Reviews - Stevie Nicks Live in St. Louis May 7, 2024

Stevie Nicks was Stellar at a Sold-Out Enterprise Center Tuesday in Saint Louis

by Danya Artimisi

Midwestrewind.com

Photos by Joe Puetz

Stevie Nicks returned to St. Louis Tuesday evening at Enterprise Center with nearly 90 minutes of fan favorite hits, spanning her career in both Fleetwood Mac as well as her wildly successful solo years. But with a sea of fans adorned in head to toe black, scarves, bell sleeves, and shawls, nostalgia was the true headliner.

The evening began with, well, traffic. Lots of it. Unfortunately causing myself and many to miss a chunk of the wildly talented Nicole Atkins’ opening set. Gracing the stage with strong vibes that leaned from classic Loretta Lynn to more contemporary Kacey Musgraves, Atkins set flowed nicely performing as a skillful, musical power trio. Atkins acclaims local pioneers Uncle Tupelo as one of her many inspirations. And she stirred the crowd to it’s feet with an incredible rendition of “Cryin’” by Roy Orbison.

After Atkins’ well received set, the stage changeover was brief, and at 8:18PM, the house lights went dark. The PA loudly warmed up the crowd with Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down A Dream”. Then, Enterprise Center quickly erupted into a sea of sentimentality and loud cheers for one of rock music’s most beloved queens.  The Gypsy herself, Stevie Nicks.

The night was off and running with her hit “Outside The Rain” and lost zero momentum launching directly into Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”. The set list for the night flowed well and had a noticeable balance weaving her Fleetwood Mac hits, solo career, her cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, and a fun story about what came to be her duet with Tom Petty on fan favorite, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”.

And therein lies a giant part of the evening’s magic. The stories that came not just from Stevie’s past but from her heart. When you hear a legend talk about the meanings behind the songs, you’re getting rock music history. But you quickly also realize she is talking about her friends. The emotion in Stevie’s voice was apparent telling tales from her years in the business. One such story came from her years on The Sunset Strip, and her good friend Stephen Stills explanation of the meaning behind “For What It’s Worth”, surprisingly not being about politics at all.

Emotions ran even more high during the encore. The audience was treated to a collage of classic photos of Stevie and Tom Petty as the band returned to play a heartfelt rendition of “Free Fallin'”. The crowd swayed for the entire song, pining for a legendary songwriter gone too soon, and we sang every word to the top of our lungs. Stevie then belted out the classic hit “Rhiannon” immediately after. Finally, as expected, emotions hit their peak during a very stirring performance of the final number of the night, “Landslide”. Christine McVie was memorialized on the screen behind Nicks and her band, seemingly demonstrating how small she is when compared to Christine and the gifts she gave to the world.

Nicks closed the evening by telling the crowd that when she could find a song to end the night with that could surpass how full her heart felt by ending with “Landslide”, she would. But it hasn’t happened yet. Fans exited Enterprise beyond satisfied with the show, and hearts were full from the legend and her performance. (Set List Below)

Stevie Nicks Setlist:

Outside The Rain

Dreams (Fleetwood Mac)

If Anyone Falls

Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around

For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)

Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac)

Wild Heart

Bella Donna

Stand Back

Soldier’s Angel

Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac)

Leather And Lace

Edge Of Seventeen

Encore:

Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)

Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac)

Landslide (Fleetwood Mac)

Stevie Nicks Grasps St. Louis’ Enterprise Center With Enchanting Performance (SHOW REVIEW)

By Jason Gonulsen

Glidemagazine.com

“I have my own life, and I am stronger than you know.” 

Those are lyrics from “Leather and Lace,” a song from Stevie Nicks’ solo debut in 1981, which she performed near the end of her show at Enterprise Center in St. Louis on May 7th.

There was no Don Henley to sing with Nicks, but in his place was her vocal coach Steve Real, who, let’s face it, sounded equally impressive. The touching ballad will never get old, no matter who is singing the lines “sometimes I’m a strong man, sometimes cold and scared, and sometimes I cry.” We’re all just here along for the ride.

