Saturday, May 13, 2023

Review Stevie Nicks Live in Raleigh, NC May 12, 2023

Stevie Nicks brings a ‘Landslide’ of hits, and plenty of heart to Raleigh show
Martha Quillin
Photo: Scott Sharpe


In the late 1970s, amid the superstardom that came with the success of two Fleetwood Mac albums, Stevie Nicks occasionally had to ground herself, which she did somewhat literally by dragging her mattress onto the floor.

There, covered in flowers and drapery fabric, she could think back on having to do housekeeping to subsidize her music career, and remind herself that even with the newfound fame, “I am still Stevie.”

The 16,000 or so people who heard her tell that story Friday night at Raleigh’s PNC Arena never doubted: She still is.

About to turn 75, recovering from a month of illness, wearing low-heeled boots to coddle an injured toe and grieving — like her fans — the loss of former Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christine McVie and friend and collaborator Tom Petty, Nicks poured it all onstage.

She reached for and hit the notes. She belted. She hauled out the capes, the drapes and the fringe. She twirled. She floated across the arena stage the way her songs have floated in and out of our lives for nearly 50 years.

I first heard Stevie Nicks in 1977, shortly after Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” had been released on LP and 8-track tape. My friend Donna slammed that huge cartridge into the player in her ‘72 Pontiac GTO and turned it up loud so we could hear it over that big engine.

It was so different from everything playing on the radio at the time: Commodores, Marshall Tucker Band, Queen, Heart, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Linda Ronstadt, Andy Gibb — all equally great music to the largely undiscerning teenage ear.

But even we knew Fleetwood Mac, often led by Stevie Nicks’ vocals, was different. The blend of blues and rock in the sound, the guitar breaks and the big heartbeat of a drum through the music had us singing along and banging dents into the dashboards of our friends’ cars. And the lyrics, whether by one member of the band or collaborations by several, spoke to us in that complicated time of our lives when so much was happening in and around us we couldn’t begin to understand it all. But Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood understood, and set it to music.

In those days, high schools in Greensboro allowed us to leave campus for lunch, and five of us would pile into that GTO for a 37-minute escape from class, screaming along with the music, relishing our youth and our friendships and letting them both fly out the open windows without even seeing them go.

“Rumours” was so good, we went back and bought the 1975 Fleetwood Mac album that marked Nicks’ and Buckingham’s entrance into the band.

After high school, I kept that music in my collection and listened to it when I needed it, along with much of the solo work Nicks did apart from Fleetwood Mac. And yet, somehow I never managed to see Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks live.

So to celebrate finally getting to see her in concert and to show solidarity with the woman whose writing about her heartbreaks helped me survive my own, I wrapped myself in black sequined rayon and a shawl. Amid some of the more hardcore fans, I was under-dressed.

But all of us were rewarded with music that honored Nicks’ long career, a theatrical 17-song set that played out over more than 90 minutes and featured stellar breaks by guitarist Waddy Wachtel, who did much more than try to recreate Buckingham’s brilliant work. The night’s renditions of Petty’s “Stop Dragging My Heart Around,” along with “Gypsy,” “Soldier’s Angel,” “Sara” and “Rhiannon” were outstanding, and when Nicks sang “Landslide” as a tribute to Christine McVie, it was hard not to weep.

Throughout the show, Nicks donned a series of different capes — she doesn’t call them shawls — including the one she used when touring after her first solo album, “Belladonna,” came out in 1981. She held out her arms to show off the navy blue fabric with the long bullion fringe and said this one had “been mended a million times.”

So had she. So have we.

Stevie Nicks concert setlist, Raleigh, NC, May 12, 2023
1. Outside the Rain/Dreams
2. If Anyone Falls
3. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
4. Fall From Grace
5. For What It’s Worth
6. Gypsy
7. Wild Heart/Bella Donna
8. Soldier’s Angel
9. Stand Back
10. I Sing for the Kings
11. Gold Dust Woman
12. Sara
13. Edge of Seventeen

*** Encore ***

14. Free Falling
15. Rhiannon
16. Landslide
















Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Stevie Nicks: The Timeless Rock Goddess turns 75 (People Spec. Edition)

How Stevie Nicks Inspired a Generation of Hitmakers, From Harry Styles to Taylor Swift




Skyler Caruso
Fri, May 5, 2023

Since first stepping onto the scene as a vocalist in Fleetwood Mac in 1975, the mystical musical goddess has rocked a new generation of hitmakers today. Take a look at the chart-toppers who have been inspired by the legend and her nearly five-decade-long career.

The legendary rock singer and frontwoman of Fleetwood Mac turns 75 on May 26 — and her impact on the music industry can't be understated.

Look back at her incredible career and celebrate her legacy with PEOPLE's special-edition bookazine, Stevie Nicks: The Timeless Goddess of Rock Turns 75 (on sale now), and see some of the current music superstars who credit her as an influence.

