Classic Rock Triple Header Touring This Summer

Three big names from the 1970’s and 1980’s are teaming up for a U.S. tour starting on July 9 in Denver, Colorado. Journey, Heart and Cheap Trick are joining forces for a tour that will finish up on October 4 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The summer tour will be the first major road trip for Journey since they have been joined by their new lead singer, Arnel Pineda.

As it stands today, the tour dates are as follows:

July 9 - Denver, CO - Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
July 11 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
July 12 - Lake Tahoe, NV - Harvey’s Lake Resort
July 15 - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
July 16 - Irvine, CA - Verizon Amphitheatre
July 18 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Arena
July 19 - Tucson, AZ - Casino Anselmo
July 22 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid America Center
July 23 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
July 25 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Amphitheatre
July 26 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 27 - Dallas, TX - Superpages.com Amphitheatre
July 30 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheatre
July 31 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheatre
Aug. 2 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 3 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Amphitheatre
Aug. 4 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Amphitheatre
Aug. 6 - Orange Beach, FL - The Amphitheatre @ The Wharf
Aug. 7 - Nashville, TN - Sommett Center
Aug. 9 - Birmingham, AL - Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 10 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
Aug. 12 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 - Jones Beach, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach
Aug. 16 - Scranton, PA - Toyota Amphitheatre
Aug. 17 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino
Aug. 19 - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
Aug. 21 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 23 - Syracuse, NY - New York State Fair
Aug. 24 - Saratoga, NY - Saratoga PAC
Aug. 26 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 27 - Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion
Aug. 30 - Bethel Woods, NY - Center for the Arts
Aug. 31 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Pavilion
Sep. 4 - Watertown, NY - Watertown Baseball Diamond
Sep. 6 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
Sep. 7 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Amphitheatre
Sep. 9 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Sep. 10 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Amphitheatre
Sep. 12 - Chicago, IL - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sep. 13 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Amphitheatre
Sep. 15 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre
Sep. 16 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center/Casino
Sep. 19 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre
Sep. 21 - Portland, OR - Clark County Amphitheatre
Sep. 24 - Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Sep. 26 - Sacramento, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion at Sacramento
Sep. 27 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sep. 30 - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre
Oct. 3  - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
Oct. 4  - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion

Tags: Cheap Trick, Heart, Journey, tour

Wilson Sisters, Annie Lennox & Bono To Appear on ‘Idol Gives Back’

This year American Idol adds Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart to their lineup of performers for the program’s charitable event show known as “Idol Gives Back.”

Annie Lennox, whom I believe appeared on last year’s show is also scheduled to appear as well as Bono of U2 fame. I have not yet heard any additional classic rock names scheduled to appear on the program but there are expected to be additional announcements.

“Idol Gives Back” is described as “a music celebration raising awareness and benefiting various U.S. and international charities.”

Last year the show helped raised $76 Million dollars for various charities that operate both here in the U.S. and in Africa.

The program is scheduled to air on the Fox Network on April 9.

Thanks to Heartlinker for the heads up.

Tags: Ann, Annie Lennox, Bono, Heart, Idol Gives Back, Nancy, Wilson

Roger Fisher Open To Heart Reunion

Original Heart guitarist Roger Fisher sounds these days like he would welcome a reunion with the Wilson sisters, as well as the other original members of the group.

Heart recently released a new live version of the group’s first album, Dreamboat Annie, which I reviewed here back in October. In that review, I reveal my disappointment that resulted from a performance from the group’s current drummer that fell far short of my expectations for a recreation of an album as brilliant as Dreamboat Annie.

Learning recently that original guitarist Roger Fisher appears to be open to the notion of playing with Ann and Nancy Wilson again and hearing him say that original bass player Steve Fossen original guitar, keyboard player and vocalist Howard Lesse and original drummer Michael DeRosier are still all "active players" makes the idea of a Heart reunion of all original players quite tantalizing.

I did discover, however, that researching the original players led to a somewhat complicated scenario when one considers original drummer, which was he point I was most critical about when talking about the version of Heart that is together today.

