Heart played the Puyallup Fair this last Wednesday, to a sold out house of approximately 10,000 fans. I was clued in by several die-hard touring-gypsy fans that the band were walking out on stage to Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Of course, once the recording hit the clanging mid-section, the stage lights went out, the crowd erupted, and the silhouettes of the band members could be seen strolling out from the wings. I was right up front, clinging to the edge of the stage when the lights came up and Nancy Wilson was joyously clutching an electric guitar. She teased the crowd with a few noises and sounds before throwing her arm in the air and finally launching into the signature riff of “Barracuda.” As the band bludgeoned the crowd with the song’s introduction, Ann Wilson walked out, right down the center of the stage, with an intent look as if her sole purpose was to spit out that opening line: "So this ain't the end, I saw you again today, I had to turn my heart away!" From there, we were all in the palm of Heart's collective hand until the show ended. “Barracuda” was as blistering as it should be.
Song number two was quite a surprise, a re-worked version of their 1985 hit single “Never.” This version featured acoustic guitar quite prominently, moving along at the same mid-tempo pace as the original recording, with Nancy Wilson adding in a great blues harp solo in the middle. It was still every bit the sing-along it always was.
“Kick it Out” was rockier than ever, almost metal, as one of my friends astutely observed. For “Straight On,” currently touring bassist Christian Attard surrendered his instrument to special guest Mike Inez, who played with Heart at the beginning of the decade just prior to rejoining Alice in Chains. “Straight On” was funky, with the band augmenting the song with a teaser of a stop-start ending. The crowd became unglued.
“Love Alive” and “Mistral Wind” followed. Both songs begin with folky acoustic guitars and build dramatically to their final verses. They provided a nice change of pace, nicely balancing the show’s first four straight-ahead rockers. Following both of these was the first Led Zeppelin cover of the night, “Immigrant Song,” as it was re-worked for Ann’s 2007 solo album Hope & Glory. Like “Love Alive” and “Mistral Wind,” this particular version of “Immigrant Song” works better than Zep's original because of its build toward the climactic ending. It’s a perfect showcase for Ann’s range as a vocalist, from her subtlety to her power. And it was great to hear her sing it in concert.
“Back to Avalon” was a very welcome surprise! Aside from the fact that it’s my favorite song on Heart’s most obscure and underappreciated album Desire Walks On (from 1993), it’s just a kick ass number that I always felt was musical kin to “Love Alive.” This version was fairly faithful to the original recording, but featured Nancy on lead vocal in concert (Ann sang the original studio recording). Keyboardist Debbie Shair picked up the accordion and drummer Ben Smith kept a steady Zep-like beat, with Ann singing harmony before claiming the bridge as her own.
For “These Dreams,” Nancy pulled out the mandolin and reinvented the song yet once again. This is probably my favorite arrangement of “These Dreams,” placing musical emphasis on acoustic instruments with ultimate focus on Nancy’s lead vocal, as she effortlessly spun out Bernie Taupin’s gorgeous prose.
“What About Love” was yet another surprise. Truthfully, this has never been one of my favorite Heart songs. But Ann’s lead vocal was powerful, and Nancy’s acoustic guitar was right up front—which was not the case with the original studio recording. “Alone” followed, with the guys in the band leaving the stage, with Nancy on acoustic guitar, Debbie on keyboards, and Ann front and center. This was arguably one of Ann’s finest performances of the song, as she punctuated the lyric “I always got by on my own” with arm gestures and facial expressions, lending a sense of drama. The idea that even a strong-willed person can be consumed by loneliness and passion was a nuance of the song that Ann perfectly highlighted.
The main set closed with a powerful rendition of the Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me” and Heart’s own “Crazy on You.” The former was epic, building in drama and intensity with keyboard motives that gave way to heavy electric guitar dominated choruses evoking the song’s yearning for peace. “Crazy on You” began with a killer acoustic guitar solo by Nancy, very similar to the original Dreamboat Annie version, but extended with some really funky passages. She was clearly on a plain, playing with so much joy and passion. And in that iconic moment where her solo slows down and pauses before launching into frenetic block chords, she looked as though she were about to burst. And when the band joined in, she practically leapt into the air, dancing about the stage.
For the encore, Nancy brought out the mandolin again for a cover of Zeppelin’s “Going to California.” The full-band arrangement, dominated by mandolin and acoustic guitar, managed to retain all of the subtlety of Zep’s original voice-and-guitar version. Ann sang Robert Plant’s original lyrics as if she were weary but happy to be back home. Finally, the band ended the show with “Magic Man,” their iconic first hit from 1976.
What was most striking about this particular show was Nancy Wilson’s palpable energy. At several points in the show, I noticed the other band members watching Nancy, as if she were the focal point for tempo changes, etc. Lead guitarist Craig Bartok complimented Nancy’s rhythm guitar work perfectly, and bassist Kristian Attard functioned amazingly well as part of the rhythm section with drummer Ben Smith. Overall, there is little doubt that this incarnation of Heart is incredibly significant. In my humble opinion, this is my favorite line up and I hope they will continue to explore their vast musical possibilities, both on stage and in the studio.
The only complaint I have is that Heart’s brilliant 2004 album Jupiter's Darling went ignored in the evening’s set list, which is unfortunate. Nonetheless, the show was rightfully met by an ecstatic crowd. Most bands with Heart’s longevity (30-plus years) are not as aurally visceral as they were on Wednesday night, so it was great to see the band feed off the energy of their hometown crowd and return it with some kick ass rock.
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