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Concert reviews Music

Heart @ Massey Hall

HEART at Massey Hall on Fri, Feb 11 Rating: NNNNN


I won’t pussyfoot around this: Heart at Massey Hall was the best show I’ve ever seen.

All the elements came together, with astonishing results. First and foremost, you had the Wilson sisters in inspired form, particularly Ann, whose mighty, expressive howl makes her, without question, the best vocalist in rock. She prowled the stage in head-to-toe black, throwing her curls around while foxy Nancy, tomboyish in a Heart jersey, leapt and spazzed out on her guitars. Did I mention they’re 60 and 56 years old?

The set was full of 70s and 80s classics, a few impressively rearranged, like These Dreams, in which they beautifully harmonize, and a stripped-down Alone, which showcased Ann’s voice so powerfully that she got a mid-show standing O. The newer songs, meanwhile, are the heaviest of their career. Big lights, big volume, the show had the epic quality of an arena concert but with the goosebump-raising intimacy and sonic clarity of Massey.

And the crowd? Joyous, adoring, on its feet, pooled upfront by the end, age be damned.

Now can someone please tell me why Heart are consistently left off those overwhelmingly male best-of-rock lists?

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