Halestorm and The Pretty Reckless come to The Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport Connecticut on a Sweltering Evening, July 20, 2022

July 23, 2022
International Concert Reviews, International Galleries
by Jody Wilk Photographer/Writer

It was the middle of a heat wave in Connecticut on July 20th, 2022 when Halestorm came to The Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater in Bridgeport. Upon arriving, with about 20 minutes before the doors were supposed to open, I noticed that there was no line to get into the venue. The fans that did brave the heat and got there early were huddled under a few trees to escape the sun. I also saw that the crowd was substantially smaller than what I am used to seeing while attending previous shows at here. This was a surprise to me, as the last time I saw 2 times I saw Halestorm, they played to much larger crowds. The doors opened about 15-20 minutes late and the fans filed in.

First up this evening was Lilith Czar, hitting the stage at 6 o’clock sharp. For those of you who are not familiar with her, she was formally known as Juliet Simms and became well known after being on The Voice in 2012. She has recently rebranded herself as Lilith Czar and released her first single in 2021 called “King” from the album Created from Filth and Dust. They were the first of a night full of female-fronted rock bands. With the sun beating into the sides of the amphitheater, and temperatures still in the 90’s with 100% humidity, Lilith began her set with “Feed My Chaos”. She progressed through a short 6 song set of songs from Created from Filth and Dust, with the exception of a killer rendition of Stevie Nicks “Edge of Seventeen”. Lindsay Martin has a huge presence on the drums with a smile and attitude to match. I expect this band to make it big. I am surprised they were first on the bill for the evening.

Lilith Czar is:

Lilith Czar – Lead vocals

Lindsay Martin – Drums, backing vocals

Evan Potter – Guitar

Justus Dixon – Bass

Setlist:

1. Feed My Chaos

2. 100 Little Deaths (Juliet Simms cover)

3. Lola

4. Edge of Seventeen (Stevie Nicks cover)

5. King

6. Anarchy

The Warning is an all-female band of sisters from Monterrey, Mexico. They grew up in a musical family from a young age. After recording a video performing Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” that went viral, they started a Go Fund Me page to help fund their first 6-song EP which was released in 2015 called Escape the Mind. They have since released 3 studio albums, with the most recent being Error released this year. I would say this band was a big surprise for me. The smiles these young ladies carry let you know they are having the time of their lives performing on stage. With the sun still blaring, Daniela commanded full attention of the crowd, while utilizing the full stage to show off her excellent guitar skills and powerful vocals. I think Paulina was wishing she had a pair of sunglasses, as she was squinting from the late day sun. She was still able to kick ass on the drums while also sharing vocal duties. In the middle of their 9-song set of originals, they performed their version of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”. The song “Disciple” starts off with a killer bass line and then a heavy guitar riff comes in. I would classify The Warning as straight forward heavy metal with a slight melodic sound. After the show, I overheard many fans commenting about how good they thought this all-female band is.

The Warning is:

Daniela “Dany” Villarreal Velez – Lead and backing vocals, guitars, piano

Paulina “Pau” Villarreal Velez – Lead and backing vocals, drums, percussion, piano

Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal Velez – Bass, backing vocals, piano

Setlist:

1. Dust to Dust

2. Z

3. Queen of the Murder Scene

4. Choke

5. Money

6. Enter Sandman (Metallica Cover)

7. Error

8. Disciple

9. Evolve

Although the temperatures were still in the 90’s, the sun had gone down and there was a nice breeze to give some relief to the sweltering heat of the day. The Pretty Reckless opened their set with a cover of “Loud Love” by Soundgarden and a big Happy Birthday to Chris Cornell. Playing a mix of songs from their 13-year career, Taylor’s melodic voice is unforgettable. We got to hear 3 songs off of Death by Rock and Roll, including the title track. Halfway into the set, Taylor announced that they would be playing “Miss Nothing”, a song they “haven’t played live in about 5 years”. After “Witches Burn” Taylor asks for crowd participation as the smoke and red lights fill the air and shouts, “We Are All Going to F@$#in’ Hell!” leading into their song “Going to Hell”. The Pretty Reckless closed their set with “Take Me Down”, a song that proclaims, “you know I gave my life to rock and roll”, during which Momsen breaks out the guitar.

The Pretty Reckless is:

Taylor Momsen – Lead vocals, rhythm guitar

Ben Phillips – Lead guitar, backing vocals

Jamie Perkins – Drums

Mark Damon – Bass

Setlist:

1. Loud Love (Sound Garden cover)

2. Since You’re Gone

3. Only Love Can Save Me Now

4. Death by Rock and Roll

5. Miss Nothing (first time played since Nov. 2016)

6. Make Me Wanna Die

7. Witches Burn

8. Going to Hell

9. Heaven Knows

10. Take Me Down

Halestorm was headlining the night to a crowd of around 2000 hardcore fans. Lzzy always hits the stage with the attitude that she can conquer the world. And she always does. Halestorm played 14 songs and kept the fans on their feet and singing throughout the night. Lzzy’s powerful voice resonated throughout the amphitheater. They started the night with the title track off their new album, Back from The Dead, which was just released May 6th of this year. Next, she takes it back to their sophomore album with “Love Bites (So Do I)”. The third song of night was “Wicked Ways“, which Lzzy let us know that the official video was released today. After a few more crowd favorites, Lzzy proclaims, “No matter how dark this gets, we are all in this together” and then goes into “Break In”.

Arejay is definitely a star on stage and always gets his chance to showcase his talent on the drums with a solo. With his lime green hair, matching sports coat, tie, and pants, he pounds on the drums without missing a beat. And if you have ever seen him before, you know he loves to break out his gigantic drumsticks, which is a sight to see.

Before the encore, Lzzy said that she is proud to be surrounded by her “sisters of scream”, and “salutes a las hermanas de Mexico”. While sitting on the steps leading up to the drum riser, and just before the song “Strange Girl” she addresses the crowd, “Here’s to you Connecticut! For all my ladies, for all my strange girls in Connecticut”. And then before “Steeple”, the last song of the evening, she let us know that “This is my church, and Connecticut, you are my people!” Halestorm never disappoints. This was my third time seeing them, and I am blown away by their powerful stage performance.

Halestorm is:

Lzzy Hale – Lead Vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, piano

Arejay Hale – Drums, backing vocals

Joe Hottinger – Lead Guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals

Josh Smith – Bass, keyboards, piano, backing vocals