Wednesday, June 05, 2024

Review Stevie Nicks Live in Denver June 1, 2024

Stevie Nicks Review: A Tribute to Colorado and Christine McVie

The legendary rock star shared stories of Tom Petty and delivering iPods to soldiers, and put Ball Arena in a wave of tears with a tribute to Christine McVie.


By Emily Ferguson

After Stevie Nicks opened her set at Ball Arena with "Outside the Rain" and "Dreams," she gave the crowd a wide smile as the spotlight transformed her wild mane into a golden halo. "I've been here many times before, partly because I love to come and play here," Nicks told the packed audience in her signature raspy voice.

"But the second reason is because I have a lot of family here," she continued. "My great-great-grandmother came across in the last...big covered wagon across the Rocky Mountains. I am told she hid in the trunk. So stay strong, we can get through anything, nothing's gonna get us, and we're gonna get in that trunk! So welcome, everybody. Let's get this Colorado party started."

And what a party it was. Nicks poured her heart and soul into the show, filled with hits and personal stories, making it clear she remains committed to delivering a magical experience with her live appearances. This makes her a rarity among many of her classic-rock peers, who tend to phone it in after singing the same songs for decades (though she did seem a little bored during "Dreams"). But her impressive musicianship hasn't faded a bit since she became a global superstar via Fleetwood Mac back in 1975 and penned some of that band's best songs, then kicked off a solo career with her multi-platinum debut, Bella Donna, in 1981.

In return, Coloradans showcased their own commitment to the singer. Women descended onto the venue like a cavalcade of fairies and witches, decked out in outfits to emulate the star in shining shawls embossed with flowers or dripping with fringe, velvet bell bottoms and skirts made for twirling and twirling. As a fellow concert-goer put it: "This would be the best place to meet a MILF."

Friday, May 31, 2024

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours A Force on The Album Charts

FLEETWOOD MAC ON THE WORLD ALBUM CHARTS

The power Fleetwood Mac's Rumours STILL has around the world to continue to 
place on album charts still blows my mind. 

This week around the world below...



 


UK Top 100 Albums Chart
  • 9 (9) 50 Years: Don’t Stop (9-9, 5,795 sales) 
  • 19 (27) Rumours
UK Official Albums Streaming Chart
  • 6 (5) 50 Years: Don’t Stop
  • 25 (25) Rumours
UK Official Album Downloads Chart
  • 61 (63) Rumours
  • 87 (85) Greatest Hits
UK Official Albums Sales Chart
  • 18 (33) Rumours
  • 91 (RE) Fleetwood Mac
UK Official Physical Albums Chart
  • 16 (32) Rumours
  • 86 (RE) Fleetwood Mac
UK Official Vinyl Albums Chart
  • 8 (26) Rumours
  • 30 (RE) Fleetwood Mac
UK Official Record Store Chart
  • 13 (RE) Rumours
  • 26 (RE) Fleetwood Mac

Thursday, May 30, 2024

Top 50 Biggest Tours Include Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel

BILLBOARD BOXSCORE
BREAKING DOWN THE YEAR’S BIGGEST TOURS

Billboard released their mid-year boxscore totals breaking down the biggest tour grosses between October 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.

The list is a top 50. Stevie came in at 43 based on 13 solo shows reported grossing 25.7 million at the ticket counter playing in front of 150,000 fans.  She performed 19 solo shows, but only 13 were reported. 

As for her joint tour with Billy Joel, based on the 4 shows between October 2023 and March 2024, they came in at number 28 with a box-office gross of 40.1 million playing in front of 202,000 fans. 

Boxscore charts are based on figures reported to Billboard from various official industry sources. Some artists, venues, and promoters withhold data from representation on the charts. All reported shows are eligible for the year-end rankings between Oct. 1, 2023, and March 31, 2024.
 




