Halestorm rocked Berlin

November 1, 2025, Huxley’s Neue Welt, Berlin, Germany

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While it was raining outside and the wet crowd was desperately waiting in line at the coat check, I was able to take a first look at the stage set—yes, a lot had changed since I last saw Lzzy Hale’s band. They had gone all out – but was that necessary, or would they still be just as convincing as before? To find out, I had to wait a while, chatting with first-timers here and a few hardcore fans there – it’s always fascinating to find out which albums are popular and what people’s hopes and expectations are for the evening.

While the big fans had probably already familiarized themselves with the opening act beforehand, many others stumbled into something that took some time to process afterwards. Why? Well, Indian metal isn’t quite what you’d expect from a band like HALESTORM. But yes, they brought the Indian band BLOODYWOOD with them – much to the visible delight of those who already knew them and those who learned to love them during their set. I was surprised at how well the metal in Indian and English, played partly on traditional instruments, went down with the audience. There wasn’t much singing along, but there was all the more dancing, and a circle pit was absolutely nothing that needed much encouragement from the band. It was a thoroughly entertaining performance that could have done with a different, less hectic light show though.

The subsequent break for set changes – yes, it dragged on and on and just didn’t seem to end. The anticipation grew, and you could feel the electricity in the air. The lights went out, and you could feel the front rows holding their breath. Then it started – with a guitar storm from the very first second. HALESTORM has always been a band that knows how to use guitars, and that hasn’t changed on their current album “Everest,” as they proved with song number 1, “Fallen Star.” Lzzy Hale’s voice echoed through the hall and filled every inch of it – I’ve been wondering for almost 15 years how such a petite woman can have such a powerful voice.

The setlist was a good cross-section of several of the band’s albums – even though the focus was clearly on the newer albums and, in my opinion, the older songs were given far too little attention. Afterwards, you could hear here and there that it definitely wasn’t enough to just touch on “Familiar Taste of Poison,” and that tracks from the self-titled album “Halestorm” from 2009 should definitely have made it onto the set list. But as is often the case with bands that are constantly writing new music, even if the fans would like it, the shows don’t get any longer and more and more songs fall victim to the red pen. But you have to give Lzzy, Joe, Arejay, and Josh credit for one thing: you never know what you’re going to hear on the night, because looking at the last setlists hasn’t proven to be all that helpful. And it’s precisely these moments of surprise that make a good concert – besides the good music, of course.

Speaking of good music, it was a fireworks display of energy and joy in playing, and every second you could feel this love for music—on stage and in front of the stage, even if it felt like only half the audience was visibly enjoying themselves. As for the rest, I just hope it was an inner joy that unfortunately couldn’t be seen on the outside. But maybe it was also because the band repeatedly announced how happy they were to be there – but in the end it sounded professional and like a standard statement for every city. It used to sound more authentic back when the venues were smaller and the fans’ appreciation was completely different. Some things have remained the same over the years, though—for example, Lzzy’s brother Arejay not only used his normal drumsticks for his drum solo, but also switched to drumsticks a few sizes larger, which made the performance even more fascinating.

In addition to this highlight, there were a few other songs that are worth mentioning – “Like a Woman Can” was simply bombastic vocally from Lzzy Hale, especially the verses with little musical accompaniment, which really showed off her voice. “I miss the misery” and “Love bites so do I” also belong in the category “luckily ended up on the set list,” because they got the audience singing along and moving really well—the older tracks perhaps had a few more fans than the newer songs. So it was no surprise that “Rockshow” went down well as the last song of the evening, sending everyone off into the darkness of the night in good spirits.

Conclusion? A lot has changed, the stages are bigger, the fans more numerous, the light show and stage design more elaborate – but fortunately, the band has retained its fire on stage and still puts 100% of its energy and passion into the 90 minutes of the concert.

Setlist Halestorm
Fallen Star
WATCH OUT!
I Am the Fire
I Like It Heavy
She Won’t Mind
Everest
Broken Doll
Like a Woman Can
How Will You Remember Me?
Familiar Taste of Poison (Snippet)
Rain Your Blood on Me
Freak Like Me
Drum Solo
Back From the Dead
I Miss the Misery
Love Bites (So Do I)
I Gave You Everything
—-
Here’s to Us
Darkness Always Wins
Rock Show