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17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
Behold the absolute peak of Stevie-dom BY ROB SHEFFIELD | January 14, 2015 If you want to make the case for Stevie Nicks as the most powerful American rock singer of the Seventies, here's your Exhibit A. Behold: This insane clip of Fleetwood Mac doing "Rhiannon" on The Midnight Special, 1976. It's the absolute peak of Stevie-dom. Here are 17 reasons why this performance proves Stevie is simply the coolest thing in the universe. 1. Stevie's opening words: "This is a song about an old Welsh witch." Translation: This "Rhiannon" is a totally different beast from the smooth studio version you've heard a million times. This version is the epic. 2. Stevie's hair. Oh, the hair. Beyond feathered. The feathers have feathers. 3. Keep in mind, the audience has no idea who Stevie Nicks is. She and Lindsey just joined Fleetwood Mac last year. These people have heard "Rhiannon" on the radio, but they don't know Stevie's name. They've never seen her rock. Rumours doesn't exist yet. They're probably thinking, "Foxy lady. I think she just said this song is about a sandwich?" They have no idea what they're in for. 4. Sweet kimono, Lindsey. Did Stevie let you tie that sash yourself? 5. The way she wails the line, "You cry, but she's gone." So much hungrier and rawer than the studio version. Stevie is not in mellow mode tonight. She's the new girl in a long-running band, but she's here to blow all that history away. She keeps pushing the song harder, faster, as if she's impatient to prove the new Mac is a real-savage-like rock monster, now that she's finally arrived. 6. Stevie takes two power-twirls — one right before the second verse (1:15), one before the third (1:45). Tonight she needs only two twirls to say it all. 7. Oh, that Lindsey/Stevie eye contact. I have spent years of my life trying to decode that look at 2:36. What is that smile? An erotic glance between two tempestuous lovers, sharing a furtive smile of intimacy in the heat of musical passion? Or maybe John McVie just knocked over somebody's beer? 8. That Stevie/Christine split-screen duet in the third verse. Their harmonies really make you notice how much "Rhiannon" sounds like Nirvana's greatest song, "Heart Shaped Box," except not even Kurt would try to get away with rhyming "darkness" and "darkest." 9. The 360-degree Lindsey-cam action at the 3:10 point — perhaps the finest cinematography of the 1970s to involve an upside-down bearded guitar freak in a kimono. Lindsey steps on his magic pedal and transforms into a Welsh druid. 10. Everybody in the band gets a showcase close-up, even John McVie. As always, he looks like he showed up for a barbecue and was surprised to find a concert going on. 11. Mick Fleetwood has a cowbell, but doesn't bang it, because when you're as cool as Mick Fleetwood, all you need is for the cowbell to sit there and listen to you. 12. Lindsey's ‘fro devours him and spits him out while he plays the Mick Taylor solo from the Rolling Stones' "Bitch" all the way through--twice! The Mac jam like they did in the 1960s with Peter Green, like they did in the early 1970s with Bob Welch and Danny Kirwan — except it's better now, because Stevie wrote the song. They still jam like this onstage in 2015, during Stevie's now-legendary "Crackhead Dance." 13. Stevie's shawl-work during the jam. She doesn't overdo it — she just sways from side to side, lifting her lace chiffon in the air, a black widow weaving her spiderweb. Note: This garment probably now has its own corner of Stevie's private temperature-controlled Shawl Vault. 14. Seriously, that hair. An aviary of white-winged doves, growing out of Stevie's head. 15. This performance happened on June 11th, 1976. One week later, Blake Shelton was born. Coincidence? Probably. But you can hear a hint of Miranda Lambert in Stevie's growl. 16. At the 4:30 point, there's a hush and you think the song is over. (The studio version fades out after barely four minutes.) But it's just beginning. Stevie starts to murmur, "Dreams unwind, love's a state of mind," chanting it over and over, beckoning with her fingers. The music speeds up. She stares through the camera and right into your very soul. She's belting now: "Take me like the wind, baby! Take me with the sky!" Lindsey backs her with a couple of power strums. Total shawl/hair fusion. It's a little scary how intensely Stevie quakes, chanting Rhiannon's name, and you notice how steely she looks under all that black lace. She practically jumps out of her boots for that nine-second final howl, and then — like Rhiannon—she's gone. 17. The studio audience must be in shock. Seven minutes ago, they'd never heard of Stevie Nicks. But tonight they'll be seeing Welsh witches in their dreams. And it's 1976. Stevie is just getting started on her lifelong journey of stealing rock & roll hearts. Dreams unwind. Love's a state of mind. Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/fe...#ixzz3OpQjJp9C |
And that version paled in comparison to their normal concert versions at the time.