And Stevie Nicks can still navigate a rollercoaster.

Her entire catalog was on display — solo, and her work with Fleetwood Mac — including a beautiful performance of “Bella Donna,” complete with Nicks’ twirling in her blue shawl, which she remarked after the song was still in “perfect condition.” Later, during “Stand Back,” a more ragged black shawl appeared, to which Nicks explained was fine, too. 

Her reasoning made perfect sense throughout the night, that struggles and success go hand in hand. 

Before breaking into “Gypsy,” Nicks explained that at some point she questioned if the riches she had found with Fleetwood Mac’s stardom had eclipsed her true gypsy heart. But, no, she learned — it remained.

“When I got rich, I started to miss the old days,” she explained. “And so I wrote this song to try to remember what it was like to be poor.” 

To the gypsy that remains

Faces freedom with a little fear

I have no fear and have only love

No fear, only love.

And there’s still a lot of love left for Nicks to give. 

Her performance of “Soldier’s Angel” was dedicated to the people of Ukraine, and ended with the screen behind her flashing the bright and beautiful colors of the Ukraine flag. Earlier in the show, Nicks performed “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” with guitarist Waddy Wachtel, who was amazing all evening on songs like “Rhiannon” and “Edge of Seventeen,” taking on Tom Petty’s vocals. You got the feeling that the late Petty was on Nicks’ mind throughout the evening, giving him an additional nod in the encore with a surprise “Free Fallin’.”

And then there was Christine McVie.

I just got goose bumps typing her name. 

The last time I saw Nicks perform in this building with Fleetwood Mac nine years ago, McVie was by her side, as vibrant as ever. And while we lost McVie in late 2022, her spirit remains close, especially with Nicks.

“My mom once told me, when you get hurt, run to the stage,” Nicks explained before the show-closing “Landslide,” dedicated to McVie.”And I’ve been running to the stage my whole life. Every day it gets a little better.”

“Landslide” is a song about the seasons of life, how they change, and how we all must deal with living with those changes as we grow old. Unlike “Gypsy,” fear and love live together in this song, but its message is similar: time makes you bolder, wiser, and you must live with the decisions only you can make.

And as we headed toward the exits and into the great wide open, we were met with McVie’s “Got a Hold On Me” blasting throughout the arena, leaving many singing and smiling after the heavy weight of “Landslide.” And that decision, like Christine, was ultimately perfect. 

Landslide

Rock royalty Stevie Nicks turned a sold-out Bridgestone Arena into The Bluebird Café

Stevie Nicks filled a sold-out Bridgestone Arena with songs and stories from her 50-year career

By Melonee Hurt

Nashville Tennessean

Photos: Denny Simmons

View more here

Rock royalty Stevie Nicks turned a sold-out Bridgestone Arena into The Bluebird Café Tuesday night as she filled the two-hour set with her massive catalog of hit songs — and shared the stories behind them.

Clad in a black skirt and black velvet jacket, topped with her signature long, blonde curls, Nicks, who told the crowd she turns 76 this month, still sounded vocally at the top of her game. She kept the show simple with minimal video effects and no flashy stage shows. After all, with a voice like that and the breadth of songs in her repertoire, there's no need for pomp and circumstance.

Nicks kicked off the night with a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" before telling the packed arena how excited she was to be back in Nashville because it holds a special place in her story.

"I'm very glad to be here because I always tell you this, but my granddad was a kind of a bittersweet, bitter country singer and writer that traveled across the United States on trains. He rode the rails, did the whole thing, left his family. And I never really met him. However, he brought me a whole truckload full of 45s which were pretty much solid country with a little bit of Everly Brothers and a little bit of Buddy Holly. I was in the fourth grade and that sent me off to this whole thing. Whenever I'm here, I always think of my sweet little grandfather."

Nicks rolled through songs from her solo records dating back to her 1981 solo debut "Bella Donna" which spawned hits such as "Edge of Seventeen," "Leather and Lace" and "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," the latter of which came with the story of the night.

Nicks told the crowd how the Tom Petty duet ended up being her first single off the record, thanks to producer and then boyfriend Jimmy Iovine.

