Review by Kelly Besaw
Photos by Chris Besaw
Halestorm with Lindsey Stirling made a stop at the Upstate Medical University Arena in Syracuse, New York Tuesday evening. They are out on the road for the 2025 nEVEREST North American tour and they brought along with them Finnish symphonic metal band, Apocalyptica.
I have seen Lindsey Stirling and Halestorm previously but had never seen Apocalyptica and was not sure what to expect. The band is made up of three cellists, but when I say cellists, these are not your typical classical musicians, these guys rock the heck out of their instruments. From the moment they took the stage, I was captivated by the sound they produced. Apocalyptica has been making music since 1993 and started their career as a classical Metallica cover band before transitioning to other music.
They opened their set with a hair-raising rendition of “Ride the Lightning (Metallica cover)” and it was powerful. They did a fabulous job of getting the crowd amped up and one band member even showed off his skills by playing his cello over the top of his back. I have seen this done with a variety of instruments, guitars, violins, keyboards, but never a cello. They rocked several more Metallica covers before their set came to an end. They bid the crowd goodnight and promised that they would be back again. I hope they keep that promise. I would love to see them play a longer set. I enjoyed them so much, I immediately added them to my Spotify play rotation.
Up next was violinist extraordinaire, Lindsey Stirling. I have seen Stirling a few times, but it has always been on her Christmas tour. This performance was very different. There were no aerial stunts or “Oh Christmas Me” jokes, this set was more stripped down, fast paced and had a lot of dancing and costume changes. Stirling and company opened with a beautiful song called “The Phoenix” and she was incredibly well-received by the Syracuse audience. I played the violin back in my younger days and I honestly cannot figure out how she pulls off the required delicacy and intricacy to play the violin while she is constantly in motion. She does it all on stage, dancing, running, gymnastics, splits and all while making gorgeous music.
Stirling played a nice variety of original music with a few covers thrown in. A highlight included “Blue (Da Ba Dee) (Eiffel 65 cover)” everyone knew the song and was able to sing along. They also played a game called “Spin the Wheel, Surprise Song” where Lindsey got to spin the wheel and the band would play whatever song it landed on, including potentially, “Carol of the Bells.” Is it too early for Christmas? We ended up getting to hear “Til the Light Goes Out” and it was the first time it had been played on this tour. Personally, I really enjoyed “Firefly Alley” and “Untamed” live. If you have not had a chance to see Lindsey Stirling, you definitely should. Both her Christmas tour and her regular tour are something you don’t want to miss.
Setlist
The Phoenix
Underground
Monday Not Sick Anymore
Sandstorm (Darude cover)
Elements/Crystalize
Artemis
Foreverglow
Blue (Da Ba Dee) (Eiffel 65 cover)
Roundtable Rival
The Devil Went Down to Georgia (The Charlie Daniels Band cover)
Firefly Alley
Eye of the Untold Her
Toxic (Brittney Spears cover)
Evil Twin
Til the Light Goes Out (Spin the wheel—surprise song)
Untamed
Kashmir (Led Zeppelin cover)
It was time for rock monsters, Halestorm. The powerhouse group comprised of Lzzy Hale (lead vocals/guitar), Joe Hottinger (guitar), Josh Smith (bass) and Arejay Hale (drums) have been putting out music for almost 28 years. I had a hard time believing that and had to double check the date, but it’s correct. They look way too young to have been around that long. The band is currently on tour in support of their most recent studio release Everest and they kicked off their set with “Fallen Star” a track from the new album. By the time the first few notes of their second tune of the evening hit the air, the crowd went wild as Lzzy wailed, “I Miss the Misery.”
Lzzy Hale, in my opinion, has one of the coolest voices in rock. She can hit all the notes, high, low, deep growls, hard rock and beautiful, melodic love or in this case, love/hate ballads. She did a tear-jerking rendition of “Break In” while playing piano that showcased her vocal and instrumental talent. Hale took time to thank the Syracuse crowd, saying that, “you have supported us through it all and we thank you” before going way back to an older hit, “I Get Off.” Hale sang songs for the women in the audience “I feel you” she quipped as she played “Like a Woman Can.” She sang the ultimate I hate you post break up song called “I Gave You Everything” and although much of the set was dedicated the new album, they worked in popular hits “Love Bites (So Do I),” and “Familiar Taste of Poison.”
The moment many fans were waiting for came during the first song of the encore as Lindsey Stirling returned to the stage to perform her song “Shatter Me” with Lzzy Hale and the rest of the band. It would be interesting to see more from the two together – hint, hint. Stirling once again exited the stage to a roaring applause before Halestorm played their final song of the night, “Here’s to Us” a song about the ups and downs the band has been through throughout the years.
Halestorm and Lindsey Stirling was a match made in heaven and Apocalyptica just made it that much sweeter.
Setlist
Fallen Star
I Miss the Misery
Love Bites (So Do I)
Shiver
I Get Off
Like a Woman Can
WATCH OUT!
Darkness Always Wins
Rain Your Blood on Me
Break In
Raise Your Horns
Familiar Taste of Poison
Drum Solo
How Will You Remember Me?
Freak Like Me
Everest
Broken Doll
I Gave You Everything
Encore
Shatter Me (Lindsey Stirling cover) (With Lindsey Stirling)
Here’s to Us
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