check them out.
Taking the stage next would be the legendary Lita Ford. With a career spanning over 40 years, Lita is the ultimate female rocker. Starting with the Runaways in the mid-seventies Lita has worked with some of the most iconic names in rock, including Gene Simmons, Billy Sheehan, and of course Ozzy Osbourne. Backed by Patrick Kennison on guitar, Bobby Rock on Drums and Marty O’Brien on bass, we would get a small taste of Ford’s arsenal of hits with a nine-song setlist that included “Cherry Bomb” from her early years with the Runaways, “Close My Eyes Forever”, and of course, “Kiss Me Deadly”. Considered not only one of the great female guitarist but one of the greats on guitar in general, Lita and Co. amped up the crowd even further as we inched toward headliners Halestorm. Great set from a perennial luminary of rock.
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Closing out the evening would be the reason for the sold-out sign on the marquee, Halestorm. A family affair, Halestorm was conceived when Arejay, on the drums, and older sister Elizabeth “Lizzy” Hale, vocals, began writing and performing at the early age of 10 and 13. With dad, Roger, on bass, they released an EP, Mess With the Time Man, in 1999. The band as we know them today would come together in 2004, with the addition of Joe Hottinger on lead guitar and Josh Smith on bass, Lizzy would add rhythm guitar at this point as well. With just three albums to their catalog and the only female-fronted band with a Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance, Halestorm has generated a following many bands dream of.
Starting off on the mellow side the first couple of songs, “Mz. Hyde” from 2012’s The Strange Case of… and “Better Sorry Than Safe” from their 2009 self-titled record would see Lizzy minus her guitar and Hottinger on acoustic – definitely a little different from the traditional grand entrance of a rock show, but things were just getting started. We would get a twenty-song setlist, including an incredible drum solo by one of the best, most entertaining drummers in rock today that would blow the roof of the Hampton Beach Casino for the 2,000 plus in attendance. This band just has it; I’ve seen them live on multiple occasions, and they always bring their A-game. The way they feed off of each other, they look to be having a blast doing what they do creating a similar reaction from the fans. It’s simply a great rock show and one of the less expensive shows on the circuit today. I highly recommend seeing Halestorm, even if you are not familiar with them. I went with a couple friends who are big Lita Ford fans, and they walked away even bigger Halestorm fans; they are that good live. Don’t miss this show!
Setlist:
- Hyde
- Better Sorry Than Safe
- Apocalyptic
- Love Bites (So Do I)
- Scream
- I Am the Fire
- I Get Off
- Freak Like Me
- Rock Show
- I Like It Heavy
- Jump the Gun
- Amen
- Dear Daughter
- The Reckoning
- Drum Solo
- Mayhem
- Sick Individual
- It’s Not You
- Here’s to Us
- I Miss the Misery