Tuesday, May 28, 2024

Stevie Nicks Reschedules May 30th Denver Show

 

Due to illness, the Stevie Nicks concert scheduled for May 30th in Denver at Ball Arena will now be rescheduled for June 1, 2024.  Stevie and her band apologize to the fans for the rescheduling, but they look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Saturday, May 25, 2024

Stevie Nicks BottleRock Festival May 24, 2024

NAPA — After dropping from the BottleRock Napa Valley lineup in 2021 due to continued Covid concerns, Stevie Nicks was due to return. That finally came to pass on a breezy day at the Napa Valley Expo on Friday, the opening day of this year’s music, food and wine festival.


By Roman Gokhman
Photo: Sean Liming

Nicks took to the JaM Cellars stage to Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” in the waning daylight. Wearing all black, including fingerless gloves and sparkly black boots, she and her band got right to it with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” The rollicking song allowed the entire band to loosen up and go full tilt.

She kept mostly to the same songs she performed at her last Bay Area appearance, at Chase Center last December, though in a different order. Those songs were primarily from her Fleetwood Mac days and her 1981 solo album, Bella Donna.

“I hope it’s getting dark quick! Bring on the dark!” she shouted. However, it was quite light out until about a third of the way into her set.

The good vibe continued with warm-sounding mid tempo tune “If Anyone Falls,” before turning to more aggressive material with “Outside the Rain,” which melded right into the ever-popular “Dreams.” Stevie Nicks introduced “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” as a “gift from Tom Petty,” where her silver-haired guitarist, Waddy Wachtel, sang Petty’s parts.

Likewise, she dedicated “Gypsy” to “all the nomads and travelers in the world,” and provided context with short stories about the creation of other songs, such as Stephen Stills’ 1966 tune “For What It’s Worth,” which got a sensual, slinky and slightly psychedelic rendition.

During the hard-driving and synth-pop-tinged “Stand Back,” Nicks twirled around, with her dress in her hands. That was followed by a one-two punch of the poppy “Wild Heart” and the slower, more meditative “Bella Donna.” During this performance, she wore a royal blue cloak she said was the original from the back cover of the Bella Donna album, released in 1982. It was a sweet moment; probably sweeter for those who didn’t see her prior Bay Area concert, where it also made an appearance.

Stevie Nicks’ voice was not as powerful as in past years, which wasn’t unexpected, but she and her band found another gear for the performance’s highlight: a nearly 10-minute version of “Gold Dust Woman,” which began a loud singalong that “Dreams” somehow did not. The simmering 1977 song had an extended intro and outro, beautiful harmonization between Nicks and two backing vocalists, and a rocking release.

Not even the show’s second biggest highlight, “Edge of Seventeen,” matched its level of intensity. The band rounded out its set with the folky “Leather and Lace,” on which Nicks dueted with her vocal coach, Steve Real, before concluding with “Rhiannon” and “Landslide.”




Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Fleetwood Mac Albums Chart Update May 22, 2024

Fleetwood Mac Has Not One, But Two Albums Rising On The Charts
by Hugh McIntyre
May 20, 2024



Decades after they stopped producing new music, Fleetwood Mac still has no problem scoring chart wins. They rarely, if ever, disappear from the Billboard rankings, as Americans have never stopped listening to and buying their art.

This week, Fleetwood Mac is succeeding with two albums. Both titles are climbing–impressively, on every chart they appear on. That shows sustained interest in the projects, and in at least one case, increased consumption.

Unsurprisingly, Rumours is the top performer from Fleetwood Mac. That’s the case this week...and pretty much every week. While it may appear highest on the Billboard charts, the blockbuster release is down a little more than 1% in terms of consumption. According to Luminate, the album moved 18,202 equivalent units last week.

Rumours is up one rung on the Billboard 200, settling at No. 39. On the Top Album Sales chart, it improves from No. 28 to No. 19, even though pure purchases of the project fall by more than 8%. The set also grows on the Vinyl Albums (No. 17), Top Rock & Alternative Albums (No. 7), and Top Rock Albums rankings (No. 6).