I discovered that there were at least three different drummers on the original album. According to Wikipedia, a drummer by the name of Dave Wilson played on "Magic Man," while another guy named Kat Hendrikse played on "Crazy on You," as well as a number of other songs. Then there’s Duris Maxwell who played drums on "How Deep It Goes." This leaves the drummer Heart settled on as their permanent drummer at that time, Michael DeRosier, playing on only two songs, "White Lightning & Wine" and "Sing Child."

It has been a while since I had heard some of those names. Probably as far back as the late 1970’s when I originally bought the album. I also began to wonder who true to the original recordings Michael DeRosier was after joining the band as their permanent drummer. This of course, led me to YouTube, where I discovered a bunch of Heart videos from the 1970’s featuring whom I presume is Michael DeRosier on drums.

Since both "Crazy on You" and "Magic Man" were two big hits from Dreamboat Annie and are also my favorite songs from the album, those were to two I was most critical of when I critiqued current drummer Ben Smith’s performance, and to him I have to offer a partial apology since it appears that DeRosier was not quite true to the original recordings of those songs either, and this may simply be attributable to each performer’s preference and what he thinks sounds best. Obviously, I am heavily biased in favor of the original recordings.

At any rate, what this all boils down to is that I much prefer the work that was laid down on the original tracks by Dave Wilson and and Kat Hendriske when compared to how both Michael DeRosier  and Ben Smith approached them, although comparing the work that DeRosier did on subsequent albums with the group places me firmly in his corner if he is to be compared to how Smith currently performs Heart’s material today.

The best quality recording I was able to locate on YouTube was from a performance the group did for what appears to be a German TV program sometime during the late 70’s. All the instruments are obviously off the original recording as it is identical. There’s also the fact that the drums are not mic’d up and you can actually hear them a bit at the end of the performance as their sound bleeds though to the vocal mics or the mic being used by the host. Since there are some vocal "ad libs" by Ann Wilson during the performance, it suggests that the vocal mics (or at least hers) are live during the performance and mixed with the insturmental work from the original recording.

With all that said, I still think it would be great to see the original Heart form up for some kind of reunion. For me, it would be the only way to actually see "Heart" perform again. Call me a "Heart purist" if you must but when it comes to the work I respect as much as what was originally done on Dreamboat Annie, there is no compromising.

Since I’ve probably taken this to a level that far surpasses any interest that someone other than a die hard Heart fan would have in all this information, let me just say that you can check out the performance below if you want to know how a fussy old Heart fan like myself wants to hear "Magic Man" performed.

Thanks to Heartlinker for the pointer to Roger Fisher’s site.

Tags: Dreamboat Annie, Heart, Roger Fisher, Wilson

South Park Honors Heart (Actually, Kansas)

Well, that’s the way I’d like to think of it. Since I love both Heart and South Park, that’s the way I hope it plays out.

Word is that South Park boys Stan and Kyle are hooked on the popular Guitar Hero video game and are able to conquer the hit Heart song “Barracuda.”

Having just returned from their harrowing journey into Imagination Land, I am surprised the boys have the energy to play video games. (Sorry, can’t help myself.)

At any rate, I hope the Wilson Sisters have a sense of humor about stuff like this and are able to enjoy the attention from the creators of the animated series.

I know it’s short notice, but the episode in question airs tonight on Comedy Central at 10:00 p.m. EST. If you have your DVR or Tivo set up to record the show as I do, you’ll be all set.

Update: As it turns out, the South Park episode in question did not include any Heart music at all. However, the Kansas hit “Carry On Wayward Son” was featured prominently, and since Kansas is another one of my favorites, I was happy to see it featured. 

Wilson Sisters Faced Obstacles During Heart’s Early Years

It’s hard to imagine these days, but sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson had to deal with their share of hardships relating to stereotypes and sinister rumors back in the early days with their band, Heart. At the time, it was not typical to see two women fronting a rock band.

