Heart
Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA
12.31.23

In the four years since sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson last took the stage as Heart, humanity and the entire planet have endured seismic shifts: a global pandemic, geopolitical upheaval, rapidly rising seas and melting polar ice caps. So it came as no small comfort that, in the midst of so much uncertainty and turmoil, Heart hasn’t missed a beat. Nancy can still shred and Ann can still belt it out with the best of them, and at a New Year’s Eve homecoming show at Climate Pledge Arena, their iconic anthems and reflective ballads ushered in 2024 with palpable hope.

Heart doesn’t have anything left to prove. Their placement in the top of the pantheon of rock legend is unimpeachable and has been for decades. Fortunately for all of us, the music continues to flow as Nancy and Ann have sustained excellence in solo careers and endeavors with other bands. And yet, there’s a certain level of risk a band assumes in continuing to perform live when they’ve already reached the stratosphere. Musical history is littered with artists and bands who have overstayed their welcome with years of lackluster shows, alienating their fanbase and legacy in the process. Heart has proved with every successive tour that they’re not at risk of this fall from grace.

The first half of Heart’s set opened more in the style of an intimate MTV Unplugged performance. “Bebe Le Strange”, “Never”, and “Love Alive” set the stage for “Roll the Dice” , a new track written in the confines of COVID-era lockdown. An Ann and Tripsitter original, “This is Now”, kept the mood mellow and the capacity crowd seated. This was all in an effort to perfectly set the stage for the arena filling jams that form so much of the core of Heart. 

“Magic Man”, “These Dreams”, and “Barracuda” rock just as much as ever. 50 years into the game, Ann is still hitting notes and vocal runs that make every rock singer, let alone everyone in the audience, sit back in awe and admiration, while kid sister Nancy’s control over the guitar and harmonizing vocals are as magnificent as ever. Covers of Bowie and Zeppelin fit in perfectly with the 90 minute set.

When the time came to welcome 2024, Heart’s encore of “Crazy on You” and “Auld Lang Syne” proved the perfect soundtrack to end the evening with the display of fireworks and drones just outside the door at the Space Needle. Welcome back, Heart. We’ve missed you.

Review by Sattva Photo
Photo by courtesy of Criss Cain