As Rumours continues to overperform (for a decades-old title), Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits is also on the rise. That set, which shares some songs with the more traditional album, grows in stature on three tallies this time around. Unlike Rumours, however, total consumption of Greatest Hits is up several percentage points to 8,235 equivalent units.

The band’s Greatest Hits compilation steps up on the Billboard 200 more than 10 spaces. This week, it jumps from No. 191 to No. 180. On the Top Rock & Alternative Albums list, it surges seven rungs to No. 42, nearly entering the top 40 again. On the more-specific Top Rock Albums tally, the title pushes forward from No. 22 to No. 18, returning to the top 20 tier.


Fleetwood Mac Separates Themselves From Other Legacy Acts With Streaming Success
by Hugh McIntyre
May 22, 2024

There are many beloved bands from decades past that regularly earn spots on the Billboard charts. They typically do so thanks to continuing sales, with streaming typically being less popular among legacy acts than newer ones. Older audiences tend to continue to listen to the CDs and vinyl LPs they’ve purchased in the past—and to keep buying them—but some groups that have been adored for many years have found a way to remain relevant via platforms like Spotify.

Fleetwood Mac is one such name, as the pop-rockers are not only incredibly popular, but they’ve managed to continue to succeed on streaming sites. The group’s biggest and most successful title, Rumours, proves that millions are listening to them on streaming outlets this week as it returns to one specific Billboard chart.

Rumours is back on the Top Streaming Albums ranking this week. The set reappears at No. 49 on Billboard’s list of the albums and EPs that manage to rack up the most plays on the top streaming platforms in the country, which was established last year.

No. 49 isn’t very high on the Top Streaming Albums chart, as the tally only features 50 spaces. That said, it’s also not very far from the title’s high point, as it once climbed to No. 46 and stalled there.

The Top Streaming Albums ranking is typically filled with newer bands, singers, and rappers. More modern names are the ones that usually dominate all things related to streaming, but Fleetwood Mac’s music remains popular enough that they are able to find a space on this list for only the seventh frame.

As it returns to the Top Streaming Albums chart, Rumours is climbing on several other lists. The title lifts just one space on the Billboard 200, making a home at No. 38. It’s also up two rungs on the Vinyl Albums chart, where it appears at No. 15.

Not everything is looking up for Rumours this week on the Billboard charts, though. The set, which has been out for decades now, isn’t on the rise everywhere. It’s a non-mover at No. 19 on the Top Album Sales ranking this frame. It’s also, surprisingly, down on both the Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums rosters as well.

Consumption of Rumours is growing, no matter where it lands on the charts. In the past tracking period, Luminate reports that the album moved 18,796 equivalent units. That’s up 3.3% from last time around. Looking only at pure sales, the title sold 3,654 copies–up 3.7%.

Album Charts Around The World This Week:

USA
Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart
(previous week in brackets)

38 (39) Rumours 
179 (180) Greatest Hits

Top Album Sales (full album purchase chart)
19 (19) Rumours

Top Streaming Albums Chart
49 Re-Entry Rumours 

Vinyl Albums Chart
15 (17) Rumours

Indie Store Album Sales
17 Re-Entry Rumours

Top Rock & Alternative Albums
9 (7) Rumours
45 (42) Greatest Hits 

Top Rock Albums
7 (6) Rumours

CANADA
Top 100 Albums Chart
36 (40) Rumours

UK 
Top 100 Albums Chart
8 (7) 50 Years - Don’t Stop (6,278 sales)
26 (23) Rumours

IRELAND
Top 100 Albums Chart
7 (8) 50 Years - Don’t Stop
22 (18) Rumours

SCOTLAND
Top 100 Albums Chart
24 (16) Rumours
68 Re-Entry Greatest Hits

NETHERLANDS
Top 100 Albums Chart
18 (14) Rumours

NETHERLANDS
Top 33 Vinyl
14 (5) Rumours

AUSTRIA
Top 75 Albums Chart
65 Re-Entry Rumours

SWEDEN
Top 60 Albums Chart
40 (40) Rumours

AUSTRALIA
Top 50 Albums Chart
32 (27) Rumours