The performance was recorded at the Paramount Theater in Seattle (Heart's hometown) on Aug. 8, 2002, the last gig on the band's 2002 "Summer of Love" tour. The response to the tour was tremendous, with longtime fans and newbies alike enthusiastically welcoming fronters Ann and Nancy Wilson and their new back-up band--an ensemble that includes former Ozzy Osbourne and Alice In Chains bassist Mike Inez and Lovemongers drummer Ben Smith. The tour was so successful, in fact, that they turned right around and toured again in 2003 (the "Alive in America" tour) playing basically the same song set. So fans who missed either or both of those tours can still experience that concert atmosphere vicariously with the HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE disc--but with much better "seating"!

The Wilson sisters made an excellent choice for the set list, which includes the band's very popular pre-`80s hard-rock standards like "Crazy on You," "Straight On," "Magic Man," and "Barracuda," as well as some great post-70s tunes such as "Alone" and "These Dreams." In addition, the band does a fantastic job on covers of Led Zeppelin's "Battle of Evermore" and "Black Dog," the Elton John ballad "Mona Lisas and Madhatters," and an old garage-band ditty called "The Witch."

Dark-haired Vocalist Ann Wilson, as beautiful as ever, proves that she still has what it takes to belt out the band's old hard-rock standards, and she still sounds as angelic as ever on the softer melancholy favorites like "Dog and Butterfly" and "Dreamboat Annie." When Heart plays their classic stuff, Ms. Wilson sounds exactly like she did when the songs were first recorded--which is a lot more than you can say for most rock vocalists from the '60s and '70s, who can no longer hit those high notes. But she and sister Nancy (who mainly plays guitar and other strings) also easily keep up with the newer, younger artists when they perform some of their latest compositions like "Heaven," "Sister Wild Rose," and the really cool hard-hitter "Break The Rock." Both women are certainly in top form and prove they can go the distance in the studio and on stage. And with HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE, they leave no doubt that they are still two of the most talented and creative women in rock.

The picture quality on this DVD is crisp and clear, with great color saturation and nice contrast, and the cinematographer does a top-notch job of capturing the energy of the artists and the spirit of their performances. The Dolby sound quality is also excellent, and a sound system that takes advantage of the DTS Surround Sound can really make viewers feel like they are at the live performance.

No longtime fan of HEART will be disappointed with HEART: ALIVE IN SEATTLE. And the DVD will certainly give newbies a taste of just how powerful and emotive this band and the talented duo that drives it can be.


Heart fans will be pleased   September 23, 2003
S. Hong (Los Angeles)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful

To the previous reviewer who gave this DVD 1 star. Who are you trying to appeal to? People who want to buy this DVD are Heart fans. Not people who feel betrayed by individual "sell-outs" from the grunge scene. Look at the audience, middle age yuppies who are trying to recall the days when they still rocked out. Back in the early 80's The Clash was unmercilously flogged for "selling out" by appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone and having the gall to have two hit singles. Seattle grunge bands were lining up in droves to "sell out". And I blame grunge (along with record labels and fans) for destroying the diversity of "alternative" music that once was. Why trash a mainstream 70's rock group?

Anyways, I saw this video on PBS like so many others and was impressed with the Wilson sisters' live performance. Sure, they don't deviate much from their studio recordings (except for a few) but its nice to see professional musicians with good expressive voices and harmony. I'm not a huge Heart fan except for their signature songs like Barracuda, Magic Man, and Crazy on You. But their acoustic reworking of Alone and These Dreams were good. Their covers of Elton John's Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters and Led Zeppelin's Black Dog and Battle of Evermore show they're fans as well by showing the respect those songs deserve. And songs that weren't as familiar to me were made accessible by their performance.

So if you didn't buy this DVD just to see the "bass player" (so you can see how much he's betrayed you) Heart fans should be very satisfied. All in all one of the better live concert DVD's out there. Very enjoyable.

The widescreen video is nice and needless to say much cleaner than broadcast TV. I'd knock off 1/2 star for sound because the DTS/DD is 5.0 not 5.1 The Digital surround sounds excellent but why not make it 5.1 while they were at it? That discrete punch from the subwoofer would have been nice.


They're back....   May 21, 2003
Mark Lahren (Bismarck, North Dakota USA)
18 out of 20 found this review helpful

....And better than ever!
I loved Heart's first few albums. I never saw them live or even on TV until MTV came along in the '80s. Thus early on, I knew very little about this band. I did not know for instance that Nancy Wilson could sing, or that both sisters could play a wide variety of instruments. I only knew I loved their music. Then the 80s came and I saw Heart for the first time on a music video of theirs. I was horrified. HUGE hair, ultra-make-up, over-the-top vixen-like creatures, and music polished to the point of no longer having character. This image alone caused me to lose all interest. I no longer took them seriously. I felt betrayed. I dismissed every song they came out with after that out-of-hand, without even giving them a chance.

