Ann Wilson of Heart sings with Tripsitter at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on July 12
From a press release:
It was announced today that Ann Wilson will perform with her backing band Tripsitter at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday, July 12.
Wilson, known the world over as a founder, lead singer/songwriter, and flautist of the barrier-breaking band Heart, has been widely praised as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock ‘n’ roll.
Her extraordinarily powerful voice has been sending chills down her audience’s collective spine for over five decades, earning record sales of more than 35 million, an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
“Barracuda,” “Crazy on You,” and “Magic Man” are among the many songs she has written that now reside in the pantheon of rock’s greatest hits. “Greed” from her latest studio album, 2022’s “Fierce Bliss,” plays seamlessly alongside the classics in her current live set, proving that she is here to stay.
Doors at the Kirby Center (71 Public Square, Wilkes-Barre) open at 6 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets, which are $33.50, $39.50, $49.50, and $54.50, plus applicable fees, go on sale this Friday, May 5 at 10 a.m. at the Kirby Center box office, online at kirbycenter.org and ticketmaster.com, and by phone at 570-826-1100. A Kirby Member pre-sale begins Thursday, May 4 at 10 a.m.
This past year, Wilson sang with Disturbed frontman David Draiman on the duet “Don’t Tell Me” from their new album “Divisive” and lent her voice to Dolly Parton’s forthcoming rock record “Rock Star.” From Heart’s 1975 debut record “Dreamboat Annie” to Disturbed, to Dolly Parton and beyond, she defies genre.
With “Fierce Bliss,” the 72-year-old vocalist has created a supremely lavish, warm, and seductive slice of rock ‘n’ roll that provides an instant soundtrack, whether on the freeway or in front of the fireplace. Recorded between Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Power Station, Waterford, Connecticut, Wilson got together with famed Nashville session guitarist Tom Bukovac and invited several friends (including Warren Haynes, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Vince Gill) to help fashion an album that carries the glow of an ochre sunset and the pristine vocals of a rock legend who still has every single unique octave at her fingertips.
“Fierce Bliss” embraces all the finest qualities of classic American rock with the comforts and escapes that it can bring. Lead track “Greed” roars like a muscle car, Wilson’s rich voice hitting overdrive, while “Love of My Life” is a beautiful rendition of the Queen classic featuring Gill on guest vocals that will strike empathy in all who hear who it. There’s the uniquely mysterious “Black Wing,” Wilson again the driver through a hazy, mystical journey, and a spectacular cover of Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sighs.” The stomp ‘n’ roll thunders through “A Moment in Heaven,” and Wilson takes charge of “Missionary Man” with a storming rendition that reframes the classic song.
With album art created by the famous fantasy artist Roger Dean (Yes, Asia), whose work has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide, “Fierce Bliss” is destined to be the American rock ‘n’ roll classic album that speaks to millions of people and provides them with quality, assurity, and good ol’ goddamn comfort in these turbulent times.
Prior to starting their summer tour, Wilson and Tripsitter have been putting the finishing touches on a new album of original material. This year, she brings her show to venues everywhere with the same vigor and verve that she brought that one memorable night in front of Led Zeppelin at the Kennedy Center – you know the clip.
The F.M. Kirby Center is a historic Art Deco/Moderne-style performing arts center located in downtown Wilkes-Barre. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
