Ann Wilson is probably the only singer in the world that can bring Robert Plant to tears (the good kind) with her version of “Stairway to Heaven.” The lead singer of Heart famously sang it onstage with sister Nancy at her side during a tribute to Led Zeppelin at the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors, nearly four decades after the band stumbled upon Heart covering their songs in a Vancouver club.
The Zeppelin songbook, filtered through the explosive passions that fueled Heart’s origins, started a legacy that’s seen the band through 15 studio albums, 31 ex-members, a 2013 Hall of Fame induction featuring the classic lineup and a current tour with a set list that starts with “Barracuda” and ends with a trifecta of Zep covers. The Wilson sisters, it seems, have never forgotten where they came from.
Still, Heart has had a fairly stable lineup for 10 years and tours often, drawing heavily on its hard-rocking ’70s material while acknowledging the power balladry period that revived the band’s fortunes in the ’80s. The Wilson sisters are giving back this season with Heart & Friends: Home for the Holidays, a recording of a December 2013 Seattle show featuring guests such as Sammy Hagar and Pat Monahan, and a cover that could make Robert Plant cry. Catch the band Dec. 5-7 at House of Blues.
House of Blues, 8 p.m. Dec. 5-7, starting at $55 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
