Heart, Joan Jett and Cheap Trick at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

Heart, Joan Jett and  Cheap Trick at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

September 8, 2016

A recent evening at SPAC featured three Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees on the stage. For this music lover it was a first seeing all three bands. 

It was a humid and rainy evening that certainly made enjoying the show on the lawn more difficult. We felt fortunate to be under cover. We had good seats and I was grateful for that.

First up was Cheap Trick. Things started with an electrifying energy coming from the capacity audience as the band started with an appropriate “Hello There.” As it turned out the mix for this band was subpar and the music sounded distorted and it made hearing and understanding the vocals of Robin Zander difficult. It wasn’t until Tom Peterson stepped out and started his version of The Velvet Underground cover “I'm Waiting for the Man” with a little bit of Lou Reed’s “Heroin” sandwiched in between when things took a turn for the better. 

Zander was on again and off again for most of the night in the vocal department as well. I have always enjoyed the music of Cheap Trick but they really need to get their sound mix together to present a quality show. With some tweaking of that mix they could go from a grade C to a B in a heartbeat.

http://www.cheaptrick.com/

Set List:

    Hello There

    California Man (The Move cover)

    Lookout

    Baby Loves to Rock

    Tonight It's You

    Downed

    Stop This Game

    I'm Waiting for the Man (The Velvet Underground cover) (Tom Peterson on lead vocals) (with 'Heroin' snippet)

    The Flame

    I Want You to Want Me

    Dream Police

    Clock Strikes Ten

    Surrender

    Goodnight

http://joanjett.com/

I knew once Joan Jett got on stage the energy there was going to change and I was not disappointed. It reached another level once she arrived. She kicked it off with “Bad Reputation” and all I could think of was the punk rock of the 70s like The Ramones and how she got her start with the all-female band The Runaways.

Joan sounded fantastic…as good as she always has. She still has that high energy swagger and hint of toughness in her presentation and the crowd absolutely adored her. I thought she was an exciting and charismatic performer that has obviously kept her edge after all these years. It is great to see music icons like herself still touring and presenting music in an original and quality manner. She rocks it’s as simple as that!

As Joan and her band made their way through the set the energy level and excitement level just kept rising. The sound mix was perfect, you could hear her singing as clear as day and the music was spot on all night.

I was surprised that they did not save “I Love Rock & Roll” as their closer but it still made the crowd go wild once they started in with the classic rocker. My favorites of the evening were “I Love Rock & Roll,” “I Hate Myself or Loving You” and “Cherry Bomb.” The sweet memories of youth come rushing back to you with the help of great music, it works every time.

This was a killer performance by Joan and her band and I would love to see her again.

    Set List:

    Bad Reputation

    Cherry Bomb (The Runaways cover)

    Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) (Gary Glitter cover)

    TMI

    You Drive Me Wild (The Runaways cover)

    Light of Day (Bruce Springsteen cover)

    Soulmates to Strangers

    Love Is Pain

    Fake Friends

    Any Weather

    I Love Rock & Roll

    Crimson & Clover (Tommy James & the Shondells cover)

    I Hate Myself for Loving You

    Everyday People (Sly & The Family Stone cover)

http://www.heart-music.com

Now for the headliner, Heart. This is a band I have had interest in seeing since their inception in the 70s but never did. Finally, I got my chance to watch the legendary Wilson sisters Ann and Nancy, do their thing in a live setting.

When Ann came out on stage I noticed how great she looked. She was full of energy and excitement and that translated to the crowd instantly. Nancy has always looked the same with her long blonde hair brushing over her shoulders and her guitar in hand ready to rock. 

Long time guitarist Craig Bartock was present as well and he was excellent all night long.

I thought the opening track was an interesting choice. The Romeo’s Daughter cover “Wild Child” kicked it all into high gear and it hit the bullseye, bringing everyone to their feet and setting the tone. The track reminded me of those crazy 70s I grew up in and some of things the Wilson’s experienced during that time as well. Read their biography if you are interested, it’s fascinating.

I am not only a longtime admirer of Heart but I respect Ann and Nancy for what they have accomplished on and off the stage throughout their lives. They serve as an example and inspiration to countless people across the globe.

Ann’s voice has held up amazingly over the years and she really has not taken a step back. After listening to all the new music they have recorded over the last few years and then seeing her belt out each song on stage reconfirmed that conviction. In a word, she is an amazing and electric performer that has total command of her vocals and the stage.

