Review: Halestorm: The Living Room Sessions w/ Lzzy & Joe in Pensacola

Halestorm The Living Room Sessions with Lzzy and Joe in Pensacola

Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger brought the Halestorm: The Living Room Sessions w/ Lzzy & Joe tour to the Vinyl Music Hall in Pensacola, Florida on Jan 19th. It was the 8th stop on the 12-city tour. This was my first show in over a year, so I was hyped for this one. Ironically, I was all set to cover the full band’s performance with I Prevail in Tampa last summer, but the gremlins attacked, and I was forced to cancel. However, karma struck when it was announced that Lzzy and Joe would be doing a short acoustic tour and little ole Pensacola where I currently reside made the list. I was not the only one stoked because the show sold out in quick fashion.

If the duo hoped to escape the colder weather of Nashville for the warm sunny beaches of Pensacola, then they were in for a surprise. The night of the show brought temperatures in the low 40s with wind gusts of 20 miles per hour. A line of people which wrapped around the music hall braved the weather waiting for the doors to open at 7:00 pm with a showtime of 8:00 pm. An hour was not nearly long enough for security to screen, ID check, and wristband everyone, so the start was delayed half-an-hour.

True to the name of the tour the stage was set up as a “living room” adorned with a rug, sofa, coffee and end table, candles, in addition to a keyboard and a Martin acoustic guitar on a stand. It was like looking in on the real life of Lzzy and Joe. Cheers erupted from the crowd as the pair walked on stage with Lzzy carrying a stack of clear solo cups and bottle of liquor like she was preparing to entertain a few guests. Except it wasn’t a few friends, it was over 800+ fans she invited into this living room.

Millions of fans have enjoyed Lzzy and Joe performing with their band Halestorm over the years. Few however have experienced the intimate performance like the one this night. It was a stripped-down performance with no drums, distorted guitars, or bass. Just Joe playing his acoustic guitar with Lzzy belting out vocals.

The duo broke their performance into two sets with an intermission in between. There were plenty of Halestorm hits including “Amen”, “Love Bites”, “I Get Off”, “I Miss the Misery”, and others. Mixed in were covers of songs that influenced the band such as “All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You” (Heart), “Girl Crush” (Little Big Town), “Gold Dust Woman” (Fleetwood Mac), “Bad Romance” (Lady Gaga), and “I Remember You” (Skid Row). Lzzy changed pace during each set by taking to the keyboard to perform a couple songs while Joe watched backstage.

The night wasn’t all about performing songs. It also about having a conversation with 800 friends. Lzzy did a good bit of storytelling about her and Joe’s life, their songs, etc. which fit perfectly with the intimate living room atmosphere. All her fans got a little bit closer with their hero this night.

When the tour was announced Lzzy said, “With this tour, we’re inviting our fans to experience what it would be like hanging with Joe and me in our living room: picking up instruments, telling stories, chatting about songs that helped shaped us as a band and brought us to where we are today.” This is exactly what the audience was able to experience.

There are a couple more dates remaining on the tour so Springfield, MA and South Burlington, VT get ready for a great show. Lzzy and Joe will also be joining up with the rest of their fellow Halestorm members for some festival dates in May and a European summer tour supporting Iron Maiden. Tickets are available at the band’s website here.

Halestorm: The Living Room Sessions w/ Lzzy & Joe Tour Dates:
Jan 24, 2025 – MGM Springfield – Springfield, MA
Jan 25, 2025 – Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT

Halestorm Festival Dates:

May 15, 2025 – May 18, 2025 – Welcome to Rockville – Daytona Beach, FL
May 17, 2025 – Boardwalk Rock – Ocean City, MD

Halestorm European Tour Dates:

May 27, 2025 – Sportarena – Budapest *
May 28, 2025 – Sportarena – Budapest *
May 31, 2025 – Letany Airport – Prague, Czechia *
Jun 1, 2025 – O’Nepelu Arena – Bratislava, Slovakia *
Jun 3, 2025 – Felsenkeller Leipzig – Leipzig, Saxony
Jun 5, 2025 – Trondheim Rocks – Trondheim, Norway
Jun 7, 2025 – Viking Stadium – Stavanger, Norway *
Jun 9, 2025 – Royal Arena – Copenhagen, Denmark *
Jun 12, 2025 – 3Arena – Stockholm, Sweden *
Jun 13, 2025 – 3Arena – Stockholm, Stockholm County *
Jun 16, 2025 – Olympic Stadium – Helsinki, Finland *
Jun 18, 2025 – Helitehas – Tallinn, Estonia
Jun 19, 2025 – Palladium Riga – Riga, Latvia
Jun 23, 2025 – Aeronef – Lille, France
Jun 25, 2025 – Malahide Castle – Dublin, Ireland *
Jun 28, 2025 – London Stadium – London, UK *
Jul 1, 2025 – Les Docks – Lausanne, Switzerland
Jul 2, 2025 – Effenaar – Eindhoven, Netherlands

*Supporting Iron Maiden

Pensacola Set List:

Bad Girls World (Halestorm)
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You (Heart)
White Dress (Halestorm)
I Like It Heavy (Halestorm)
Girl Crush (Little Big Town)
Do Not Disturb (Halestorm)
Familiar Taste of Poison (Halestorm)
Unknown Piano Song
Amen (Halestorm)
Lover, You Should’ve Come Over (Jeff Buckley)
Intermission
Unknown Piano Song
I Get Off (Halestorm)
Mz Hyde (Halestorm)
Love Bites (So Do I) (Halestorm)
Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
I Miss the Misery (Halestorm)
Bad Romance (Lady Gaga)
Rock Show (Halestorm)
I Remember You (Skid Row)
Here’s 2 Us (Halestorm)