Chart-topping Heart is set to return to Kansas City for the Royal Flush Tour at T-Mobile

Photo by Jeremy Danger

Rock royalty is about to make a triumphant return to Kansas City.

After an eight-month postponement, Heart is back on tour—louder, fiercer, and more harmonious than ever. The iconic, sister-driven band behind anthems like “Barracuda” and “Alone” will bring their Royal Flush Tour to the T-Mobile Center on Aug. 21 alongside Todd Rundgren, who’s opening the raucous affair.

Co-founder Nancy Wilson says not only are she and Ann ready to turn the volume up to 11, but crowds have never been more receptive to their music. “We’re going all year—probably a total of 60 plus shows this year,” says Wilson. “People are showing up. Young people are showing up. And it’s been very, very fun and rewarding and cool.”

During our nearly 30-minute interview from her Bay Area home, Wilson was unabashedly candid about Ann’s cancer battle, launching her own management company, and how she achieved that epic, behemoth ’80s hair. (There may or may not have been a complete tutorial involved.)

The Pitch: I just went back and rewatched your Kennedy Center Honors performance of “Stairway to Heaven.” It has 41 million views on YouTube.  I think 2 million of those views are mine. What do you remember most about that magical night?

Nancy Wilson: Top to bottom, the whole entire thing. From the minute we heard we were offered that opportunity to be able to go and honor Zeppelin, who, of course, we’re lifetime fans of. Super fans. And we moved Heaven and Earth to change our dates around enough so that we could actually get there to Washington, DC right around Christmas time. We had one rehearsal because we had a show the previous day, so we didn’t have time to really dig into the actual performance aspect of it.

But the Kennedy Center themselves were so amazingly together with all of their incredible work that they did on that song. It is kind of a holy relic of a rock song and you don’t just take that song lightly. And so, they had everything so well planned. We slotted straight in. We were already warmed up from being on tour.

But it was so cold. The one rehearsal that we had, my fingers had been frozen outside waiting for the volunteer car services. And so, I walked into rehearsal with frozen fingers—and I messed up the beginning of “Stairway to Heaven.” I start by myself in front of God and everybody—like all the ensemble choirs, the small ensemble, the horns, the strings, the horns, the woodwinds and the rock band in attendance. And they were like, ‘Oh!’ And I was like, ‘No, no, no, no. Just give me a chance because my fingers are frozen to the core.’

And they’re like, ‘We can shadow you. We can play behind and not show that we’re playing.’ I was like, ‘No, you don’t understand. I know how to do this. It’s just right this particular moment; my hands can’t do it.’ But it turned out just fine, and I put my fingers in my husband Jeff’s armpits right before we walked out. My hand warmers, you know. And, yeah, it worked out really beautifully.

And we didn’t know how emotionally hard hitting it was until we saw it a couple weeks later, when it was edited together and it was airing on television. And we watched it and it was like, ‘Oh my God, now I’m crying.’  It was a wonderful life moment, a life experience never to be forgotten. For somebody in a band that used to be called Little Led Zeppelin, those guys were just completely humble and cool and appreciative. They came up and thanked us afterwards and complimented us individually after the show. And it was just like, ‘Okay, Jimmy Page told me I did a good job on the guitar part. I can’t believe it.’

And Robert Plant went to Ann, ‘You guys, I used to hate this song because people murder this song but thank you for doing it right.’ So, it was just really—all the way around—it was just one spectacular blessing that we got to do that.

I get goosebumps every time I hear that performance, Heck, I have goosebumps now hearing you talk about it. 

Yeah, me too. It really happened.

Bernie Taupin co-wrote the lyrics for “These Dreams”—What’s the story behind Heart getting to record that? 

My mind was set on being able to do that song when I heard the demo. We were at Ann’s house with one of our really great producers we worked with, Ron Nevison. We were auditioning demos and outside songwriters—like “Alone” was one of them and “What About Love”—and different songwriters of the day, Diane Warren and Holly Knight.

After we listened to some songs, we agreed, ‘Okay, we’re gonna go into a rehearsal studio and see if they’re a fit—or not a fit—for this band. And we chose our list of songs to try out and this one was an afterthought. This is not—definitely not—a Heart song, but it’s a really cool song. It’s very interesting. And Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics, which is probably the only reason I ever heard that song.

