Eagle Rock EntertainmentLast week, Heart released a new concert video and album called Live at the Royal Albert Hall, which documents the band’s first-ever concert at the historic London venue. The show, which took place this past June, features the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers playing a set that included many of their memorable tunes, plus lesser-known gems and selections from their 2016 album, Beautiful Broken.
Heart singer Ann Wilson tells ABC Radio that the band’s debut show at the 145-year-old concert hall was “a beautiful night.”
“It’s a beautiful place to play,” she notes. “The venue is actually like a whole other actor in the whole thing…And it’s designed for sound, of course, super traditional and so much history there.”
On some tunes, Heart was accompanied by the 68-piece Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Wilson says preparing for the concert was a bit challenging, since they had to provide the symphony with the music for the songs and had rehearse a couple of times with the orchestra. Overall, though, Ann says, “[I]t was really a beautiful night. It wasn’t that hard. It was just very exciting.”
Some string arrangements for the show were created by Paul Buckmaster, who’s best known for his early-’70s collaborations with Elton John, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie. Wilson, a huge fan of Elton’s early work, says the songs arranged by Buckmaster were some of the high points of the event for her.
The concert also featured a cover of Led Zeppelin‘s “No Quarter,” which Ann says is her favorite song by the band to perform.
“I just love the lyrics. I love the vibe of it,” Wilson tells ABC Radio. “It tells a really cool story. It just has a cool vibe.”
Live at the Royal Albert Hall is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and CD.
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