Concert Review: Those Beautiful Heartbreakers

The weather was a bit dreary as excited concertgoers headed to their upgraded seats at Klipsch Music Center. The slight drizzle didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s mood, knowing that they were about to see an overwhelming amount of talent. There was a slight buzz in the air.

As the show opened, the “heart” strings were instantly tugged as a nostalgic video played to the crowd; Jason Bonham’s ode to his late father and one of the most influential drummers to hit rock and roll, John Bonham, filled the massive screens at the back of the stage. A tale was seen of great hardship turned even greater success, and a loyalty and love for a father grown through many years. This was the perfect Segway into Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience. They opened with the beloved “Rock and Roll”, followed by some of the greats, including “Over The Hills And Far Away” and “When The Levee Breaks”. James Dylan, lead singer and YouTube find, had such an exceptional voice that could only compliment the band’s triumphant gift of flattery and love to one of the greatest rock bands of all time. As John’s son followed in his footsteps, they most definitely did him justice.

At this point in the evening, The Led Zeppelin Experience came to a close. We noticed some major iconic Zep tunes were blatantly missing from the set, so we had to assume something special would come later. We were oh-so very right. But first, Heart took the stage to an imaginative and beautiful light array and the bubbly sisters greeted the crowd with a genuineness that can only be attributed to years of getting to know and love their fans. “Barracuda” kicked off the show, and although it seemed to take Ann Wilson the length of the lofty song to wind up that powerhouse voice of hers, she found her bearings and left us, seemingly, listening to a recording in our living rooms, rather than an arena. Her sister, Nancy, followed suit, commanding a stage presence of someone less than half her age and with such sweetness that typically comes with neophyte musicians. The crowd followed them on a journey, singing along to their favorites, including “What About Love” and “Magic Man”. Even with the melt your face off vocals and killer guitar solos, the show wasn’t without it’s tender section, “Dog & Butterfly”, as well as a beautiful Mandolin Solo from Nancy on “I Need You To Turn To”. As the crowd was winding down, the show took its cue to turn the volume up and end it’s incredible ride with “Crazy On You”.  The crowd went wild, and we leapt to our feet to cheer for an encore that had been hinted at earlier on in the evening. But we had no idea how monumental this encore would be.

If you can only imagine for a moment, imagine this; a crowd enjoying a night of true musicianship, history, family, and Rock and Roll; a true experience.  As the sisters of Heart and Jason Bonham’s band took the stage one last time, the onlookers were brought in for a few more sweet tributes to Led Zepp, including Ten Years Gone and Kashmir. Even with the bittersweet tone that was the “encore” finally ending, the show ended perfectly with an epic (not used lightly) rendition of Stairway To Heaven. Never would we have guessed Ann’s voice would compliment the timeless classic song so incredibly well, just as if it had been written that way. Then there was the climax with a full 12-piece gospel choir while the video screens turned to stained glass imagery. It was in this very moment I was reminded once again that music is an experience that will always live on in the hearts of many.

The Good: The sound. Flawless. From both acts. Ann sounds as incredible as ever. The mix was fantastic. Volume was perfect. It was beautiful, too. The stage setup and lighting for Heart was as good as anything. Jason Bonham’s was above average for an opening act, but not nearly as impactful as Heart’s setup. Both acts also made a genuine effort to connect with the audience and fans. We could feel it.

The Bad: The weather was iffy, but that’s not anyone’s fault. While Ann Wilson is a top notch vocalist… legendary, even… her stage presence was difficult to stomach. She was very slow to move around the stage when she moved at all. When she wasn’t singing she retreated to the back to the stage, in the same spot, every time. We can only assume this is more to do with her ongoing weight issues than it is with even age. Her sister was extremely “acrobatic” almost to a point overcompensation. That’s not a negative though. It worked. And finally, we felt there was a lull in the pacing of Heart’s set after “Dog & Butterfly”. It was probably a planned moment to focus the set energy as they had been rocking pretty hard… but it just didn’t work for us. We, frankly, got a little bored and were ready for it to rock again.