EPISODE 302: BUCKINGHAM NICKS
“FROZEN LOVE”
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Illustration by Carlos Lerma.
EPISODE 302: BUCKINGHAM NICKS
“FROZEN LOVE”
LISTEN: APPLE · SPOTIFY · AMAZON · OTHER APPS
By GARY GRAFF
The metro area was first slated to see the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer — with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist — with Billy Joel on March 29 at Ford Field. After that show was canceled due to Joel’s health issues, Nicks scheduled her own stop for Sept. 7 at LCA, which she then had to postpone after falling and fracturing her shoulder.
“All I can say is, here I am,” Nicks told the mostly full arena Tuesday, after starting her hour-and-45-minute show with a pointedly defiant rendition of Buddy Holly & the Crickets’ “Not Fade Away.” Giving the joint a therapeutic roll, she added that, “I’m feeling my shoulder as I do it” but that “every single day I get up, something feels better.” Advising fans “always avoid breaking your shoulder,” Nicks noted that “I’m glad I have somewhere to go other than my living room.”
She could rest assured the feeling was mutual.
While some of Nicks’ acknowledged excesses over the years did not make her someone we expected to still be going strong at 77, she’s defied odds to be doing just that — and as the lone Fleetwood Mac alumnus still out there playing the band’s songs. There were five of those in Tuesday’s 15-song set — 13 of them repeats from her November 2023 stop at LCA — making for a crowd-pleasing A-list experience surveying 40 years of her recording career. (Though surprisingly with nothing from 1973’s “Buckingham Nicks” album, which was re-released last month with some degree of fanfare.)
Even better was that Nicks and her eight-piece band, led by guitarist Waddy Wachtel, played everything with a grit that rocked harder than their polished counterparts on record. The troupe certainly incorporated all the nuances that are part of those songs but with more stomp and crunch, elevating and often extending favorites such as “Outside the Rain,” “Stand Back,” “Edge of Seventeen” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy and “Rhiannon.” Only “Gold Dust Woman,” from Mac’s blockbuster “Rumours,” suffered for the approach, the song’s delicate, building dynamics steamrollered by the more muscular arrangement and over-driven drums.
That was an outlier among the highlights, however, which also included a smooth pairing of the title tracks from Nicks’ first two solo albums — “Bella Donna” and “Wild Heart” — and a performance of “The Lighthouse,” her 2024 response to the Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. Nicks introduced most songs with stories about their conceptions, and she used the curved video screen above the rear of the stage for some sentimental moments. Images of past paramours and friends (Tom Petty, Don Henley, Bob Dylan, Prince, Janis Joplin) accompanied a version of her Petty collaboration “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” while she offered a more extensive Petty tribute as she sang his “Free Fallin’.” Prince, meanwhile, was the focus during “Edge of Seventeen.”
Longtime musical and onetime personal partner Lindsey Buckingham only merited a brief mention during the show, but Nicks ended the night by honoring her late Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie with a series of photos as she and Wachtel played a gentle version of “Landslide.” Nicks also dedicated the song to her recently born grand-niece, promising that she would give her a crown-wreath of flowers a fan had tossed to her during the show.
She left with another promise — to return, perhaps as soon as next year, and it’s likely anyone at LCA on Tuesday will be happy to wait for that, too.
NOT FADE AWAY
DETROIT - Stevie Nicks dazzled in Detroit at a concert which almost didn’t happen after the singer suffered a fractured shoulder from a fall just a few months ago, forcing her to postpone numerous shows.
She originally was supposed to open for Billy Joel at Ford Field before he had his own health problems forcing him to cancel his tour.
She finally made it back to Detroit, performing a 100-minute set at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday, October 28.
Nicks treated fans to a mesmerizing, showstopping concert which featured storytelling between songs. And on this night, she had a new story to tell.
“I’m healing my shoulder as I speak,” Nicks told the crowd while showing the limited movement she had in her right shoulder. “Every single day when I get up, something about it is better.”
“I only like to share this with you because I want you to know, always avoid breaking your shoulder under any circumstances. Always watch where you’re going. Always wear shoes in an unfamiliar room and never fall. Ever.”
“That being said, I have fought through it and I’m really glad I have somewhere to go besides my living room. I thought I’d turn you into my bigger, better living room.”
And this living room was filled to capacity with fans of all ages. There were a lot more fans in their teens, 20s and 30s than one might expect.
They were all there to hear Nicks’ signature rasp and one hit song after another. And the 77-year old delivered just that with a little bonus storytelling.
Like the time she didn’t have a lead single for her debut solo album, “Bella Donna,” until Tom Petty asked her to sing on “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with him.
Or most recently when she spent a full day writing, “The Lighthouse,” only to delay performing it on stage for about a year because of the California wildfires.
On this night, Nicks delivered powerful vocals in a no thrills, straight forward concert featuring a full band and two backup singers.
Her solo hits included, “If Anyone Falls,” Wild Heart," “Bella Donna,” “Stand Back,” and “Edge of Seventeen.”
Fleetwood Mac moments featured, “Dreams,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Gypsy,” “Rhiannon,” and “Landslide.”
