Concert Review: Seattle

Couldn't make it to the Seattle concert? The Seattle Times published a review of the recent show on their website at http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2016231211_cr17heart.html

Christy Karras, Special for The Seattle Times writes:

"Heart's girl-powered all-American rock ballads and Def Leppard's flamboyant British hard-rock boys might seem an odd combination.

But they have a lot in common. Both are known for strong vocals, harmonies and hard-charging guitar riffs. Both honor the iconic Led Zeppelin. Both rocked the '80s.

And both can still draw an enthusiastic crowd, as they did on Thursday at the White River Amphitheatre, playing to a nearly full house of screaming fans who rocked it old school.

Although Def Leppard was the headliner, the hometown crowd leapt to its feet when Ann and Nancy Wilson and their crew hit the stage with a stirring rendition of Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." From there, Heart went straight into a string of its own greatest hits: "Magic Man," "Heartless," "What About Love," "These Dreams," "Alone," "Crazy on You" and "Barracuda."

Ann Wilson, whose distinctive pipes are largely responsible for Heart's sound, strutted about, tossing her long black locks and belting out hits with her trademark electric vibrato and barely a hint of lost luster.

Nancy Wilson playfully scissor-kicked and pelted the stage and fellow guitarist Craig Bartock with an apparently endless supply of guitar picks. The rest of Heart matched the sisters' energy.

For an encore, the sisters returned to Zeppelin, playing acoustic instruments and singing sans band on a worthy "Battle of Evermore." They closed with The Who's "Love Reign O'er Me."

"We've been all around the country, and boy, this sure feels good," Ann Wilson said, later adding, "Thank you for letting us go out there and say we're from Seattle."

Def Leppard brought an impressive show complete with a multitiered stage, video projections and a lot of sparkle, playing its own string of giant hits, most of which combine upbeat rhythms and grinding guitar: "Let's Get Rocked," "Foolin,' " "Love Bites," "Rocket" and "Pour Some Sugar on Me."

The bands have slowed a teeny bit. But both still prance around the stage, massage their guitars, wave their microphones, swing their hair and demand applause.

That is, both bands play rock the way they and everybody did in the '80s: full of exuberance and enthusiasm the 1990s pushed out of vogue in favor of today's tortured-artist stereotype.

These bands aren't tortured. They're having fun, with big hair, big licks and big rock. And why not? This is the kind of obvious joy in performing that's kept them going for decades and that keeps audiences on their feet in appreciation."