Heart, the Band That Proved Women Could Rock Hard, Reunite for a World Tour and a New Song

Nancy and Ann Wilson of the classic rock band Heart perform in concert at the American Music Theater on Monday, March 24, 2014, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP)
Nancy and Ann Wilson of the classic rock band Heart perform in concert at the American Music Theater on Monday, March 24, 2014, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP)
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Heart, the Band That Proved Women Could Rock Hard, Reunite for a World Tour and a New Song

Nancy and Ann Wilson of the classic rock band Heart perform in concert at the American Music Theater on Monday, March 24, 2014, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP)
Nancy and Ann Wilson of the classic rock band Heart perform in concert at the American Music Theater on Monday, March 24, 2014, in Lancaster, Pa. (AP)

Heart — the pioneering band that melds Nancy Wilson’s shredding guitar with her sister Ann’s powerhouse vocals — is hitting the road this spring and fall for a world tour that Nancy Wilson describes as “the full-on rocker size.”

“I’ve been strengthening. I’ve got my trainer,” she says. “You go one day at a time and you strengthen one workout session at a time. It’s a lot of work, but it’s the only job I know how to do.”

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who gave us classic tracks like “Magic Man,” “Crazy on You” and “Alone” will be playing all the hits, some tracks from of their solo albums — like Ann Wilson's “Miss One and Only” and Nancy Wilson's “Love Mistake” — and a new song called “Roll the Dice.”

“I like to say we have really good problems because the problem we have is to choose between a bunch of different, really cool songs that people love already,” says Nancy Wilson.

Like “Barracuda,” a sonic burst which first appeared on the band’s second album, “Little Queen” and is one of the band’s most memorable songs.

“You can’t mess with ‘Barracuda.’ It’s just the way it is. It is great. You get on the horse and you ride. It’s a galloping steed of a ride to go on. And for everybody, including the band."

The tour kicks off Saturday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, and will hit cities including Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Detroit, as well as the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. International dates include stops in London, Oslo, Berlin, Stockholm, Montreal and Glasgow.

The band's Royal Flush Tour will have Cheap Trick as the opening act for many stops, but Def Leppard and Journey will join for three stadium dates in Cleveland, Toronto and Boston this summer.

Ann and Nancy Wilson will be filled out by Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar), Ryan Waters (guitars), Paul Moak (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals), Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean T. Lane (drums).

The tour is the first in several years for Heart, which was rocked by a body blow in 2016 when Ann Wilson’s husband was arrested for assaulting Nancy’s 16-year-old twin sons. Nancy Wilson says that's all in the past.

“We can take any kind of turbulence, me and Ann, and we’ve always been OK together,” she says. “We’re still steering the ship and happy to do it together. So we’re tight.”

The new tour will take them to Canada, which was warm to the band when they were starting out as what Nancy Wilson calls “a couple of chicks from Seattle.” She recalls Vancouver embracing Heart, and touring in one van across Canada in the dead of winter on two lane highways.

The Wilson sisters broke rock's glass ceiling in the '70s and Nancy Wilson says they only had male influences to look to, like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Moody Blues.

Now she says she looks out and loves seeing generations of female rockers. “You have boygenius and you have Billie Eilish and you have Olivia Rodrigo and so many amazing women — Maggie Rogers and Sheryl Crow, who calls us her big influence. And then Billie Eilish might have Sheryl Crow as her influence. So it’s a really nice legacy to pass along. I like to say we’re the OG — the original gangsters — of women and rock.”

Heart has made it into the Rock Hall, won Grammys, sold millions of albums and rocked hundreds of thousands of fans but Nancy Wilson has one place she'd still like to shine.

Next year will mark the 50th anniversary of their debut album, “Dreamboat Annie,” which was the same year that “Saturday Night Live” started. “So we’re actually kind of putting it out there — Heart never played on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ But what about the 50th birthday party with Heart?”



Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker Chosen for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 

Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)
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Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker Chosen for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 

Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)
Cyndi Lauper performs on the Pyramid Stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 29, 2024. (Reuters)

"The Twist" singer Chubby Checker, pop star Cyndi Lauper and grunge rock band Soundgarden were among the acts chosen for induction this year into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

"American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest announced the 2025 inductees during the ABC singing competition show on Sunday.

Others selected for the Rock Hall in Cleveland included English rock group Bad Company, hip-hop act Outkast, rock and blues singer Joe Cocker and garage rock duo The White Stripes.

The artists will be inducted during a ceremony that will stream live on Disney+ from Los Angeles on Nov. 8.

Inductees were chosen by fans and industry experts. Artists must have released their first recording at least 25 years ago to be eligible.

A singer and dancer, the now 83-year-old Checker was known for popularizing various dance styles including the twist and the limbo in the 1960s.

Bad Company came together in 1973 and recorded hits such as the self-titled "Bad Company".

British singer Cocker made the music charts with songs such as "You are So Beautiful" and "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes, and was known for his legendary cover of The Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" performed at Woodstock.

Lauper, 71, stood out in the 1980s during the heyday of music videos with her colorful hair and outfits and upbeat songs such as "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun."

Soundgarden, part of the 1990s grunge rock scene in Seattle, was led by Chris Cornell, who died by suicide in 2017.

"Hey Ya!" band Outkast was formed in Atlanta by Big Boi and Andre 3000 in 1992. The White Stripes, from Detroit, led a resurgence of garage rock in the 2000s.