After an entertaining 30 minute acoustic set of opening act Simon Townsend (younger brother of The Who’s Pete Townsend) the crowd was getting antsy to see the main act hit the stage. At 8:45 the lights finally went out, and Heart fans erupted in cheers and whistles. In the dark you could see the famous duo, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, make their way to the mics at the front of the stage. Barracuda opened the show with a bang, showing pictures of the band throughout the years on a big background screen behind the duo.
What I thought was starting off slow, picked up quickly by the third song, What About Love, which sent the crowd going crazy and singing along. Ann hit the notes that have made the song as famous as it is. There is no questioning who sings, when you hear her voice. She sounds exactly as I had imagined she would, and didn’t disappoint throughout the entire show. Nancy is softer spoken than sister Ann, but she can play a mean guitar! The floor crowd was up dancing and singing most of the show. Despite limited interaction between band and fans, the ladies looked happy to have ‘come through the ice and snow’ to play for the Brandon, Manitoba crowd. I had goose bumps when they sang one of my favorite Heart songs, Alone. Sounded amazing. I wasn’t expecting the crowd to be as loud as they were, but when the ladies left the stage, the crowd yelled and cheered for an encore until the duo came back on stage. After a few more songs, the show ended, a good hour and a half after it started.
It was an amazing experience to see a band that has been around for so long, come to Brandon – they did not disappoint!