Photo provided by Criss Cain

Now that sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have more consistent solo careers, getting together as Heart isn’t as common of an occurrence, which made the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee the place to be for the “Royal Flush” Tour following a half-decade hiatus.

Fortunately, singer Ann has since crushed cancer, although she was temporarily wheelchair-bound after a broken elbow, who alongside vocalist/guitarist Nancy and their recently retooled band, blew the roof off the arena throughout 90 minutes.

Considering Heart hasn’t released anything new together as of late, it gave the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers a chance to not only address a half-century of hits, but try out some covers and previously overlooked album tracks.

They included a string of stunners from the 1970s and ‘80s, “Bebe Le Strange,” “Never,” “Magic Man,” “Love’s Alive,” “Little Queen” and “Straight On,” plus an unexpected, playful and funky take on David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance.”

Nancy nailed the ballad “These Dreams” and the solo shredder “4 Edward” in honor of the late Eddie Van Halen, while Ann turned up the intensity for “Crazy On You,” dialed down into the acoustics of “Dog & Butterfly” and mightily saluted Led Zeppelin via “Going To California.”

One of the most moving moments actually came during a combined arrangement of the like-minded “Alone” and “What About Love,” matched closely by “Barracuda” as Heart left the Fiserv Forum with a winning hand.

Rockford, Illinois’ own Cheap Trick, comprised of singer Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, session drummer Daxx Nielsen and guest guitarist Robin Taylor Zander, has stayed somewhat consistent in the studio up to the latest long player, “In Another World,” yet stuck mainly to its classic rock crests.

The fellow Rock and Roll Hall of Famers generally fired on all cylinders, delivering their raved-up take on Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That A Shame,” “The Flame,” “I Want You To Want Me,” “Dream Police,” “Surrender” and many others across an extra hour of pure power.

For additional information on Heart and Cheap Trick, visit Heart-Music.com and CheapTrick.com.

For a list of upcoming AEG Presents concerts, visit AEGPresents.com.

Upcoming shows at the Fiserv Forum include Kid Rock (Mar. 29); Trey Songz, Omarion and Bow Wow (Apr. 19); Alan Jackson (May 17); Tamela Mann and more (May 22); Lil Baby (Jun. 24); Hogfest (Jul. 17); Shinedown (Jul. 26); Ghost (Jul. 29); Billy Strings (Aug. 8); Linkin Park (Aug. 25) and Deftones (Aug. 30). For additional details, visit FiservForum.com.

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