Halestorm's Lzzy & Joe: Unplugged. The Garage, Glasgow. Sunday 14th June, 2026

I arrived at the venue forty minutes before the doors were due to open. The queue is down as far as the Genting Casino. The warm sun shines behind us, as a steady flow of fans in rock T-shirts joins the queue. Deliveroo and Just Eat riders zip up and down the cycle path at speeds that should be prohibited so close to the pavement. An occasional souped-up car phut-phuts along Sauchiehall Street, sounding like it needs a new exhaust when, in fact, it's entirely deliberate. The casino is popular with the local Chinese community, as they're the only people I see coming in or out. 

At 7pm, we're let in. It's a smooth process. No pat-downs, just bag searches. If you haven't got a bag, you're told to keep going. Then, a ticket scan at the box office at the top of the stairs, then up more stairs to the hall. I get a spot near the barrier, three people in front. I can see both microphone stands and the keyboards. Perfect. There's almost another hour before the show starts.

The space gets hot and sweaty. The front row is all VIPs, with stickers on their shirts identifying them, their number written on in marker pen. In the centre are a couple of giants, their true height disguised by their leaning on the barrier. 

The crowd is still fluid at this point, with positions changing. I end up three from the front. Somehow, a young lad with designer stubble and a wide-brimmed Panama fedora moves from behind me, to beside me, to in front of me. He's more annoying than the giants in front. Who wears a wide-brimmed hat to a gig? What's next? Top hats? 

At 8pm, Lzzy and Joe take the stage. She has no instrument (other than her voice), so pulls the microphone out of the stand and sings from the centre of the stage. Joe sticks to his microphone stand, which is lined with guitar picks. With the audience lights down, Hat Boy's hat blocks my view, a circle of darkness redacting the performance. I can barely see the top of Lzzy's head. I imagine taking slapstick vengeance on the lad, pulling the hat down so hard his head pokes through the rim, becoming a ruff around his neck. I simmer at my lack of view. It's too packed to move.

Before

(en)During

I sneak a few pics of Lzzy, framed by his neck and hairy shirt, from beneath the hat's rim. All is not lost, though, as I can view what's happening on stage thanks to the myriad of tiny screens people are holding to record their own show experience. At the end of the first set, as the pair leave the stage, Joe flicks a few of his guitar picks into the audience. I lose sight of the one heading in my direction, but feel a tiny dunt on my chest. The pick lands on the floor between my feet. I casually retrieve it before anyone else can and slip it into my change pocket. It must have been a lucky pick because this is when my circumstances changed. 

Phone screen

At the interval, a heavy-set Manchester lass inveigles her way forward, initially behind me, then beside me, then in front of me. This places me further away from Hat Man, and suddenly I can see, albeit still with the man-giant baldy in view. The second half was much better. The aircon in the hall kept the place cooler. My view was more relaxed, and I enjoyed the performance much more now that I could see it.

Lzzy has one of the finest and most powerful voices in rock. Her range and clarity are unsurpassed. As a frontwoman, she's so at ease with the crowd, chatting humorously with tales about shows and offstage antics. The dynamic between her and Joe, her partner of 23 years, is similarly comfortable. He seems in awe of her, and she loves him back with every glance and gentle putdown. She's the star, and he loves to be in her orbit. We all do. The sing-alongs are loud, the audience appreciative. We belt out the "Here we, here we" anthem unbidden, followed by "No Scotland, No Party." At the end, the pair surprise us by donning Scotland football tops, Joe in the away top, Lzzy in blue, before toasting us and playing the final song, Here's to us.   

At the end, Lzzy rushes off stage to thank and shake hands with the VIPs before returning to take her bow with Joe and pose for the obligatory audience pic. 

It was an incredible evening, lasting two and a quarter hours, and, afterwards, I felt young again, lifted in spirit and pain-free. Even Hat Boy couldn't spoil this feeling when he scarpered like a young gazelle. Lzzy scrunched up most of the setlists and threw them into the audience, but I managed to find someone with one that was still pristine, who graciously allowed me to take this photo.  

Isn't this lovely!

Setlist

Set 1:

I Get Off

(Halestorm cover)

Do Not Disturb

(Halestorm cover)

Girl Crush

(Little Big Town cover)

Freak Like Me

(Halestorm cover)

I Am the Fire

(Halestorm cover)

Like a Woman Can

(Halestorm cover)

Shiver

(Halestorm cover)

In Your Room

(Halestorm cover)

The Silence

(Halestorm cover)

I Remember You

(Skid Row cover)

Set 2:

Dear Daughter 

(Halestorm cover) - Lzzy solo at the keyboards

Break In 

(Halestorm cover) - Lzzy solo at the keyboards

Love Bites (So Do I) 

(Halestorm cover)

Mz. Hyde 

(Halestorm cover)

I Miss the Misery 

(Halestorm cover)

Gold Dust Woman 

(Fleetwood Mac cover)

White Dress 

(Halestorm cover)

I Like It Heavy 

(Halestorm cover)

Familiar Taste of Poison 

(Halestorm cover)

Bad Romance 

(Lady Gaga cover)

Rock Show 

(Halestorm cover)

Here's to Us 

(Halestorm cover)

Videos (not my finest work)

Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover)

Ticket Price: Artist Presale Ticket: £38.50 x 1
Service Fee: £4.85 x 1
Handling Fee £1.50
Total £44.85 via Ticketmaster