time takes a toll

some people age better than others... and while some of that is likely to be genetics, much of it has to do with self-care... all the little things we do to nuture ourselves, to feed and heal these bodies and minds... every little decision we make day to day shows in the posture and skin... these thoughts come out of turning on the tv and seeing heart singing dreamboat annie... it is a 2007 concert where they did the entire album... dreamboat annie was a favorite album when i first got it for a few reasons, the music and sound and look of the band, but also because i got a demo copy from a local radio station in new york city... a collector's item...

anyway, i am not sure if ann wilson was sick during this performance, but her voice, for me, not ready for this performance... could be she just abused herself too much over the years and does have the lung strength, stamina, and vocal chords... i saw them live twice, long ago, and i don't expect singers to be the same as they after a couple of decades, but her voice sounded too scratchy and weak to do this album live... heart was always so much about ann's voice and a whole lot of screaming was involved in their repetiore, but there was a sweet soft beautiful sound to her voice that is gone now... how deep it goes (and of course, dreamboat annie itself) showed this painfully well... it seems she focused on the hard edge of a rocker and i guess that meant she had to over-use her voice over the years, but she still sounds (and looks) like she's been abusing herself... and i don't just mean the obesity, i mean the pain in her expressions... and her posture, sad, and her stage presence is gone... her flute playinmy mind went to momma cass... g could use some practice as well, but stamina plays such an important role there too...

credit goes to nancy wilson, for you kind of expect a guitar player to burn out more than a singer... and she still has the same beautiful harmonic voice she did all those years ago... and she's maintained her hands for the guitar... i miss the soft tenderness of dreamboat annie... and the stamina... i wish humans would learn to take care of themselves better throughout their lives... especially when they have talent and they choose professions in which physical fitness and stamina play a vital role in performance... but alas, humans are wasteful and self-abusive and this concert represents that for me...

still, they are what they wanted to become i guess, a good led zeppelin cover band... annie can still do robert plant well (though without the stamina for the over the top stuff he could do) and nancy is still a very underrated guitarist... and they had a good lead guitar for this performance... would have been really sweet (and a magnifiscent tribute to heart) if he came out for a song... ...