Heart Celebrates 50 Years Of Rock At New York City Show

Fifty years ago, the world was introduced to the music of Heart, led by sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson, via their debut album Dreamboat Annie. That record, featuring such now-classic tracks as “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and the title song, launched a legendary decades-long career built on heavy rock and powered by Ann’s commanding voice and Nancy’s aggressive guitar playing.

Fast forward to the present amid more hit songs, albums and touring, Heart is marking that golden anniversary with the Royal Flush tour. It started last year but was later postponed after Ann Wilson announced she was diagnosed with cancer and underwent surgery. Thankfully, she has since recovered, and the tour resumed earlier this year.

The band returned to New York City for an engagement this past Wednesday at Radio City Music Hall, the last date of the tour’s recent leg (Heart was originally scheduled to play Madison Square Garden last year before the cancellation). Playing in front of a sold-out crowd, the Wilsons — along with guitarists Ryan Wariner, Ryan Waters and Paul Moak, bassist Tony Lucido and drummer Sean T. Lane — rocked the house with the classics and then some.

Kicking off with “Bebe Le Strange,” the title track from their 1980 album, the setlist verged between Heart’s 1970s beloved hard rock staples (the aforementioned “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You”) and mid- to late-1980s mainstream comeback hits (“Never” and “These Dreams”). Some of their other well-known songs were reworked for the tour. For instance, the funky groove-driven “Straight On” (from 1978’s Dog and Butterfly album) seamlessly segued into David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.” And Heart’s dramatic power ballads from the ‘80s, “Alone” and “What About Love,” were turned into a medley.

Heart has long been associated with electrifying arena rock, and that came to the fore for most of the Radio City appearance. But there were some tender moments, specifically during the “acoustic” portion of the set with the performances of “Dog and Butterfly” and “Dreamboat Annie.” Also keeping up with that reflective vibe, Nancy Wilson performed an instrumental tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen with “4 Edward” from her 2021 solo record You and Me.

The band, which has been a longtime admirer of Led Zeppelin, performed covers of the British rock icons’ “Going to California” and “The Ocean.” The evening concluded in blistering fashion with the barnburning rocker “Barracuda,” originally from the Little Queen album.

It was poignant to see the Wilson sisters perform together again as Heart following a hiatus that saw each of them do their side projects. Even more special was witnessing Ann Wilson back onstage following her surgery: she performed in a wheelchair that she previously said was not due to her recent battle with cancer but from an injury suffered during a fall. That didn’t diminish her vocal ability, which remained as vibrant as ever, alongside sister Nancy Wilson’s urgent rhythm guitar playing. On this occasion of their debut album’s milestone, Heart’s recent performance felt like a full-circle moment.

Opening for Heart’s Radio City appearance was another music icon, Lucinda Williams. Like Heart, the Americana legend’s set consisted of old favorites (“Joy,” “Changed the Locks” and “Drunken Angel”), somewhat recent tracks (“Rock n Roll Heart” and “Stolen Moments,” written after Tom Petty’s death) and renditions of other artists’ songs (blues performer Memphis Minnie’s “You Can’t Rule Me” and the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”). She ended her show with a fiery cover of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” whose call-to-arms lyrics felt timely now as they did over 30 years ago.

Heart

Setlist:

Bebe Le Strange

Never

Magic Man

Love Alive

Little Queen

Straight On/Let’s Dance

These Dreams

Crazy on You

Dog & Butterfly

Dreamboat Annie

Going to California

4 Edward

Alone/What About Love

Sand

The Ocean

Barracuda

Lucinda Williams

Setlist

Rock n Roll Heart

Real Live Bleeding Fingers and Broken Guitar Strings

Stolen Moments

Drunken Angel

You Can’t Rule Me

Out of Touch

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Changed the Locks

Righteously

Joy

Rockin’ in the Free World