If you missed it, Atlanta Music Guide had the chance to chat with Ann Wilson before she arrived in Atlanta this week, one stop along the way of her busy summer tour. We were also lucky enough to attend her show on Tuesday at The Buckhead Theatre and will do our best to review it without only using exclamation points.
Let’s start with the set list.
The Real Me
Barracuda
Crazy on You
What About Love
Fool No More
One Night With You
Anguish
Manic Depression
A Million Miles
I’ve Seen All Good People
She Talks with Angels
Don’t Give Up
We Gotta Get Out of This Place
Won’t Get Fooled Again
Alone
Love, Reign O’er Me
Encore:
For What It’s Worth
Ain’t No Way
Encore 2:
I Put a Spell on You
Danger Zone
These days you’ll hear that HEART is a bit of a sensitive subject for Ann, understandably, but she wasted no time in delivering all of our very favorites. In fact, after a heart-tugging performance of The Who’s “The Real Me”, she launched right into Barracuda and the goose bumps didn’t leave for the rest of the show. We also got Crazy on You, What About Love (that intro’ed with a nod to God Only Knows by The Beach Boys), and Alone. Even more infectious and impactful than the expected, however, were Ann’s surprise covers.
When we chatted, we discussed how she chose the covers she performs and she joked that she chose them selfishly – songs that she loves to perform, songs that have influenced her music over the years. This stop included Yes, The Animals, and a beautiful nod to the The Black Crows’ “She Talks With Angels”. She belted out Aretha Franklin soul-shaker “Ain’t No Way” after sharing an anecdote about the music her mother would play for her and her sisters while her dad was frequently away from home, deployed as a member of the Marines. (The audience responded with HOO-RAH!)
In that many seasoned performers don’t take much time to talk to their audience any more, Ann was light-hearted, funny, and engaging. Taking a few swigs from a flask along the way, she responded to individual calls from the crowd and matched our energy as she brought us all to our feet for her two encores.
It never occurred to you that you were seeing an icon from the 80s. Her backing band was on fire. Her songs still relevant as ever. But more than her music and more than her choice of songs … was that voice. The unmistakable, flawless powerhouse that is Ann Wilson’s sound is left untouched by time. It also happened to be accompanied by a pretty serious level of, well, rocking out, and she never faltered once.
Ann, and her music, continues to connect to audiences in a way unmatched by many other artists. She mentioned taking the time to write more songs after this tour and I can’t wait for the next iteration of her craft. There’s plenty of time to catch her on tour this summer still – which we highly recommend!
