Heart kick off a North American tour with Def Leppard this Wednesday (June 15) in West Palm Beach, Fla., and frontwoman Ann Wilson is speaking out about what – and what not – to expect. All the hits? Yes. Performed in a timeworn way? Not even close.

"You can take the songs that may be older songs and really bring them to life when you perform, to keep the fire burning," she tells the Times Record.

"It has to be alive and awake. That's a must," she adds. "We will never be a jukebox that just throws the songs at the people. It will never be a meat-and-potatoes set."

Heart, featuring Ann and her guitarist sister, Nancy Wilson, plan to play 80-minute sets prior to Def Leppard's headlining gigs. The set list will feature classic hits, plus tunes from Heart's latest album, 2010’s ‘Red Velvet Car.’

"It was rewarding to make 'Red Velvet Car' and it's rewarding to play those songs in concert now, just like it has been when we made all of our albums," Ann explains. "Nancy and I love to write songs and we still have something to say, as all artists do."

For budding singers, Ann offered the advice to steer clear of dehydrates."I don't smoke anything and I don't drink alcohol," she says. "Those are drying irritants for a voice. I stay away from those, and I take lots of vitamin C. I try to remain healthy."

Heart’s summer tour with Def Leppard wraps up Sept. 15 in Auburn, Wash. Find a complete list of dates below.

Heart's 2011 Summer Tour Dates:

6/15 -- West Palm Beach, Fla.
6/17 -- Tampa, Fla.
6/18 -- Atlanta, Ga.
6/19 -- Orange Beach, Ala.
6/22 -- Charlotte, N.C.
6/24 -- Raleigh, N.C.
6/25 -- Virginia Beach, Va.
6/26 -- Camden, N.J.
6/29 -- Scranton, Pa.
6/30 -- Mansfield, Mass.
7/2 -- Uncasville, Conn.
7/3 -- Hershey, Pa.
7/5 -- Milwaukee, Wis.
7/7 -- Cincinnati, Ohio
7/9 -- Bristow, Va.
7/10 -- Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
7/12 -- Wantagh, N.Y.
7/13 -- Holmdel, N.J.
7/15 -- Tinley Park, Ill.
7/17 -- Cadott, Wis.
7/19 -- Tulsa, Okla.
7/20 -- Dallas, Texas
7/22 -- Houston, Texas
7/23 -- New Orleans, La.
7/24 -- San Antonio, Texas
8/10 -- St. Louis, Mo.
8/12 -- Noblesville, Ind.
8/13 -- Des Moines, Iowa
8/16 -- Toronto, Canada
8/17 -- Clarkston, Mich.
8/19 -- Louisville, Ky.
8/20 -- Burgettstown, Pa.
8/21 -- Buffalo, N.Y.
8/24 -- Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
8/26 -- St. Paul, Minn.
8/27 -- Kansas City, Mo.
8/29 -- Englewood, Colo.
8/31 -- Salt Lake City, Utah
9/2 -- Albuquerque, N.M.
9/3 -- Phoenix, Ariz.
9/4 -- Las Vegas, Nev.
9/7 -- Los Angeles, Calif.
9/9 -- Mountain View, Calif.
9/11 -- Sacramento, Calif.
9/14 -- Portland, Ore.
9/15 -- Auburn, Wash.

Watch Heart Perform 'Barracuda'

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