Heart – fronted by the legendary sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson – is proving that it takes more than age, illness, and injury to keep a great band down.
The duo, who performed at Gas South Arena on Sunday, Feb. 15 in the first stop on the continuation of their “Royal Flush Tour,” took the audience on a nostalgic rocking roller coaster through the 1970s and beyond.
Heart, which broke through in 1975 with their debut album “Dreamboat Annie,” featuring the now-classic hits “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You,” smashed through their now-familiar classics to an enthusiastic, packed arena.
From the riveting guitar riff in the concert’s opening song, “Bebe Le Strange,” it was apparent that Heart was ready to rock.While Ann, 75, who recovered from a cancer diagnosis in 2024, followed by a severe break to her armand elbow right before heading out on the tour, sang while perched on a bar stool, Nancy, 71, was her usual bouncy self, shredding on the guitar while kicking up her leg like it was 1980.
After ripping through “These Dreams,” “Crazy on You,” and other hits, which brought the crowd to its feet, Ann gave a little history about one of Heart’s acoustic gems, “Dog and Butterfly.”
“This song was on a playlist called ‘yacht rock,'” Wilson said. “I can tell you that it wasn’t written on a yacht, or about a yacht. It’s a story about a seeker.”
She also talked about the band’s “sweet spot” for a group that “starts with an ‘l’ and ends with an ‘n,’ and has a ‘z’ somewhere in there,” before a poignant rendition of Led Zepplin’s “Going to California.” Later in the set, the group continued its tribute to Zepplin with “The Rain Song” and “The Ocean.”
The group also mashed up some of their classic hits with 1980s gems, including “Straight On” with a quick hop over to the David Bowie hit, “Let’s Dance” and a Heart double-whammy “Alone/What About Love.”
By the time the band, in its 90th minute, roared into its finale song, “Barracuda,” it was evident to everyone in the arena that the heart in Heart is beating faster, louder, and stronger than ever.
Heart, with Lucinda Williams as its opening act, continues its tour in Tallahassee, FL on Feb. 18, Feb. 20 in Biloxi, MI, and Nov. 22 in Huntsville, AL before moving west.
Cathy Cobbs is Reporter Newspapers' Managing Editor and covers Dunwoody and Brookhaven for Rough Draft Atlanta. She can be reached at cathy@roughdraftatlanta.com.More by Cathy Cobbs
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