Heart
Massey Hall
Toronto, ON
February 11

Ann Wilson and her kid sister Nancy have over three decades worth of memories to look back on since the inception of their highly successful band Heart. Born in California and already well-traveled by the mid-70’s thanks to their Marine Corps father, the pair struck gold in Vancouver with the release of Dreamboat Annie – a powerful collection of riffy rock and blazing vocals featuring hits “Crazy On You” and “Magic Man.” A cross-Canada tour in 2011 marks the 35th anniversary of the album’s debut and, despite losing a slew of former band-mates over the years, the ladies themselves have hardly declined along the way.

The first thing jumping out from Hearts LED-backed stage is the enduring power of Ann’s voice. Her commanding presence during the opening combo of “Cook With Fire” and “Heartless” sets a relentless and promising tone. “What About Love” comes third, assuredly offering the realization that this show will be well worth the price of admission. The elder Wilson sounds freakishly identical to the version of her we know from the radio, and any worry that she might not have the vocal stamina to make it through ninety minutes is alleviated as the set rolls on.

Nancy takes over singing duties for a couple of songs following the stripped down title track from 1978’s Dog & Butterfly LP, a cut dated significantly by its lead keyboard line. Unlike Ann, her voice is soft and tenuous, but more than capable of maintaining the focus of a few thousand fans. The two sisters each exude merriment in their own ways – Ann mightily strutting about in thigh-high laced boots and a long black jacket, Nancy’s Heart hockey sweater and constant smile giving her the look of a suburban Mom who just happens to be a rock star in her spare time. Both make it effortlessly easy to have fun in their presence.

With a setlist spanning the entirety of Heart’s career, only the finest selections are trotted out for this performance. “Desire Walks On” and a mash-up of “Even It Up” with The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” are perfect examples of the husky bar-band style that made the group a success. New tunes “Red Velvet Car” and “WTF” prove that there is still worthy work being done by the Wilsons, the latter coming dangerously close to being a heavy metal number. The precision programming achieves blissful focus, however, as the set draws to a close.

“Magic Man” and “Crazy On You” team up for a predictably compelling one-two punch – with Ann’s archetypal belting front and center – before “Barracuda” brings the house down (and gives the backing band a chance to shine as the elated audience members rip air guitar to their hearts’ content). The encore wisely includes a pair of choice covers – Led Zeppelin’s “What Is And What Should Never Be” and The Who’s “Love, Reign O’er Me” – giving the crowd as much Ann as they can squeeze in before “Dreamboat Annie” delicately sends everyone home enamored.