And when I first heard it, it was like, ‘Oh my God, I need this song. I need to be the singer on the song.’ Because it’s got that thing that I really respond to, which is the poetic, kind of ethereal thing the song possesses. And I kind of really relate to that. So, they’re like, ‘No, that’s not … yeah, that’s not a Heart song. Not in the way fans would expect a Heart song to be. Ann is the lead singer of Heart, and you’re the guitar player of Heart, so stay in your lane.’

And I was like, ‘But I love this song. I need to do this song, the track, everything about it.’ And I went to management and they said no. And I went to the record company and they said no.

And I’m like, ‘Yes! Just give me one chance to try this out. Give me one day in the studio.’ And we did just that. I had a cold that day and we ended up liking it. We kept some of the part where I sang with a really bad cold on the final version of the song.

When you get that real rasp in there, it translates into passion sometimes. But I think it kind of helped the song in a funny way.

And it was our first number one, of course. Ann was really pissed off about that because I joined the band after she’d started it. Of course, our first album I was involved in in 1975, but she was like, ‘Goddamn you!’ But then not so long after that, “Alone” went to number one, and she was finally okay with me having a number one, too.

When was the last time you heard a guitar riff and out of the gate you were like, “That’s one helluva song!”

I love a lot of college radio right now. I listen to XMU in the car, and there’s some cool riffs out there that don’t necessarily constitute a hit song on their own. But I’m always listening for a catchy riff, you know.

And riffs are kind of like lyrics in a lot of ways. They stick to your ribs if they’re good. And they kind of help tell the story, like good lyrics do. I’m always in search of that lost riff. Simplicity is deceptive, and usually it’s the simple stuff that really catches the ear.

Photo by Criss Cain

You started a management company, Roadcase Management. What was the genesis of that? 

I’ve been doing this job, this rock job now for 50 years, almost. And I just figured it’s really good to give, to help, to support the next generation that’s coming forward that has the talent and the great songwriting skills. And help prop them up because the social media world has just kind of washed it all away in a lot of ways. So, I think I’m just kind of old school in the idea that really good talent should be framed up and presented by someone like me, for instance, who can show it for how great it is. And to make it noticeable in some small way, you know, in the culture.

So, I actually just did a song with one of our artists, Madisen XOXO in Seattle. One of her songs is being mastered, actually, today. And the other one is Deloyd Elze. He just got signed with Concord. So, we’re kind of excited for these up-and-coming kids—well, they’re young adults.

What song in your catalog has been the most commercially successful in movies, TV commercials? My money is on “Barracuda,” yes?

Well, “Barracuda” has the most usage of any song for car commercials and animated films and various films. I just saw it on a trailer for Poker Face, which is cool. I say more power to “Barracuda” for being out there and being the iconic energy that it is. It lends power to cool projects that are out there. Other than that, “Crazy on You,” probably. That’s another one.

But the funniest one to me was “What About Love” because it was in a Swiffer commercial. It was about a lonely broom—or something at the doorstep—but the wife already had the Swiffer and the broom was saying, ‘What about love?’ That was really a clever use of a forlorn love song like, “What About Love.” The more, the merrier.

How is Ann doing? She’s on the mend after her elbow injury?

She kicked the ass of cancer and then she broke her elbow at the end of rehearsals—like, four days before the first show. She wasn’t going to cancel any more shows. So, she went out there in a lot of pain in a wheelchair, so she could prop it up. And she still sounded amazing on the last leg of the tour.

And she’s like, ‘I’m gonna work on getting out of the chair for the next one.’ So, fingers are crossed. But she’s a trooper. She just sounds incredible, even if she’s sitting in a chair, which speaks well for her vocalizing. Even while seated, she can pull that stuff off. But, like I said, it’s been a really beautiful experience getting out there again after the postponement and after not knowing for sure that we could go back out at all. So, it’s a sweet thing. The stolen watermelon tastes even sweeter, you know?

Photo by Jeremy Danger

Can we please, please, please talk about your iconic ’80s hair for a minute? How did you achieve that much volume. It was radiant. Was it mousse? Aqua Net? Dish! 