Nicks paid tribute to Petty with a cover of “Free Fallin’” with photos of the two together over the years. She did the same with Christine McVie during “Landslide.”
The voice, the hits, the storytelling... exactly what fans came out to see.
“You have been an awesome audience. I have to tell you, going into this show, I was a little tired, but you, because you were so fabulous, I caught the boom and we did it together. It was really fabulous and I enjoyed being here with you and being able to tell you how much I appreciate you.”
Chart Week Ending: October 25, 2025
Nearly five decades after its release, Rumours continues to prove why it remains one of the most resilient albums in rock history. This week’s charts across the UK, USA, and beyond reveal another wave of upward movement for Fleetwood Mac and even a few surprising rebounds from Buckingham Nicks and Greatest Hits that underscore just how deep the band’s catalog still resonates.
United Kingdom – Steady Streams and Physical Slowdown
After last week’s celebration of The Chain returning to the UK Top 75 for the first time in 35 years, this week’s focus turns to the albums, and the story is one of quiet consistency.
50 Years – Don’t Stop maintains a powerful No. 8 position on the Official Albums Chart with 7,337 weekly sales, remaining the band’s flagship compilation and a fixture in the UK’s streaming culture. Rumours follows at No. 24, marking its 1,000th-plus week in the Top 100 across its various runs since 1977.
On the Streaming Albums Chart, both titles hold steady with Don’t Stop at No. 6 and Rumours at No. 20, reflecting how Fleetwood Mac continue to thrive most strongly in the digital space. However, on the Album Sales and Physical Albums charts, Rumours dips slightly to No. 40, signaling a natural slowdown following a late-summer vinyl surge.
Still, Rumours makes a re-entry at No. 67 on the Album Downloads chart, suggesting renewed digital purchasing likely sparked by Fleetwood Mac’s visibility in playlists following “The Chain”’s recent resurgence.
Meanwhile, Buckingham Nicks remains comfortably placed on the UK Americana Chart at No. 7 in its fifth week in the Top 10, while ranking No. 53 on Album Sales and No. 50 on Physical Albums, a testament to how enduring interest in the duo’s pre-Mac history remains.
On singles, the band’s “big three” remain solid fixtures:
Even more impressive is that on the Streaming Songs Chart, all three remain within the Top 100. “Dreams” stands at No. 48, “The Chain” at No. 72, and “Everywhere” at No. 84, underscoring their multi-generational appeal in the digital era.
In Scotland, Rumours dips to No. 37, while Buckingham Nicks settles at No. 42, maintaining regional traction.
United States – Fleetwood Mac Rise Again on the Artist 100
Across the Atlantic, Fleetwood Mac post another strong showing, not only with Rumours climbing to No. 19 on the Billboard 200, but also with the band themselves surging to No. 13 on the Billboard Artist 100, their highest placement in months.
That metric, which blends streaming, sales, and airplay across the band’s full discography, suggests a broad resurgence in attention. Rumours also climbs across key format charts:
On the genre charts, Rumours sits firmly in the upper tier at No. 5 on Rock & Alternative Albums and No. 4 on Rock Albums, while Greatest Hits continues at No. 21 on both lists.
The enduring Rumours renaissance continues to be powered by “Dreams,” which edges up again to No. 30 on the Top 50 Streaming Songs, still benefitting from playlists and social virality.
Meanwhile, the Buckingham Nicks reissue keeps its niche momentum alive, holding No. 10 on the Indie Store Album Sales Chart, while Rumours makes a surprise re-entry there at No. 17, evidence that vinyl and boutique retailers are once again championing the Mac catalog.
In Canada, an intriguing reversal occurs as Greatest Hits leaps from No. 91 to No. 13, while Rumours slides to No. 89, marking a rotation in consumer attention toward compilation buyers and new vinyl adopters. I also think this has to do with streaming and where the sales are directed each week. The last couple of weeks they've been flip flopping, which is odd.
Rest of the World – Continental Resilience and a Nordic Plateau
Fleetwood Mac’s global endurance remains extraordinary. Across Europe, Rumours continues to chart almost everywhere, often holding its ground or even regaining spots despite little promotion.
In Ireland, 50 Years – Don’t Stop slips just one place to No. 7, while Rumours follows at No. 17. On the singles front, “Dreams” falls slightly to No. 52, “The Chain” stays even at No. 63, and “Landslide” makes a re-entry at No. 75, an echo of Stevie Nicks’ enduring solo resonance.
Conclusion – Half a Century On, the Story Still Plays
What’s remarkable about Fleetwood Mac’s October chart performance is not just longevity but balance. Rumours sells in every measurable format, from streaming and physical to vinyl, indie, and digital. “The Chain” and “Dreams” persist as evergreen singles that behave like modern hits. And Buckingham Nicks, half a century after its original release, now moves units in both the United States and the United Kingdom simultaneously.
Few artists from the classic rock era have achieved such cross-generational stability. For Fleetwood Mac, it is less a comeback than a continued conversation, one that began in 1977 and still resonates with the same emotional clarity today.
As Rumours approaches its 50th anniversary in 2027, the numbers keep proving what fans have always known: some records never grow old. They just find new listeners to believe in them.