"After we had finished the record, Jimmy says to me, 'the problem is, we don't have a single,'" Nicks said. "Now you being a bunch of Nashville people will understand this better than maybe anybody across the country. That's the worst possible thing somebody could say to you."

Iovine, who was also recording Tom Petty at the time, said Petty offered to give the song to Nicks if she wanted it and he added, "I'll sing it with her if she wants."

"So I went in the next day. I think it really was the next day. I'd never heard this song, so we sat in the studio and listened to it a couple times. And we go out there to record it and it was so easy. It was like he and I had been singing together forever and the saddest thing was that we did it like three times and then it was done, and then I had to leave and didn't get to spend the rest of the evening hanging out with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers."

Other great storytelling moments from the show included a call for everyone to vote in the 2024 election, her passion and support for the war in Ukraine, her meeting the members of Fleetwood Mac for the first time, her shoutout to Lady A's Hillary Scott and her time volunteering for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the singer spent 12-hour days over a span of several years sitting with patients, giving them music.

"The reason I'm telling you about it is my finest hour," she said from the stage. "A lot of people had no idea who I was because I was so much older than them. But I, I had a, a ploy. I took my entire music collection and put it on iPods. 937 songs. Some people would say 'who are you?' and I'd say 'it doesn't matter who I am but I have an iPod with 937 songs on it and it's going to help you with your rehabilitation. And you're going to love it and you're going to remember me because of this."

She sang "Soldier's Angels," a song she wrote during the early 2000s as a tribute to those she met during those years of hospital visits, but noted the song is also a fitting tribute to the war in Ukraine.

She shared the story of how "Leather and Lace," which she recorded as a duet with Don Henley, she originally wrote for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. But the song is about couples staying together, so when she learned Jennings and Colter were divorcing, took the song back and recorded it herself. Nicks brought her vocal coach, Steve Real, who she credits for keeping her signature vocal tone in such good shape, to the stage to sing Henley's part in the duet.

But the sweetest moment of the night came during the very last song of the night when she and long-time guitar player Waddy Wachtel performed an acoustic version of "Landslide" while the video screens flashed through photos of Nicks' former bandmate and lifelong friend Christine McVie, who died in 2022.

After the two slayed a beautifully simple version of the song, Nicks told the crowd life without her friend has been empty and weird.

"As my mom used to say, 'Stevie, when you're hurt, you will always run to the stage.' And so I have been running since then to the stage almost every night, it seems. And you, just you, make me better every single night. And nobody else has been able to really help me. So I thank you so much for being that spirit for me. Thank you so much."

THE SETLIST:

"Rock and Roll" (Led Zeppelin)

"Outside the Rain"

"Dreams" (Fleetwood Mac)

"If Anyone Falls"

"Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"

"For What It's Worth" (Buffalo Springfield/written by Stephen Stills)

"Gypsy" (Fleetwood Mac)

"Bella Donna"

"Stand Back"

"Soldier's Angel"

"Gold Dust Woman" (Fleetwood Mac)

"Leather and Lace"

"Edge of Seventeen"

Encore

"Free Fallin'" (Tom Petty)

"Rhiannon" (Fleetwood Mac)

"Landslide" (Fleetwood Mac)

Show opener "Rock and Roll"

Wild Heart

Bella Donna

For What It's Worth

20th Century Lindsey Buckingham 4-LP Boxed Set June 14, 2024

The "20th Century Lindsey" Box Set by Lindsey Buckingham, comprises his first trio of solo albums in the 20th century along with eight exclusive bonus tracks set for release on June 14, 2024.

FORMATS AVAILABLE

Available starting June 14th as a deluxe 4-LP vinyl collection (and on digital formats), with a 4-CD edition set to release on August 16, 2024. The boxed set includes:

1. "Law and Order" (1981)

2. "Go Insane" (1984)

3. "Out of the Cradle" (1992)

4. "20th Century Rarities" (Compilation of rare tracks)

All three studio albums have undergone remastering in 2017, ensuring optimal sound quality from the original master tapes. The "20th Century Rarities" LP comprises eight coveted bonus tracks.

