Stevie Nicks will sing songs people want to hear

Stevie Nicks vows to stick with fan favorites for her show here

By Kevin C. Johnson
STLtoday.com
POST-DISPATCH POP MUSIC CRITIC
06/12/2008

Stevie Nicks vows to stick with fan favorites for her show hereBy Kevin C. Johnson

When Stevie Nicks comes to Chaifetz Arena this weekend, her fans won't have to worry about her dropping "Gold Dust Woman," "Rhiannon," "Landslide" or other staples to make room for new material.

First of all, Nicks, 60, hasn't released new music since 2001's "Trouble in Shangri-La"; her latest release is last year's "Crystal Visions — The Very Best of Stevie Nicks."

Second, Nicks just isn't into deleting hits from her set.

"People aren't happy with you for doing that, and we've all tried," she says. "The Eagles tried it, Fleetwood Mac tried it, I've tried it. We try to do it because we want to do something different. But then when you do it, you find your audience going to the bathroom or going to buy a T-shirt.

"They've leaving because they're not familiar with what you're doing and don't care. So all we can do is take the nine or 10 songs they're coming to hear, build a set around those songs, add four or five songs, and mix it around, change the sequencing. Then it appears to be different to everybody."

Nicks, who will rejoin Fleetwood Mac for a tour next year, says her show has changed since the last time fans saw her.

She put "Beauty and the Beast," "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You" and "Outside the Rain" back into her show, and added songs by Bob Seger and Dave Matthews Band.

"Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You" is performed in front of a video montage of American soldiers in noncombat situations.

"It's great, but I couldn't look back at the video," says Nicks, who believes she'd lose it if she did. "It's beautiful and poignant. It had everyone in tears."

Nicks, who filmed a PBS "Soundstage" episode to air this summer, had more to say about her music and tour.

Q. When you look over your solo repertoire with a collection like "Crystal Visions — The Very Best of Stevie Nicks," are there any regrets?

A. I have no regrets. I did everything pretty right. The only thing was in 1986, with the tranquilizers (she says it was Alonpin). I got through the pot and the cocaine and the Kool menthols and still worked. But the tranquilizers stole my soul. It was a very sad time. I curled up and didn't do anything. I could have made one or two more Fleetwood Mac records, and my own repertoire would've been 30 to 40 percent bigger.

Q. You released "Timespace — the Best of Stevie Nicks" in 1991. What makes "Crystal Visions — the Very Best of Stevie Nicks," the very best?

A. Some of it is live, some of it is hot new mixes, some of it is video with me sitting and doing commentary over each video and telling people what the song is about and what was happening in my life when the song was being made. That's interesting and fun to me because it's not just greatest hits.

Q. Dixie Chicks and Billy Corgan both covered "Landslide." What's the preferred version?

A. I love the Dixie Chicks, and I love Billy Corgan's version, crazy as it was. I'm friends with the Dixie Chicks and I got to sing it with them in a four-part harmony, and they brought it back in a huge way. Now the version I do is different, and the Dixie Chicks made that possible.

Q. Your songs have been heavily remixed by dance-music technicians, including the Deep Dish remix of "Dreams" on "Crystal Visions." How do you feel about your material getting this treatment?

A. I love them. I work out to all these dance remixes. With Deep Dish, they asked whether they should use my old vocal, or another singer, or if I could sing it over. I said I'll be there in an hour. It was a thrill to put a brand-new vocal on it, though it sounds similar to the old (one). My voice doesn't change.

Q. Destiny's Child used "Edge of Seventeen" for its hit "Bootylicious." What was your thought on that?

A. I know Beyoncé fairly well, and she's a doll. She asked me if she could do it, then she called and asked me to be in the video. As a writer, 50 percent of that song is mine. Every time that song is played, Beyoncé and I make the same money.

Q. When can we expect the next Stevie Nicks studio project?

A. I don't know. That's why I'm doing more greatest hits and going back in the vaults and finding cool stuff that might bring people out to Borders and Starbucks to buy a record. I can do a solo record, but what will happen is 1,000 hard-core fans will buy it and push the send button and send it to 5 million others. That makes me wonder, why bother? People are stealing our songs.