The year is 1975, and what a time it was to be alive.
The war between punk rock and disco was at its height while the war in Vietnam came to a close. The New York scene was booming. New Wave was just beginning. And to top it off, the three most influential artists of the 1970s just launched their careers – Heart, Joan Jett and Cheap Trick.
After more than 40 years, these three decided to tour together this summer around the world, making one of the greatest concert lineups in the past 15 years.
Heart revolutionized women in rock 'n' roll by allowing sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson to be the frontrunners of the band as lead-vocalist and lead-guitarist.
Jett took this one step further with her band, the Runaways, which practically sculpted the model for future female acts. They managed to embrace their sexualities on stage while also making it clear that whatever men can do, they can do too – and probably better.
Cheap Trick, along with the Clash and the Ramones, was a titan of punk rock and, as Ann commented later in the show, “one of the greatest living bands in the world.”
To paraphrase David Byrne, Klipsch Music Center is no Mudd Club or CBGB, but to its credit, it is a time machine that took me right back to 1975.
I was getting band merchandise when Cheap Trick came on stage, though at the time, I wasn’t sure if it was the actual band or just a recording playing on a radio. It just sounded so timeless. Robin Zander’s vocals are still ageless, and Rick Nielsen’s guitar playing is totally gonzo.
The Wilson sisters and Jett have also never sounded better than they did July 17. The latter seems to have this gift that, like Paul McCartney, makes her like Peter Pan – she just always seems to be in ecstasy.
But if we’re talking energy, it’s unarguable Heart put on the best show. Ann is 66 years old, yet here she was running around on stage, dancing and grooving like she was still a little schoolgirl. Her voice still too has that gorgeous siren lure to it that caused half of the audience to melt right into their seats.
We can’t forget about Nancy either. I have said for years she was one of the most underrated guitarists in rock history, and this concert proved it. Before kicking off “Crazy On You,” she drove her fans to lustful awe with a mind-blowing guitar solo.
I think the only thing that could have made this concert better would have been the inclusion of Blondie in the lineup, maybe in lieu of Cheap Trick. While I love the latter and am glad to have seen them, I just think Debbie Harry, Jett and the Wilson sisters would make up the perfect quartet of badass female musicians.
Regardless, it was Heart’s final performance of the night that made up for everything. In order to avoid traffic, I decided to leave before the encore, but before I could quite reach out of earshot of the music center, I heard five very familiar chords.
I didn’t leave early. No one else did either. How could we? We sat in silence while Heart lulled us with “Stairway to Heaven,” still one of the greatest covers of all time. We all held onto every lyric, every chord and every dance.
Tears streamed down faces, air guitars and air drums were played and a choir of fans joined Ann, who is a worthy successor of Robert Plant if there ever was one.
It was a religious experience, no way around it. And to some, rock 'n' roll is a religion. Some have Israel, some have Mecca and some have the stage.
afaulds@indiana.edu | @a_faulds615
