Heart left the Seneca Niagara Casino anything but heartbroken on Thursday night. The band members snuck onto the stage, accompanied by a tribal beat, shortly after 8:00 PM. Their faces were hidden under the glow of dark red velvet lighting and candles softly illuminating the stage. The ladies, Ann and Nancy Wilson, were dressed to the nines in dark florals. One could feel the nostalgia strike the air as soon as the band struck the first note of the classic hit “Barracuda.” Ann had the crowd swooning and singing along to “What About Love” with fists held in the air as the chorus took over the fans engrossed in the music. Heart has a way of portraying emotions to the degree of even making me feel nostalgic over events I’ve never encountered.
I can tell that Ann is very passionate about Heart’s latest album “Fanatic” because for the rest of the night, after they played a song off the record, she became very animated and more involved with the crowd. Every time Ann mentioned the 1970s, the crowd spewed with glee and everyone in the venue became more engaged in the show, especially the band. The band was nailing the offbeat “Even It Up” chorus and you could feel it right along with them. There was also a rotating camera propped up behind the drummer, viewing the band from behind and undoubtedly the enthusiastic audience cheering them on. This was something new that piqued my interest.
The band performed a classic heavy set with a few of their latest songs and an encore of Led Zeppelin covers. The song choices appeared to be exactly what the crowd wanted to hear. Ann Wilson dedicated the new tune “Nothing But Love” to the single people in the audience as Nancy switched from an electric guitar to an acoustic guitar. “Dear Old America,” also from their latest album, was written for their father and was as much of a crowd pleaser as their classic hits. Both ladies donned acoustic guitars during “Dog and Butterfly” and “These Dreams” was complemented by Nancy’s vocals and her mandolin. With signature riffs and a signature kick, Nancy’s stage presence could be felt throughout venue. Nancy’s guitar solo came as the introduction to “Crazy On You,” wrapping up the set before the encore. From the first song to the last, Heart’s performance was flawless and Ann’s vocal quality remained nothing short of amazing. Her voice is incredibly powerful and she beautifully reached the high notes with as much strength as ever. With four decades of performances behind this band, Heart has a truly timeless appeal.
Setlist:
Barracuda
Heartless
What About Love
Kick It Out
Mashallah
Even It Up
Nothing But Love
Dog And Butterfly
These Dreams
Alone
Dear Old America
Crazy On You
Encore:
Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin cover)
The Rain Song (Led Zeppelin cover)
Misty Mountain Hop (Led Zeppelin cover)
We would like to thank Sacha Guzy from Peters Management for the photo pass and Tony Astran from the Seneca Niagara Casino for the tickets to review the show.
