Heart Live at The Royal Albert Hall with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra DVD Review by Gary Hill
This new video (recorded in 2016) finds Heart at the Royal Albert Hall with a full orchestra. There are a lot of things to like about this DVD. There are only a few things that don't work quite as well. First, I love that this band is a living vital band. Rather than do the "tribute" kind of thing and do a lot of their old songs, they do a real "tour" type set, laced with old classics, but also new songs. They even put in one cover (Led Zeppelin's "No Quarter"). The band still sounds amazing, too. Anne Wilson hasn't lost a thing in her vocal skills over the years. This is just an exceptional concert.
I have to question the whole orchestral thing, though. I mean, I don't really hear that they added much to the performance. It was more "window dressing" gimmickry to me. I think that the band was so powerful and great that the orchestra just lands in the "also ran" category here.
The video quality on this is very good. While the sound is good, it's perhaps not up to the super-high quality standards modern fans demand. That said, I think it fits with the band, really. I mean, this is a 70s band. Yes, it's a modern incarnation, but it's an old school band. I think this older sort of sound suits them. And, by those standards, it's top notch. There is only one bonus feature, but it's a cool interview. So, taking this as a whole, I heartily (see what I did there?) recommend this.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2017 Volume 1 at lulu.com/strangesound.
