Heart and the Wilson sisters happily return to road, play Moda Center on March 14

Published 12:15 am Tuesday, March 4, 2025

So much history swirls around the band Heart, which began in Seattle in the early 1970s, put out its first studio album 50 years ago and went on to worldwide acclaim with hits such as “Barracuda” and “These Dreams.”

But, what about the here and now? Well, Heart has restarted its tour with lead singer Ann Wilson back from a health scare and sister/guitarist Nancy Wilson there by her side. Of utmost importance, Ann Wilson has rebounded after having a cancerous growth removed and chemotherapy.

“Ann is looking fine, sounding really good, feeling great,” Nancy Wilson tells the Tribune. “It’s about 7 months later and it’s pretty miraculous, it’s amazing how things can be fixed nowadays by modern science. She’s gone through the gauntlet. She’s healthy, happy, strong, and sounding marvelous.”

The Wilson sisters and Heart come to Portland to play at Moda Center on Friday, March 14, on the “Royal Flush Tour 2025.” It’s been a few years since Heart has toured, and it’s an exciting time after years and years of doing live shows.

“It’s kind of like when it gets taken away from you, you get possessive about what you want to do and know what to do,” Nancy Wilson said. She called it, “My rock job at the loud office” and “It’s the only thing I know how to do. It’s a million thrills to do rock shows. Turn up the volume, rock your guitar, communicate electric energy with a crowd that knows your songs. …

“We can still pull it off. We’re good at it.”

She has a nice motto to live by: “Still Alive in ’25.”

Not only alive, but celebrating with a healthy Ann Wilson, a tour, some solo releases and possibly a new Heart acoustic album, and an Amazon movie in the works. The movie hasn’t been cast, yet, but one of the script writers has been another famous Pacific Northwest name: Carrie Brownstein of Sleater-Kinney, who starred alongside Fred Armisen in “Portlandia.”

“It’s exciting. Casting is the next step,” Nancy Wilson said.

Then again, good luck to who lands the Ann role. “I don’t know how it’ll be to fill Ann Wilson’s shoes if they have to sing.” That said, Nancy Wilson said she has been impressed with recent castings for movies about Freddie Mercury (and Queen), Elvis and Elton John.

People may or may not know, before Heart, there was Nancy Wilson the Portland-area college student. She attended Pacific University in Forest Grove and Portland State University, exploring creative writing.

The pull to perform in Heart was too strong, however, and the band set up their hometown as … Vancouver, British Columbia? Yes, before being hailed as from Seattle, and part of a military family that moved around, Heart initially called Vancouver home because a person involved with the band was a Vietnam War draft dodger and wasn’t allowed in the United States.

“Our first Heart poster said, ‘All the way from Vancouver, B.C.,’” Nancy Wilson said. “We were embarrassed to be from the United States at the time.”

Heart put out its first album, “Dreamboat Annie” in 1975 — yes, 50 years ago. Just think, youngsters, it’s when albums came out in record form or as 8-tracks — and not even via cassettes or CDs yet, and certainly way before streaming.

“We’re not honking on it, because it dates you, but it’s cool to be able to say that,” Nancy Wilson said, of the 50-year anniversary of the album. “We’ve earned our place in the annals of rock history for sure. We’re not afraid to feel proud.”

Indeed, Heart has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a list of albums and songs that everybody knows — “Dreamboat Annie,” “Crazy on You,” “Magic Man,” “Barracuda,” “These Dreams,” “What About Love,” “All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You” and many more.

Of course they belong in the same conversation as some other famous acts with Seattle area ties over the years — Ray Charles, Jimi Hendrix, The Wailers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam.

Heart music, such as “Barracuda,” helps serve as “the soundtrack to our lives, it’s bigger than we are. … That’s why tribute bands are so big. There are a few Heart tribute bands,” said Nancy Wilson, who lives in Northern California.

The current lineup of Heart features Nancy Wilson (acoustic and electric guitars, mandocello, lead and backing vocals), Ann Wilson (lead vocals and flute), Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar), Ryan Waters (lead and rhythm guitar and backing vocals), Paul Moak (lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, mandolin, banjo and backing vocals), Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean T. Lane (drums and bike).

More: heart-music.com. For tickets: rosequarter.com.