Photo: The band, Heart (courtesy of Heart)
The iconic rock band Heart is coming to Prescott Valley on August 16 at 7pm. Opening for the band will be Todd Rundgren, who has made a name for himself over the years as a solo artist, and has been in the bands Utopia, The New Cars, along with Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band.
The 50th anniversary of Heart is known as the Royal Flush Tour, an idea by Ann Wilson, says her sister Nancy Wilson. “That was Ann’s idea. It’s the best hand you can get and she felt that it worked well considering we are back the road again.”
Fifty years is a long time and quite an accomplishment. Nancy is thankful to be back out there. “It is quite the accomplishment, especially after we had to postpone for Ann’s health reasons, but she kicked the cancer and we were able to go back out there, so it is sweeter than ever.”
Photo: Nancy Wilson (courtesy of Heart)
Heart has produced over sixty singles during their career and picking a play list can be a challenge. Nancy said, “Obviously we can’t play everything, but there are those songs that are staples, like Barracuda, Crazy On You, Magic Man, and Alone, that we have to play, and we want to play, because a lot of those are very meaningful to our fans.”
“One of the cool things that we have seen over the years is our original fan base bringing their kids, and now grandkids, to see our shows. Seeing this makes us know that our music is still relevant, and will keep it alive for years to come.”
During our chat I asked her about places that the band has performed and what were her favorites. “There are so many fabulous places we have played at. I always enjoy a place that was developed for sound because that makes the whole experience so much better. The Royal Albert Hall was amazing, the Hollywood Bowl, Red Rocks in Colorado, in fact we will be there a week after being in Prescott Valley. Then you have the old brick heaters that were built before even microphones came about. There are places like that around the country and bring such a more intimate with such fabulous acoustics. Then the arenas are fun because they are much bigger and more edgy. So I guess the answer is about anywhere.”
Heart has toured with some amazing bands over the years, so I asked her which is the one group you enjoyed touring with the most? Nancy laughed as she said “Cheap Trick. If there was any band that mirrors our band to some extent that is Cheap Trick. They are a lot of fun to be around with Robin Zander, and of course Rick Neilson and his ways.”
Cheap Trick will join the Royal Flush Tour in November on the 18th in Anaheim, California.
I was curious about if she and the band had anything left on their bucket list. That got another laugh and then she said, “Opening for the Rolling Stones. We have never done that and I think that would be a lot of fun.”
I switched gears for a final question that involved her film debut back in 1982. For many of us “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” was the ultimate teenage film that year, and Nancy made a very brief cameo in the film. She was driving a corvette and starts laughing when she sees Brad Hamilton played by Judge Reinhold in his Captain Hook Fish and Chips outfit at a red light as he was on his way to deliver an order to IBM.
So how did she end up in the film? Yet another laugh and a “Oh my”. Nancy went on, “I slept with the director. Actually I used to wonder what it would be like to get into acting.” At the time the film was being made Nancy was dating her future husband Cameron Crowe, the director, and he suggested it and that’s how it came about. “I soon realized that this was not going to work for me because I am a night owl and these actors get up so early.”
She has since worked in a few more films as a composer, such as Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Elizabethtown and Vanilla Sky. Throw in the countless music videos and you can see she keeps very busy.
As for the future of the band, Wilson said, “Well, I would like to keep playing till we drop dead, but you have to take it one day at time and enjoy it because life is a gift.”
The second half of the tour kicks off on Friday at the Gorge Amphitheater in Quincy, Washington, with five other dates to follow before arriving in Arizona. The tour wraps up on December 21 in Nashville, Tennessee. More info at www.heart-music.com
Tickets for the show at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley can be purchased at the Findlay Toyota Center box office from 10am-3pm Monday through Friday, or by calling (928)772-1819 ext 6060. Online purchases can be made at www.ticketmaster.com
