There’s nothing like the buzz of anticipation that builds up before a show. You can feel the excitement in the air as thousands of people gather to see one of their favorite bands. The Maverik Center was certainly buzzing on Saturday before Heart took the stage.

Concert-goers of all ages filed in to see the rock legends, finding their seats and settling in before opener Squeeze hopped on to play their set. They kicked the night off with a crisp and groovy sound and insane amounts of energy. It got everyone excited and limbered up before the main act.

Before Heart came on, creative coordinator for Ann Wilson Criss Cain got on stage to tell the arena why she would be performing while in a wheelchair— days before the tour started, the singer fell and injured her elbow. Cancelling the tour due to the injury was on the table, to which Wilson said, “Hell no.” This was met with nothing but cheers as Cain told the audience.

Wilson is obviously a true professional, and it’s bad-ass to see her push through and deliver for loving fans. “I think it’s looked on as some kind of an admission of vulnerability,” Wilson told Blabbermouth. “And we have to look at the person and go, ‘Oh, that’s too bad’ and bring negativity into it. It doesn’t have to be that way. No, it’s a great tool. And I’ll be up and out of it after a while.”

West Valley audience members definitely understood, and were still overjoyed to see Wilson killing it and having the show still go on for fans. The crowd definitely lost their minds when Heart finally got on stage, opening with their 1980 hit “Bebe Le Strange.” They came out loud and dynamic, Nancy Wilson shredding on a Flying V and Ann projecting her voice incredibly well, even while sitting.

The Wilson sisters are backed with an incredible group of bandmates for this tour, featuring Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar), Ryan Waters (lead and rhythm guitar and backing vocals), Paul Moak (lead and rhythm guitars, keyboards, mandolin, banjo and backing vocals), Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean T. Lane (drums and bike).

They absolutely understand the assignment, and put their all into each of the songs on the setlist. Throughout the show, the Wilson sisters were cracking lighthearted jokes with the crowd, making it a very personable experience. They’ve been doing this a long time, and at no point do they ever seem jaded. It’s easy to see that they’re happy on stage making the same incredible music magic that they’ve been making all these years. Not only that, but they’re very gracious of fans, offering sincere thanks to the crowd’s excitement.

Everyone was constantly up and out of their seats dancing and singing to the ripping guitar solos, slapping bass and Ann’s ethereal vocals. As a preface to some of their uber popular hits like “These Dreams,” they reminisced about the ’80s, joking that, “We got out alive with a couple real cool songs.”

The set slowed down for a few songs, including “Dog and Butterfly,” “Dreamboat Annie” and an incredible cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California.” It was goosebump-inducing, and it was an absolute honor to be able to hear live. Heart always pays tribute to Led Zeppelin in the most beautiful way.

Nancy also sat down to play her instrumental Eddie Van Halen tribute, “4 Edward,” accompanied by a heartfelt story of her gifting an acoustic guitar to the rock legend. She ended the tribute with a kiss to the sky, sending love to Van Halen. There’s no way he isn’t smiling down from rock ‘n roll heaven.

A few more songs later, and Heart started to wrap up. It’s always a sad feeling to know that the end is coming, but with dazzling words from Ann, the crowd was ready to savor those last few songs. “What else can I say, but let’s rock,” she said as they went into “Magic Man.”

Finishing out, Nancy started to play that iconic, chugging rhythm to “Barracuda,” and the stadium collectively lost their minds. It was the perfect way to end an already extraordinary show. The Royal Flush Tour will continue on through the end of August, and Utah was lucky to be on the list of stops. Heart is legendary for a reason, and it was an honor to experience their magic.