Ann Wilson's voice is without a doubt one of the greatest in music history. The long list of Heart hits was rolled out on March 10th when the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers (they will be inducted in April) hit the Jubilee Auditorium stage. Their 90 minute set showed why they can still pack concert
halls with all ages of people waiting with baited breath for every note.
The show kicked off with Nancy Wilson's killer guitar work on Barracuda bringing the audience immediately to its feet. After Fanatic the title track off their current album, it was back into the classic hits with What About Love. The song builds to a crescendo where Ann truly belts out the question What About Love? It was one of many chill-inducing moments. The hits kept coming – Even it Up, Dreamboat Annie and Dog & Butterfly. Nancy had her chance to shine vocally with the 80's power ballad, as she referred to it: These Dreams.
In our interview with Nancy Wilson in the March 2013 edition of the GayCalgary Magazine, she spoke about one of the highlights of the show, and as promised Alone delivered. Stripped down to just the Wilsons and their keyboardist, it was pure magic and received a standing ovation.
Dear Old America, about their father's challenges reintigrating into society after going to war, and Crazy on You wrapped up the main set. After Magic Man, Heart busted out a Led Zepplin cover.. not Stairway To Heaven which was so brilliantly performed at the Kennedy Centre Honors and hinted at possibly being part of the set. Black Dog was delivered with the same passion and strength of the original Heart tracks, but it was a little odd to end a show with someone else's songs.
As we age, so do our heroes and icons. With 37 years in the industry, Ann (62) and Nancy (58) continue to outshine their younger musical counterparts. For those who saw Heart in the 1970's – 90's it would have been easy to imagine you were still there. No one can say how much longer Heart will be touring, but when they come back I won't hesitate to be there again, as the Heart concert experience is like no other.