When Halestorm signed to appear at Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert, its members had no idea what they were getting into.
“It was quite an incredible experience,” says Arejay Hale, the group’s drummer. “I’ve never been to a live event like that where so many people are just riding the same emotional wave…and everyone was there just to support this one guy.”
An icon in the music business, Osbourne wanted to play a final set – five solos and four songs with Black Sabbath – before saying he was officially retired.
By the time he got to “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” “everybody was feeling the exact same emotion. ‘He’s out here doing this one last time, he knows it’s his last time’…and everybody started tearing up,” Hale says.
Before the finale, Osbourne talked about his health battles and what it’s like to live in constant pain. “It was heavy, but it was also very celebratory,” Hale says. “All of the bands that played were incredible. You could tell every single one of us were inspired by Ozzy and everybody gave it their all.”
In addition to Halestorm, the lineup included Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Steven Tyler, Tom Morello, Billy Corgan, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Alice in Chains and other metal and rock acts.
Supporting others
Proceeds from the “Back to the Beginning” concert went to a variety of charities Osbourne supported. No long able to walk due to advanced Parkinson’s disease, Osbourne sang while seated on a throne. Seventeen days after the July 5 show, he died.
“Ozzy really went out the best way you can,” Hale says. “What was cool was seeing Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne songs crack the Top 50.
“My wife had never listened to Ozzy or Black Sabbath, but she was there and she was feeling it,” Hale says. “Now she’s like, ‘This is really cool stuff.’”
While Halestorm appeared on the same bill as Osbourne at several festivals, the group hadn’t been in this kind of grand production before. The band also played with Heaven & Hell, Ronnie James Dio’s band, before he died. “So it’s kind of ironic that we performed (on ‘Back to the Beginning’). We’ve opened up for two different renditions of Black Sabbath right before their lead singer dies.”
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A family band
Growing up in Red Lion, Pennsylvania, Arejay and Lzzy Hale dreamed of life as professional musicians. The brother and sister act persuaded their dad to play bass and, surprisingly, he did. “We were like 10 and 13, so we didn’t really have any friends that wanted to do it with us. He was like, ‘OK,’ and the three of us started jamming together as a family, just for fun. Dad always kind of knew he wouldn’t be in the band forever because, you know, the age gap.”
Dad and mom, however, became the biggest Halestorm fans.
“My dad has turned their entire house into a Halestorm museum. He has every piece of merch, plaques on the wall. He could open the house, start selling tickets and turn it into a museum.”
Missing from the collection: Halestorm’s Grammy (for Best Hard Rock/Metal performance for “Love Bites (So Do I).” That resides with the band members who won it.
The band might be a little lenient with a second Grammy if, “heaven forbid we do win a second,” Hale says.
New music
Cuts from “Everest,” their latest release, already figure into their current tour. It includes a “plethora of older stuff that we know that people want to hear.”
While the band’s appearance with Osbourne will rank as a career highlight, releasing new music is also very special.
“Every time you release an album, you’re excited, you’re nervous and you don’t know if anyone’s going to like it,” Hale says. “This one was probably the most extreme on both ends because it’s so different from anything else we’ve done.”
A surprise to watch for in concert: The drummer’s hair color. Instead of a rainbow of colors, he now sports a more natural look. “My stylist said, ‘You really should give your scalp a break,’” Hale says. “So I’m kind of looking forward to the low maintenance of not having hair color on this tour.”
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