Stevie Still Enchanting (Boston Review)

Rock goddess Stevie still as enchanting as ever at 60
By Lauren Carter
Monday, June 23, 2008

Rock’s resident goddess doesn’t appear ready to give up her title anytime soon.

Fleetwood Mac member and solo star Stevie Nicks rocked the Bank of America Pavilion last night with a verve that belied her 60 years: A roar of “Let’s go” before the ethereal “Outside the Rain” set the tone for the night, and a variety of fist pumps, wails, coos and a flick of the microphone any moody hard rocker would be proud of made it clear that Nicks’ signature intensity is still going strong.

After 25 years onstage touring solo, certain elements of Nicks’ show remain comfortably predictable: the hard-rocking opener, “Stand Back,” the ruffled black dresses and multiple shawls, the microphone draped in jewels and scarves, the flowing blond hair, and the enchanting twirls that crowds go wild for.

But amidst the signature atmosphere and a lineup of classic solo and Mac hits, there were a couple of new additions during Nicks’ 90-minutes-plus onstage, including the pleasant surprise of Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash.”

Vocally, Nicks warmed up throughout the night, her voice a soothing medium on “Dreams” and a sandpaper flame on “Rhiannon,” “Gold Dust Woman” and the bluesy “How Still My Love.”

With help from a tight band anchored by guitarist and longtime musical director Waddy Wachtel, she took on the multiple personalities her songs demand, from the poignant “Landslide” to the hard-driving “Edge of Seventeen.”

How similar Nicks really is to the otherwordly enchantress she plays onstage, we may never know. But a show is still a chance to step inside her temporary world - a world of white-winged doves, billowing clouds, snow dreams and mysterious painted women, a world of intense love and loss, where shawls are used to create metaphors and unicorns frolic in an onscreen enchanted forest.

Even as the years pass, the trip remains worth it.

Nicks is known for bringing along young female singer-songwriters as opening acts, and this time around, Mandy Moore got the call. The once-teen-pop starlet showed off a decidedly folkier side last night with a stripped-down set that put her voice front and center.

Looking eerily like a young Nicks, Moore was especially powerful on the wistful “Wild Hope,” but hasn’t completely closed the door on her past - she ended with a rootsy rendition of her breakout hit “Candy,” albeit with a few self-deprecating chuckles along the way.