Heart in Perth, Australia, 15 October 2011

At the beginning of 2011, I moved to Perth with my partner, after spending my entire life in Seattle. There were several factors involved in our decision to pack up and ship off to the other side of the planet, personal and professional reasons that aren't particularly relevant here. The music of Heart, my childhood idols and hometown heroes, has always served as a soundtrack to my life. But even more prominently throughout 2010, as I enjoyed my last year in Seattle, saying goodbye to family and friends for a new journey of sorts.

At the end of Summer 2010, I spent an enjoyable evening with my friend Brian, listening to Red Velvet Car from start to finish, scanning the lyrics and scrutinizing the songs' meanings like two children with new toys in their hands. We also attended Heart's EMP show earlier in the year in March, captured on film for the Night at Sky Church DVD. Look closely and you'll see me, Brian, his partner Steve, and our friend Ryan in the front row, right in front of Nancy Wilson. I could have reached up and touched her! Heart debuted six songs from Red Velvet Car at that show. I had a gut-feeling 2010 would be a good year for the band (lo and behold, 2011 has been even better!). The result? A Billboard #1 album that met with rave reviews upon its release. Red Velvet Car showcased Heart's signature acoustic/electric marriage, a confident foot forward without retreading the past, not to mention some of the most moving lyrics Ann and Nancy have ever put to song. After spending the 90s primarily out of the spotlight, Heart had been working up a momentum since 2001, and with Red Velvet Car the band was now two for two in the studio--the album was a solid follow-up to their amazing 2004 album Jupiter's Darling. I'm not sure what happened to Jupiter's Darling and why it's so hard to find, but it's an eclectic gem worth tracking down.

And finally, Heart's show at Puyallup Fair in September 2010 was a last hurrah of sorts for me personally. It was a gorgeous night at the tail end of Summer, and the band was inspired and clearly happy to return to an enthusiastic hometown crowd. One last awesome show, and that was it for me. I thought I'd probably never see Heart in concert again. Unless I'm visiting family and friends in the States and Heart just happens to be playing a show wherever I'm at. But things don't work out that way usually, so I just chalked it up to this: A warm, symbolic farewell from my favorite band. Of course, Heart had absolutely no idea it was a farewell, but that was fine with me. Thanks for rocking my world, I thought, as the curtain came down on the Seattle part of my life. In the future, I would have to live vicariously through the eyes and ears of friends back home as they relayed their after-show reports.


But then after a few months in Perth, the announcement came: Heart would tour Australia and New Zealand with Def Leppard! WHAT?! And here we are today. Er...or, yesterday. So, how was the Perth show?

The opening act was supposed to be the Choirboys, a classic Australian rock band, but I suspect it wasn't them. The band strolled onstage like guitar techs, the singer/guitarist mumbled the band's name in the mic (which I couldn't make out at all), said they play downtown on a regular basis, introduced and thanked the drummer for sticking with them since he joined this last Wednesday. And on two different songs, the singer/guitarist was bashing away in minor keys while the blues harpist wailed away at his major key harmonica. None of this band's performance suggested this was indeed a great, classic Australian rock band. Unless they've become a shambles. If anyone attended the Perth show and can confirm or correct me on who this band was, then please do so. Frankly, after this band (whoever they are) finished, I thought, OK maybe it's time for the Choirboys? Nope. To my astonishment, Heart was up next. But I'll get to that after a few words about the headliners.

Def Leppard's set was quite good, to be expected, as they've been perfecting this show for years now. Their set is all flash, with lights and video footage on the screens behind drummer Rick Allen. The band still prowl the stage like dogs let loose, and their set list was rife with hits. Joe Elliot sounds good after all these years. A shirtless Phil Collen, my high school celebrity crush, combed the stage as he played, looking even hotter and sexier at age 54 than he did 20 years ago! Overall, Def Leppard have always been good entertainment, and they didn't disappoint.

But Heart, for my money, was always more musically engaging. There's more adventure to their arrangements, and they've consistently staked out new musical territory, expanding on what they've accomplished musically without retreading the past. Heart's set reflected this, but seemed driven by two frames of reference. First, the band's set list was hits-laden and contained nothing they've recorded since 1991. Perhaps this served as a reminder to Australian audiences of Heart's most famous material. Second and more importantly, because Australian audiences were not comprised of familiar faces, Heart could not, and ultimately did not, remain complacent. Having seen several of their US shows over the last few years--all of which were great, primarily because Heart has been in a late career stride since 2004--the band's energy was distinctly more hungry, as if they had something to prove their first time touring Australia.

Their set was too short, at 10 songs in 45-50 minutes. Their cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" served as a good opening number, a showcase for Ann's singing. The 70s were represented in their best known songs: "Magic Man," Barracuda," "Straight On," and "Crazy on You." The stop-start ending of "Straight On" was effective and drew ample audience response. And Nancy's acoustic guitar intro to "Crazy on You" was great, incorporating elements of Appalachian folk, rockabilly, and bits of Zep's "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" before launching into those iconic "Crazy on You" strummed chords. This has become one of my favorite moments in Heart's show over the last few years. Elsewhere, the 80s were represented by "What About Love," a beautifully stripped down "Alone," and Nancy getting her own vocal showcase on "These Dreams." Heart also covered John Farnham's "You're the Voice" affectively (which they'd included on their Rock the House! LIVE! album in 1991). And finally, they wrapped their set with the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me," which has become a staple of their shows in the last few years.

Video screens on the sides of stage were quite nice, as we could see their facial expressions and engagement with the music. Bassist Kristian Attard bounced about the stage, as did Debbie Shair behind her keyboards and Ben Smith behind the drum kit. Lead guitarist Craig Bartock's playing was impeccable, and he roamed the stage with poise. Nancy prowled the stage guitar in hand, leapt into the air and danced about, and appeared to hold the key to eternal youth. But Ann is another story. Inevitably, everyone always addresses how Ann looks, even when they mention her outstanding performances. So let's get this out of the way: Ann looked healthy, happy, and in great physical shape overall. She's such a gorgeous lady, and her positive energy was palpable and certainly came through in her performance. Where most singers go to 10, Ann often goes to 11, and she was unstoppable in Perth. Ann's vocals were passionate, expressive, and nuanced. In the last few years, she's attributed a newfound subtlety ("pulling back," as she's said) to her work with producer Ben Mink. Perhaps that's why Ann's 11 moments stand out even more now than ever before, and there were plenty of them in Perth.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: This incarnation of Heart is my favorite, and arguably their best lineup. They've only recorded two studio albums in the last decade, both of which are among Heart's best ever albums; and their shows have reflected a sense of commitment to their music, respecting their own history while staking out new musical territory and building upon it with great new songs. Hopefully Aussie audiences are compelled enough to seek out Jupiter's Darling and Red Velvet Car, and get an understanding of where Heart is in their current artistic state.

And while my Heart experiences during 2010, my last year in Seattle, felt like a last hurrah, a farewell of sorts, the band's performance in Perth was like the most awesome housewarming gift ever. And of course, they had no idea. But that's OK, I'm fine with that. Thanks for rockin' my world again, one last time!

Set List:

Rock & Roll (Led Zeppelin cover)

Magic Man

What About Love

Straight On

You're the Voice (John Farnham cover)

These Dreams

Alone

Crazy On You

Barracuda

Love Reign O'er Me (The Who cover)