Aug 17, 1977: Ann and Nancy Wilson showed off their rock ‘n’ roll chops as they performed with their band, Heart, at the Scranton Catholic Youth Center.
The stage lights often centered on Ann, the lead singer, who displayed her vocal talents by belting out hits such as “Magic Man,” “Barracuda” and “Crazy on You.”
During “Crazy on You,” the spotlight moved from Ann to her sister, Nancy, who played lead guitar. Nancy, standing in a classic guitar power stance, gave the crowd a brief guitar solo.
The 4,000-plus crowd enjoyed the show and the band so much they called Heart back for three encores. During the final encore, Heart performed the Mötley Crüe power ballad “Without You.”
Heart’s appearance came the day after the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” Elvis Presley, died at age 42. President Jimmy Carter released a statement upon Presley’s passing, saying that his “death deprives our country of part of itself. He was unique and irreplaceable.”
Heart returned to the area several more times over the years. In 1990, the band performed at the Lackawanna County Multi-Purpose Stadium (now PNC Field) before a crowd of more than 8,000. In 2008 and 2011, it performed at the Pavilion at Montage Mountain. Cheap Trick and Journey joined them on stage in 2008, while they shared the stage with Def Leppard in 2011.
Brian Fulton has been the librarian at The Times-Tribune for the past 15 years. On his blog, Historically Hip, he writes about the great concerts, plays/musicals and celebrity happenings that have taken place throughout NEPA. He is also the co-host of the local history podcast, Historically Hip. He competed and was crowned grand champion on an episode of NPR quiz show “Ask Me Another.” Contact: bfulton@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9140; or @TTPagesPast
