The rock queen followed Deborah Bonham, who delivered a killer 30-minute opening set. Wilson’s kicked off her set with a spitfire version of The Who’s “The Real Me,” where she displayed her tremendous range. She immediately broke into her rock classic, “Barracuda,” which was the sole Heart song that she played in her set.
She also paid homage to the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin with the R&B standard “Ain’t No Way,” thus taking her fans on a trip down memory lane to 1968.
Wilson also performed songs from her upcoming studio album, Immortal, such as “I Am the Highway,” where she tipped her hat to her late friend Chris Cornell, in his Audioslave days. Equally powerful and expressive was her interpretation of Amy Winehouse’s “Back to Black.”
She interacted well with the Jones Beach audience and continued with Lesley Gore’s power-ballad “You Don’t Own Me,” which is the opening track on her Immortal CD. She made the Eagles’ “Life in the Fast Lane” her own. She closed on a powerhouse note with The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” where she had the audience clapping along with her.
The Verdict
Despite the rainfall and poor weather conditions, Ann Wilson was able to deliver a rocking 45 minute set at Jones Beach. She was able to warm up the stage for Jeff Beck and Paul Rodgers. The only downside was that she didn’t sing more of her well-known Heart hits such as “Alone,” “What About Love” and “Crazy On You.” It is evident that the songs from her new album are promising. Her show garnered two thumbs up.
Read More: Ann Wilson of Heart chatted with Digital Journal about her “Stars Align” Tour, and her forthcoming studio album, Immortal.