Dolly Parton’s “Rockstar” album will feature both Stevie Nicks & Mick Fleetwood.

Two tracks on Dolly's November 17th release "Rockstar" will include two Mac members.

 

Track 9: “What Has Rock And Roll Ever Done For You” (feat. Stevie Nicks w/special guest Waddy Wachtel).

Track 29: "Let It Be" (feat. Paul McCartney & Ringo Starr w/special guests Peter Frampton & Mick Fleetwood)

The collab with Stevie is on one of her old demos that has been floating around for years in the fan community and can be heard on youtube. The demo was recorded sometime in the mid-80's, around Rock a Little. Can't wait to hear what they've done with the track!

Look for the album to be released this coming November. 

Saturday, April 08, 2023

Stevie Nicks Cancels All April Shows



After first postponing a New Orleans concert at the Smoothie King Center, Stevie Nicks has now canceled it.  The Fleetwood Mac vocalist was initially set to headline the solo show April 2. Citing a COVID-19 infection within her band -- it has not been specified who was sick -- she postponed it to April 15. 

But on Tuesday, Nicks' publicist said that "due to ongoing illnesses within the band," the New Orleans date has been scrapped and won't be rescheduled. Another rescheduled Nicks show, in Oklahoma City, as well as an April 5 show in Birmingham, Alabama, have also been canceled.

Refunds in the works
Refunds will be automatically processed "to the original method of payment," says a message on the Ticketmaster page for the New Orleans show. The message also says, "If the tickets were transferred to you, the refund will go to the fan who originally purchased the tickets from Ticketmaster."

Additionally, Nicks' co-headlining concert with Billy Joel at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on April 8 has been postponed to March 9.

The next concert that is still on her schedule is May 12 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The April 15 New Orleans date was one of 14 arena-headlining concerts that the 74-year-old Nicks scheduled this spring, between her stadium shows with Joel.

Her previous visits
She was in town less than a year ago, when she drew one of the largest crowds at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fesitval. That show marked her return to live performance following a two-year pandemic-related hiatus. Some audience members cried when she dedicated her solo hit "Landslide" to the Foo Fighters' recently deceased drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

Monday, April 03, 2023

CHRISTINE MCVIE DIED of a stroke and cancer according to death certificate

Christine McVie Died of a Stroke and Metastasized Cancer: Report



The Fleetwood Mac star told Rolling Stone last June that she had been suffering from a "chronic back problem that debilitates me"

BY TOMÁS MIER
APRIL 3, 2023

CHRISTINE MCVIE DIED of a stroke and cancer, a death certificate obtained by The Blast revealed Monday.

McVie suffered an ischemic stroke, meaning that the blood supply to part of the brain was interrupted or reduced, preventing brain tissue from getting oxygen and nutrients, according to the Mayo Clinic. The new information about the Fleetwood Mac member’s cause of death arrives more than three months after she died at age 79 on Nov. 30.

Per the death certificate, McVie had also been diagnosed with “metastatic malignancy of unknown primary origin,” indicating that cancer cells had been found in her body, but it was unclear where they had originated from.

McVie’s family had originally said that McVie died at the hospital “following a short illness” while surrounded by her family. “We would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally,” her family wrote.

Fleetwood Mac also confirmed her passing in a social media statement, writing “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life.”

The band added, “We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone back in June 2022, McVie acknowledged that she was in “quite bad health.” She said she was struggling with a “chronic back problem,” though didn’t offer any further details.

“I don’t feel physically up for it,” she said about going on tour with the band. “I’m in quite bad health. I’ve got a chronic back problem, which debilitates me. I stand up to play the piano, so I don’t know if I could actually physically do it. What’s that saying? The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

The death certificate was revealed in court documents filed to settle to singer’s massive estate. Christine was not married and never had any children. So, according to the filing, the singer’s brother and his children are the sole heirs of her musical fortune. Also, several charities are going to be the recipient of some of her assets, but it’s unclear how much.

The filing indicates that McVie’s fortune was in excess of $50 Million. Most of her assets are in the United States, but a bit of her liquid money was in the UK.

It should be noted, the singer’s longtime business manager is named as the executor of her estate. The documents reveal the estate has an urgent tax bill due, and it asking a judge to intervene. “It is urgent that this matter be heard as soon as possible, on an Ex Parte basis, due to the impending tax liability in the amount of £31,000,000 which must be paid on or before May 31, 2023. As mentioned above, the UK estate is subject to interest in penalties at a rate of 6.5% if such tax liability is not timely paid,” it states.


Sunday, April 02, 2023

Stevie Nicks Reschedules Northern California Dates



New dates were announced for the postponed Sacramento and San Franciso March dates that had to be postponed because someone in Stevie's band has covid.

The March 23rd San Francisco show will now take place December 15 and the March 26th Sacramento show will take place December 12th.

Tickets for the rescheduled shows available at StevieNicksOfficial.com