The next two months will have a whole lot of Heart - the superstar rock band, that is - with three releases of classic and recent music coinciding with the group's three-month, 40-plus date nationwide summer tour.
On May 13, 2008 Epic/Legacy will release a Heart twofer set that combines their landmark, multimillion selling albums 'Little Queen' (1977) and 'Dog & Butterfly' (1979) into one eco-friendly package as part of the debut of the X2 series. The X2 set boasts five bonus tracks, including a live recording of Heart performing Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven." And the liner notes by critic Michael Hill for the Heart Playlist collection make the case that "You could call Heart the first great indie-rock band" - they debuted with 'Dreamboat Annie' on a Canadian independent label, and observe how "The Wilson sisters flipped the script on male-dominated rock, fronting a group of guys while never acceding to the role of rock-chick window dressing. Their up-tempo numbers were loud, fast, and economically arranged, focusing on Ann's amazing pipes and some killer guitar licks, but they also displayed a gentler, more hippie-like side that was equally appealing."
Epic/Legacy will also release a Heart title as part of its Playlist series that gathers 14 of the group's best songs, all re-mastered and mp3 ready, into an also eco-friendly digi-pak set that includes computer accessible pdf files containing liner notes essays, discographical information, photography, bonus features, and more.
The two packages also coincide with the recently announced June 3 re-release of 'Jupiter's Darling', Heart's most recent studio recording from 2004 that was hailed as "probably their best album to date" from the influential and beloved band and "the only album you need to buy this year" by England's Rave magazine. All Music Guide praised it as "easily the band's finest moment in over 20 years [that] proves in spades that Heart is a vital and creative roc 'n' roll unit and a force to be reckoned with."
Heart's 32 years of ongoing and consistently high-quality rocking has had a cumulative effect that finds the band's appeal resurging as they make 2008 a particularly active year. The recent appearance by Ann & Nancy Wilson on the Idol Gives Back TV charity special performing "Barracuda" with Fergie powered a sales surge on iTunes for the original track as well as the clip of the song from the show. And since the announcement of the group's summer tour with Journey and Cheap Trick (dates listed below), membership in the Heart fan club ("Heartmongers") has doubled. On the tour fans will be able to enjoy performances from the extensive catalog of hits as well as songs from Ann Wilson's recent Zoe/Rounder Records solo album, 'Hope & Glory'.
The group's many 2008 activities and resurgent popularity suggest that even after 30 million albums sold to date, a groundbreaking legacy and a stature to rival rock's biggest stars, Heart's fourth decade of rocking will be as notable as those that came before.
Heart 2008 tour dates:
Dates could be added or changed! Go to Heart's Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.
June 5 Honolulu, HI, Neal Blaisdell Concert Hall
June 6 Waikoloa, HI, Hilton Waikoloa Village
Summer Tour with Journey, Heart & Cheap Trick
July 9 Denver, CO, Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre
July 11 Salt Lake City, UT, USANA Amphitheatre
July 12 Lake Tahoe, NV, Harvey's Lake Resort
July 15 San Diego, CA, Coors Amphitheatre
July 14 Friant, CA, Table Mountain Rancheria (Heart solo show)
July 16 Los Angeles, CA, Verizon Amphitheatre
July 18 Las Vegas, NV, Mandalay Bay Arena
July 22 Council Bluffs, IA, Mid American Center
July 23 Oklahoma City, OK, Zoo Amphitheatre
July 25 San Antonio, TX, Verizon Amphitheatre
July 26 Houston, TX, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 27 Dallas, TX, Superpages.com Amphitheatre
July 30 Tampa, FL, Ford Amphitheatre
July 31 West Palm Beach, FL, Sound Advice Amphitheatre
August 2 Charlotte, NC, Verizon Amphitheatre
August 3 & 4 Atlanta, GA, Chastain
August 6 Orange Beach, FL, The Amphitheare @The Wharf
August 7 New Orleans, LA, House of Blues (Heart solo show)
August 9 Nashville, TN, Wild Horse Saloon (Heart solo show)
August 10 Raleigh, NC, Walnut Creek
August 12 Virginia Beach, VA, Verizon Amphitheatre
August 14 Wantagh, NY, Nikon at Jones Beach
August 16 Scranton, PA, Toyota Amphitheater
August 17 Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun
August 19 Boston, MA, Tweeter Center
August 21 Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
August 23 Syracuse, NY, New York State Fair
August 24 Saratoga, NY, Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 26 Camden, NJ, Susquehanna Bank Center
August 27 Washington, DC, Nissan Pavilion
August 28 Hershey, PA, Hersheypark Pavilion
August 30 Bethel Woods, NY, Bethel Woods
September 3 Manchester, NH, Verizon Theatre
September 5 Toronto, ONT, Molsen Amphitheatre
September 6 Cleveland, OH, Blossom Amphitheatre
September 7 Cincinnati, OH, Riverbend Music Center
September 9 Detroit, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
September 10 Indianapolis, IN, Verizon Amphitheatre
September 12 Chicago, IL, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
September 13 St. Louis, MO, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre St. Louis
September 19 Seattle, WA, White River Amphitheatre
September 21 Portland, OR, Clark County Amphitheare
September 24 Concord, CA, Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
September 26 Sacramento, CA, Sleep Train Pavilion at Sacramento
September 27 Mountain View, CA, Shoreline Amphitheatre
September 30 Los Angeles, CA, Greek Theatre
Heart Official Website
Heart Myspace