As you walked past the flashing lights and dinging slot machines and into the Mystic Lake Showroom outside Minneapolis, MN, on March 13th, it felt like you were traveling back in time. The year is 1973, and Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and The Who are dominating the live music scene. The year is 1973, and a new band is officially hitting the stereos and will continue to rise to fame for decades. The year is 1973, and Heart is making headlines.
Now in 2026, bell-bottoms and vinyl records are trending again, and Heart has returned to the stage for an intimate performance for fans of all generations. Like wine and whiskey, the band only gets better with time; they received three standing ovations from the crowd throughout their performance. Coming out on stage to “Bebe le Strange”, the title track to their 1980 studio album, Nancy and Ann Wilson strutted out in sparkling outfits with deep purple tights and boots. Showcasing their powerful vocals and instrumental talent, they got the crowd roaring from the start.
While the performance was more of a “no frills” setup, fans got the unique opportunity to hear the stories behind the songs from the sisters themselves, as if it were one friend talking to another. It’s hard to believe that over 50 years ago, Heart started as a dream fueled by a bag of brown rice and kids who just wanted to start a band. Ann and Nancy thought back to those days as they introduced the song inspired by them, “Little Queen”.
The spotlight shifted to Nancy alone on stage, strumming her fingers away for an acoustic solo. As she ramped up the noise and strummed a little faster, the rest of the band rejoined her on stage and played the first identifiable notes of “Crazy of You”. Those in their seats got louder as they belted out the lyrics to the hit song. Only halfway through the show, Heart got its first standing ovation for the night. As the final notes played of the song and the room got a little quieter, you could hear people in their seats yelling, “I love you” or giving the classic, “woo!”.
Nancy again remains on stage by herself, takes a seat with her guitar, and pulls the microphone up close to tell some of her fondest memories of Eddie Van Halen. Reliving the moment she gave him one of her own acoustic guitars, she remembered Eddie calling her early the next morning and playing her a song he had written overnight on his new guitar. She spoke so highly of the artist that many loved and lost too soon. Everyone had the privilege of hearing the song Nancy wrote for Eddie as a gift to him after he passed in 2020. It was a moment of love, respect, and admiration.
As the rest of Heart came back out on stage, there was a shift in the energy, and it was clear they were here to end the night on a high note. Moving right into their hit song “Magic Man”, the members were jumping, headbanging, and showing off their skills on each of their instruments. The band received their second standing ovation of the night, but it wasn’t over yet. Belting the beloved lyrics, “how do I get you alone?” and transitioning smoothly into “What About Love”, an electricity surged through the venue as the lights shone and the beat of the music moved through the crowd. The band received their third standing ovation before the performance was even over.
The group opted to stay on stage and wait to hear the fans scream as loudly as they could before deciding whether to do an encore, and they remained on stage for their final few songs. Everyone jumped to their feet as the famous notes of “Barracuda” rang out. Bodies rocked back and forth while the sisters perfectly hit every note for the final song of the night. Leaving nothing on the table, Heart brought many back to the days when the music consumed them and allowed families with multiple generations of Heart fans to have an experience they will be talking about for many more decades to come.
The lights came up, Heart left the stage, and concertgoers flooded out the doors, but the moment felt like friends parting ways, only to meet again down the road.
