17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This is from the famous White Winged Dove concert, recorded the 13 December 1981 on the last night of the White Winged Dove Tour at the Wilshire Theatre and aired the 8 April 1982. The tour lasted only 17 days but Stevie had surrounded herself with accomplished musicians: Waddy Wachtel, Roy Bittan (E-Street Band), Bob Glaub (Jackson Browne), Benmont Tench (Heartbreaker) Russ Kunkel (James taylor et al.). This channel on youtube posted an upgraded version of the whole video few months ago:
https://www.youtube.com/user/sandybeagan/videos
2 This version starts with a ballad rendition of the first two verses; the song will be performed in this same way much later during the Dance tour by whole Fleetwood Mac. About working with Stevie on the live rendition of Rhiannon, Roy Bittan says: "
She's the only artist I toured with other than Bruce. She asked me to go on the road, and I had some time off – I couldn't pass up the opportunity. It gave me a chance to reinterpret some of the Fleetwood Mac stuff. We began 'Rhiannon' real slow, almost a classical version of it. Then after the first verse the whole band would kick in. It was a fantastic experience."
3 Stevie's voice is readjusting to a lower but more powerful register; in fact at this time she was labeled as a contralto, while during the Rumours years she was still considered a soprano. Early eighties are, after mid-late seventies, the best years for her voice.
4 Stevie hilarious replies to a very attached fan: "I'll never forget you either!" at 1:39
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG3yyCGlByk#t=99
5 The classical Rhiannon ad-libs reflects those of the current days: "Rhiannon, some ask...Rhiannon, you say...Rhiannon, don't go...Rhiannon...".
6 Stevie's hair during Bella Donna is glorious, blonde and feathered, but backcombed and blowed by a fake wind, almost a revisit of the 70s Farrah Fawcett style in the 80s tone.
7 During this performance Stevie is very emotional for two reasons. One is that this is the end of her short solo tour, and the following day she must join Fleetwood mac in France at the Chateau D'Hérouville to record Mirage; the second is that her best friend Robin was recently diagnosed with terminal leukemia. To quote her words: "
That should've been a time when I was the most happy and felt the most self-confident and successful. But actually, I really felt the most helpless, because all the money in the world couldn't save this woman's life. It was a very sad, yet balancing, thing for me." This is my favourite Rhiannon solo performance because of this heartfelt and fragile delivery.
8 Starting her new solo career, Stevie felt the need to reinvent her style, turning from the iconic black Rhiannon dress on the Rumours cover to the white dress on the classic cover of Bella Donna: "
The white outfit I'm wearing is the exact opposite of my black outfit on Rumours. Over that it says, 'Come in from the darkness.'The dark side of anyone, the side that isn't optimistic, that isn't strong. I've got to become stronger because I am very sensitive, and everything really touches me.". On tour Stevie adopted a stratified style with velvet legwarmers, white clothes, lace, miniskirts, arabesqued wrap-dress and sparkling and colorful shawls and, since she couldn't go backstage and change after every song, she simply stripped the layers off or changed shawl between songs. I love this period because Stevie blends elements of the 80s fashion in her own style, adapting her tastes to new trends and personalizing fashionable pieces, making her style timeless. The beautiful lace blue shawl that she wears draped on her head is the same from the opening performance of Gold dust woman and Outside the rain.
9 The mad look on her face at 4:01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG3yyCGlByk#t=241
10 The way she swings her hips at 4:08
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG3yyCGlByk#t=248
11 Stevie's band playing is a bit more "scrambled" than the classic Fleetwood Mac Rhiannon. Also Stevie's performance is less ceremonial and more lively and genuine. Stevie twirls in the middle of Waddy's Rhiannon guitar solo, not during her Rhiannon dance; in fact this solo performance, as any other, also lacks her characteristic "Rhiannon rage".
12 At the last "would you even try?" Stevie moves her hair away from her face and twists her hand around her microphone. During Waddy's guitar solo, instead of temporarily leaving the stage to give way to the guitarist, she stands behind him rythmically waving and flapping her shawl like it was a pair of blue lace wings. Stevie then goes kissing bassist Bob Glaub and saluting drummer Russ Kunkel with her index finger.
13 Stevie turns back to her microphone stand looking forlorn and shuts the entire band with a single gesture, her hand lowered down and her legs kneeled. She starts to sing again: "dreams unwind love's a state of mind" with her voice broken from crying. This rendition stops at "take me like the wind child, take me with the sky" after which Stevie goes waving and hugging her percussionist Bobbye Hall and her beloved backup singers and friends, Sharon and Lori. Instead of an exorcism, this Rhiannon coda is a farewell.
14 Stevie returns to Waddy and victoriously lifts her fist up holding her shawl between her fingers. She turns her back to the audience and raise her arms over her head with her fingers intertwined and a foot on the drums step, waiting for the band to finish.
15 While the band is playing the last notes, Stevie opens her long hands, showing her extremely long fingers, and at last rapidly spreads her arms and closes her fists while the lights turn off.
16 Both the performance and the tour are over, everyone is moved and hugs each other, Stevie above all; then all the band members gather and bow at the audience. Stevie tearfully pronounce a few meaningful words of goodbye: "Thank you for being with us on this very special night, goodnight!" and after a last wave of her hand, everyone goes backstage with Stevie.
17 This Rhiannon leaves a different aftertaste than Fleetwood Mac interpretations: it is less angry and potent but it's warmer and more joyful; it conveys a sense of belonging.