LIVE: VOLBEAT wsg HALESTORM – Charlotte, NC, USA – August 6, 2025

Venue: PNC Music Pavilion

City: Charlotte, NC

Dates: August 6, 2025

Review and Photographs by: Todd “Toddstar” Jolicoeur (www.toddstarphotography.com)

With a new album just two months old to support, Volbeat is traveling and playing sheds across the country this summer and they have rockers Halestorm and up-n-comers The Ghost Inside supporting the tour.  Kicking things off on a harder sound, The Ghost Inside took the stage and proceeded to deliver a handful of modern rock / core tracks that helped whip the fans in the pavilion into a slight frenzy.  Having seen them on a festival stage previously, this was a different setting, and it suited them well.

After the opener did their thing, there was a short stage change over, and we were ushered back into the photo pit to witness the rock and rock magic that is Halestorm.  The first time I saw them was 2010 at the World-Famous Machine Shop and then at festivals and various amphitheater stages. I have been checking the band out for years and enjoy the show every time I get the chance to see them.  Tonight was a little special, as they are only two days from having a new album drop and they brought a few of the new tracks with them as well as an arsenal of cool rockers to keep the crowd amped up in their rock and roll church.  In the words of Lzzy, “Can I get an Amen?”  Pulling heavily from the new disc Everest, they played six tracks and tossed in four from my favorite in their past, The Strange Case Of… Watching Lzzy and Joe trade licks was a pleasure as always.  Tracks like “Love Bites (So Do I)” and “I Miss the Misery” helped kick the show off after new track “Fallen Star” hit us all.  Arejay controlled the tempo of the music from behind his kit while Josh anchored the bottom end with bass in hand.  The rest of the set was a rotation of hits and new songs, with personal favorite, the aforementioned “Amen” ripping things open for a new fan favorite “Like A Woman Can” before a couple other new tracks including the title track “Everest” were played teasing the venue with what was to come Friday.  The set ended the only way it could, with “Here’s To Us” and their first big hit “I Get Off.”  They love what they do and it’s obvious from the minute they hit the stage until they leave.  Can’t wait to see them again soon.

Volbeat is as straight forward as it gets at a live rock and roll show.  No flamboyant production, no costumes, no filler – just great music.  The band’s latest disc God Of Angels Trust was a continuation of the classic Volbeat sound with some interesting titles.  In typical fashion, Volbeat stood their respective ground for most of the show, with frontman Michael Paulsen randomly venturing to the wing microphones to sing but not vacating his center stage position for long.  The guys on bass and guitar – Kaspar Boye Larsen and Flemming C. Lund respectively – occasionally traded spots to play and showcase.  The set kicked off strong with a one-two-three punch of “The Devil’s Bleeding Crown,” “Lola Montez,” and “A Warrior’s Call,” perfectly setting the tone and the bar for the evening.  After getting some of the ‘required’ playing out of the way, it was time for the band to enlighten those that were not yet aware of the new tracks the band had up its tattooed sleeves.  The first new song “Enlighten the Disorder (By a Monster’s Hand Part 2)” elicited the exact response the band was hoping for as the crowd embraced the material, as they did when the band rolled through another new track “Demonic Depression” before leaning into my favorite Volbeat track “Fallen.”  This track sounds almost poppy compared to others in the set, but it helped broaden the bands fanbase and still runs through my regular playlist.  Drummer Jon Larsen kept time and led the thundering charge from behind his kit.  More new music was in the set including the longest title of the bands catalog “In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom.”  If you check out the God Of Angels Trust disc, you will find titles and sounds that are heavier than a lot of the band’s more mainstream material, but it doesn’t stray too far from Paulsen’s musical journey and path.  Overall, the set was a good mix of fan favorites, a couple deep cuts, and new material to spur interest.

VOLBEAT SETLIST: The Devil’s Bleeding Crown – Lola Montez – A Warrior’s Call – Enlighten the Disorder (By a Monster’s Hand Part 2) – Sad Man’s Tongue – Demonic Depression – Fallen – Shotgun Blues – In the Barn of the Goat Giving Birth to Satan’s Spawn in a Dying World of Doom – By a Monster’s Hand – Temple of Ekur – The Devil Rages On – Die to Live – Time Will Heal – Black Rose – Seal the Deal – For Evigt – Children of the Grave – Still Counting

HALESTORM SETLIST: Fallen Star – Love Bites (So Do I) – I Miss the Misery – Freak Like Me – Rain Your Blood on Me – Darkness Always Wins – Amen – Like a Woman Can – WATCH OUT! – Everest – Here’s to Us – I Get Off

THE GHOST INSIDE SETLIST: Going Under – Dear Youth (Day 52) – Earn It – Death Grip – Avalanche – Aftermath

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COMPLETE SET OF VOLBEAT PHOTOS

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COMPLETE SET OF HALESTORM PHOTOS

HALESTORM LINKS:

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TOUR DATES

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COMPLETE SET OF THE GHOST INSIDE PHOTOS

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Category: Live Reviews, Photo Galleries