Live: Halestorm with Lita Ford and Dorothy in Indianapolis

For years, Halestorm have garnered comparisons to Lita Ford and other female-fronted trailblazers. Finally, enter 2016 and Halestorm hit the road with Lita Ford and direct support from Dorothy for a tour that featured the past and the present. This tour goes much, much deeper than just a metal tour with female-fronted bands. This tour gives inspiration to a generation of young women who need role models and need proof that they really can achieve their dreams- and that\’s exactly what they got. Dorothy may be one of the most promising up and coming bands in all of metal. Frontwoman Dorothy Martin has a voice that echoes Joss Stone or Amy Winehouse while the rest of the band has a southern rock, bluesy vibe and it just clicks. With just an EP out right now and a full-length debut on the way, Dorothy could really become one of the biggest bands in all of rock. It wasn\’t long after they finished up that Lita Ford took the stage. Decked out in all-red leather, she walked to the forefront of the stage and launched into a dazzling guitar solo to kick off her set and it was nothing but energy from there. She packed every hit she\’s had into the set and things went up a notch when she broke out “Can\’t Catch Me,” which she co-wrote with the late Lemmy Kilmister and dedicated it to him. After all the years, Lita Ford can still shred with the best of them and she took time to thank Halestorm for bringing her on tour with them and talked about how close her and Lzzy Hale had gotten over the course of the tour. Before too long, the lights went down and Lzzy Hale took the stage to play a haunting version of “Bad Girls World,” alone at a single piano before the rest of the band joined her onstage and ripped into “Apocalyptic.” Halestorm have always been one of the most dynamic bands on stage and this show was no different. While their latest record- Into The Wild Life- shows the band expanding their horizons musically and going down a more complex avenue, the songs translate beautifully live and they went over perfectly with the near-capacity Indianapolis crowd. Their setlist was a powerful combination of songs from all three albums as well as a few covers including Foghat\’s “I Just Wanna Make Love to You,” for which they were joined by Dorothy\’s Dorothy Martin. They were also joined on stage for Arejay Hale\’s insane drum solo by both Lita Ford and Dorothy\’s drummers for a three-man drum solo that included drum line snares and Hale\’s signature “big sticks.” Prior to “Dear Daughter,” Hale took time to talk to the younger girls in the crowd, explaining how important it was for herself, Lita Ford and Dorothy to come together for this tour. She told every girl in the crowd to keep faith in themselves and that the women on the tour were living proof that they can become what they want to be and that if anyone tells them they can\’t, for the girls to have them talk to Hale, Ford and Martin. Halestorm are annually becoming one of the strongest rock bands in the world and they\’re doing at a fast speed as well. Just three albums in and their shows are always packed and rightly so. Find a band that cares about their fans as much or more than Halestorm and they\’ll fit perfectly together. -Reggie Edwards Click here for exclusive photos of all three bands