Ann and Nancy Wilson have played plenty of big shows over the years, but the Seattle rock icons behind Heart are gearing up for perhaps their biggest ever: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

“We’re thrilled beyond compare, because it’s really an acknowledgement of all the hard work we’ve put into it for so long,” said Nancy in an interview for KIRO Radio’s Seattle Sounds.

The band learned earlier this year they’d been given rock’s greatest honor, after coming up short in previous balloting. Nancy admitted she was beginning to wonder if the call would ever come.

“We’ve always been hard to put into any sort of category. We didn’t expect it. We’ve been left off of a lot of lists,” she said.

It’s hard to believe, considering the impact the band has had for decades since launching its groundbreaking sound with hits like “Magic Man”, “Crazy On You” and “Barracuda” in the mid 70’s.

Heart has had plenty of well chronicled ups and downs over the years, with the last few proving they’ve got plenty left in the tank. In 2010, Heart returned to the Billboard Top 10 with “Red Velvet Car.” They followed it with plenty of touring, 2012’s “Fanatic”, their best selling autobiography “Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll” with acclaimed Seattle writer Charles R. Cross. And they capped the year with the Rock Hall nod and selection to serenade the surviving members of Led Zeppelin with a heart-stopping performance of “Stairway to Heaven” at the Kennedy Center Honors.

“It just all sort of snowballed in an interesting way,” Nancy said. “I’m glad to have stuff still going on. If we were only just looking back it would seem a little like over or something,” she laughed.

The band is still trying to figure out plans for a performance at the Hall of Fame ceremony April 18 in Los Angeles. While it’s been announced they’ll be joined by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready and Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains, the rest of the lineup is being kept under wraps.

“What we want to do is bring in some of our friends from Seattle, if possible, to stand with us. We’re just going to try and cover all the bases from now back to the beginning,” she said.

While the honor means the world to the Wilsons, Nancy said it’s as much for the fans who’ve supported them for over 30 years.

“They were ‘P-O’d’ about not getting in the last time and they were having an uprising about it, which was so dear. We have the best fans in the world.”

As a thank you to those fans, Nancy and Ann will perform a special acoustic show and tell stories along with Cross in what they’re calling a “once in a lifetime” intimate evening Tuesday, April 9 at Benaroya Hall.

“It’s more like a conversation amongst friends instead of just a performance, so that’s the nice thing about it. It’s more like a shared experience.”

It’s an experience Nancy hopes they’ll continue sharing far into the future.