In one incident, Ann relates a story in which some guy comments about how good-looking Nancy is and asks if her guitar is actually plugged in. It’s not hard to imagine the anger and disappointment the sisters may have felt after hearing something like that from a “fan.”

There were also a few crazy rumors that went around back in the early years. I actually remember the one that linked the band’s hit song “Magic Man” with infamous killer Charles Manson and even suggested that some of the money the band was making in connection with that song was being donated towards efforts to get Manson released from prison.

Then there was the advertisement that was used by a record company to suggest that Ann and Nancy were lesbian lovers. Again, who could blame them for feeling, as Ann puts it, “pissed off,” under those circumstances?

Obviously, the Wilson Sisters were able to overcome these early obstacles and go on to have very successful careers that are still on track today with a schedule that often has them on the road touring during the summer months.

For more on Ann and Nancy Wilson check out Canada.com.

Heart’s ‘Dreamboat Annie Live’ Coming On October 23

Two more classic rockers that show they still have it are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart. The show that made this new CD and DVD possible was performed during April of this year at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angles and was broadcast live on Direct TV.

I’ve had a chance to check out advance copies of both the CD and DVD and can say without hesitation that every serious Heart fan should add at least the DVD to their collection.

As readers may know, I am not a big fan of live albums and this has not changed with this release. I say that in fairness to this release because I’m the kind of fan who will put on the studio album and enjoy it about a thousand times more than I would any live recording, regardless of who is performing.

That being said, the CD did not do a whole lot for me. Dreamboat Annie is my favorite Heart Album and since I have the studio version, you aren’t too likely to hear the live version emanating from my speakers any time soon. Those that enjoy live albums will probably find this to be as good or better than any other live album out there.

The DVD is another matter, and if you are a Heart fan that feels the same way I do about live albums in general, it’s the DVD you want to spend your money on for sure. The visual experience combined with the music changes everything for me and I really enjoyed watching the Wilson sisters perform this classic album.

In addition to Dreamboat Annie, they also performed a few covers that they describe as some of the music that influenced them during the time they were writing the album.

The bonus features on the DVD are interesting and I particularly enjoyed hearing some of Ann and Nancy’s comments about the making of the album as well as the photos from that era.

Speaking of the bonus section, I do have to take issue with some of the fan comments that were part of the bonus section. A couple of fans commented that the songs were performed at that show “note for note” or words to that effect and that brings me to my only real criticism of Heart as it exists today.

Most of the musicians performed as the fans on the bonus section claimed and to my ears, most of the guitar and keyboard work was pretty much “note for note” for me. And for my money, that is exactly the way a classic album like Dreamboat Annie should be performed. I find it quite difficult to imagine what could be done to improve upon the original in this particular case.

The drummer on the other hand was an entirely different story and as someone who is more than very familiar with all the drum parts on the original album, drummer Ben Smith’s performance left a lot to be desired.

Overall, I don’t consider him a bad drummer but when I hear the songs from Dreamboat Annie, I want them to sound as they originally did. I have no way of knowing why so many of the more complex fills were simplified they way they were and perhaps it was something that he was requested to do for the sake of the live performance. I don’t know.

Whatever the reason, it gives the impression that he is not up to the task of performing in a way that was true to the original version and for me that was very disappointing. Both “Magic Man” and “Crazy on You” are two of my favorite songs of all time and they just don’t have the same effect on me when they are not performed the way that I expect them to be performed.

The original drum track on both  those songs, although not incredibly difficult from a technical standpoint, were amazingly complimentary to those songs and I cannot imagine how they could be improved upon. Can you imagine anyone wanted to improve upon the Mona Lisa or Sistine Chapel by changing a few brush strokes here and there? I thought not.

I suspect I’m in the minority with this particular criticism but when it comes to reviews, I have to let it all hang out. Maybe I just expect too much from a live performance. Remember, I am a studio album kind of guy through and through and I know quite well how I want my favorite songs performed. Live or otherwise.