The musicianship was beyond reproach and it showed why they are drawing large crowds everywhere they go.

Every band has their own niche and style but Heart is special. All of these bands have been at it for over four decades. Heart sounds like they have their foot all the way to the floor when they perform. I happen to appreciate their strength and wherewithal to continue to present superb performances in and out of the studios. 

“Crazy on You” was phenomenal and “Alone” was proof positive that Ann still has what it takes to grab a performance and grasp the attention of an audience. She was so powerful; I was getting chills all the way through the performance.

I think what surprised some members of the audience was the encore of the Led Zeppelin covers. I knew that they would kill it and they did. They have always acknowledged their influences and then given a positive response to that by performing certain songs superbly. I was listening to people talk on the way out of the venue and some were saying how amazed they were with their rendition of “Stairway To Heaven.” It was great to hear that people realized what a special night they witnessed. I am sure they solidified their fan base and added some younger generation folks to their followers after last night.

I would highly recommend attending this show before the tour ends, I promise you will not regret it.

Set List:

Wild Child (Romeo's Daughter cover)

Magic Man

What About Love (Toronto cover)

Even It Up

These Dreams

Two (Ne‐Yo cover)

Straight On For You

Kick It Out

Beautiful Broken

Alone (I-Ten cover)

Crazy on You

Barracuda

Encore:

Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin cover)

Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin cover)

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Founder Of:

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

Write A Music Review

Prog Rock Music Talk

New Age Music Reviews

Rate The Tracks

September 11, 2016

Heart, Joan Jett and Cheap Trick at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

Heart, Joan Jett and  Cheap Trick at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)

September 8, 2016

A recent evening at SPAC featured three Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame inductees on the stage. For this music lover it was a first seeing all three bands. 

It was a humid and rainy evening that certainly made enjoying the show on the lawn more difficult. We felt fortunate to be under cover. We had good seats and I was grateful for that.

First up was Cheap Trick. Things started with an electrifying energy coming from the capacity audience as the band started with an appropriate “Hello There.” As it turned out the mix for this band was subpar and the music sounded distorted and it made hearing and understanding the vocals of Robin Zander difficult. It wasn’t until Tom Peterson stepped out and started his version of The Velvet Underground cover “I'm Waiting for the Man” with a little bit of Lou Reed’s “Heroin” sandwiched in between when things took a turn for the better. 

Zander was on again and off again for most of the night in the vocal department as well. I have always enjoyed the music of Cheap Trick but they really need to get their sound mix together to present a quality show. With some tweaking of that mix they could go from a grade C to a B in a heartbeat.

http://www.cheaptrick.com/

Set List:

    Hello There

    California Man (The Move cover)

    Lookout

    Baby Loves to Rock

    Tonight It's You

    Downed

    Stop This Game

    I'm Waiting for the Man (The Velvet Underground cover) (Tom Peterson on lead vocals) (with 'Heroin' snippet)

    The Flame

    I Want You to Want Me

    Dream Police

    Clock Strikes Ten

    Surrender

    Goodnight

http://joanjett.com/

I knew once Joan Jett got on stage the energy there was going to change and I was not disappointed. It reached another level once she arrived. She kicked it off with “Bad Reputation” and all I could think of was the punk rock of the 70s like The Ramones and how she got her start with the all-female band The Runaways.

Joan sounded fantastic…as good as she always has. She still has that high energy swagger and hint of toughness in her presentation and the crowd absolutely adored her. I thought she was an exciting and charismatic performer that has obviously kept her edge after all these years. It is great to see music icons like herself still touring and presenting music in an original and quality manner. She rocks it’s as simple as that!

As Joan and her band made their way through the set the energy level and excitement level just kept rising. The sound mix was perfect, you could hear her singing as clear as day and the music was spot on all night.

I was surprised that they did not save “I Love Rock & Roll” as their closer but it still made the crowd go wild once they started in with the classic rocker. My favorites of the evening were “I Love Rock & Roll,” “I Hate Myself or Loving You” and “Cherry Bomb.” The sweet memories of youth come rushing back to you with the help of great music, it works every time.

This was a killer performance by Joan and her band and I would love to see her again.