Of the 15 or 20 "Rhiannons" I saw them do in person (pre-Tusk tour, when they started to slowly castrate the song into what it has become this current tour, a whiny ballad), the best was August 28, 1977 at the Forum in Inglewood CA. If they hadn't started the next song, people would STILL be applauding right now. |
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That particular version is clear as a bell (through the night) and has the ending that the other version goes to a still shot at. Very nice!
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thank you. |
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Cool. |
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It may sound like a cliché but Rhiannon is my all time favourite concert song.
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my favorite Rhiannon is every Rhiannon: part1
17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This is the oldest video performance of Rhiannon that we have. It's watermarked and faded but it represents Stevie and Lindsey in their prime. I hope that one day when a boxset of Fleetwood Mac's discography will come this concert will be remastered and released on the white album deluxe edition. 2 Stevie's hair is like Suzie Quatro's. 3 She hasn't developed her stage look now but we can already have some foretaste from her pink/white blouse with butterfly wings. 4 Stevie has pants. bell-bottom high-waist pants. 5 Stevie has feathers in her ears, barely noticeable. Just like Janis Joplin, her inspiration. 6 Her voice is a bit soured, in the early tour she still hadn't learned how to use her voice, but she still puts on a great performance. 7 The song, and Stevie herself, is "unripe" compared to the later rendition but more spontaneous. 8 Mick himself is far from the elegant drummer sir we see on the Rumours tour. And he had a bad hat day. 9 Lindsey is hot with his satin blouse, hair in the air, pretending to have sex with is his guitar. 10 Stevie's Rhiannon dance is already fully developed, and it lasts almost an entire minute. 11 Stevie's lip biting at Stevie 5:45 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_kTZXoabnY#t=345) 12 The words that end the studio version, "dreams unwind, love's a state of mind", have only a brief mention and Stevie's ready to rock out. 13 She starts fluttering her bat-wings while Mick and Lindsey head-bang their instruments. 14 Stevie's chord suffers when she screams "please take me with you to the sky", making the performance even more heart-felt. 15 She keeps on screaming and stomping until the end, keeping the pace with the band even with her tired voice. 16 Stevie's last scream "take me like the wind, like the sky" makes her face red. 17 At 7:02 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_kTZXoabnY) she throws her head and arm down trailing behind her silk sleeve with an elegant gesture; the song is now over. |
So cool, thanks for that!
Gotta love 70's Stevie... Quote:
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You're pretty OK too...
