Experiencing a short but nice train ride, check. Arriving at a cute little town, done. A great meal, at a classy place, finito. A small timeless theater, yes. A date with one of the most dramatic sopranos and one of the greatest female rock musicians of all time, yes please!
Great days sometimes be hard to come by but when they actually do happen it is one of the best nces in the world. On Thursday I got to experience one of these rare great days and it was one of the best I've had in a long time.
Heart has always been one of my favorite bands to listen to, so getting the opportunity to see Ann Wilson perform live in a small theater was areal treat for me. The acoustics at the Keswick Theater were perfect for her voice and the close atmosphere inside really gave us a very personal and intimate environment for the show. It felt like we were in one of those perfect little coffee shops and she was just up on stage a short distance away from us. It was the perfect way to see Wilson perform.
Wilson only added to the small coffee house feel with the way she socialized with the audience. She told personal stories and gave us a small background into the inspiration of each of her newer songs. Some of the stories she told were funny and I really enjoyed hearing them. Especially since I've always been interested in where inspiration comes from for musicians.
The
seating at the Keswick was great too, there wasn't a bad seat in the
house which only added to the experience. I got lucky enough to be
sitting right in the center and even though I was a little in the
back, I still had a really good view of the band.
There weren't really any people in front of us so from a short
person's perspective it was neat being able to see her so well (it
allowed me to get some pretty good videos of her!).
One
of the biggest highlights, other than the effects and seating, was the
set list. I felt Wilson's set list was varied and engaging. She
actually included a couple more Heart songs than I was anticipating.
Some of the Heart songs performed were “Barracuda,” “What About
Love,” “Crazy On You,” and a couple others. I went into the
concert only expecting solo material and maybe two Heart songs so I
was pleasantly surprised when she performed more than that,
especially since “What About Love” is one of my top favorite
songs by the famous hard-rocking duo.
The
solo content I did hear was amazing and I don't know if Wilson
intends to make a solo album but I'd be very curious to hear the full
album. I think what I liked most was that they had a great bluesy fire
about them. Ann Wilson's songs have never been without passion and
hearing that still firmly encasing her new stuff made me very happy.
One of my favorites is definitely
“Anguish,” I'd like to buy a copy of that song on my computer.
The
set list also included a nice range of covers but I loved them. I
like when artists perform covers at their concerts because it's
always fun hearing different versions of my favorite songs. A couple
of the covers we got to hear were the Who's “Won't Get Fooled
Again” and “Love, Reign O'er Me” as well as The Animals “We've
Gotta Get Out Of This Place” and-- surprisingly-- The Black Crowes
“She Talks To Angels.” Wilson made each of these her own and
still kept the magic of the originals throughout them, they were
simply amazing.
The
real gem of the night though was obviously Ann Wilson's unique
soprano voice. There is nothing like hearing a legendary performer
sing live and Wilson did not disappoint. Her voice was strong
and sounded just like it did throughout her earlier songs with Heart.
It was breathtaking really. (Which was impressive since she said she
was getting over a cold!) Wilson belted out every song and changed
quite a few from their original versions which enabled us to further
appreciate her voice as well as add a whole different level of
