Published on August 25th, 2021 | by Darren Paltrowitz
0An Exclusive Look At Ann Wilson of Heart’s 2nd “Underplay” Show At New York City’s City Winery
Widely regarded as one of the greatest voices in the history of rock, Ann Wilson has been both critically-acclaimed and commercially-successful as lead singer and songwriter of the band Heart. Heart has thrilled audiences for over 4 decades, earning sales of more than 35 million and a well-deserved induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2013. She made her solo debut with 2007’s Hope & Glory, following that album up over a decade later with 2018’s Immortal. 2021 found a very productive Wilson releasing 4 pre-Heart era recordings from 1969 made with her original touring band The Daybreaks earlier this year, as followed up with a 5-song EP titled Sawheat 8.
When I heard about Ann Wilson playing a rare series of club shows at New York City’s City Winery, I jumped at the chance to see a rock legend play in such an intimate space. I went in not knowing what to expect, since iconic musicians often choose smaller shows to play lesser-known material. But in the case of Wilson, her second show at City Winery not only featured a few newer tracks, yet also a mix of Heart classics, classic rock gems and even a Jeff Buckley composition. In other words, a setlist full of music that one would want to hear no matter the venue size, as performed by a full-scale rock band.
Embedded below are some clips I recorded from the show I saw. Naturally a smartphone recording does not do the top-notch singing of Ann Wilson justice, but one cannot deny that Wilson remains the quintessential rock frontwoman all these years later. She not only does the hits in the original keys and hits all the high notes, yet at times improvises and gets her voice to reach even higher notes than the audience had been anticipating. I do not plan to miss any local area appearances by Ann Wilson or Heart in the near-future as a result of how excellent tonight’s gig was, and now know the new location of New York City’s City Winery is absolutely worth going to for full-on rock performances.
More on Ann Wilson, tour dates included, can be found by clicking here, here and here.