HALESTORM Drummer: A Lot Of Us Didn't Realize How Important Live Shows Were For Our Collective Mental Health

August 9, 2022

HALESTORM drummer Arejay Hale spoke to Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz about what it has been like touring during the coronavirus pandemic. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Touring is different now. We're all trying to be very, very safe and just make sure that we don't have to postpone any dates. So we're still kind of doing a very 'bubble'-esque type of tour where we're not hanging out with people after the show. We have to put meet-and-greets on hold for a little bit, just to make sure that we can continue to do shows and we don't have to stop our tour for any reason. But it's honestly fine.

"We're coming back on tour and playing shows with a whole new… We feel rejuvenated almost completely 'cause we've had the most time off the road since our first album came out," he continued. "So coming back into it, we have a much better understanding of how to maintain physically, maintain mentally, not get too crazy, and we just don't take it for granted.

"Live shows were — poof! — taken away from us for so long, and I think a lot of us didn't realize how important it was for our collective mental health," Arejay added. "So I think that we're at this new mental state where we're, like, let's go up on stage and give it our all every night. 'Cause who knows — it could all be gone tomorrow, so let's play every show like it's our last."

HALESTORM's fifth studio album album, "Back From The Dead", was released in May via Atlantic. The follow-up to 2018's "Vicious" was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, MASTODON, ALICE IN CHAINS) with co-production by Scott Stevens (SHINEDOWN, DAUGHTRY, NEW YEARS DAY).

Arejay and his sister Lzzy (guitar, vocals) formed the band in 1998 while in middle school. Guitarist Joe Hottinger joined the group in 2003, followed by bassist Josh Smith in 2004.

In December 2018, HALESTORM was nominated for a "Best Rock Performance" Grammy Award for its song "Uncomfortable". Six years earlier, the band won its first Grammy in the category of "Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance" for "Love Bites (So Do I)".

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