"Law and Order" (1981): Buckingham's inaugural solo venture showcases his distinctive songwriting and production prowess, with him assuming nearly all instrumental duties. Notable tracks include the top 10 hit "Trouble," featuring Mick Fleetwood on drums, alongside gems like "Mary Lee Jones" and "It Was I."

"Go Insane" (1984): Embracing experimentation, this album features standout tracks such as the titular "Go Insane" and the poignant "Slow Dancing." The title track soared to No. 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "I Want You" captivates with its intricate harmonies and innovative production.

"Out of the Cradle" (1992): Regarded as one of Buckingham's finest works, his third solo effort dazzles with tracks like "Countdown," "Soul Drifter," and "Wrong." Praised for its intricate guitar compositions and groundbreaking production, the album garnered widespread critical acclaim.

"20th Century Rarities": This compilation of eight rare tracks is a treasure trove for enthusiasts, featuring elusive mixes and contributions to soundtracks such as:

• “Holiday Road” (National Lampoon's Vacation 1983)
• “Dancin’ Across The USA” (National Lampoon's Vacation 1983)
• “Go Insane” – Extended Remix
• “Slow Dancing” – Extended Version
•  “Time Bomb Town”  (Back to the Future, 1985)
• “Soul Drifter” – Radio Remix
• “On The Wrong Side” (With Honors, 1994)
• “Twisted” – Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham (Twister, 1996)

"Slow Dancing" - Extended Version is available now on all digital formats

Notably, the extended version of "Slow Dancing" makes its digital debut nearly four decades after its initial release as a 12" single in Europe. Showcasing Buckingham's mastery of layered production and infectious melodies, it stands as a testament to his enduring creativity.

Explore the "20th Century Lindsey" Box Set to delve into Buckingham's distinct songwriting, intricate guitar craftsmanship, and trailblazing production across a plethora of tracks. This collection shines a well-deserved spotlight on his solo oeuvre, often overshadowed by his contributions to Fleetwood Mac, celebrating its fusion of daring experimentation, memorable hooks, and raw emotional depth.

Rhino is offering a SIGNED (or unsigned) 20th Century Lindsey Bundle (4LP)

Updated May 9th: The SIGNED Litho Vinyl Version is SOLD OUT!

Visit the Lindsey Buckingham store at Rhino to pre-order

Bundle includes:

• 20th Century Lindsey (4LP) + Litho (unsigned)

• 20th Century Lindsey + Signed Litho (Limited To Just 500 Signed Copies) - SOLD OUT

Rhino: Pre-Order, released on: 06/14/2024

The 20th Century Lindsey (4CD) boxed set does not include a litho bundle.

Rhino: Pre-Order, released on: 08/16/2024

The 4CD version is showing up on Amazon in the UK, US and Germany along with HMV in the UK. 

Amazon UK (4CD) | Amazon US (4CD) | Amazon Canada | Amazon (Germany) | HMV (UK)

Tracklist

Law and Order

LP One

Side One

1. “Bwana”

2. “Trouble”

3. “Mary Lee Jones”

4. “I’ll Tell You Now”

5. “It Was I”

 

Side Two

1. “September Song”

2. “Shadow Of The West”

3. “That’s How We Do It In L.A.”

4. “Johnny Stew”

5. “Love From Here, Love From There”

6. “A Satisfied Mind”

 

Go Insane

LP One

Side One

1. “I Want You”

2. “Go Insane”

3. “Slow Dancing”

4. “I Must Go”

5. “Play In The Rain”

 

Side Two

1. “Play In The Rain (Continued)”

2. “Loving Cup”

3. “Bang The Drum”

4. “D.W. Suite”

 

Out of the Cradle

LP One

Side One

1. “Instrumental Introduction To

2. “Don’t Look Down”

3. “Wrong”

4. “Countdown”

5. “All My Sorrows”

6. “Soul Drifter”

7. Instrumental Introduction To

8. “This Is The Time”

9. “You Do Or You Don’t”

 

Side Two

1. “Street of Dreams”