In fairness, I must also say that living up to the standard set by an album like “Dreamboat Annie” is no small feat. Despite the age and technical shortcomings of the recording equipment that was available when that album was originally recorded compared to what’s available today, it remains one of my all-time favorites from a mixing an engineering standpoint. An absolute work of art and tribute to some amazing engineering talent.

Despite my problems with the drums, I really did enjoy watching this DVD. There’s no doubt that the Wilson sisters can still rock with the best of them and sound as good as any of the other live recordings I have heard from them through the years.

CD Review: Ann Wilson’s Hope & Glory

On September 11, Ann Wilson’s solo CD will be released. Being her first solo album, there is bound to be a lot if interest from fans of Heart, the band where Ann Wilson has earned her reputation as one of the best female vocalists in rock.

I’ve been a fan of Heart pretty much since the beginning and have always had an appreciation for her talent. Needless to say, I was quite interested to hear that she would be releasing a solo album and I’ve been listening to it for the last couple of days.

In the first track, “Good Bye Blue Sky,” originally done by Pink Floyd, Ann gets a little help from her sister Nancy and some of the vocals are easily identified as a product of the Wilson Sisters. Being a rather laid-back track, it does not really showcase Ann’s voice in a way I am accustomed to hearing her in my favorite Heart tunes. For me, this selection as the first track kind of gets things off to a slow start. As much as I like Pink Floyd, this one was never one of my favorites.

When I first heard track number 2, “Where To Now St. Peter?” on Ann Wilson’s MySpace page a few weeks ago I took a liking to it immediately. It’s no secret that Elton John has been known to write a good song or two, and although this was not one that was well-known to me, I’d have to say this is now one of my favorite Elton John songs. It’s certainly my hands-down favorite track on this new album.

“Jackson” certainly has a country feel to it with a typical country-style progression to it. I admit that I don’t know jack about Lucinda Williams, and since my taste in country music usually steers me more towards country music with more of a rock slant to it, it’s not typically the kind of song I would listen to. It is, however, quite listenable, and it is interesting to hear Ann’s voice lend itself to a song like this. I will admit that I found myself tapping my foot along as I was listening to it.

The old Animals classic “We Got To Get Out of This Place” has an updated sound to it and to me it is more interesting that the original. I think Ann and Wynonna Judd play off each other nicely.

I know the Wilson Sisters like to do Zeppelin Songs, so I guess it should surprise no one that Ann chose one for her new album. The particular track she chose, ‘The Immigrant Song,” is one that I never really took a liking to, so I can’t personally say I was too crazy about this one. I did appreciate the fact that I could understand the lyrics however. I could never tell what the hell it was that was being said in the original version!

“Darkness, Darkness” is another one where Nancy lends a hand and is a tune I have heard a few time through the years but never paid too much attention to. I really do like this version, though and would have to nominate it for my second-favorite track on the album. I think Ann does an outstanding job of capturing the mood of this song.

Another country-ish toe-tapper is “Bad Moon Rising,” originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It’s one of those classics that is so recognizable when it pops up on the radio or something. I’ve always kind of liked this song, although I don’t really know why. It’s not typical of the stuff that I listen to. At any rate, I like the original version and I like this one as well. Another artist with whom I am unfamiliar, Gretchen Wilson, joins Ann to record this one and I think the harmonies she pulls off with Ann sound great for this song.

“War of Man” is a Neil Young song that kind of strikes me the same way the first track on the album does. For me it just never really gets off the ground. I’ve never been a Neil Young fan and this song won’t change that. Alison Krauss performs on this track with Ann and I have to agree with the comments Ann made about her voice, which she described as “pure and angelic.”

Another Youngbloods original was selected for track 9, “Get Together.” This 1960’s classic was also given an updated sound which, for me, makes it more interesting. I’d prefer to hear this version over the original version, which never really stood out as something I would go out of my way to listen to, and quite frankly, might put me to sleep.

