Witnessing Tool play live in 2001 was life-changing for Lzzy Hale, but her then-boyfriend's actions were a "total deal-breaker".
The Beastie Boys may have declared there was “No Sleep till Brooklyn”, but a new revelation from Halestorm‘s Lzzy Hale has revealed this may apply to Tool gigs in Pennsylvania, too.
Speaking to Guitar Player magazine recently, Hale opened up about 10 recordings that transformed her life, notably concentrating on the importance of albums by musicians such as Black Sabbath, Jeff Buckley, Alice Cooper, and even Hanson.
Halestorm singer-guitarist Lzzy Hale knows a thing or two about fine music, which is why she had no patience for a man who fell asleep on a date at a Tool concert.
Lzzy recently got down with Guitar Player magazine to name 10 albums that altered her life. Among her favorites was Tool’s 2001 epic Lateralus.
“My little bro [and Halestorm drummer] Arejay was getting really good on the drums,” continued Lzzy. “He had learned Tool’s song ‘Schism’ from the radio, so I thought that I should get him the whole album for his birthday. We simply devoured it. I ended up becoming pretty into it myself. Listening to their music was simply like witnessing a horror film.”
Another musician that she concentrated on was Tool, whose 2001 album Lateralus arrived approximately four years into the existence of Halestorm, which she had co-founded with her brother Arejay. The record was a significant triumph for the metal group, bringing them their first of three straight appearances atop the Billboard 200, and resulting in the Grammy for Best Metal Performance for lead song “Schism”.
Lzzy Hale, vocalist/guitarist for multi-platinum hard rockers Halestorm recently recalled how her early 2000s dedication to enigmatic alternative metal titans Tool was so passionate it ruined her love life. In a chat with Guitar Player published earlier this month, Hale revealed the ten recordings that altered her life.
For Hale, however, the record symbolizes something of a funny recollection which can be traced back to Tool’s performance in Philadelphia in September 2001.
She said, “I had a shitty waitress job, and I got us tickets to see Tool at Hershey Park. I was so delighted. Then Arejay did something to piss off our parents, so they wouldn’t allow him to go. I thought, ‘Okay, this may be an opportunity to ask somebody out on a date,’ which I did. I asked this man Nate, and he answered, ‘Yes.’ I was like, ‘Sweet!’ We didn’t have excellent seats, but it didn’t matter - the concert was wonderful. I was singing every syllable. Halfway through, I looked at my date and noticed that he had fallen asleep – complete deal-breaker for me!”
Lzzy wittily concluded, “So in a weird way, Tool’s Lateralus was a life-changer. My brother still teases me about it: ‘I wouldn’t have fallen asleep.’”
We’re not sure what Tool-snoozing Nate is up to these days, but Lzzy and Arejay are nailing it with Halestorm. The band is presently working on their sixth studio LP, which we just placed among our Most Anticipated Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2025.
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Meanwhile, Lzzy just began off an acoustic tour with the guy who finally won her heart, longtime lover and Halestorm guitarist Joe Hottinger. The “Living Room Sessions” tour — which has the pair singing Halestorm tracks plus covers of songs by Lady Gaga, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, and more — is slated through a January 25th event in South Burlington, Vermont. Pick up tickets here.
“My little bro Arejay was getting really good on the drums,” Hale told the outlet. “He had learned Tool’s song ‘Schism’ from the radio, so I thought that I should get him the whole album for his birthday. We simply devoured it. I ended up becoming pretty into it myself. Listening to their music was simply like watching a horror flick.
“I had a shitty waitress job, and I got us tickets to see Tool at Hersheypark. I was so delighted. Then Arejay did something to piss off our parents, so they wouldn’t allow him to go. I thought, Okay, this may be an opportunity to ask somebody out on a date, which I did. I asked this man Nate, and he said sure. I was like, Sweet! We didn’t have excellent seats, but it didn’t matter - the concert was wonderful. I was singing every syllable. Halfway through, I looked at my date and noticed that he had fallen asleep – complete deal-breaker for me. So in a bizarre sense, Tool’s Lateralus was a life-changer. My brother still teases me about it: ‘I wouldn’t have fallen asleep.’”
Though Halestorm haven’t yet managed to land a support slot for the likes of Tool, the two bands have nonetheless performed on the same lineup from time to time, no doubt prompting plenty of sneaky jokes amongst the Hale siblings.
