Exclusive | I saw Heart in concert. Heres why their live show is essential for classic rock fans

Growing up, driving around the suburbs, one tends to fiddle with the FM radio knob quite a bit.This seemingly innocent experimentation with the dial can serve as a form of musical education exposing young listeners to a wide variety of genres like modern rock, country, Hip-Hop, Top 40 hits, oldies and, heck, maybe even classical.After a bit of futzing around, listeners often find the station that most aligns with their taste.For me, the station I kept coming back to was 100.7 KSLX, home of classic rock.I listened to — and fell in love with — bands like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Cream like pretty much everyone else who’d ever gotten into music from the ’60s and ’70s.But there was one act that curled its finger around me and never let go.The first time I heard “Magic Man” by Heart, I became a fan of the band for life.Ann Wilson’s unflinching powerhouse vocals were unlike anything I’d ever heard.

Coupled with her sister Nancy’s seductive guitar, the siblings created a potent sound that was equal parts raw siren song and exquisitely-crafted rock and roll.I was beyond hooked.Improbably, 50 years after the release of their unimpeachable debut album “Dreamboat Annie,” the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are still going strong bringing their stable of hits to huge venues on their ‘Royal Flush Tour’ all over North America.Yet, just because they rocked in 1975 doesn’t necessarily mean the band has the goods in 2025.To investigate, I trekked to NYC’s regal Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, April 16 to see what Heart sounded like a half century after their heyday.Before the Wilson sisters hit the stage, critical darling Lucinda Williams opened the evening with a soulful 11-song set comprised of bar room blues, heartbreaking ballads and rollicking Beatles and Neil Young covers.Her colorful stories interspersed between tracks — one about her deceased musician pal Blaze Foley struck a particularly deep nerve —...