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Review: Heart shows all that glitters is gold at end of Rock Hall Three For All
from: tacomaweekly.com
By JUSTIN GIMSE
Every once in a while, there is an opportunity that pops up in front of you and you must immediately say yes to it. Details such as when and where really don't matter when a golden moment appears before you. It's time for a command decision and you need to just go with it.
This is where I found myself when asked whether I wanted to head on out to the White River Amphitheatre and cover what was billed as the "Rock Hall Three-For-All" tour.
The lineup was an absolute scorcher. Heart, Cheap Trick and JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS were coming to the area and not only was each band a fixture within my own musical foundation, but surprisingly enough they were acts that I had never witnessed live and in person. When it was all said and done, I would leave the event a changed man and absolutely fulfilled.
At the moment I am having difficulty remembering the last time I ever saw three bands take the stage and bring it the way it went down on Friday, Aug. 26. Not only did each act hold up to their legendary status as performers, but it was genuinely inspiring to see these musicians exude so much love for their fans and deliver so much energy as they entered the final month of a long national tour together.
With a 6:30 p.m. start time for the show, it was going to take a bit of magic to get out to White River and catch the beginning of Cheap Trick's opening set. In retrospect, taking the courtesy buses out of Auburn was probably not a solid idea, as the ride took over an hour to cover a distance of probably 10 miles. Following the sweltering yellow school bus ride, we hit the pavement to hear the sounds of Cheap Trick's regular opener "Hello There." My heart began to pound a little stronger with anticipation and I couldn't have been more relieved knowing that my wife Jolene and I hadn't missed much of the show at all.
Cheap Trick's "Live at Budokon" was among a suitcase full of cassettes that my brother left with me when he headed off for the Marine Corps. I played it to death and without really knowing anything about them at the age of seven, I was a fan. Who knew that it would take around 35 years for me to actually see them live?
They didn't disappoint me. Robin Zander's voice sounded great and Rick Nielsen was spot-on as he stalked around the stage whipping guitar picks into the crowd. They ripped it up from the get-go, but the second half of their set was where all the beef was located. After an excellent rendition of their hit "The Flame," the boys brought the crowd to their feet for the remainder of the set with "I Want You to Want Me," "Dream Police," "Surrender" and "Goodnight." The final two numbers included Pearl Jam's Mike McCready joining the band on stage.
Next up would be JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS. I'll be honest, I don't have enough space to go on and on about JOAN JETT. Suffice it to say that JOAN JETT was one of my first loves as a young lad, and she's had a special spot in my heart ever since. I'm serious when I say don't talk any junk about Joan, or we're going to have some words.
Initially I thought Jett was opening the show, and was delighted to see her playing the featured act slot. After her set was over, it was easy to see why she was playing in the middle, because the crowd couldn't get enough of her. As good as Heart was following her, I'd have to give the night's gold medal to Jett. When you open up a set with "Bad Reputation," "Cherry Bomb" and "Do You Wanna Touch Me" and wrap it all up with "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Crimson and Clover," "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and "Everyday People," it's going to be hard to beat. In fact, I was floored by how solid Jett's set was. At this moment, I could have headed home satisfied, but Heart was going to surprise me as well.
Having seen quite a bit of concert footage of Heart over the years, I thought I was prepared for their awesomeness. Of course, there's really nothing to compare to being in person, so all of those YouTube videos were merely appetizers for the real deal. Ann Wilson's voice was on-point and the band was tight and rolling. While they played a handful of their hits, I was surprised that I found one of their mid-eighties numbers to be the highlight of the night. With sister Nancy Wilson on lead vocals, the band put together a rendition of "These Dreams" that left me with goose bumps. Ann's duet of "Love Hurts" with Robin Zander was probably the second-best number of their set and crowd ate it up.
All told, the three bands dazzled the crowd with 41 songs. After a long week and a hot night, I was pretty exhausted by the time the night was over. However, the show was so good, I would have gladly hopped back on the yellow bus the following evening to do it all over again. |
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