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my favorite Rhiannon is every Rhiannon: part2
17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This relatively new video has been retrieved from the vaults of the Paste.com site more or less a year and a half ago, and records a Rhiannon performance from the first tour of the new Fleetwood Mac formation with Buckingham-Nicks. It's black and white but very clear and with a vintage allure. I hope more footage like this from the early days comes out. 2 The performance it's a concentrated of Rhiannon: starts ex-abrupto, right in the middle of Lindsey's guitar solo and your ears are blasted. It's unbelievable that in the Rolling Stone list of the best guitarists of the time he is only 100th. 3 Lindsey is handsome with his beautiful curly hair and silk blouse. 4 Right after we see Christine that's very into the performance. She look gorgeous. 5 The first impression we have of Stevie is that of a graceful shadow bound in very light and see-through fabrics. She's already just captivating. 6 Next her image appears blending perfectly with that of Christine: a beautiful woman dancing with silky butterfly wings. 7 Stevie still performs in her clothes, this is before her Margi Kent uniform. Even so she looks like a mystical legendary creature. Can you believe you could have seen her on the streets dress like this? 8 She starts chanting the same line with very little variations; it's the calm before the storm and her voice gradually becomes higher and stronger 9 We finally see her (beautiful) face. She has closed her eyes savoring the moment that's about to come. 10 The song grows increasingly faster and harder and Stevie, always with closed eyes, repeats the same summoning line moving her fabrics like a shaman. 11 Mick is pounding frantically, keeping the band going. 12 Stevie shouts Rhiannon's name shaking her beautiful hair; she's near her breaking point. 13 Now she completely let go of herself, shaking her hair, stomping her feet, flapping her silks and shouting to 'please be taken to the sky' nearly straining her voice. 14 Stevie almost seem to command the listener to dream on. During a performance like this it's impossible not to dream, she's making her audience dream. 15 Stevie turns her back exausted near the end, and then lean herself on the microphone after a look at the other bandmates. All the band is putting a massive effort. 16 It ends with one last powerful scream and then she collaps with a reference to The Dying Swan. 17 Stevie rises again in a swirl of veils and thanks the audience with crystalline voice. She takes a last bewitching glance at the camera and smiles. |
my favorite Rhiannon is every Rhiannon: part3
17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This video is the studio performance of Rhiannon from the famous Rosebud documentary. This track plus Go your own way, You make loving fun and Say you love me should have been recorded live at Santa Barbara along with World Turning and I'm so Afraid, but the proximity of the venue with an airport made it impossible to use the footage as the show had been continuously disturbed by the planes flying. This makes the performance particularly powerful, precise and clear, counterbalancing the absence of the audience that in my opinion makes Stevie performances more fiery. 2 Part of the Rhiannon performed originally at Santa Barbara is visible on the Disney Channel documentary "Going Home" exactly here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDqkaUCk_oM#t=228. I always hope some more footage from this comes out. 3 It's 1976, by now Stevie is famous and Rhiannon is a staple song. She grew more confident in singing it and performing it, in this moment Rhiannon is a force of nature. 4 Stevie wears this beautiful Rhiannon dress with a deep V-neck, laces and beads on the cleavage. It's a beautiful dress, captured just this one time on video. 5 Her hair is so blonde it reflects light and seems golden. 6 The performance starts particularly slow, but Stevie's vocals are sharp and bright. 1976 is the best year for her voice. 7 Lindsey wears a blue silk kimono, matched with his eyes. Maybe it's a gift from Stevie or maybe he's just a dressy guy, anyway we ladies appreciate it. 8 Christine-Lindsey-Stevie harmonies on the chorus are soft and high, perfectly like the album ones. 9 "Once in a million years a lady like her rises Rhiannon you cry but she's gone" is biting, in anticipation of the approaching ending part of the song. 10 Stevie's lip biting at 2:11 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjx-NL4GlmE#t=131) 11 Above all the other's, Christine's harmonies are clear, but sweet, her voice emerges distinct from Lindsey's and Stevie's in the chorus. 