2. Spoken Word Introduction To

3. “Surrender The Rain”

4. “Doing What I Can”

5. “Turn It On”

6. “This Nearly Was Mine”

7. “Say We’ll Meet Again”

 

20th Century Rarities

LP One

Side One

1. “Holiday Road”

2. “Dancin’ Across The USA”

3. “Go Insane” – Extended Remix

4. “Slow Dancing” – Extended Version

 

Side Two

1. “Time Bomb Town”

2. “Soul Drifter” – Radio Remix

3. “On The Wrong Side”

4. “Twisted” – Stevie Nicks & Lindsey Buckingham 

Rumours jumps more than 20 spaces on Billboard Top 200

Fleetwood Mac’s Special Release Propels Them Up Five Charts

By: Hugh McIntyre

Forbes

BILLBOARD MAY 4, 2024

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours has been a bestseller ever since it was released in 1977. Throughout the decades, the title has been able to sell consistently, rarely–if ever–falling off the charts. Interest in the set never seems to dwindle, and sometimes, the blockbuster is even able to rise once again.

The band recently released a new, collector’s version of Rumours for Record Store Day 2024. Fans could rush out to brick-and-mortar record stores to pick up a copy of a special edition picture disc of the album, which was limited to 7,500 copies. That was clearly of interest to longtime lovers of the band, as that offering helps the full-length ascend in the U.S.

Rumours climbs on five Billboard charts this week. It was present on all of them last time around, but in this frame, it’s up on all five–and significantly so on several.

On the Billboard 200, Rumours jumps more than 20 spaces (56 to 35). Fleetwood Mac’s top seller returns to the top 40 on the ranking of the most-consumed full-lengths and EPs in the nation, which is a huge accomplishment for a project that’s nearly half a century old. Greatest Hits re-enters the chart at No.191.

According to Luminate, Rumours moved another 19,693 equivalent units in the last week. That figure includes sales and streaming equivalents. It’s also up more than 15% from the period before.

Rumours was a bestseller yet again in America last week. All versions of the title sold a collective 5,274 copies throughout the country. That’s a massive 91% growth in pure purchases from the frame before the Record Store Day picture disc dropped.

This week, Rumours appears at No. 21 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart. That’s an improvement of just five spaces, but a huge gain when it comes to the total number of copies sold.

Rumours is also surging on three other tallies that it’s lived on for quite some time. Thanks largely to the Record Store Day release, it advances from No. 23 to No. 11 on the Vinyl Albums chart. Fleetwood Mac’s pop-rock project also jumps into the top 10 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums ranking, where it jumps from No. 14 to No. 9. On the Top Rock Albums list, it’s up to No. 7. And on the Indie Store Album Sales chart it's up to No.8 from No.13 last week.

In Canada, Rumours moved up to No.36 from No.42 last week. 

UPDATE: MAY 11, 2024 BILLBOARD

This week, Rumours drops to No.40 in the US from No.35 last week on the Billboard Top 200. Greatest Hits remains at No.191 after re-entering the chart last week. On the Top Album Sales chart, which is pure album sales, not including streaming, the album slid to No.28 from 21 last week.  On the Top Vinyl sales chart, Rumours slides to No.24 from No.11. On the Top Rock and Alternative Albums Chart Rumours moves down one spot to No.10 from No.9 last week. On the Top Rock Albums chart Rumours also moves down one spot to No.8 from No.7 last week. 

On the Canadian Top 100, Rumours moved down to No.40 from No.36 last week. 

In the UK, Fleetwood Mac's 50 Years: Don’t Stop remains in the top 10 after re-entering the top 10 at No.8 last week. This week the album is No.10 with 5,701 units sold. Rumours exits the top 10 sliding to No.27 from No.9 last week with sales of 3,779 units. 

Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years - Don’t Stop keeps the group inside the top 10 for another week

Fleetwood Mac Scores Two Of The Biggest Singles In One Country

Hugh McIntyre

Forbes

Fleetwood Mac can almost always be found on albums charts in a number of major music markets. Between their greatest hits compilations and their full-length Rumours, it seems the world will always want to listen to and buy their projects.