I like “Isolation” better than I would have expected, since I don’t think I have ever heard a John Lennon song that I cared much for. What I like about this one is that it really allows Ann to cut loose a bit and demonstrate the range and power of her voice. It’s another one that starts off slow but this one really builds up and gets off the ground nicely towards the end. I’ve never heard the Lennon version, but strongly suspect I would prefer the Wilson version.

I don’t know how Bob Dylan made a name for himself as a singer, but it was nice hearing one of his songs performed by people who actually can sing. Sorry, Bob, but I never could stand your voice. Anyway, I’ll give him his due as a song writer since this is an interesting song and the idea to have Shawn Colvin join in on this one was a good one because I think she sounds great.

The last track is the single track on the album written by Ann herself. It’s an acoustic track and it’s always been hard for me, as a rock fan, to get into that kind of thing. I did not find it all that interesting, but it does do a good job of summing up the album’s theme and does not really leave us wondering a lot about her opinions where a certain war is concerned.

Although most of the material on this album is not the kind of stuff I would typically find myself listening to, overall, I enjoyed it and would add a few of the tracks to the list of stuff I normally listen to. “Where To Now St. Peter?” is a definite as well as “Darkness, Darkness.”

I found it interesting to hear her perform some styles of music that I don’t normally associate with her, but I would have liked the chance to hear more of her original material. Maybe at some point she will give us all a chance to do that.

Brief Ann Wilson Interview

Since the music of Heart was a strong influence in the early years of my love affair with what we now call “classic rock,” I’m always interested to hear news about what the Wilson sisters are up to these days.

On September 11, Ann Wilson’s new solo album, Hope & Glory, will be released. The date for the release  is one few of us will ever forget and is certainly no accident, given the new album’s main message.

In a recent, short interview, Ann Wilson talks about her decision to finally do a solo album and thinks of it more as an artistic endeavor than something career-related.

It’s interesting that all the tracks on the new album, save one, are covers.

Wilson has done well recruiting some very big names that have contributed to the album. Among them, her sister Nancy, Elton John, Gretchen Wilson, Alison Krauss and Rufus Wainwright.

Stay tuned for a review of Hope & Glory in the next few days.

Nancy’s Turn: A Short Interview With Nancy Wilson

I guess as far as publicity goes, Nancy Wilson has always seemed to be the quiet one. Maybe I just don’t watch the right TV shows or read the right magazines and blogs, but I have seen more coverage of sister Ann’s activities through the years by far.

This time we get to hear just a little bit from Nancy in this short interview from the Press Enterprise newspaper as the sisters prepare to perform with their band, Heart, in Costa Mesa, California.

Don’t expect a whole lot of juicy Nancy Wilson info from this one. It’s more like a reporter got a minute or two to walk alongside her and ask her a few questions at the airport or something.

Or, maybe Nancy Wilson just isn’t that talkative. Who knows?

She talks a little bit about her husband, director Cameron Crowe and about working with sister Ann in the early years and also about what they are working on these days.

The sisters are reported to be re-recording their debut album, Dreamboat Annie for some kind of DirecTV special.

Allow me to be the first one to wish them luck making that album sound any better. Even though it was recorded in the 1970’s, and from what I have heard, wasn’t even recorded with top-of-the-line equipment of the day, it is one of my absolute favorite albums for the engineering. I just love the sound of that album. Just fantastic.

Ann Wilson Does Led Zeppelin

I was a bit surprised to find “The Immigrant’s Song” listed among the tracks on Ann Wilson’s new album, Hope & Glory. Led Zeppelin fans will surely recognize that song from an early album. I remember hearing that on my friend’s cassette tape player back in the early 1970’s about a millions time at least.

It’s certainly an interesting version of the classic Zep tune. I’m not sure I’m so crazy about hearing Ann Wilson sing it, but since she has been one of my favorite female singers since I first heard Heart many years ago, I guess I can listen to her sing just about anything and find something about it that I like.

You can hear Wilson’s version of “The Immigrant’s Song” as well as another song called “Where To Now St. Peter?” (which I actually liked a lot better than former) on Ann Wilson’s MySpace page. You can also find a schedule for her live performances and other news.