    Set List:

    Bad Reputation

    Cherry Bomb (The Runaways cover)

    Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah) (Gary Glitter cover)

    TMI

    You Drive Me Wild (The Runaways cover)

    Light of Day (Bruce Springsteen cover)

    Soulmates to Strangers

    Love Is Pain

    Fake Friends

    Any Weather

    I Love Rock & Roll

    Crimson & Clover (Tommy James & the Shondells cover)

    I Hate Myself for Loving You

    Everyday People (Sly & The Family Stone cover)

http://www.heart-music.com

Now for the headliner, Heart. This is a band I have had interest in seeing since their inception in the 70s but never did. Finally, I got my chance to watch the legendary Wilson sisters Ann and Nancy, do their thing in a live setting.

When Ann came out on stage I noticed how great she looked. She was full of energy and excitement and that translated to the crowd instantly. Nancy has always looked the same with her long blonde hair brushing over her shoulders and her guitar in hand ready to rock. 

Long time guitarist Craig Bartock was present as well and he was excellent all night long.

I thought the opening track was an interesting choice. The Romeo’s Daughter cover “Wild Child” kicked it all into high gear and it hit the bullseye, bringing everyone to their feet and setting the tone. The track reminded me of those crazy 70s I grew up in and some of things the Wilson’s experienced during that time as well. Read their biography if you are interested, it’s fascinating.

I am not only a longtime admirer of Heart but I respect Ann and Nancy for what they have accomplished on and off the stage throughout their lives. They serve as an example and inspiration to countless people across the globe.

Ann’s voice has held up amazingly over the years and she really has not taken a step back. After listening to all the new music they have recorded over the last few years and then seeing her belt out each song on stage reconfirmed that conviction. In a word, she is an amazing and electric performer that has total command of her vocals and the stage.

The musicianship was beyond reproach and it showed why they are drawing large crowds everywhere they go.

Every band has their own niche and style but Heart is special. All of these bands have been at it for over four decades. Heart sounds like they have their foot all the way to the floor when they perform. I happen to appreciate their strength and wherewithal to continue to present superb performances in and out of the studios. 

“Crazy on You” was phenomenal and “Alone” was proof positive that Ann still has what it takes to grab a performance and grasp the attention of an audience. She was so powerful; I was getting chills all the way through the performance.

I think what surprised some members of the audience was the encore of the Led Zeppelin covers. I knew that they would kill it and they did. They have always acknowledged their influences and then given a positive response to that by performing certain songs superbly. I was listening to people talk on the way out of the venue and some were saying how amazed they were with their rendition of “Stairway To Heaven.” It was great to hear that people realized what a special night they witnessed. I am sure they solidified their fan base and added some younger generation folks to their followers after last night.

I would highly recommend attending this show before the tour ends, I promise you will not regret it.

Set List:

Wild Child (Romeo's Daughter cover)

Magic Man

What About Love (Toronto cover)

Even It Up

These Dreams

Two (Ne‐Yo cover)

Straight On For You

Kick It Out

Beautiful Broken

Alone (I-Ten cover)

Crazy on You

Barracuda

Encore:

Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin cover)

Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin cover)

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck

Founder Of:

MuzikMan Productions

MuzikMan Reviews

Write A Music Review

Prog Rock Music Talk

New Age Music Reviews

Rate The Tracks

September 11, 2016

Featured Track: Ann Wilson - Fool No More

An artist like Ann Wilson really does not need an introduction if you have been listening to music from the mid seventies to present day. The lead singer of Heart and the author of solo albums and side projects, this hall of fame diva has made her mark.

With the September 18th digital release of The Ann Wilson Thing EP and the fast approaching October 9th official release, there is a buzz in the world of rock. I have always been a big fan of Heart and the amazing talents of this lady. She has not lost a thing in the vocal department.

One listen "Fool No More" tells the story. Her distinctive vocal style, powerful and emotional delivery make the track come alive. But then again that is what I would expect from Ms. Wilson.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck 



More About The Release On Rounder Records:

http://www.heart-music.com

September 16, 2015—Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Ann Wilson is set to release her first solo EP, The Ann Wilson Thing, on Rounder Records. Featured tracks on the EP include “Fool No More,” which was written by Wilson and described by her as “a heavy blues song about bad love and the fleeting of time” and “For What It’s Worth,” described by Wilson as “a melding of some timeless lyrics with meat, hair and teeth.” The Ann Wilson Thing will be released digitally on September 18 and in stores October 9. Wilson previously announced her first solo mini tour kicking off September 21 in Solana Beach, CA. Additional dates include The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center on October 6 and a second show at City Winery in New York on October 7.

Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris with be sitting in with Wilson at her Nashville City Winery date on October 15 and Jon Batiste, the band leader of the Colbert show, will join Ann for a song at the New York City Winery show. In addition, Wilson’s Old Saybrook, CT show at the Katharine Hepburn Theater will be filmed by Connecticut PBS as part of their new “Katharine Hepburn Series” and will air on PBS in February. As a songwriter and lyricist, Ann Wilson has created a truly impressive body of work (“Crazy on You,” “Barracuda,” “Magic Man,” “Dog & Butterfly,” “Straight On”, “Even it Up,” “Mistral Wind,” and many, many more). However, her greatest gift, and first “calling” is singing and with this intimate tour, she prepares to blow away her fans with up, close and personal, raw performances of blues and rock songs. The Ann Wilson Thing won’t replace Heart but it will be a new experience for existing Heart fans, as well as for new fans who will love these songs.

The Ann Wilson Thing Tour Dates: Sept 21 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Oct 6 – Old Saybrook, CT – The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center Oct 7 – New York, NY – City Winery (two shows) Oct 9 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head on Stage Oct 10 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head on Stage Oct 12 – Vienna, VA – The Barns at Wolf Trap Oct 13 – Vienna, VA – The Barns at Wolf Trap Oct 15 – Nashville, TN – City Winery Nov 23 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s Nov 24 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s (two shows).

Heart's Legendary Second Album 'Magazine' Gets Reissued On Hybrid SACD

“A rare gem...Evocative and controversial”

Camarillo, CA - Heart fans are ecstatic with the release of the band's evocative and controversial second album 'Magazine' on Hybrid SACD by Marshall Blonstein's Audio Fidelity! 'Magazine' shows Heart while they were still an idealistically young band, before they became such a worldwide phenomenon. Their second album shows the same impassioned songs that marked the band's debut, 'Dreamboat Annie'. They were really hard rockers back then. Ann and Nancy Wilson wove a tapestry of gypsy meets modern woman, and it is highly involved in the early songwriting. The album features a mix of ballads and straight out rock-blues-metal at its purest.

'Magazine' was recorded in 1978 and was a victim of legal hassles with the label that delayed its release, yet the album boasts a mix of light and heavy tracks that are pure Heart. There's the rockin' “Devil Delight” and the bluesy-rock stomp of “Heartless” - one of their best songs ever! There's the beautiful, sweet acoustic moment of “Here Song” and the smooth “Just The Wine” and the Badfinger cover “Without You” - Ann's vocals are incredible; she has the chops to belt out like Janis Joplin! There's the pure, slow and chugging blues of “Mother Earth Blues” and the stomping live recording, “I've Got The Music In Me.”

Heart's 'Magazine' eventually went platinum and peaked at #17 on the album charts, and the album's only single “Heartless” landed in the Top 40.

Tracks include:
Heartless
Devil Delight
Just The Wine
Without You
Magazine
Here Song
Mother Earth Blues (live)
I've Got The Music In Me (live)

Mastered by Steve Hoffman at Stephen Marsh Mastering

For more information: http://www.audiofidelity.net/content/heart-magazine

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Heart’s Live Concert Performance Of Famed Album Dreamboat Annie Set For Release On DVD and CD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Los Angeles, CA – October 22, 2007- The iconic rock group Heart took the stage at The Orpheum Theatre in front of a live audience to perform their spectacular debut album Dreamboat Annie in its entirety for the first time, for a DIRECTV special. The performance aired Mother’s Day 2007, and will be re-aired in conjunction with Shout Factory’s release of a live DVD and CD of that concert in October 2007...READ MORE...

Heart-Dreamboat Annie Live Review

Artist: Heart
Title: Dreamboat Annie Live
Genre: Classic Rock
Label: Shout Factory
Website
Amazon Link for the DVD
Amazon Link for the CD
Source Link

My first instinct, upon receiving Dreamboat Annie Live for review, was to dig through my record collection and give the original Dreamboat Annie a spin. Released in 1976 by Canada’s Mushroom Records, Dreamboat Annie is a great album and a must have for any rock enthusiast. Heart, at that time, was a group of musicians who clearly loved rock-n-roll, and their debut album has influences from just about every seminal rock band that came along before it, while at the same time being totally fresh and original...READ MORE...