It’s not surprising to see Fleetwood Mac on any albums chart these days, even though they haven’t released anything new in years. What might raise some eyebrows this week is that the band manages to claim not one, but two spaces on the ranking of the most-consumed songs in one nation.

This week in the U.K., Fleetwood Mac charts two tracks on the ranking of the most popular songs. Neither of them are new to the list, which may make their performance that much more impressive.

Fleetwood Mac’s highest-charting hit at the moment in the U.K. is “Everywhere,” which has found a space on the list of the top-performing cuts for some time now. That track is steady at No. 87 this frame. Many years ago, it peaked at No. 4, becoming one of the pop-rock group’s biggest hits.

Very close to the bottom of the tally comes another track from Fleetwood Mac. Their single “Dreams” returns to the songs chart in the U.K. at No. 97. It has, in the past, risen as high as No. 24, and it’s now spent 77 frames on the tally.

As Fleetwood Mac occupies a pair of spots on the songs chart, the Grammy winners manage the same feat over on the albums list. On that ranking, the band is performing much better than when it comes to songs.

Fleetwood Mac’s 50 Years - Don’t Stop keeps the group inside the top 10 for another week. The compilation dips slightly from No. 8 to No. 10, managing to find a place in the region once more.

Rumours sat inside the top 10 in the U.K. last week, but now it’s fallen–and quite far for one frame. The blockbuster project slides backward from No. 9 to No. 27, which is a noticeable tumble, especially for an older collection. That former No. 1 is one of very few efforts that have lived on the roster for more than 1,000 weeks.

Stevie Nicks finishes in a downpour - Charlotte, NC Review

What will I remember most about Lovin’ Life? Probably when Stevie Nicks made it rain.

by: THÉODEN JANES

The Charlotte Observer

May 6, 

There was a moment on Saturday night, shortly after Stevie Nicks took the stage at the Lovin’ Life Music Fest in uptown Charlotte, when I suddenly thought to myself, STEVIE, what in the world are you doing?? Stop it!!

To that point, the festival had weathered 18-1/2 hours over two days and nights without encountering more than a couple of gentle showers despite ominous forecasts. But then the witchiest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame got just one song into her highly anticipated set and went ahead and said this:

“We have prayed for no rain all day — and every day for the past week — and look! There’s no rain right now.”

I knew, immediately, what was going to happen before the night was through. When the drenching downpour was unleashed over the inaugural outdoor festival a little over an hour later, however, the outcome took me by genuine surprise.

It was not something dismal. It was something divine.

Stevie Nicks finishes in a downpour

Like I said, she jinxed it.

Less than 10 minutes shy of 11 p.m. on Saturday — as Nicks charged through an encore that started with a cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” and continued with her appropriately witchy rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon” — a spitting rain turned into a spouting rain, then a steady one.

Anyone who didn’t have a poncho was drenched by the end of “Rhiannon.” It wasn’t letting up, either. Yet she refused to rush things.

“For this last song,” she told the huge crowd, which was sticking it out through what had become a monsoon, “I would like to tell you that usually right now I talk a little bit about Christine McVie, my friend that I lost awhile ago. ... But tonight, I’m gonna change it up. ...

“I would like to dedicate this song to the four officers that were lost,” Nicks continued, referring to those killed in Charlotte last Monday. “We came in just about when it all happened, and turned on the television and there it was. And I just want you to know — from the bottom of my heart — how sorry I am.”

There were other tributes from other artists throughout the weekend, but she’s the only one I know of whose voice started shaking as she delivered hers.

In the audience, rain surely camouflaged some tears. And for the next 3 minutes and 20 seconds, as the drenching continued, Nicks beautifully warbled through one of Fleetwood Mac’s most emotive hits: “Landslide,” with its timeless message about the changes and challenges of life.

I took my love, I took it down

I climbed a mountain and I turned around

And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills

‘Til the landslide brought me down

Friends and couples and singles danced in puddles like they hoped it would never end — this moment, this song, this rain, this show, this night, this festival. When it was over, they went home wet but happy.