It was so much hairspray and so much mousse. But a lot of also, like, clip-ins for those photo sessions. So, you’d have to put mousse in your roots, right? And then you kind of hang upside down and dry the roots up. Our hair girl Tracy who was with us for all of the ’80s, she did White Snake. She did all of those bands with the same hair. We all had the same exact hair—because the same girl did all of us. So much blonde hair.

And there was a lot of hairspray. I mean, I could never do hairspray now like that, but, yeah, it was big. But the difference being, it was not Fair hair—you know, the higher the hair, the closer to God. You know, Southern belle kind of Fair hair. This was ’80s rock hair! It was glam.”

On this latest tour, what song is getting the biggest crowd reaction? Or does it change every night?

A lot of times it’s pretty similar. It’s so cute to see every age group out there—really young kids are showing up, college people are showing up, and our original older fans that are closer to our age are all there.

And then there’s, like, old dudes with their wives in the back who go, ‘Dogggg aaand Butterflyyyy.’ They’re singing along. And it’s sweet. It’s the sweetest thing because the songs themselves are like the soundtrack to—okay, maybe I danced at the prom with my lady to that song in 1978? And so, it’s really sweet the way the songs translate through the eras.

“Mistral Wind” is one of the ones that really captures the room every time. “Alone,” of course, is amazingly emotional and personal. It could have been written in any era of history, like someone with a French beret and a cigarette in World War I in a cafe singing “Alone” during the Occupation. It translates through the ages. And good songs do that.

And “Dog and Butterfly” is an emotional moment for a lot of people. You see people kind of cry sometimes. And we do go “Going to California,” which is a Zeppelin song that we know how to do really well and is amazing to do.

Sometimes the clippier songs get more people dancing, and other times it’s the sad, emotional songs, the romance, that gets them. But with Heart, it’s kind of a variety show because we’re very diverse in the types of songs that we do.

I just want you to know that I can car-sing “Alone” better than anyone else in the world other than your sister. What is a song you belt out when it comes on the radio?

Photo Courtesy of Nancy Wilson

I love it! Well, I’m usually driving around with my hubby, Jeff, so I don’t belt out in the car as much as when I go to my little private room where it’s kind of soundproof. But I do a lot of belting around the house in my own kind of room alone. I’ll do lots of warm up for singing practice, and, you know, I try to write new songs and all that. I’m a musician. I don’t know what else I would be doing if I couldn’t do music. You know, that’s my one skill, so I’m pretty good at it. I’m really happy to be still out there.

Do you have a favorite piece of Heart memorabilia, or maybe a fan gift? I spied a Heart lunchbox or Bento box on Amazon. 

Well, there was a music box that had Dog and Butterfly cover art on it. You opened it up and there was a little crank that would play a music box, and it would play part of the “Mistral Wind” theme song. Those are very rare and hard to find. It was, like, a record company exec piece of merchandise, with the posters and swag that came with the album when we were trying to make a big splash with it.

But I think maybe my memorabilia really leans on my guitars because they are such dear friends of mine. Recently, we got a thing working with the Hard Rock people  who started the Hard Rock Café. And they’ve got a warehouse in Miami full of memorabilia, including a couple of my guitars now. The Blue Ovation Carbon Top from 1976 or 1977—with all the hippie filigree all over the front. And one of my original “Barracuda” Gibson SG guitars with the Marine Corps sticker on the back. They had so many amazing things in there. They have Jimi Hendrix’s upside down, backwards guitar that I got to hold and play. So, they’re putting this amazing experience together for collectibles, of which now I am part.

Finally, I’m sure you’ve played KC countless times, but what are you looking forward to during your visit? Can we please feed you all the things?

Well, Kansas City barbecue! Hello! But Kansas City is always such a cool music town. And you always have to think of Paul McCartney going, ‘AaaAhh, Kansas City!’  You have to sing it in your head every time you walk through that town. There’s a historic part which I always admire because a lot of towns sort of blend together. Kansas City has its own real character, still intact.

Heart w/ Todd Rundgren
August 21 at 7:30 p.m.
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City

Interview gently edited for content and clarity. 

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