Ann Wilson of Heart Performs “Alone” and “What About Love” Live at Bethel Woods – August 30, 2025

On August 30, 2025, Heart brought their “Royal Flush Tour” to Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, lighting up the summer night with an unforgettable performance. The scenic venue in Bethel, New York—half pavilion, half rolling hillside—buzzed with anticipation long before showtime. Todd Rundgren was billed as the special guest, and his presence added an air of celebration. By the time the lights dimmed at 7:30 p.m., golden-hour glow and the hum of thousands of voices set the perfect prelude for what was to come.

Playing at Bethel Woods carries a certain magic that can’t be replicated elsewhere. Perched on the legendary grounds of Woodstock ’69, the amphitheater breathes a kind of inherited peace and unity. The hillside seems to hum with echoes of past generations who came here chasing harmony and freedom. For Heart, stepping on that stage was more than a concert—it was communion with rock history, a return to where collective joy and music have always intertwined.

Fans had marked this stop months in advance, circling the date as one of the highlights of Heart’s sweeping 2025 itinerary. The “Royal Flush Tour” has reignited their connection with audiences worldwide, packing arenas and amphitheaters with a mix of timeless hits and bold reinterpretations. Bethel was more than just another tour date; it was a pilgrimage for those who grew up on their music and for younger generations discovering it anew beneath the same open sky.

As dusk fell across the Catskills, the energy became palpable. Rundgren warmed up the stage with his signature flair, and his appearance added a sense of camaraderie—a meeting of two eras of rock brilliance. When Heart finally emerged under the soft amber lights, the crowd erupted. The Wilson sisters opened strong, balancing edge and grace, and within moments, the amphitheater felt like it was pulsing as one living heartbeat.

The first few numbers set the tone: bold guitars, crystalline harmonies, and arrangements that shimmered with precision. “Bebe Le Strange” strutted in with attitude, “Never” hit like a spark through the night air, and “Love Alive” unfurled in radiant waves, filling the lawn with warmth. The crowd responded in kind—voices lifted, hands raised, faces glowing. The synergy between band and audience was instant, unforced, and electric.

Heart’s setlist has always been a tapestry of dynamics—songs of strength threaded with moments of grace—and Bethel was no exception. “Little Queen” arrived with rhythmic bite, its groove echoing across the hillside, while “These Dreams” blanketed the crowd in nostalgic calm. Each transition felt deliberate, like chapters in a story told through sound, leading seamlessly toward a night charged with both memory and renewal.

Their admiration for Led Zeppelin—long a defining part of Heart’s DNA—came alive in the middle of the show. Their breathtaking renditions of “Going to California” and “The Rain Song” held the audience spellbound in near silence, reverent as a cathedral. Later, “The Ocean” broke that stillness with joyful thunder, as if the spirit of the ’70s had momentarily returned to dance beneath the stars. These weren’t mere covers—they were heartfelt tributes from musicians shaped by that same fire.

Momentum surged again as the band stitched “Straight On” and Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” into an infectious medley that brought everyone to their feet. The pavilion became a glowing sea of movement—fans spinning, clapping, singing, and laughing in shared release. The seamless blend of Heart’s funk-infused pulse with Bowie’s sleek rhythm showed just how comfortably they still bridge decades of musical energy, proving rock’s vitality lives on through reinvention and joy.

Then came the moment everyone anticipated: the back-to-back ballads “Alone” and “What About Love.” As Ann Wilson’s voice rose through the night air, time seemed to suspend. Her delivery was raw and transcendent, each note drenched in power and vulnerability. Nancy’s guitar shimmered beneath her sister’s vocals like silver thread weaving emotion into sound. When the crowd joined in on the choruses, it became something greater than performance—it was collective catharsis, pure and unguarded.

Amid the intensity came a moment of stillness with Nancy’s “4 Edward,” a graceful instrumental homage to Eddie Van Halen. The delicate guitar lines glowed against the open-air backdrop, offering reflection before the night’s final crescendo. It was intimate yet universal—a musician saluting another with sincerity and quiet pride, reminding everyone how love and loss both find their way through music.

The crowd’s unity surged again when Heart launched into “You’re the Voice,” that timeless anthem of empowerment. Thousands of voices lifted as one, echoing across the grounds that once hosted Woodstock’s peace anthems. It was a fitting parallel: then and now, different songs but the same shared belief in the strength of harmony and community. It was rock not just as entertainment, but as renewal—an echo of what this hillside has symbolized for over half a century.

The very design of Bethel Woods amplified the emotional weight of the performance. The covered pavilion caught every harmony, while the rolling lawn let each chorus drift outward like ripples on water. It’s an environment crafted for nights exactly like this—intimate yet expansive, every note reaching both the nearest ear and the farthest listener, uniting them in the same pulse of sound and memory.

Context added another layer to the magic. Critics throughout 2025 have marveled at Heart’s revitalized energy, celebrating Ann’s undiminished vocal power and Nancy’s magnetic musicianship. Bethel felt like a triumphant checkpoint in a year defined by renewal. The band’s chemistry—tempered by time but sharpened by purpose—radiated from the stage. Every gesture, every glance between the sisters carried the quiet confidence of artists who’ve seen it all and still play like it’s the first time.

As the finale approached, the night’s pulse quickened once more. “Magic Man” hit with dazzling precision—smooth, sensual, and sharp as ever—while “Barracuda” thundered through the amphitheater, closing the set with a wall of sound that could be felt as much as heard. The song’s ferocity brought the crowd to its feet one last time, sending waves of applause rolling across the hillside like aftershocks from a musical earthquake.

When the final chords faded into the warm night air, fans lingered, reluctant to leave. The laughter, the hum of conversation, and the echo of shared lyrics followed down the winding paths to the parking lots. Under the stars, it felt less like an ending than a continuation—proof that some songs never grow old, and some bands never lose their spark. On that Bethel hillside, Heart didn’t just perform—they reaffirmed why their name still fits them so perfectly.