The guitar icon put on a magnificent performance
Last night, Heart’s Nancy Wilson wrapped up her spring tour at the Wind Creek Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The guitar icon took the stage with her band and treated the capacity crowd to several Heart hits mixed with some other great rock classics. The capacity crowd gave her a warm welcome, and she proceeded to roll through a solid 14-song set.
Wilson strolled onto the stage with a gorgeous Martin guitar slung over her shoulder, which was incredibly fitting considering the factory is right down the road in Nazareth. She kicked things off with a lovely rendition of “Band on the Run” by Paul McCartney and Wings. Another Wings track – “Let Me Roll It” – would also get some love later on.
Next up was Heart’s punchy “Straight On.” It’s a bite-your-bottom-lip kind of a song, and there was plenty of grooving going on in the crowd. Shortly, “Alone” and “These Dreams” were incredible back-to-back, with soaring vocal harmonies the elicited an incredible reaction from the fans. While Heart lead Ann Wilson’s voice is renowned and Nancy is known for her guitar chops, more die-hard fans of the band know that Nancy also has a pair of pipes herself. She turned in a fantastic vocal performance along with her signature riffs.
Some other non-Heart highlights included a gorgeous cover of Van Halen’s 1988 hit “When It’s Love” and Pink Floyd’s iconic “Comfortably Numb.” Towards the end of the set, things got a lot grittier when Wilson ripped through two of Heart’s heaviest hits – “Crazy on You” and “Barracuda.” The riffs continued to rain down with Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.”
The sole encore song was “4 Edward,” a beautiful acoustic tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen. The track is from her debut solo rock album, You and Me, which arrived back in 2021. After blowing the roof off the joint with the last three songs, it was a wonderful way to ease the crowd out the door.
At this point, Wilson’s legacy is cemented. She’s was a guitar god during the decade that defined rock and roll. At this point, any performance, whether solo or with Heart, is an absolute privilege to witness.
