Minnesota State Fair

[SisterNightroad]

Stevie Nicks charms State Fair crowd with breezy, cheery show and tales of Prince

If it was up to the rest of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks would not have headlined the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Friday night.

Back in 2014, Christine McVie surprised fans by coming out of retirement and returning to Fleetwood Mac. They launched a tour at Minneapolis’ Target Center that September and spent 14 months on the road. Inspired by the reunion, McVie and Lindsey Buckingham began writing songs together, with the assumption Nicks would eventually chime in with her own fresh material and a new record and tour would follow.

Instead, Nicks decided to go back on the road on her own to promote “24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault,” a collection of new takes on tracks she had written over the decades but never fully recorded. Buckingham and McVie went ahead and released their own record together (and they’ll play Northrop Auditorium in Minneapolis on Oct. 30) while Nicks continues to add solo tour dates.

Friday night’s unseasonably chilly, overcast weather, with a storm brewing in the distance, felt like the perfect backdrop for the melodramatic Nicks. But Nicks, 69, was in a terrific mood and spent much of the show grinning and chatting with the crowd of 12,724. She even indulged the faithful in a full-out twirl or two more than usual, earning cheers each time.

Nicks followed (nearly) the same set list she did when she headlined St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center in December, but Friday felt like a different show. Her X openers, the Pretenders, were sorely missed, with singer/songwriter Vanessa Carlton warming the stage with a pleasant, if dull, set at the piano. (Nicks covered Carlton’s “Carousel” on “24 Karat Gold,” as the song was a favorite of Nicks’ mother prior to her death.)

Thankfully, Nicks brought plenty of sparks on her own. She spent the night in sunglasses, due to a recent cataract surgery, but she delivered some of her strongest vocals in years. Yeah, she hit some wonky notes here and there – “Stand Back” in particular – but she powered through like a true pro. It probably helped matters that this was only her third concert this summer.

As she did at the X, Nicks dedicated “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)” to Prince. This time around, though, she explained that the song reminded her of her relationship with the Purple One: “When I’m nervous or upset, I say ‘Prince, walk with me.’ ” She also told the familiar tale of inadvertently ripping off “Little Red Corvette” when writing “Stand Back” and how she came clean about it to Prince and convinced him to play on the song. (She also spoke about her sole, and brief, marriage to local Kim Anderson, who was in the crowd Friday night.)

With rain gently falling during the latter half of her set and that storm looking like it was about get serious, Nicks ended the show early with “Edge of Seventeen,” skipping her planned encore of “Rhiannon” and “Landslide.” Even so, she proved she made the right choice in sticking to her solo career, if only for now. Fleetwood Mac can wait.


http://www.twincities.com/2017/08/25...les-of-prince/

[SisterNightroad]

Stevie Nicks' fair debut cut short by weather
The Fleetwood Mac vet mostly stuck to her solo material again.

The gold-dust woman met the sawdust confines of the Minnesota State Fair on Friday night, when rock legend Stevie Nicks hit the grandstand for the first time in her 45-year career.

One of four Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees on the fair’s calendar this year — also: George Clinton & P-Funk (Saturday and Sunday), Frankie Valli (Monday) and John Mellencamp (Tuesday) — the Fleetwood Mac singer drew an impressive 12,724 fans even though she just played Xcel Energy Center in December. And that X show had the Pretenders for openers.

Friday’s opening act was early-’00s hitmaker Vanessa Carlton, who quickly clued in the audience to her connection with the headliner when she delivered the romantic epic “Carousel,” which Nicks recorded in 2014. The centerpiece of her set then became the flittering songs from “Liberman,” an album named for her immigrant Russian Jewish grandfather.

“We came from another country; go figure,” Carlton deadpanned.

The opening slot was the only big difference between Nicks’ December concert and this one. She played nearly the exact same set list, avoiding many Mac hits in favor of solo tunes, while also offering stories about nearly every one. Foremost among them were songs off her 1981 solo debut “Bella Donna,” starting with the set’s breezy opening tune “Gold and Braid.”

As she often does at local shows, Nicks mentioned right away why she likes playing Minnesota: “The only man I ever married lives here,” she said, saying hello to her ex, Kim Anderson.

