« Heart with the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience, Toronto, July 23rd, 2013 »

I saw Heart for the first time in March, and what struck me those few months ago was the grace and power of Ann and Nancy Wilson, and the deep bond between them as musicians, bandmates, and sisters. Last week, I went to see Heart again, supported this time by Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience.

The Molson Ampitheatre opened at Ontario Place in 1995, replacing the old Forum, which had a rotating stage and where I saw many great acts in the late 70s and early 80s, including Blondie and The Romantics. The new venue sits at the edge of the water, with the Toronto skyline visible behind the stage and the lake on the opposite side. It seats about 16 000, and on a beautiful summer night, the uncovered lawn section allows you to lay a blanket on the grass and listen to the show under the stars.

The opening set was short, taking four of its eight songs from the fourth Led Zeppelin album. Jason Bonham invited the audience into rock history as well as his childhood with photographs on the video screens behind his drumkit, and the music was delivered with competence and passion from the entire band, incuding vocalist James Dylan. My overall impression, however, was that this was a superb Led Zeppelin cover band, and that the best was still to come.

Heart came out as the sun set for the night, giving rise to a bright full moon in the clear sky. Again, they started with many of the huge hits the band is so famous for, songs that I can take or leave if truth be told. However, the list was not identical to the one I’d heard in March, and the choice of deeper cuts was not as large as I’d hoped. I still got to hear my beloved Dog & Butterfly, was disappointed that Dreamboat Annie was cut, but was thrilled to hear Mistral Winds for the first time. Nancy Wilson proved what a underrated vocalist she is with a superb rendition of Elton John’s ‘I Need You to Turn To’, which she dedicated to local heroes Rush. That nod to her fellow new inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was a lovely gesture to the Toronto audience, and did not go unappreciated.

The encore set blended the members of Heart with Jason Bonham for renditions of some of the most iconic Led Zeppelin songs: The Battle of Evermore, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, The Immigrant Song, Kashmir, and finally, Stairway to Heaven. All these classics were given the Ann Wilson treatment, and it hit me the way it surely did the thousands of others in the crowd—here was the best Led Zeppelin vocalist not named Robert Plant. Again, the ludicrous idea that women cannot rock was dismissed with the shivers that her voice sent down my arms, and with the majestic guitar work that her sister Nancy delivered with each song. I left the gig thinking how wonderful an entire evening of The Ann and Nancy and Jason Led Zeppelin Experience would have been. If you can, catch them during this tour!