17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This rare video is from the second day of the Tusk Tour rehearsals, the 20 October 1979, also known as "Dress rehearsals". I find it interesting because it offers a valuable insight of the band's work behind the performance of the songs. Other videos from this day are here:
https://www.youtube.com/user/nicksaddict07/videos
2 The video is blurry but the sound compensates for it. The overall quality of the video is inferior to the previous day's rehearsals, but I prefer these ones because Stevie wears the Rhiannon dress and her voice is noticeably better.
3 Around 0:52 the band loses track of the song with a playful remark from Stevie: "Ah ah... well
not that funny was it?" (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-F5iCSHYjE#t=55)
4 "She rules her life like a high skylark" ad-lib at 1:33 (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-F5iCSHYjE#t=93), like during the Tusk Tour.
5 Similarly as during the late part of the Rumours Tour, Stevie sings "your life knows no promise" and whistles the chorus harmonies.
6 At around 3:55 (
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-F5iCSHYjE#t=235) the lights switch on and the camera gets slightly closer; we can see better the entirety of the band.
7 After Lindsey's guitar solo, begins Stevie's Rhiannon dance; it's just a faint flutter of sleeves but is noticeable as Stevie moves her arms one after another and then twirls in a repetitive sequence.
8 While reaching the centre of the stage, Stevie's dance gets barely more visible: she's coreographing various graceful ballet sequences with her arms wrapped in her silk sleeves.
9 As she gets to the microphone, Stevie bows down and swirls her wings ahead and around. Then she rises up again and lifts her arms are above her head, briefly still in silence.
10 Stevie groans and begins her chant, lowering her arms: "dreams unwind love's a state of mind...dreams unwind love is hard to find...I know"
11 Stevie is ponderously bringing out the power in her voice while flapping strongly her silk sleeve "Take me like the wind baby, take me with the sky..."
12 Stevie hastily turns her back and then grabs the microphone; tapping her foot she chants hauntingly "all the same, all the same Rhiannon" gradually louder.
13 Flexing her legs, Stevie finally starts screaming and spreading her knees, glaring at every direction until, finally, the stage lights up again.
14 Stevie's now stomping: "all your dreams unwind but your love's a state of mind...all your dreams unwind baby it's still a state of mind" when she suddenly spins around.
15 Stevie grabs again the microphone stand with a swirl of her sleeve and crouches, twitching her arm back and forth. The silks float following her movements as she rages: "Dream on, you're a dreamer...don't you try hard, oh try to leave her..."
16 The song ends with of one of my favourite ad-libs: "dream away, stay away, stay away, stay away..."
17 Stevie waits for the ending notes swaying in her silks; after her last strenuous cry waves her silks in semicircular movements while making herself fall on the ground.