Only Nicks’ second show following a monthlong break, it found her in relatively strong voice. Her most striking turn at the mike came in the crescendoing “Twilight Saga” soundtrack ballad “Moonlight,” which she now dedicates to Prince every night.

“He always worried about me. … What happened to him was so against how he lived and what he believed in,” she said, referencing her own well-publicized addiction battles. She then told the same happier story she told at the X about how Prince came on short notice to help record “Stand Back” in the studio: “He showed up in 15 minutes flat and had outdressed us girls.”

Nicks’ song selection was the shakiest part of Friday’s set. “Starshine” sounded hopelessly dated, and “If You Were My Love” and “New Orleans” were both met with conspicuous audience chatter. The L.A.-twangy “Crying in the Night” — from the pre-Mac 1973 “Buckingham-Nicks” album — made for a fun deep cut, though.

Fans were supposed to get a fix of hits at the end of the show, but lightning warnings forced Nicks to nix her encore. That meant no “Rhiannon” and “Landslide,” but she at least got to “Gold Dust Woman” and “Edge of Seventeen,” each highlighting guitarist Waddy Wachtel. The night’s chilly weather also prompted one of the night’s biggest cheers as Nicks pulled out the original blue cape she wore with her arms outstretched on the “Bella Donna” album jacket.

“Not only because I love it, but because I’m freezing,” she said, proving she came well-prepared for a first-time fairgoer.

Here's Nicks' set list from Friday:

Gold and Braid

If Anyone Falls

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (with Waddy Wachtel)

Belle Fleur

Gypsy

Wild Heart

Bella Donna

Enchanted

New Orleans

Starshine

Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)

Stand Back

Crying in the Night

If You Were My Love

Gold Dust Woman

Edge of Seventeen

You can find more pictures here: http://www.startribune.com/stevie-ni...r/441795433/#1

[SisterNightroad]

Stevie Nicks bewitches on a suitably stormy State Fair night
It was an evening for witchy women, storytelling, and fringe galore at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Friday. And magical music, of course – the twirl-worthy sort that Stevie Nicks has been making since the heyday of Fleetwood Mac in the ‘70s, and on her own since the ‘80s.

Although the setting was unique for Nicks (“I can smell all the good food and cake and stuff,” she remarked), the gathering storm clouds and swirly wind created a suitable mood. The singer wore all black – coat, fingerless gloves, signature platform suede boots – to complement her rock-star sunglasses and feathery hair. Later she added gold-tinged shawls, as well as the original Bella Donna velvety blue cloak.

Fleetwood Mac entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 but the 69-year-old Nicks has never earned the same recognition for her solo career, despite mammoth hits like “Edge of Seventeen” and “Stand Back.” While speaking between songs Friday night, Nicks disclosed the pressure she felt creating her second album, Wild Heart, the 1983 follow-up to her 1981 blockbuster Bella Donna. She wanted no one to think her success was a “fluke.” If anyone knows the challenges women face in the music business, it’s Nicks. Survival is part of her allure.

At the fair, with the super-sized Ferris wheel glittering in the background, Nicks proved her staying power, keeping in fine voice. She opened with the defiant country-gospel tinged “Gold and Braid” from Bella Donna and then served as our spirit guide, wending her way through old and newer tunes. Music director and renowned guitarist Waddy Wachtel kept the band sharp and assumed Tom Petty’s role in a rousing singalong of “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.”

During “New Orleans” (from 2011’s In Your Dreams) Nicks recalled her sorrow over the city’s post-Katrina devastation and referenced Hurricane Harvey, now wrecking south Texas. “Crying in the Night” from the Buckingham-Nicks era served up ‘70’s-style easy-breeziness.

A memorable highlight was Nicks’ rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust Woman” from Rumours, with its famously haunting refrain: “Did she make you cry/Make you break down/Shatter your illusions of love.” Nicks, who’d been showing off her ballet-inspired moves all evening, went into a full on quake, as if the lightning-charged atmosphere was using her body as a conduit.