12 After chanting like a siren "Taken by the sky" Stevie's roaring "No" prepares the viewer for the fiery end. 13 We have a close-up of John playing his bass. If you hadn't already noticed, you do now: he is effortlessly cool. 14 Stevie does her butterfly-flight dance. She glides and twirls rapidly, closes one wing on herself and then, with her head low down and her arms moving sinuously, starts to walk like a spider, her black veils hanging up from her arms. It's like a methamorphosis and Stevie from lightweight and balletic is becoming misterious and mighty. 15 Quickly the song itself morphes and Stevie starts screaming "dreams unwind love's a state of mind" while her arms twitch under the silks. 16 Mick, filled with tension and excitement, has a mad and fanatic espression, ready to lash back. 17 Stevie tosses her heir and finally explodes while Mick observes pleased: she screams to be taken to the sky extending her arms, her feet stomps and her arms frenetically open and close her black bat wings. Then she grabs at the microphone nearly destroying it and with a spurt of dark fabrics she unleashes in shouts and arms fluttering, culminating in a rasping yell of release with outstretched arms. After that, Stevie turns vehemently preparing for the grand ending: her hand gently brings her veil on the microphone while she does her last voice-shattering cry. John's bass close the effort. |
my favorite Rhiannon is every Rhiannon: part4
17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This is Fleetwood Mac performing in Philadelphia at the Spectrum on the 21 March 1977, around the 5th concert date. I'll be honest, I don't know how I can pull out 17 good things about it as in this video you almost can't see/hear ****, but it's a rare footage from the start of the Rumours tour and I think it would still be great to see the entirety of the show. 2 Stevie is still at the best of her voice and you can hear her still singing all the high notes and the high part of her harmonies, while later on the tour she switches part with Christine. 3 Fleetwood Mac perform in the dark, I think it would have been awesome to see them at the time with this special atmosphere. 4 We have the first decent close-up at 1:49. Stevie has her signature rumours shaggy hair, apart from here we can see it on video only on the footage from the Paris rehearsals used for the Don't stop and Dreams official video. I'd like to know if more video footage of those rehearsals exists. 5 The scream at 2:52 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J7__XJU44I#t=172), just like on the White album tour. 6 After that, finally turns on the light, and we can see the rest of the band. At the beginning of the Rumours tour they wore clothes based on a sort of vintage concept, and we can see Lindsey with a Victorian blouse and John wearing a white shirt and a waistcoat. Later on the tour only Stevie and Mick would remain loyal to their stage clothes. 7 At 3:16 we have the first good close-up of Lindsey during his guitar solo in his resplendent shirt. 8 Around 4:25 Stevie reappears from the dark with her arms raised up with her silk wings/sleeves hanging from her hands on her face. 9 After a while it becomes a tiny bit clearer and we can see Stevie's arms covered in her Silver and white stones moving her hair from her face in preparation for the end. 10 We also get to see Christine dressed in white while Stevie passes her for a brief moment during her Rhiannon dance, the only moment of during this part of the song in wich both the ladies are visible. 11 At 5:21 Stevie moves her fingers in an enticing gesture while singing "take me like the wind, baby, take me with the sky" 12 After, Stevie grabs her microphone and the "exorcism" part begins: she screams the same line while looking at the audience all over the place making entice gestures with her arms, one at a time. 13 At 5:48 all the lights are on and Stevie now shouts, glaring in every direction, flapping her silks while moving backwards like preparing for an assault. 14 Now Stevie loses control and wrenches her microphone with her sleeves in every direction and completely throws back her head and hair before finishing the song. 15 After a last pull a the microphone, Stevie closes with a powerful cry: "take me to the sky, dreamer" 16 The song ends with Stevie letting herself fall on her knees with her silk sleeves hanging up her head. 17 The last thing we see is Stevie's nice big thanking smile. |
SisterNightRoad, WOW, I have never seen this video B4. Didn't know it existed and I Loved it.
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Yeah, roaming youtube you can find the most incredible stuff...
