There are concerts, and then there are moments that feel like the universe is finally keeping a promise to us.
Heart’s return to the cool-aired Allentown Fair Wednesday night was the latter; a long- awaited gift after last year’s cancellation with Cheap Trick due to Ann’s health concerns.
Fans who held onto their faded shirts, their hope and their vinyls were rewarded with a 1 hour and 45 minute set of pure, unfiltered rock with no intermission, no filler and all fire.
Ann Wilson, 75, didn’t fully sit once. At recent shows, she’s been seen performing while seated, but Wednesday she was commanding, grounded and gloriously defiant while leaning on a stool like a queen surveying her kingdom.
“…So taste our medicine, and I hope you like it; we’re Heart,” she growled after the band opened with “Bebe Le Strange” and the ’80s hit “Never,” which the crowd roared in recognition (including myself).
Heart’s story began in the early ’70s in Seattle, when sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson broke through a then male-dominated rock scene with Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen. Their blend of thunderous riffs and lyrical ballads carved out a much-needed space for women in rock that wasn’t just tolerated but was revered.
Now, on the “Royal Flush Tour,” they’re backed by Ryan Wariner and Ryan Waters on guitars, Paul Moak on keys and rhythm guitar, Tony Lucido on bass, and Sean Lane on drums. This lineup totally honored the legacy while keeping the engine roaring.
Nancy pulled out her acoustic Martin, with a heart-shaped sound hole and all, for Love Alive, her fingers still fluent in the language of longing. I must say, if Ann’s voice doesn’t reel you in, which is impossible, Nancy’s guitar playing will.
“Come on in and take your seats,” Ann said, as a security guard laid roses from a fan next her. “Ah yes, at the feet of the queen,” she said to the crowds agreeing cheers.
The harmonies on Little Queen were crystalline, and the sound mix? Just perfect. No earplugs, no distortion, no over-the-top droning bass which can sometimes be a problem for an outside arena; just pure, balanced power.
They’ve “been through a lot of hairdos together,” Nancy joked, before shimmering into “These Dreams.” Her vocals were tender, and “Crazy on You” was a full-body exorcism. To imagine hearing that song during its first debut on the radio in 1977 must have been absolutely mind blowing at the time. Sigh
“Heart is a band of two natures. This is a rock … band,” Ann reminded us. “And we also do poetic ballads.” Cue “Dog and Butterfly,” then a Zeppelin detour with “Going to California.”
I was fortunate enough to see Ann perform with Jason Bonham, son of the late drummer John Bonham, in 2013 on the “Heartbreaker Tour” where they played a 30-minute tribute to Led Zeppelin. Therefore, in combination with two of the greatest rock bands of all time, I was not at all surprised that they were covering a few of their songs.
Nancy then shared an empty stage and a story about Eddie Van Halen, who once told her in the beginning of their career when Heart opened for Van Halen, “You play really good acoustic guitar.” “But,” Nancy boasted, “he never said, ‘for a girl’.” That night, Nancy gifted him her Ovation guitar, and at the earliest hours in the morning, Eddie called Nancy thanking her and playing songs for her over the phone. She wrote and performed an acoustic rendition of the song “For Edward” in return, and played it with quiet fire, however not on an Ovation.
The night spiraled into a psychedelic drum solo, exploding into “Magic Man” that had the crowd finally dancing. The 1990 hit “You’re the Voice” followed and the crowd grew larger as they covered Zeppelin’s “The Rain Song.” A beautifully executed bass solo led to an exceptional mash up of “Straight On” and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” The No. 1. song from 1987, “Alone,” began with just Moak on acoustic guitar with Ann on vocals, then swelled into full-band catharsis pulverizing into “What About Love,” with a medley that bled into “The Ocean,” another nod Zeppelin’s eternal influence.
I remember the first time I head “Barracuda” on a tape my father had lying next to his boom box in the basement, and just like the first time I heard Led Zeppelin , I just couldn’t stop. And much to that memory, they closed with “Barracuda”; guitars blazing, solos traded like sacred rites with a perfect push-pull interaction between them. The two guitarists, one after the other, shredded as if the stage itself demanded tribute.
I’ve seen many, many concerts over my years, but none have compared to the live vocals of Ann Wilson, which she now delivered again with precision and rawness. She paved the way for us girls to sing rock, real rock, not just corporate-made pop ballads, for generations to come.
Last night, Heart didn’t just fly, they soared. And for Allentown, it was worth every second of the wait. “Time flies when you’re doing rock and roll,” Ann said. Well said, queen, well said.
Jenny Talbot is a freelance writer.
