Lzzy Hale Once Dumped a Guy for Falling Asleep at a Tool Show: “Total Deal-Breaker”

“My brother still teases me about it: ‘I wouldn’t have fallen asleep’”

Lzzy Hale Tool story Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale (photo by Amy Harris) / Tool’s Maynard James Keenan (photo by Johnny Perilla)

Halestorm singer-guitarist Lzzy Hale knows a thing or two about quality music, which is why she had no time for a dude who fell asleep during a date at a Tool concert.

Lzzy recently sat down with Guitar Player magazine to list 10 albums that changed her life. Among her picks was Tool’s 2001 opus Lateralus.

“My little bro [and Halestorm drummer] Arejay was getting really good on the drums,” began 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 just devoured it. I ended up getting really into it myself. Listening to their music was just like watching a horror film.”

She continued, “I had a shitty waitress job, and I got us tickets to see Tool at Hershey Park. I was so stoked. Then Arejay did something to piss off our parents, so they wouldn’t allow him to go. I thought, ‘Okay, this could be an opportunity to ask somebody out on a date,’ which I did. I asked this guy Nate, and he said, ‘Yes.’ I was like, ‘Sweet!’ We didn’t have great seats, but it didn’t matter — the show was amazing. I was singing every word. Halfway through, I looked at my date and saw that he had fallen asleep — total 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 killing it with Halestorm. The band is currently working on its sixth studio LP, which we recently included among our Most Anticipated Metal & Hard Rock Albums of 2025.

Meanwhile, Lzzy just kicked off an acoustic tour with the man who eventually won her heart, longtime boyfriend and Halestorm guitarist Joe Hottinger. The “Living Room Sessions” tour — which features the pair performing Halestorm tunes and covers of songs by Lady Gaga, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, and more — is scheduled through a January 25th show in South Burlington, Vermont. Pick up tickets here.