Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless, Starset @ Palace Theatre – Albany NY

The Carnival of Madness tour is back! Selling out venues across North America! And Albany was no exception! Halestorm, The Pretty Reckless and Starset played to the packed, sold out crowd at the Palace Theater in Albany NY last Tuesday night!

Hitting the stage first was the new and upcoming space band, Starset! You may have heard their hits “My Demons” or “Carnivore” on the radio, or even their newest single “Halo” which has taken off like a rocket on the charts. Live, they take their performance to a new level. As their lyrics have an underlying space theme, so does their whole imagery. The band comes out in futurist looking astronaut outfits that are illuminated, while Starset’s vocalist, Dustin Bates is “the mad scientist” at the command prompt in the middle of the stage. They had two large LD screens that played images from space, and a light show that kept you entertained from the front of the stage to the back.

While space is the inspiration behind Starset, it runs deeper than one would expect. Dustin Bates not only worked for NASA, but taught at the international space center in France. You can learn more about Dustin and Starset with the in depth interview we conducted at the show. Starset is out I support of their debut album, Transmissions via Razor &Tie record label. They will be returning to Central NY in June for the 95xFest.

Next up was The Pretty Reckless! You may recognize their vocalist, Taylor Momsen, from her acting career, as she plays Jenny Humphrey on the CW television series Gossip Girl, or maybe as Cindy Lou Who from the movie “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” But Cindy Lou is all grown up and went from singing about finding the meaning of Christmas to much more grown up songs like -“Going To Hell,” “Blame Me,” “Kill Me” or Make Me Wanna Die”. She went from an adorable little girl to a seductive young women – who fronts a band that packs a punch, in a classic emo rock style! Live, they surpassed my expectations as it was a pleasant surprise as to how hard they came out hitting.

The Pretty Reckless is out in support of their second full length album, “Going to Hell.” Once the Carnival of Madness tour winds down, you can see Pretty Reckless at selected dates across North America. Stay tune to their websites (listed below) for the latest details.

Headlining the night was Halestorm! They came to rock, and rock they sure did! They hit the stage with “Mayhem,” setting the mood for a killer rock show. Lzzy Hale’s vocals were spot on. Their set list was a great blend of older and newer songs, packed in with the hits like “Mz Hyde,” “Freak Like Me,” “I Get Off” and “Apocalyptic” before returning of an encore that included “Sick Individual” and “Here’s to Us.”

Halestorm is out in support of their third studio album, “Into the Wild Life” which was release last month on Atlantic Records. Halestorm continues to lead the Carnival of Madness tour across North America until mid June. Then, they will play some select dates across North America before returning to Europe in August – September.

Overall, this year’s Carnival of Madness tour has a strong line up that will sure be fun for the whole family. Check out the remaining dates below.

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PHOTO GALLERIES :

STARSET :: PHOTO GALLERY :: ALBANY NY

THE PRETTY RECKLESS :: PHOTO GALLERY :: ALBANY NY

HALESTORM :: PHOTO GALLERY :: ALBANY NY
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TOUR DATES :

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CARNIVAL OF MADNESS:
5/12 – Boston, MA – House of Blues
5/13 – Portland, ME – State Theater
5/15 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summerstage
5/19 – Flint, MI – James H. Whiting Auditorium
5/20 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
5/22 – Little Rock, AR – Riverfest – Budweiser Stage
5/27 – Houston, TX – Bayou Music Cente

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