Being in Minnesota, Nicks said her “first and only husband” (local Kim Anderson) was in the audience (they were married from 1983-84) and she paid homage to Prince, whose presence she said is often felt on her stage. Nicks recounted how his “Little Red Corvette” melody inspired her to write “Stand Back.” Fearful her song was too similar, she invited Prince into her studio for approval. After giving the nod, he drove off in a purple Camaro. She also dedicated “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)” from the movie Twilight to Prince’s memory (“Like a candle burns bright/And it wants to burn faster”) and noted their shared call-and-response through “Edge of Seventeen” (“Just like the white winged dove …”) and “When Doves Cry.”

A thunderstorm cut the encore short after a driving version of “Edge of Seventeen.” Some felt robbed of possibly hearing “Rhiannon” and “Landslide” but still Nicks lived up to her legend.

Notes on the opener: Vanessa Carlton set the tone with seven songs showcasing her crystal-clear vocals, a cool contrast to Nicks’ smoky timbre. Her uplifting 2002 pop-and-classical-piano-driven hit “A Thousand Miles” was the audience favorite but the New Yorker-turned-Nashville denizen also offered up softer sounds like the Nicks-influenced Carousel (2011) and the wistful “Take it Easy” from 2015’s Liberman, an album dedicated to her late grandfather.

The crowd: Leather, lace, flowing frocks (and locks), fringe, and high heels. Twirling in the aisles.

Overheard in the crowd: "Oh, we'd like hanging out with her!" from the four women behind me, after Nicks greeted the crowd.

Critic's bias: Soundtrack of my junior high school years.

Random notebook dumps: Vanessa Carlton sat down at her piano with a glass of wine and announced "It's mom's night out, okay?" Also, Nicks noted there's an ode to Lindsay Buckingham's old Buick Skylark in "Rhiannon" ("She rules her life like a fine skylark ...") and said "I don't think even think Lindsay knows that."

Setlist

Gold and Braid
If Anyone Falls
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (with Waddy Wachtel)
Belle Fleur
Gypsy
Wild Heart
Bella Donna
Enchanted
New Orleans
Starshine
More
Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)
Stand Back
Crying in the Night
If You Were My Love
Gold Dust Woman

Encore
Edge of Seventeen


http://www.citypages.com/music/stevi...ight/441897153

[Macfan4life]

Strange that she cut 2 of her most famous songs....Landslide and Rhiannon. Edge of 17 as the encore. The night before didn't she dedicate Landslide to Aaron Rogers? Did anyone ever believe you would see a Stevie concert with no dreams, Rhiannon, or landslide? She should be applauded for doing so much new material. She has a right to be proud of it. I just wish she liked performing new material with the band she is loosely associated these days

[SpyNote]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Strange that she cut 2 of her most famous songs....Landslide and Rhiannon. Edge of 17 as the encore. The night before didn't she dedicate Landslide to Aaron Rogers? Did anyone ever believe you would see a Stevie concert with no dreams, Rhiannon, or landslide? She should be applauded for doing so much new material. She has a right to be proud of it. I just wish she liked performing new material with the band she is loosely associated these days

The reviewer listed the set incorrectly. "Edge" wasn't the encore; it was just the last song she performed that night. "Rhiannon" and "Landslide" were cut because of the storm, otherwise they would have been in the set.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by SpyNote

The reviewer listed the set incorrectly. "Edge" wasn't the encore; it was just the last song she performed that night. "Rhiannon" and "Landslide" were cut because of the storm, otherwise they would have been in the set.

Ok now that makes sense
Thanks for clearing it up

[SisterNightroad]

Full concert:
https://youtu.be/_pTVTL1GbY0

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around:
https://youtu.be/ughgtXcOOow
https://youtu.be/Vc8YWyeAdmY

Gold Dust Woman:
https://youtu.be/j6Uk89HqjPk
https://youtu.be/4usOpo_kOXE

[wheart]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

Strange that she cut 2 of her most famous songs....Landslide and Rhiannon. Edge of 17 as the encore. The night before didn't she dedicate Landslide to Aaron Rogers? Did anyone ever believe you would see a Stevie concert with no dreams, Rhiannon, or landslide? She should be applauded for doing so much new material. She has a right to be proud of it. I just wish she liked performing new material with the band she is loosely associated these days

The decision to cut the show short was most likely made once it already began so it was too late to adjust the set list. They would have cut the last two songs regardless of what they were.