Nancy Wilson says Heart being back on the road is 'sweeter than ever' ahead of local show

Heart's long-awaited "Royal Flush" tour is underway, and fans are celebrating the band's triumphant return. But it's not just a reunion tour; it's a new chapter for the band following Ann and Nancy Wilson's 2016 estrangement that led to a hiatus, a 2019 reunion that was interrupted by the pandemic, and then Ann Wilson's 2023 battle with cancer.

But nothing was going to stop Heart, founded by the two Wilson sisters, from returning to the road.

Heart defied the male-dominated rock 'n' roll music industry during the 1970s, overcoming issues with addiction and a range of personal and business challenges. The band demonstrated that it was possible to skillfully blend acoustic guitar with heavy rock music during the '70s and later evolved their sound to incorporate rock and pop influences in the '80s.

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Six years after announcing the reunion and the many bumps in the road along the way, Nancy Wilson described being on tour again as "rewarding" during a recent interview ahead of Heart's stop on Friday, Aug. 15 at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa.

"Being back on the road after the possibility of not being able to go back at all is sweeter than ever," Nancy Wilson said. "(Ann Wilson's) health scare was particularly worrisome, but then Ann just got in there, did all the homework and kicked cancer's ass."

Heart's Nancy Wilson (left) and Ann Wilson opened the latest leg of their tour May 31, 2025 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

A review of the band's June 1 performance at the Wolf Trap in Northern Virginia described the sisters' musical chemistry as "indestructible." Even though Ann Wilson remained seated throughout the 90-minute performance after taking a recent fall, her voice was still potent, and the Wilsons collided effortlessly on pop bauble “Never” and serrated rocker “Straight On.”

A legacy that spans generations

Since the band's debut album "Dreamboat Annie" 50 years ago and subsequent releases, songs such as "Magic Man," "Barracuda," "Straight On," "These Dreams" and many others have become what Wilson described as a "staple" in culture. "Barracuda" has become a rock 'n' roll feminist anthem since its 1977 release.

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"We're a classic rock band, one of the last real rock bands, I have to add. It's so sweet to see what the songs mean to people in their lives. That's how they become the soundtrack to your life. I'm the same way and love music as a fan, because songs are the survival mechanisms to get through life. It's really sweet to see people show up, love the songs, and share the energy of that with people and their kids," Wilson said.

Wilson said fans are particularly fond of the band's mash-up of its '80s songs "Alone" and "What About Love?" which has been a highlight of the performances on the tour.

"We found a way to weave them together that satisfies the entire quotient of that song structure from the '80s, which I think is really special in the text of the new show, and people are really responding, singing along and loving it," Wilson said.

Nancy Wilson of Heart. (Photo by Ricky Steel)

Is a new Heart album coming?

In 2021, Wilson released her solo album "You And Me" featuring guest appearances by former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar, late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins and Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagen, singer-songwriter and Heart collaborator Sue Ennis, and more. A bonus track, "A Million Goodbyes," featuring Death Cab For Cutie vocalist Ben Gibbard, is available for purchase at the merchandise booth on the tour. Ann Wilson also released the album "Fierce Bliss" featuring covers and originals in 2022 and another door with her band "Tripsitter."

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But will Heart make another album?

"I have lots of ideas to bring to Ann, but I think we need to get through what's probably going to be a world tour before we have the energy or the time to devote to any new creative output for Heart," Wilson said.

Wilson said that even though technology has made recording and songwriting more convenient, and she can record ideas on her phone instead of carrying a cassette recorder or a reel-to-reel machine with her everywhere she goes, she's still an "analog girl" when it comes to getting the right sound and doesn't like to rely on a lot of technical gadgets on stage.

"It's all about a great microphone, a solid amplifier, and how you play. It's not the gear that matters, it's the expression that comes through the instrument from the player," Wilson said. "When you hear old recordings like 'Jailhouse Rock' by Elvis Presley, you hear in the wood in the walls because it's a good old tube microphone. There's a voice, a good singer in a little wood room, and you hear all of it."

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When it comes to inspiration, Wilson laughed and said there's an ongoing joke among musicians: "There's nothing like pain to write great material."

"There's nothing like living the full spectrum of being a human on the planet with all the highest highs and the lowest lows, and if you're a sensitive person, you have to feel it all. I think a lot of creative people are blessed equally and cursed as well," Wilson said.

Nancy Wilson started Roadcase Management in 2023

After 50 years in the music business, Wilson wanted to help talented musicians on their creative journeys and launched Roadcase Management in 2023. The company's first client was Portland singer-songwriter Madisenxoxo. She said the challenge new artists face now is "everyone’s in their own personal bubble" and a lack of excitement for album releases.

"There's no unity where it's 'The Beatles album is coming out tomorrow' and you line up at the store, set your clocks to hear the whole thing on the radio and we grew up with that flash mob mentality about music. Now, it's personal bubbles in social media land. I want to do what I can for real talented newcomers to put the world out there far and wide as possible so it can have better outreach," Wilson said.

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When asked what she's been listening to lately, Wilson said she listens to SiriusXMU Indie Rock Radio and enjoys artists such as Death Cab for Cutie, Bon Iver, Boygenius, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But when describing the reception Taylor Swift, Post Malone and Billie Eilish receive and selling out large venues, she said "they all show up for that."

"You have to hand it to people like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish who bring the generation together, and the girls that have gone with their mom more than a few times to go see Taylor Swift, and that's what it should be all about — bringing family together," Wilson said. "I think people are still involved, but it's easier not to be in rooms around dinner tables by candlelight where you talk to your friends and family. Instead, you're on a screen in your bedroom. I don't know what the solution is, but I think art has a lot to do with bringing people together and also keeping people out of the opposition binary thinking that everything has to be opposing. I think there's a gray area that everybody's missing right now."

Nancy and Ann Wilson of Heart perform at The Forum in Inglewood, California, in 2016. (REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

A Heart concert is 'kind of a variety show'

Heart is no stranger to the Coachella Valley. The band performed at Acrisure Arena in 2023, Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in 2013, and two concerts at Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa in 2012 and 2015. Wilson described Agua Caliente as "a great space." She noted that the band has become accustomed to performing at festivals with audiences of 100,000 people, as well as in arenas and theaters.

Large or small, Heart does not have a particular preference for the size or type of venue.

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"We can play in any size room and bring the energy. It's a great show in that way because we've ranged from kick ass rock 'n' roll to romantic ballads to funk and everything in between. We're kind of a variety show," Wilson said.

Brian Blueskye covers artsand entertainment for the Desert Sun. Hecan be reached at [email protected].

If you go

What: Heart concert

When: 8 p.m., Friday, August 15

Where: Agua Caliente Resort Casino Spa, 32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage

How much: $109.95 to $229.95

More information: aguacalientecasinos.com/agua-event/heart

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Nancy Wilson talks about Heart ahead of Palm Springs area concert