Review by Kelly Besaw
Stevie Nicks regaled stories of her friendship with Tom Petty, cleaning houses to make ends meet, how she became a member of Fleetwood Mac, her instant connection with Christine McVie and the ways she kept money and fame from going to her head between performing a seventeen song setlist to an enamored crowd in Buffalo, NY on Wednesday evening.
The iconic figure, the Gypsy, the Gold Dust Woman, the Bella Donna described herself as “just Stevie.” As an introduction to “Gypsy” Nicks recalled how she kept herself from “getting a big head about the Fleetwood Mac thing.” She would move her mattress onto the floor, throw pillows and blankets on it and sit in the middle to remind herself, “I am still Stevie.” But to her fans she is so much more as evidenced by their worshipful applause every time the Witchy Woman spun around in a circle showing off one of her shawls including the original gold and black one that she wore when she first performed “Stand Back” in the eighties.
Other highlights included “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” where Stevie talked about how she and Tom Petty became instant friends when they met for the first time and recorded the song. There were several tributes to Petty throughout the evening. Nicks used “Runnin’ Down the Dream” and the intro song and “Learning to Fly” as the outro song. She also performed “Free Fallin’” as the first song of the encore. Photos of Petty appeared on the stage screen during the performance.
One of my favorite stories was when Stevie recounted a time she was in Buffalo and it was snowing, she told the audience that was when she purchased her first legendary black hat. “It was probably before most of you were born. It’s in the vault somewhere backstage tonight. So, thank you Buffalo.” While the singer did not don any hats, she did perform her cover of the Buffalo Springfield song “For What it’s Worth” about the Sunset Strip riots in Los Angeles.
Nicks proved that she can still belt out the songs with her signature raspy voice. She hit the mark during “Bella Donna” and her performance of “Gold Dust Woman” was nothing short of legendary. The seventy-five-year-old singer twisted around the stage, spinning, pulling her hair, and swaying in time to the psychedelic beat. She ended the regular set with a powerful rendition of “Edge of Seventeen” that left fans cheering for more.
The evening ended with two of her most well-known Fleetwood Mac songs “Rhiannon” and “Landslide.” During “Landslide” Nicks paid tribute to longtime bandmate and close friend Christine McVie who passed away in November 2022. The archival photos were beautiful and reflected the love and friendship the two women had for each other. A perfect ending to a night filled with memories, music, and nostalgia. Seeing Stevie Nicks has been on my bucket list for decades and I am so glad that I finally got the chance to see her. She proved that she is still the Gypsy, the Gold Dust Woman, the Bella Donna even if she thinks she is “just Stevie.”
Setlist:
Outside the Rain
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)
If Anyone Falls
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
Fall From Grace
For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)
Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac song)
Wild Heart
Bella Donna
Stand Back
Soldier’s Angel
Gold Dust Woman
I Sing for the Things
Edge of Seventeen
Encore:
Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)
Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac song)
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac song)
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