JULY 22nd, 2023
VOLBEAT & HALESTORM
Review & Photos by: Char Tupper
http://www.metaltitans.com/concertpics/volbeathalestorm/

This warm, summer night, it was time to rock out at the Abbotsford Centre with Danish rockers, Volbeat, and American band, Halestorm. The evening was perfect, landed on a Friday, so you know the crowd was going to be ready to start this weekend right, with a little rock n' roll ! The tour line-up, when announced, had a rotating slot, where some dates get Bad Wolves, and some get Halestorm, well, easy to say, Abbotsford got Halestorm tonight, and with only 2 bands on the bill, wasn't going to be a crazy late night either (which me getting older and all, I thorouhly enjoy an early night, haha!)

Halestorm started off the night, with Lzzy walking out in a bright orange leather coat, mile high platform boots, and a bedazzling Kramer Gibson guitar. I give her credit, I can barely go out for dinner in high boots, let alone perform on stage for 45+ minutes, jumping and having a smile on my face, she gave 110% and never showed an ounce of discomfort those high boots, she was in her zone, and she loved it, always great to see such enthusiasm. After her solo entrance, the rest of the band enters the stage, with her brother Arejay and his neon green hair (very hard to miss, haha!) he set the rhythm and the rest just chimed in, not missing a beat. I have seen these guys before, and the music isn't necessarily my cup of tea, as most know me as the extreme metal type, but I will say, tonight, compared to the last time I saw them, these guys gave such a blast of energy, vibrant lights and colours to watch, with a neon illuminated logo behind Arejay, and having that positive vibe and interaction with not only each other, but also the crowd,their fans, truly earns some respect from me. I have seen some bands over the years, that just "go through the motions", which you feel they are tired of the whole "rockstar game" they play. Others, however, give it there all, and those, are the ones worth supporting, as they will do what it takes, to make their fans happy. Their performance was fantastic, if hard rock is your thing, don't miss these guys on the road, definitely worth checking them out.

Now time to check out the main act tonight, Volbeat. I have seen Volbeat as well before, it was before the pandemic actually, when they opened for Slipknot on Knotfest, and they did a great job then, just sadly an outdoor venue with a sunset blinding them, which for them I imagine was tough. That being said, tonight, they had a bit more props in the sense of a full stage background, effective stage lighting, and the band also, performing with great precission. Energy wise, not a whole lot of jumping like in Halestorm, but they did move around the stage and encouraged fan chants and horns in the air, which I too, enjoy seeing from the bands. For those not familiar, Volbeat formed in 2001 out of Denmark, a fusion of rockabilly and heavy metal. The band has performed with several big name acts like Slipknot, Slayer, Anthrax, you name it, I am sure Volbeat has played a festival or tour alongside some heavy hitters in the business. These guys have perfected their sound, and the audience was beyond stoked to see them on their own headlining tour tonight.  Same goes for Volbeat, if what I mentioned above intrigues you, make sure to catch them on their headlinging tour, so you can catch their variety of songs and hits, and see the full Volbeat experience for yourself.