Monday, August 3, 1998
Stevie Nicks delights with mix of old, new
MUSIC: Rock legend gives enchanting performance for enthusiastic
audience
By Mike Prevatt
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Stevie Nicks, rock’s long-reigning gypsy, charmed the socks off
of the capacity crowd at the Universal Amphitheater last Monday
night with her intimate, retrospective and engaging
performance.
Nicks, popular both for her solo work and her contributions to
’70s pop group Fleetwood Mac, sang songs spanning her near 25-year
career that clearly touched the wildly enthusiastic, all-ages
audience.
Touring to promote her new boxed set "Enchanted," Nicks used
Monday night’s performance to showcase the big hits from Fleetwood
Mac and her solo career, and personal favorites that either have
never been played live or aren’t as popular. When one gets as
popular or has played as long as Nicks, the opportunity to play
lesser-known, yet more personal, songs can be refreshing,
especially when so many more seasoned artists today rely on the
"greatest hits" type of shows. Both "Enchanted" and its tour
reflect that chance to both offer something different and expose
alternative material.
Nicks walked onto the curtain-adorned stage to ear-piercing
shrieks, a testimony to her strong Los Angeles fan base.
Selling-out a show (at $70 a ticket) just eleven months after
Fleetwood Mac’s celebratory shows in Los Angeles really shows how
devoted her adorers are – and they would only get louder as the
night progressed.
She began with her typical concert openers, "Outside the Rain"
and "Dreams," the hit she wrote for Fleetwood Mac. During Monday’s
performance, "Dreams" typified a musicianship that paled somewhat
in comparison to the Mac’s live performance, but accented Nicks’
emotive aura much better.
In fact, Nicks has lost nothing of her vocal power, which sets
her apart from many of the female vocalists currently reigning the
pop charts. Rather than lamenting in a breathy, yodel-like voice (a
la Sarah McLachlan), she sings with a raw, raspy fire that
reinforces the lyrical themes of weathering bad times and bad
relationships.
Besides Fleetwood Mac classics like "Gold Dust Woman,"
"Landslide" and "Rhiannon," Nicks divulged into bluesy fan faves
like "Enchanted" and "Whole Lotta Trouble." Near the beginning of
the show, a trilogy of rarities, some that have never before been
heard live, offered moments of dreamy sentimentality that included
"After the Glitter Fades" and "Garbo."
Yet even as the rare, more mystical material gave Nicks a chance
to deviate from the typical setlist, no show of hers would be
complete without her more charged songs. Nicks blasted through the
defiant "Stand Back" and the anthemic "Edge of Seventeen" with
surprise guest Mick Fleetwood on the conga drum. Like the rock
goddess she has come to represent, in these songs she offered the
night’s best moments.
The show, however, was not without flaw. Too many wardrobe
changes, one leaving the amphitheater at a dead silence, gave the
concert a fragmented feel. And at times, her flawless singing still
could not bring out the sleepiness of the backup band, especially
in songs with as much emotional potential as "Rose Garden."
But with every twirl and vocalization of appreciation, Nicks
used her comfort with her L.A. audience to guide her performance
with the sort of intimate appeal hard to attain with big name
artists. More importantly, such comfort brings forth a confidence
and a joy evident in her singing.
As she walked off the stage after the 90-minute-plus
performance, she told the more than 6,000 fans, "I’m as happy as I
can be … you’ve made me very happy!" It was harder to tell who
was more "enchanted" – Nicks or her fans. And that’s just the way
it should be.