STEVIE NICKS COVERED BY UMBRELLAS ARRIVING IN NEW PLYMOUTH

Fans deflated by Fleetwood Mac's arrival
Taranaki Daily News

Only a handful of fans turned up to see Fleetwood Mac arrive in New Plymouth on Saturday and most went away slightly deflated.

Drummer Mick Fleetwood managed a popular wave or two but Stevie Nicks, arguably the most loved of them all, left her devotees devastated.

From the door of the plane to the door of her waiting car she was covered from all angles by umbrellas.

"You're not the bloody Queen, Stevie," yelled someone in the crowd.

The diva even shielded her face as she sped past the small group of fans, allegedly heading straight to the Bowl of Brooklands where the band performed that night and the next.

In contrast to the antics of Nicks, skinny legged guitarist Lindsey Buckingham casually sauntered down the steps to his waiting car and most people seem to mistake bassist John McVie for someone's lost grandfather.

New Plymouth woman and prize-winning gardener Denise Wood had been drinking a cup of coffee when she "realised" the band would be arriving at 4pm and made her way to the airport.

Her guess was bang on the money and it had nothing to do with women's intuition.

"I get messages from a higher power, dear," she said.

Fleetwood Mac volunteer Maree Atkinson left a muffin reheating in the microwave to run out and see the band.

Having been at the airport all day helping visitors with directions she had been through a few false alarms before they finally arrived in a white Whisper Jet marked ZK-ECO.

The four stars and a hefty gang of support crew were whisked out of the airport in a motorcade of four silver Mercedes S-class sedans, three Toyota Estimas and one Previa. At the front was New Plymouth mayor Peter Tennent's new Porsche Cayenne, lent to the group for the big arrival.