By Tampa Earl Burton, Journalist, Rock At Night
Live Review: Halestorm with I Prevail, Fit For A King, and Hollywood Undead
If it’s the summertime, then the concert season is in full swing. Part of that season is the multitude of festivals held around the world (this weekend is Wacken Open Air 2024 in Germany). It may be on a smaller scale, but the hard rock bands Halestorm and I Prevail co-headlined a bill that provided ample enjoyment for the hard rock hordes that invaded the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa on Thursday night.
Fit For a King and Hollywood Undead Serve as Excellent Warmup
If you are going to have a mini-metal fest, you’ve got to have more than two bands, and Halestorm and I Prevail booked two excellent acts to open the evening’s festivities. Fit For a King and Hollywood Undead may not be familiar to older rock fans, but they are two up-and-coming acts that bring differing approaches to their brands of rock. It would serve as an excellent appetizer for the later music from the headliners.
Fit For a King was a more traditional hard rock/metal approach, and they attacked their opening slot with aplomb. For a band that has seen a complete transition from its original lineup in 2007, FFAK seems to be hitting its stride with its metalcore approach to today’s rock sound. It got the rocker denizens in the Tampa crowd going, especially when vocalist Ryan Kirby acknowledged his appreciation for the nearly filled Amphitheatre.
“I want you to know we (the band) appreciate you being in your seats this early for the show,” Kirby commented about halfway through their eight-song set (he also had to fill time as roadies removed the band’s banner from the stage due to the winds in the Amphitheatre) that started rather promptly (for a concert) at 6PM. Fit For a King also paid tribute to those who would follow them (each band was quite complimentary of their tourmates), dedicating particular songs to each band that would play later that night. The band truly reached their pinnacle with a thunderous “God of Fire” to close out their set.
A duly impressed Hollywood Undead then came out, ready to take the baton and kick the energy up a few more notches. Hollywood Undead kept the hard rock passion, but they would put a little nu metal spin on the action. Over the dozen tracks that they performed, Hollywood Undead especially brought their game with “Riot” and a surprisingly good rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” (with an enthusiastic singalong from the MidFlorida Amphitheatre crowd).
Appetizers Done, Bring on the Main Course!
Although both Fit For a King and Hollywood Undead brought their A-games to the Tampa crowd on Thursday night, it was plainly evident that those in the crowd were there for one of the two headliners. It was about 50/50 between I Prevail and Halestorm fans, something that was a question back when the tour was announced earlier in 2024. Halestorm, with their more traditional hard rock approach to music, and I Prevail, who meld into an amalgam of melodic rock with clean and gritty vocals, made their differences work quite well in bringing something for everyone in the Amphitheatre.
I Prevail was up first and their foot was on the gas from the beginning. Using the versatile mixture of “clean” vocalist Brian Burkheiser and the “gritty” vocals of Eric Vanlerberg, I Prevail dazzled over their twelve-song set. To be honest, I was quite surprised that I knew so many of the songs that were presented, and I Prevail would deliver them with astounding energy, considering what might have been for the band.
Earlier in 2024, Burkheiser had surgery to repair neck damage from a rare disease called Eagle’s syndrome, which forced him off the road for a couple of months to recuperate. It was something that Burkheiser remarked on during their set, admitting that it “sometimes put him in a dark place.” Through talking with his bandmates and family, he was able to navigate the travails he faced, to the approving roars from the Tampa crowd, and encouraged those in the Amphitheatre to reach out if they were having mental health issues.
I Prevail would prove to be the stars of the show (and this comes from a HUGE fan of Halestorm) this Thursday night. The band’s performance of “Judgement Day” absolutely ripped the roof off the Amphitheatre, and the final song of the set, “Gasoline,” completely owned the crowd. And there was one more band yet to come…
Lzzy Hale of Halestorm could sing Wikipedia entries and it would entertain rock and roll fans, and Hale and the rest of the band were not going to let the Tampa fans down on this night. Coming off the soaring introduction to the evening, with Lzzy singing “Raise Your Horns” a cappella, the band powered into their classic “I Miss the Misery.” It was obvious from this beginning that Halestorm, who last appeared in the Central Florida area last year during the Plant City Strawberry Festival, was going to be bringing a lot more fire than their family-friendly show in 2023.
The entirety of the Halestorm catalog was open for business, as proven by the deep dive back to the band’s origins with “Take My Life” (from their debut EP One and Done) and “Psycho Crazy” (from 2022’s Back From the Dead). There were also the more edgy tracks from the band, including “Freak Like Me” and “Mz. Hyde.” Even “Black Vultures” got some love, which was not in the mix back in 2023.
What was arguably the most entertaining point in the Halestorm performance came without the added benefit of being a Halestorm song. The traditional drum solo, usually performed by Arejay Hale, got a bit more interesting when the rest of the band – Lzzy, lead guitarist Joe Hottinger, and bassist Josh Smith – all grabbed drums of their own. Along with Arejay (who had grabbed his own drum kit), the entirety of Halestorm performed a “drum circle” (more of a drum line) that demonstrated how intricately linked the band members were.
Lzzy, as always, was the consummate lead, joining the band in saluting the crowd with a Red Cup toast before diving into “Here’s to Us” and bonding with the audience with a stirring finale rendition of “The Steeple.” There wasn’t an encore (none of the bands performed one), but by that point, the Tampa crowd had reached the apex of rock and roll fulfillment. The Halestorm/I Prevail power fest will be continuing through the end of October, with August stops in Franklin, TN, St. Louis, MO, and Irving, TX, in just the next week (full schedule here). If you have the chance – and you’ve got a rock itch to scratch – the Halestorm/I Prevail twin bill is just the prescription you need!
*Photos by Rock At Night’s Jason Hoffman – Detroit show
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