michelej1
04-23-2011, 03:24 PM
Vancouver Sun, April 23, 2011
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Sparks+Stewart+Nicks+team/4663940/story.html
ROD STEWART & STEVIE NICKS
When: Friday night
Where: Rogers Arena
When you take two of rock's most memorable vocalists and put them together, you can expect sparks to fly.
And that's exactly what happened Friday night at Rogers Arena, where fans were treated to lengthy sets by both Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart, performing on the same stage on what was dubbed the Heart & Soul Tour.
The pairing made sense not only stylistically -each boasts a set of wellworn, sandblasted pipes -but it also served to highlight two new releases: Stewart's fifth instalment in his Great American Songbook series, released late last year, and Nicks' first studio effort in 10 years, In Your Dreams, to be released on May 3.
Considering the breadth and impact of both artists' careers -with millions of records sold and armfuls of Grammy nominations and awards -new material would play just a small part in what turned out to be two fairly classics-heavy sets, which is probably what their 12,000 fans in attendance wanted more than anything.
They certainly would not leave disappointed.
Stewart surprised just about everyone by stepping onto the stage right off the bat to introduce "one of the great voices of the 20th century," and the crowd on the floor rose to its feet as Nicks, draped in her signature black dress with sequined arms and gloved hands, made her way to the microphone to kick off her set with a rocking Stand Back.
Even at 62, Nicks certainly didn't shy away from pulling a few cool moves, spinning around and letting her silver-blond hair follow her, even finishing off the song with a nice kick.
Though her range may have narrowed through the years, her nasal voice still packs a punch.
If Nicks seemed a tad shaky at times, her six-piece band and two backup singers overpowering her on a few occasions, she found her balance with Fleetwood Mac's Dreams, which shimmered with the same glory it did on Rumours all those years ago.
Nicks followed with latest single Secret Love, and then she took on a priestess-like quality for Sorcerer and Gold Dust Woman, waving her hands in the air as if to conjure ancient, forgotten spells, dancing around longtime guitarist Waddy Wachtel as he bent the strings on his Stratocaster and fed off Nicks' quasi-mystical energy to send the song soaring skyhigh.
Sure, Nicks may not be able to hit the notes on Rhiannon the same way she used to, but it didn't seem to sway her fans, who clapped and sang along to Fleetwood Mac's classic radio hit.
Topping it off with an acoustic Landslide (another where Nicks has been forced to adjust her pitch slightly) and a butt-kicking Edge of Seventeen (which probably had many in the audience feeling like teenagers again), it was mission accomplished for Nicks.
As Stewart's set began, it was obvious he was going to be pulling an entirely different set of strings.
As a huge drape featuring a cartoon version of Stewart riding a train lifted, a massive white stage was revealed, soon to be populated with red-clad female singers and musicians and black-suited male band members. Stewart -dressed in a slick gold jacket -kicked into The O'Jays Love Train as the screen behind him became a cascade of colourful animations.
Stylish? It was Vegas chic-meets-Motown style mixed with a hint of mod à la Top of the Pops.
With Tonight's the Night, a giant moon rose on screen as Stewart made the crowd sing the "gonna be all right" part, hamming it up something fierce with the crowd loving every moment. Nicks would soon return to give Stewart a hand on Young Turks, while Wachtel would also reappear to help Nicks and Stewart share a heartfelt Leather and Lace.
As of press time, Stewart had barely dug into his covers and classics-heavy song list, but it was easy to see where the rest of the evening was headed, with a snappy Forever Young making the crowd sing its lungs out and shed a few collective years in the process.
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Sparks+Stewart+Nicks+team/4663940/story.html#ixzz1KNc4hTLF
http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Sparks+Stewart+Nicks+team/4663940/story.html
ROD STEWART & STEVIE NICKS
When: Friday night
Where: Rogers Arena
When you take two of rock's most memorable vocalists and put them together, you can expect sparks to fly.
And that's exactly what happened Friday night at Rogers Arena, where fans were treated to lengthy sets by both Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart, performing on the same stage on what was dubbed the Heart & Soul Tour.
The pairing made sense not only stylistically -each boasts a set of wellworn, sandblasted pipes -but it also served to highlight two new releases: Stewart's fifth instalment in his Great American Songbook series, released late last year, and Nicks' first studio effort in 10 years, In Your Dreams, to be released on May 3.
Considering the breadth and impact of both artists' careers -with millions of records sold and armfuls of Grammy nominations and awards -new material would play just a small part in what turned out to be two fairly classics-heavy sets, which is probably what their 12,000 fans in attendance wanted more than anything.
They certainly would not leave disappointed.
Stewart surprised just about everyone by stepping onto the stage right off the bat to introduce "one of the great voices of the 20th century," and the crowd on the floor rose to its feet as Nicks, draped in her signature black dress with sequined arms and gloved hands, made her way to the microphone to kick off her set with a rocking Stand Back.
Even at 62, Nicks certainly didn't shy away from pulling a few cool moves, spinning around and letting her silver-blond hair follow her, even finishing off the song with a nice kick.
Though her range may have narrowed through the years, her nasal voice still packs a punch.
If Nicks seemed a tad shaky at times, her six-piece band and two backup singers overpowering her on a few occasions, she found her balance with Fleetwood Mac's Dreams, which shimmered with the same glory it did on Rumours all those years ago.
Nicks followed with latest single Secret Love, and then she took on a priestess-like quality for Sorcerer and Gold Dust Woman, waving her hands in the air as if to conjure ancient, forgotten spells, dancing around longtime guitarist Waddy Wachtel as he bent the strings on his Stratocaster and fed off Nicks' quasi-mystical energy to send the song soaring skyhigh.
Sure, Nicks may not be able to hit the notes on Rhiannon the same way she used to, but it didn't seem to sway her fans, who clapped and sang along to Fleetwood Mac's classic radio hit.
Topping it off with an acoustic Landslide (another where Nicks has been forced to adjust her pitch slightly) and a butt-kicking Edge of Seventeen (which probably had many in the audience feeling like teenagers again), it was mission accomplished for Nicks.
As Stewart's set began, it was obvious he was going to be pulling an entirely different set of strings.
As a huge drape featuring a cartoon version of Stewart riding a train lifted, a massive white stage was revealed, soon to be populated with red-clad female singers and musicians and black-suited male band members. Stewart -dressed in a slick gold jacket -kicked into The O'Jays Love Train as the screen behind him became a cascade of colourful animations.
Stylish? It was Vegas chic-meets-Motown style mixed with a hint of mod à la Top of the Pops.
With Tonight's the Night, a giant moon rose on screen as Stewart made the crowd sing the "gonna be all right" part, hamming it up something fierce with the crowd loving every moment. Nicks would soon return to give Stewart a hand on Young Turks, while Wachtel would also reappear to help Nicks and Stewart share a heartfelt Leather and Lace.
As of press time, Stewart had barely dug into his covers and classics-heavy song list, but it was easy to see where the rest of the evening was headed, with a snappy Forever Young making the crowd sing its lungs out and shed a few collective years in the process.
Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Sparks+Stewart+Nicks+team/4663940/story.html#ixzz1KNc4hTLF