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At least it's "still a better story than Twilight". Or should I say "still a better story than 50 shades"? Quote:
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my favorite Rhiannon is every Rhiannon: part5
17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This video doesn't need a presentation, it's the famous "Rumours tour" concert filmed by Warner on the 5th of December 1977 at the Tokyo Budokan. Fleetwood Mac, especially Stevie after vocal chord surgery, in Japan weren't at the top of their game but this performances are still special and raw. The Budokan, the most special concert place in the east, is said to bring out the best in musicians, and many musicians include it among their favorite venues. It was born as a palace for martial arts but when in 1966, in absence of another possible place, had to house the Tokyo Beatles concert, the sport building become concert place. If you want to read the interesting history of the Nippon Budokan, you can find it here: http://ultimateclassicrock.com/budokan-venue/ 2 Stevie makes her entrance walking slowly with her arms wrapped around herself, enveloped in her black silk sleeves and with her soar voice pronounces: "This is a song about a... a good witch..." 3 A gold light illuminates Stevie's face: she's particularly gorgeous with her Robert Plant-like hair, she's a "Golden goddess". 4 In this performance she dropped all the high notes, but what lacks in virtuosism is compensated in charm and charisma, singing sultrily with her eyes closed and covered in a see-through black silk veil. 5 The spirited look she has at 2:12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPc-NpoVwvQ#t=132 6 And again at 2:41 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPc-NpoVwvQ#t=161 7 Her sweet bewitching harmonies on the chorus. 8 When the lights switch to red it's the clue that Stevie is about to switch from golden to fiery goddess; she starts bringing out the power in her voice. 9 I think we all know from whose closet Lindsey's hawaiian shirt comes... nice solo anyway. 10 From the bootlegs I can hear that the band's playing during the Japan tour was harder, heavier, maybe because around that time Lindsey started to be interested in punk-rock. Anyway musically the Japan shows are my favourites. 11 Under the red light Stevie unfolds her wings-arms one at a time and starts her magic: during Christine and Lindsey's interlude twirls faster and faster, never tiring, until she stops abruptly and moves forward with her head down, always swinging her silks. 12 She stops with her arms in the air and the veils falling covering her face and starts making unearthly sounds. She starts twitching her arms gradually lowering them, and uncovers her hair first, then her face. Now we can see her beautiful face again. 13 With outstretched wings-like arms, Stevie begins howling "Dreams unwind love is hard to find" in trance, letting her velvet top lower in the meanwhile. 14 Now Stevie prepares for her big end: she tosses her silk sleeves away and frames her face with her open hands sideways, always with closed eyes. 15 Stevie finally grabs her microphone and her voice becomes biting. She bends her knees caressing her hair and lets go: "golden, emerald, satin" making enticing gestures with her fingers. 16 The end is near and Stevie, all over her microphone, starts pushing over the limits of her voice and slowly rising while chanting "all the same, all the same, Rhiannon" over and over. 17 She throws her hand open in the hair and, during the last dream on scream, she closes her fist and lets herself fall like the dying swan. |
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she's really high , there are tv cameras on her ( she always performs best when she's being filmed ) it's been a while but I believe the dress is on display in the Hard Rock in Boston |
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I knew this dress was on the Rock n roll hall of fame museum. |
One word: wow! I've seen this before but I love your analysis. This version is really heavenly...
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It's always nice to know that someone appreciates what I do
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Either way, this is my favourite performance of Rhiannon Ever, and I had never figured out the words when she said "golden, emerald, satin." I always thought it was "go and, send her, end her, send her, go on, end her, send her"... HAUNTING |
That totally solidifies her queen of rock and roll status!
