As part of their annual Mardi Gras celebration Universal Studios hosted a number of concerts throughout February and March and provided yours truly with the opportunity to check out Heart for the first time in some 20 years ('Bad Animals' tour at the NEC being the last occasion that our paths had crossed). A gig in a Theme Park is always going to attract the casual fans and families with only a few of the band's own followers and given this scenario the choice of set list for the evening can best be described as bizarre to say the least. Apparently Ann Wilson has a new solo album out consisting of cover versions and this was heavily promoted by way of  weak versions of Led Zeppelin's 'Immigrant Song' and 'Going to California' and The Who's 'Love Reign O'er Me'. Admittedly the latter was particularly impressive and showed Ann has lost none of her vocal power but you have to wonder why a band with a heavy back catalogue to choose from would decide to play three covers in a fourteen song set? 

Without question Heart's most successful period was the trio of 80's albums from 'Heart' to 'Brigade' and this material would clearly be the most recognisable to a festival crowd. And yet they only found time to include the sublime, Nancy Wilson led, 'These Dreams' and an acoustic re-working of 'Alone', omitting obvious crowd pleasers such as 'Who Will You Run To', 'If Looks Could Kill', 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You' and 'What About Love' to name just a few. The widespread unfamiliarity with much of the rest of the set meant that by the time they closed with 'Barracuda' the audience had notably thinned and was exiting in large numbers for the encore of 'Dreamboat Annie'.  

The Wilson sisters still know how to rock but by leaving out many of their most cherished numbers this was little more than an exercise in self-indulgence.

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