Wilson strikes out on Heartless solo tour
Ann Wilson, as part of Heart, has given voice to some of rock music’s most enduring anthems.
She’s built a catalog of hits, alongside sister Nancy Wilson, that includes “Barracuda,” “Crazy on You,” “What About Love” and “Alone.” And the sisters continue to churn out music. Heart released its 16th studio album, “Beautiful Broken,” last year.
In between records they made Robert Plant weep, and went viral, with a 2012 performance of “Stairway to Heaven” at the Kennedy Center Honors. And Heart, itself, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013.
But even with such acclaim Ann Wilson says she was nervous to strike out on a solo tour.
“I didn’t know whether people were gonna be able to separate me from Heart in their minds. But they are, and we’re having a really amazing time,” says Wilson, who will perform at the Arena Theatre Sunday. Her setlist boasts a collection of carefully curated covers, including songs by The Who, Elvis Presley, The Black Crowes and Jimi Hendrix.
“The biggest challenge is getting people to take a chance on it. They know that Heart will do a really big, typical rock show. But they don’t know what it’ll be like when it’s just me,” says Wilson, who released a pair of EPs and issued the “Hope & Glory” solo album in 2007. “Once we get there and we set up and we do the show and people are yelling and
screaming their heads off, that’s fine. People just go, ‘Whew!’
“The best part about it is I get to do exactly what I want. I feel that I’m doing something really worthwhile that’s beyond just lifestyle maintenance, going after the paycheck. I’m actually doing something meaningful for myself creatively.”
Wilson says that creative hunger is what pushed her to hit the road without her sister and without a show full of Heart hits. In the past, Heart has sold out summer venues, including the Woodlands Pavilion, as part of package tours with Joan Jett, Cheap Trick and Journey. But Wilson is no longer interested in riding the oldies train.
“Just because you got your band together in 1975 or thereabouts doesn’t mean that you’re doomed forever to just play these package tours with other bands who started in 1975,” she says. “I think of it as a way to not only keep myself growing but to earn a place out on the stage in 2017.”
There could be another reason for the Wilson sisters’ hiatus. Dean Wetter, Ann Wilson’s husband, pleaded guilty in March for choking the sons of Nancy Wilson during a
2016 concert in Seattle. He became angry when the boys left open the door to Ann Wilson’s tour bus.
Ann Wilson told Rolling Stone in April that it “could have been worked out in a family meeting” and called it “emotional, super hyperdrama.”
The sisters now, reportedly, barely communicate and have embarked on separate projects. Nancy Wilson is touring and recording with Roadcase Royale, a band featuring singer Liv Warfield from Prince’s New Power Generation and a trio of Heart players.
Ann Wilson does include a few Heart songs in her solo set. But even those have been recast in a new light.
“I just started going down the list and thinking about them in a disassociated from Heart way. ‘What kind of song is this? Is this really a good song by itself? What would they sound like if they were stripped down?’ ” she says. “So the ones that remain in the set are the ones that I think are the best songs. They go somewhere, they actually have a beautiful melody or I can actually apply my true feelings to them.
“It’s an ongoing process to rescue these babies from numbness. But I think once you grab hold of the right feeling, it’s not that hard. You can just see the song shining through.”