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my favorite Rhiannon is every Rhiannon: part6
17 Reasons This 'Rhiannon' Clip Is the Coolest Thing in the Universe
1 This performance was recorded in November 1977 at the Sydney Rockarena. 4 years ago the Outside Broadcast supervisor of the concert has drawn out from his personal vaults this never been seen on TV performance along with Oh well, You make loving fun and Go your own way. He had promised to post the rest of the concert but for some reason stopped; I hope someone else will post the rest because this show has both very good quality and performance. 2 The author of the video specified that the audio comes from two shotgun microphones placed at the speaker towers because the crew was not allowed to take an audio feed from the desk. This explains why the sound isn't crisp clear but rather muffled and raw, but it also means that the audio is exactly as you could have heard live the night of the concert. 3 This is towards the end of the Rumours tour, Stevie's voice is quite worn out but she still sings with much passion and puts in a massive effort, like all the others band members. 4 Stevie is gorgeous as always, and she wears this particularly beautiful black Rhiannon striped dress. This dress had never been captured on video before, and there aren't even a lot of live picture of it on the internet, so this video is special. 5 The wind that night blew strongly, giving an added flavour to Stevie's performance, moving her soft ruffled waves and lifting her silks in every direction. In an interview she stated that she developed her style also thinking about her audience, prefering fabrics that enhance big movements that you can see from afar and that with the wind can look even more wonderful. This is that kind of performance. 6 Stevie's voice on the "Rhiannon" armonies is still strong and high; this is before the Japan tour and right before her vocal chords breakdown. Even if her voice isn't at top form, you can hear her put in a massive effort. 7 Her glaring at the camera at 2:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hiAtGzOnHs#t=145 8 The beautiful close-up at 2:46, with the golden green light enlighting her skin, making her look a beautiful spatial creature https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hiAtGzOnHs#t=166 9 the silks flying at 3:05 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hiAtGzOnHs#t=185 10 When Stevie starts singing "Taken by the sky" with her hand grasping the microphone and her sleeves hanging down, twitched by the wind, you hear her tone changing and becoming gradually more powerful, until the final explosive No. 11 Stevie temporarily exit the scene: we see a flashy close-up of Christine dressed in a luscious red blouse and then the scene switch to Lindsey, in his attractive indian blouse, playing manically his guitar solo shaking his hair. 12 Stevie begins to slowly rotate her veil kept between her fingers while the calm descends. She gradually starts to rotate herself and, when the rythm escalates, she spreads both her black silk wings and twirls increasingly faster under the light that now has turned red. 13 Stevie suddenly stops; the wind now rushes and, with an ecstatic look on her face, she makes her hair and her silks blow in the wind while Lindsey strums. Now Stevie turns her back and flutters her black sleeves at the rithm of John's bass, slowly making her way to the microphone. 14 With her arms up in the sky and her veils down overlaying her, she roars at lenght while the wind enticingly twitch her silk fabrics, uncovering her face one part at a time. She sings "Dreams unwind love's a state of mind" over and over, with her arms progressively opening and the light changing from purple to red, gold and then green, when she finally belts "Love is hard to find" with her head thrown back. 15 "Take me like the wind, baby, take me with the sky" Stevie beckons with her hand and then she pulls up her microphone and begins chanting "All the same" bending on her knees, green-lit at the start of her "Rhiannon rage": she completely bends her knees and open her hands like claws toward the audience, first to the right, then to the left and lastly she claws upwards while crouching down. 16 Stevie demands "Take me to the sky" with a sinuous hand gesture, continuing to sing like she wants to eat the microphone. Slowly rising, she stares at the audience with fiery eyes, rithmically opening and closing her hand along her "Dream on" screams. 17 Now exhausted, Stevie collapse on her side with her arm still on the microphone's stand waiting for her last moment. Mick is frantically beating the drums, we hear her last cry while she slowly appears on the screen with her strained face and abandons the microphone stand. Mick closes the song, Stevie rises to thank the audience in a swirl of black. |
maybe while were bombarding her social media with the Question : are you recording with Fleetwood Mac , we should add these old videos so she can see that she once varied her wardrobe before she was "branded " and had to appear in public exactly the same as not to confuse her fans
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instagram . instead of the speculative bull sh!t here ? |
Than you for posting all of these incredible Rhiannon's. That last one from Austrailia is 100 percent new to me. It's crazy how much with that hairstyle stevie looks identical in 1977 as she currently does. Obviously there are more wrinkles in her face but other then that she looks the same. She made the same faces during SOTM. As she is in that video
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Stevie aged very naturally, the proof is that she still looks good without make-up. |
[QUOTE=SisterNightroad;1160058] I simply answered ironically.
/QUOTE] so did i :rolleyes: |
American and European humor can't understand each other
[QUOTE=olive;1160068]
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[QUOTE=SisterNightroad;1160071]
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;) |
Thank you for posting this awesome series of Rhiannon clips, especially this one :thumbsup: I went to their Melbourne Rock arena concert, & lucky to of made it all the way to the front. It was fantastic!!!
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http://replygif.net/i/346.gif Do you remember something of your experience? |
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