Twenty years pass. I watch this DVD for the first time, and I practically weep with joy that the 'real' Wilson sisters are back. They look like human beings, and can still sing like angels. I was totally floored. Songs I had previously dismissed as '80s schlock ("These Dreams" and "Alone") are so brilliantly re-done here, that I simply cannot believe the transformation. Oh, it's nothing radical; the songs are structured basically the same, but they sound so much more human when all of the polish has been stripped away. Don't get me wrong. There's still polish on these songs, and for a live DVD, it sounds fantastic. But the original studio recordings had way too much...processing I guess...done to them. Now, watching this DVD, you will hear these songs the way I believe they sound best. I now suddenly finding myself thinking these are great songs!

Speaking of which, there is not a bad track in this concert. I enjoyed every one, and both Ann and Nancy blew me away with their vocals especially. Photography and lighting are excellent. I notice this ad states 'full-screen format', but to me it looks like kind of a mild letterbox thing going on, with a bit of a black bar on the top and bottom of the screen. Which is good as far as I'm concerned (for those who don't yet know, when a movie is filmed for a wide movie screen, it is meant to be seen that way; on a wide screen. Television sets do not have a wide screen (in relation to its height), so to accomodate the TV crowd, lots of movies just get the sides cut off a bit so they will fit properly, thus you don't see the entire picture the way it was originally filmed. With letterbox, you get that narrow picture, but you also are seeing the ENTIRE width of it too).

It's not full letterbox, where you get a really narrow picture, but just a bit narrower than true full-screen. The whole concert looks excellent, sounds excellent on my stereo system, and most importantly to me, it revived my interest in this group. I guess it's time to buy some CDs.


What a concert!!   August 18, 2004
J. Jackson (Seattle, WA)
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I attended this concert just after returning to the US (the tickets were a gift) and it was one of the best I ever saw. This DVD captures the brilliance of the Wilson sisters. They haven't lost a thing! A must see for Heart fans.


Ann & Nancy-still keeping the love alive. Aww yeah!   July 16, 2003
Daniel J. Hamlow (Utsunomiya City, Japan)
11 out of 14 found this review helpful

In this concert, taken on the last day of their 2001 tour, they perform in their home city, Seattle, doing some new songs, old songs, as well as a few surprises.

Most of the material is taken from their early classic period. Dreamboat Annie and Dog & Butterfly yield three songs each, while they do two songs from Little Queen, and one each from Heart, Bad Animals--guess which ones--and Brigade.

While the show starts on a high, "Crazy On You," I noticed that time has slightly lessened the vitality of Ann's voice. However, by the time things get rolling, she's in great shape.

As for their two #1 hits, "These Dreams" and "Alone", they replicate the stripped down mellowness from The Road Home, ie) none of wall of synthesizers.

The new songs are in particular well-done and it harkens to a purer rock sound, especially "Two Faces Of Eve." I was likewise impressed with the mid-paced "Heaven," which Ann promises to be have on the new album.

They've got a great backing band, especially the drummer, who replicate the original lineup's sound on the classic tracks, but this is clearly Ann and Nancy's show, as their other long-term partner, Howard Leese, is absent from the proceedings, so Ann & Nancy Wilson Alive In Seattle would probably be a more appropriate title. Yet their performance on such rockers as "Magic Man", "Barracuda", "Wild Child", the new tune "Break The Rock," and a rip-roaring cover of Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" give Ann and Nancy extra teeth.

As for other instruments, Nancy plays a mandolin when they cover "The Battle Of Evermore," a track they did as the Lovemongers on the Singles soundtrack. Ann plays the flute like she did on the minstrel-like "Love Alive" from Little Queen.

I will admit that it took me awhile to get over Ann's girth. She has really ballooned out, plus that majestic raven hair of hers has been shorn. But, I found myself thinking, that means she's got more love to give. Nancy is still the lithe blonde songstress and her voice seems to be in better shape. Her cover of Elton John's "Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters" demonstrates the lighter voice of Heart still at its best.

And note the median age of the crowd--late 30's to mid-40's. Proof yet again that a good audience need not be the immature, snowboarding and mosh-pit generation born with a cellphone in their cradle. The Wilsons clearly enjoying performing on stage and their immense good nature also enhance this concert.

At the end of the show, Ann thanks the crowd, then says that they're going to make an album--i.e. keep the love alive. I can hardly wait.