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HALESTORM
with Staind, Godsmack, & Brookroyal
May 15, 2012 - Onondaga County War Memorial - Syracuse, NY

Over the years, many people have helped make TomAroundTheWorld.com a household name in CNY, none more so than Mike Trumble and Jackie Pilon. They have been great friends and loyal supporters of the site, so, I sent them to see one of Jackie's favorite bands. Here is her review. -Tom

By Jackie Pilon
On May 15th, I had the absolutely amazing privilege of accompanying Michael Trumble to the Mass Chaos Tour at the Onondaga County War Memorial. We were there as representatives of Tomaroundtheworld.com. Staind and Godsmack were the co-headliners but neither was the reason for my excitement – Halestorm was the opening band. It was at my request that communication began with Atlantic Records to schedule an interview with Lzzy Hale.
Unfortunately, schedules did not allow an interview to occur. I was disappointed, though understanding, that it was not to be. I cannot go to the extreme of idolizing anyone; instead I have a great deal of respect and admiration for a woman who is making it in the male dominated rock industry. It would have been an honor to be able to discuss the inspiration for the songs and the motivations to make it where so few females do. While the interview may not have been, Atlantic Records was gracious and provided us with a photo pass and two tickets for the show.
Upon arriving, it was impossible for me to relax. Knowing a review was to be written, that the expectation was to provide feedback of the show, I was terrified I would miss details that would later be important. I was afraid I would not be able to write something that would be worth reading. By my own choice, I have been to few shows.

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I love them and hate them for the same reason – they are loud and crowded. I have to truly love the music to go and this show met the criteria. I love Halestorm, the sound and lyrical content, and I like Godsmack. Being at a paranoid state of awareness, I left the War Memorial with a new perspective on shows. It is the evaluation of all that I saw and heard that I feel the need to share.
The show began with an opening band that was not listed on the bill. Brookroyal is their name and, at first, I did not even give them a second thought. Mentally, I was waiting for Halestorm. Half way through their first song, I was completely absorbed in the music. High energy with a phenomenal sound, they are a band worth watching for. I am hoping they make it and have more than an EP in the future.
Here is where the anticipation grows. After the surprise of Brookroyal, the band I most wanted to see was next. During the time between bands, the crowd is interesting to watch. Our seats were absolutely perfect for the people watching – first seated row, about halfway from the stage, looking down on the floor. If you watch, there are three “types” on the floor. The first type is the front row. They arrive early, get to the stage area, and do not move. There is very little crowd movement within this area. Then there are the sideliners. They are in and out of the floor area and always seem to have a full drink in their hand. This group has a fluid movement and the silhouettes are always changing. The last group is the movers. They stay towards the back and are free to move and dance as they see fit. It almost appears as though barriers are in place to keep the groups separate. In the tight packed center of the front crowd, smoke can be seen curling up as security is taunted with the inability to penetrate the mass and end the smoking.

As the lights dim, excitement and anticipation feel as though they are becoming an independent entity – taking over the crowd and myself. The music starts, “Love Bites (and So Do I)” is the first song. You can feel the music; the bass provides the medium to the music a palpable feel to the body. Lzzy’s singing is clear and her voice sounds almost the same as the album in my CD player. There is nothing worse than learning the studio work improved the voice and listening to a live performance that is nothing like the music you feel in love with. The music can be felt and heard – with the visualizations of the bands and the lights it gains a life of its own.
“Mz. Hyde” was next, one after another songs came – “I Miss the Misery”, “Freak Like Me” – loud with the bass resonating, it is full sensory experience. “Rock Show,” “It’s Not You,” and “I Get Off” – “I Get Off” being the first Halestorm I ever heard. I do not know the older music as well as the new album. However, it sounded awesome. With the coming and going of bands, I have found I do not give much thought to one hit. I made a huge mistake here. After listening to a few of the songs on “Strange Case Of…,” I realized I had underestimated the band and their music. “Here’s To Us,” the moment the intro began I knew it was the last song. While the perfect ending to the set, my moment was over too soon.
Staind was next and while I am not a fan their sound was good. There is nothing bad about them; I have just never gotten into the music. In terms of the performance, music and lyrics were loud but neither was overbearing. Godsmack was the final act. I like the music, as the last act I certainly expected more than was given. Somehow, we made through three songs before we got up and left. “Awake” was the first song. Bass overpowered everything and the lyrics were mostly inaudible. What was audible sounded horrid, ear piercing squealing from it all being entirely too loud. Giving benefit of the doubt, certainly minor adjustments could be made to balance out the sound – improvement was possible. “Straight Out of Line” was next and it had the same sound and was followed by “The Enemy.” The goal seemed to be to play as loud as possible with no regard for the overall sound quality. Three songs, that was all that we could endure, from a band that I like, and we got up to leave. We were not the only ones who were departing the venue. The question that raced through my mind as we left was – why? Why did the sound change so much from the crisp, clean loud of Brookroyal to the distorted, overwhelming loud of Godsmack?
Success and fame is my answer, my interpretation of the performances. Brookroyal does not have the flash – they are just starting out, have a good sound, and the desperate need to get their name out there and gain a following. They cannot risk too much, they need the music to get stuck in your head, for you to share what you have heard – just to survive. Halestorm, though farther ahead, still has to work to prove they are here to stay. They need their fan base to stay and grow; the need intensified by being a female fronted band in a male dominated industry.

Staind has had their ups and downs. For music that I am not fully familiar with, I can say, though loud, they did not sacrifice sound quality in the quest to be the loudest. Godsmack, seven albums later (if I am not mistaken), seems to have lost the importance of sound quality and made the choice to be the loudest act of the night. While loud can work, we all know the magic line on the volume that, if crossed, distorts our music. Despite the urge to turn it up a little more, the quality of the sound is more important than being the loudest.