Arena Rock: Heart
Ann Wilson belts it out.
Heart
Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, March 8
When one thinks about musicians who influenced rock ‘n’ roll history, two women from one band come to mind—Ann and Nancy Wilson. The legendary Heart rocked the house at the Save-on-Foods on March 8 and brought everything they had to prove that they can still do it.
A sense of curiosity was in the air as to who was going to open for Heart that evening, and as time drew closer it was announced that Wide Mouth Mason would be kicking things off for us.
But, due to personal emergencies, two of the three members were unable to make it, which left singer Shaun Verreault taking things to another level with his acoustic performance. Not the biggest fan of Wide Mouth Mason, I wasn’t exactly jumping for joy as he took the stage.
But as Verreault started singing, I found myself utterly impressed; Ann Wilson may have had a run for her money with the notes he was reaching. Every note of every song seemed to touch the people in the crowd. Verreault’s performance was far beyond my expectations and the next time Wide Mouth Mason rolls through Victoria I will be attending.
It was now time for headliners Heart to take their place, bursting onto the stage with their hit, “Barracuda.” Both Ann and Nancy Wilson brought a presence to the stage that’s not possessed by most bands these days; an aura of experience with a pure rock attitude. A few times when Nancy was jumping around the stage, I thought she was going to fall over and break a hip.
But nothing bad could grasp this performance, even their cover of The Who’s “Reign Ov’r Me” was brilliant and a shock to everyone in the crowd. Ann’s haunting vocals made this rendition bring a tear to my eye, and helped solidify why she is one of the best singers in rock history.
Finally, Nancy took the stage with her acoustic and starting playing the opening riff to “Crazy on You.” Instead of her normal routine, she broke off from the song and began to play the riff to my favorite Led Zeppelin song, “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You.” Even Jimmy Page himself could not deny her talent. When she finished the lights burst on and Ann started to belt it out from the bottom of her heart.
The show finished off with another Zeppelin cover, this time involving the whole band. “Going to California” was a nice change to the ballad style of Heart’s typical music.
Their last encore of the night was, of course, “Magic Man,” a perfect way to end the night with the crowd left standing in awe, on their feet cheering and wanting more.
It’s amazing to see rock legends like Heart, but when it’s a band whose music has been with you your whole life, it’s a touching experience. Heart’s performance was amazing.
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