Let’s cut to the chase. If you listen to our podcast or watch our social media, Ann Wilson has been declared the great voice is rock music bar none (sorry Mr Plant, Freddie, etc). Did she do anything, at 73 years old, to lose that crown if front of a healthy crowd at PPG Paints Arena last night? She most certainly did not.
Heart now largely consists of Ann’s solo band Tripsitter. Sean Lane and Tony Lucido make up the rhythm section. Not to be outdone by the Lynyrd Skynyrd triple guitar, Heart boasts a QUADRUPLE Ryan Wariner, Ryan Waters, and Paul Moak (also on banjo and keyboards) along with Nancy Wilson all on guitar. And of course Ann Wilson on lead flute.
The intro video got a nice reaction from the audience as it walked through video of major events for each year of Heart’s 50 year career. Oddly OJ Simpson got a bigger reaction than the actual Simpsons. The band took the stage with 1980’s “Bebe Le Strange” the title track from the album of the same name. Keeping with the 80’s vibe right into 1985’s, Holly Knight penned, mega-hit “Never”. Following these were a pair of tracks from 1977’s Little Queen album including “Love Alive” and “Little Queen”. Nancy and Ann’s voices meshed together with the same fluidity as they have for their entire nearly 50 year career. Whatever issues they kept them apart in the past certainly seemed to be in the rear view mirror. The musicians that surrounded them did a very precise job in recreating the songs and solos near perfectly with the records the audience remembered.
Then band then did something rather unexpected and played “This is Now” from Ann’s work with Tripsitter. It was a song that could have just as easily been on some of Heart’s more recent studio albums so it fit in nicely. Nancy’s harmonies on the song made it feel like a proper “Heart Song”. From there they went into the funky “Straight On” which morphed into the David Bowie “Let’s Dance”. Not the Bowie song this reviewer would have picked for Ann or Nancy but it was done well. They could have torn up “Suffragette City”. Nancy then did a beautiful on vocals and mandolin with the signature “These Dreams”. Then throwing it into overdrive Ann belted out “Crazy On You” with the passion she probably had when she inked those lyrics.
From there a nice contrast back to the softer, back to back album title tracks “Dreamboat Annie” and “Dog and Butterfly”. Then came the first of two homages to Led Zeppelin, “Going to California”. The music was note perfect and the vocals probably exceeded Plant even in his prime. Nancy then presented her own solo piece “4 Edward”, a touching tribute to the lost Edward Van Halen. Then came “Mistral Wind” from the Dog and Butterfly album. They then kicked it back to the 80’s with 1985’s “What About Love” and 1987’s cover of the Steinberg and Kelly penned “Alone”. The set closed with the song Ann wrote to her mother “Magic Man”.
As is customary with Heart, the encore consisted of the obligatory Led Zeppelin. In Pittsburgh it was “The Ocean”. No one does Zeppelin like Heart. The night concluded with “Barracuda” and plenty of air-guitar. A career spanning show for sure. Fans of the 80’s Heart might have wanted “Who Do You Run To” or “If Looks Could Kill” and fans of the 70’s Heart might have wanted “Even It Up” or “Heartless” but you really couldn’t walk away feeling you got cheated.
If you had to find something to “complain” about, we’ll leave you with this. Heart doesn’t need to play cover songs. We all love Bowie and Led Zeppelin but if this is the last time we get to see the Wilson sisters do a proper tour, we want more Heart.
