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Stevie Nicks was Stellar at a Sold-Out Enterprise Center Tuesday in Saint Louis
by Danya Artimisi
Photos by Joe Puetz
Stevie Nicks returned to St. Louis Tuesday evening at Enterprise Center with nearly 90 minutes of fan favorite hits, spanning her career in both Fleetwood Mac as well as her wildly successful solo years. But with a sea of fans adorned in head to toe black, scarves, bell sleeves, and shawls, nostalgia was the true headliner.
The evening began with, well, traffic. Lots of it. Unfortunately causing myself and many to miss a chunk of the wildly talented Nicole Atkins’ opening set. Gracing the stage with strong vibes that leaned from classic Loretta Lynn to more contemporary Kacey Musgraves, Atkins set flowed nicely performing as a skillful, musical power trio. Atkins acclaims local pioneers Uncle Tupelo as one of her many inspirations. And she stirred the crowd to it’s feet with an incredible rendition of “Cryin’” by Roy Orbison.
After Atkins’ well received set, the stage changeover was brief, and at 8:18PM, the house lights went dark. The PA loudly warmed up the crowd with Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down A Dream”. Then, Enterprise Center quickly erupted into a sea of sentimentality and loud cheers for one of rock music’s most beloved queens. The Gypsy herself, Stevie Nicks.
The night was off and running with her hit “Outside The Rain” and lost zero momentum launching directly into Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”. The set list for the night flowed well and had a noticeable balance weaving her Fleetwood Mac hits, solo career, her cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, and a fun story about what came to be her duet with Tom Petty on fan favorite, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”.
And therein lies a giant part of the evening’s magic. The stories that came not just from Stevie’s past but from her heart. When you hear a legend talk about the meanings behind the songs, you’re getting rock music history. But you quickly also realize she is talking about her friends. The emotion in Stevie’s voice was apparent telling tales from her years in the business. One such story came from her years on The Sunset Strip, and her good friend Stephen Stills explanation of the meaning behind “For What It’s Worth”, surprisingly not being about politics at all.
Emotions ran even more high during the encore. The audience was treated to a collage of classic photos of Stevie and Tom Petty as the band returned to play a heartfelt rendition of “Free Fallin'”. The crowd swayed for the entire song, pining for a legendary songwriter gone too soon, and we sang every word to the top of our lungs. Stevie then belted out the classic hit “Rhiannon” immediately after. Finally, as expected, emotions hit their peak during a very stirring performance of the final number of the night, “Landslide”. Christine McVie was memorialized on the screen behind Nicks and her band, seemingly demonstrating how small she is when compared to Christine and the gifts she gave to the world.
Nicks closed the evening by telling the crowd that when she could find a song to end the night with that could surpass how full her heart felt by ending with “Landslide”, she would. But it hasn’t happened yet. Fans exited Enterprise beyond satisfied with the show, and hearts were full from the legend and her performance. (Set List Below)
Stevie Nicks Setlist:
Outside The Rain
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)
If Anyone Falls
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)
Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac)
Wild Heart
Bella Donna
Stand Back
Soldier’s Angel
Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac)
Leather And Lace
Edge Of Seventeen
Encore:
Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)
Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac)
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)
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Stevie Nicks Grasps St. Louis’ Enterprise Center With Enchanting Performance (SHOW REVIEW)
By Jason Gonulsen
“I have my own life, and I am stronger than you know.”
Those are lyrics from “Leather and Lace,” a song from Stevie Nicks’ solo debut in 1981, which she performed near the end of her show at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on May 7th.
There was no Don Henley to sing with Nicks, but in his place was her vocal coach Steve Real, who, let’s face it, sounded equally impressive. The touching ballad will never get old, no matter who is singing the lines “sometimes I’m a strong man, sometimes cold and scared, and sometimes I cry.” We’re all just here along for the ride.
And Stevie Nicks can still navigate a rollercoaster.
Her entire catalog was on display — solo, and her work with Fleetwood Mac — including a beautiful performance of “Bella Donna,” complete with Nicks’ twirling in her blue shawl, which she remarked after the song was still in “perfect condition.” Later, during “Stand Back,” a more ragged black shawl appeared, to which Nicks explained was fine, too.
Her reasoning made perfect sense throughout the night, that struggles and success go hand in hand.
Before breaking into “Gypsy,” Nicks explained that at some point she questioned if the riches she had found with Fleetwood Mac’s stardom had eclipsed her true gypsy heart. But, no, she learned — it remained.
“When I got rich, I started to miss the old days,” she explained. “And so I wrote this song to try to remember what it was like to be poor.”
To the gypsy that remains
Faces freedom with a little fear
I have no fear and have only love
No fear, only love.
And there’s still a lot of love left for Nicks to give.
Her performance of “Soldier’s Angel” was dedicated to the people of Ukraine, and ended with the screen behind her flashing the bright and beautiful colors of the Ukraine flag. Earlier in the show, Nicks performed “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” with guitarist Waddy Wachtel, who was amazing all evening on songs like “Rhiannon” and “Edge of Seventeen,” taking on Tom Petty’s vocals. You got the feeling that the late Petty was on Nicks’ mind throughout the evening, giving him an additional nod in the encore with a surprise “Free Fallin’.”
And then there was Christine McVie.
I just got goose bumps typing her name.
The last time I saw Nicks perform in this building with Fleetwood Mac nine years ago, McVie was by her side, as vibrant as ever. And while we lost McVie in late 2022, her spirit remains close, especially with Nicks.
“My mom once told me, when you get hurt, run to the stage,” Nicks explained before the show-closing “Landslide,” dedicated to McVie.”And I’ve been running to the stage my whole life. Every day it gets a little better.”
“Landslide” is a song about the seasons of life, how they change, and how we all must deal with living with those changes as we grow old. Unlike “Gypsy,” fear and love live together in this song, but its message is similar: time makes you bolder, wiser, and you must live with the decisions only you can make.
And as we headed toward the exits and into the great wide open, we were met with McVie’s “Got a Hold On Me” blasting throughout the arena, leaving many singing and smiling after the heavy weight of “Landslide.” And that decision, like Christine, was ultimately perfect.
Landslide
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