Best Stevie Nicks Performance of All Time
 

What do you think is the best Stevie Nicks concert performance of all time?

I have to say that I think it was at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles on Oct. 2, 1983.

She was great on that leg of the Wild Heart tour .I was at the Irvine Meadows show. That was really the last hurrah of the old Stevie.

I saw an early Wild Heart Show that was my first concert but also extremely out of control. So much that the local rock station interviewed a DJ who had been with the rock station for 25 years and he commented it was the worst show he ever saw because Stevie was so high. I always saw her on controlled substances and by the time she got off them, her voice was flat and her sets short and boring.
I was not there but clearly from audio and the HBO concert, I would have to say the video concert in 1981. I actually enjoyed the Whole Lotta Trouble tour for its rocking band (2 guitarists) and the bass player from Heart and set list. I found her more alert in 1991 than 1990 and 1989. The set just was too short.
I think that's what makes a Stevie show an oxymoron. You never knew what to expect and that was part of the thrill. Would she forget to introduce the band or a band member. How many songs would she botch while singing. Would she mention the city and know where she was playing? All of that was part of the excitement for awhile.

Having said all of this... my vote would go for July 4, 1998 Enchanted Tour. She was off drugs. She expanded the set and played songs like Sleeping Angel, Rose Garden, and Garbo and her band was really good. I was part of the edge walk that night so for me the show was extra special.

Just for pure excitement and energy I would say September 13, 1983 at Radio City Music Hall. Myself and everybody in the audience were so in love with her at that time and we could not stop yelling at the top of our lungs. Everyone wanted Stevie to notice them. The excitement of being in NYC and especially a smaller venue than an arena. Tom Petty making a surprise appearance and singing onstage with her. I doubt I will ever forget that night.

I’m not familiar with more than a handful of her concert performances but from what I’ve seen and heard I have to say her 1998 Storytellers special—if that even qualifies for a concert performance.

She had her comeback with the band that made her famous and now was smart enough to capitalize on the moment to reaffirm the strength of her solo work. Her voice was in top form. Her stories between songs were engaging and articulate, not rambling. And her performances of “After the Glitter Fades” and “Has Anyone…” are, I think, among her best.

I also really really really dig her version of “At Last” from around this time. Her voice was powerful and her tone had not changed. She was singing in lower registers, but more intelligently and economically than ever before.

Did you ever see my snapshots of that show at Irvine? I’m surprised I didn’t get an immediate job for Life.

1998 was a pretty good year for Stevie. I saw the shows at Irvine Meadows (Michael McDonald opening) and Universal indoors (Boz Scaggs opening). Nice stuff, but during Stevie’s set, I wanted Boz to play “Lowdown” again. He had some backup singers and some cool percussion on it, and it had such a groove that I wiggled my . . . myself in my chair.

Wiggling yourself in public, again? Damn, Scaggs must’ve been THAT good, eh. I do enjoy McDonald, too. No man does love lorn better.

Didn't the percussion girl have center stage? She was an interesting part of the band playing that percussion stuff. I remember thinking what in the world is she doing. I have never seen anything like that since.

I don't think so but would love to see them!

Would anyone believe me if I said Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Aug. 20, 1986?

No?

What about Shoreline Amphitheatre, Oct. 20, 1989? :confused:

:p

I also love her Bob Welch and friends Gold Dust Woman performance in the mini skirt. That concert is incredible.

I liked her 24 Karat Gold Tour set lists in 2016 and 2017. Saw her both years in Sacramento CA and Sydney NSW.

As a side note, has anyone noticed that at Stevie’s solo RRHOF induction, when she did Stop Dragging My Heart Around with Harry Styles, young Harry’s guitar isn’t plugged into an amp? He’s literally just miming on a guitar that isn’t even plugged in making up random chords/fingerings. Lol!

I didn't think she did enough songs from the album 24 Karat Gold. All the Beautiful Worlds, title track, The Dealer, Twisted, Watch Chain.

Also, Rooms On Fire, Trouble in Shangri-La, Blue Denim, & If You Ever Did Believe would've been great to dust off as "special golden" songs too.


I never noticed that about Harry. When they did Stop Draggin in Rome for a private gig in May, he didn't use a guitar:laugh:

Stevie and Harry were in Rome, Italy in May? May 2020 or May 2021? Neither year could be considered a safe time to be in Italy with the pandemic and all.

Or are you joking around and they weren’t in Rome and I’ve fallen for the joke?

Moving on from that curiosity (maybe you meant May 2019 they were in Italy, who knows?) I must agree that despite the 24 Karat Gold Tour set list being one of Stevie’s “less safe” set lists, it was still pretty safe. All the classic hits were there (except she dropped the tired old “Dreams” from the set for part of the tour - they put it back in later) and she did a mere THREE songs from her latest studio album.

I thought Gold and Braid was a hopeless choice to open the set. I don’t even know which album it comes from and when you are an established singer with a fan base then you ought to open with either:
(A) A very well known catchy upbeat song from your catalogue that the most casual fans would even know
OR
(B) choose boldly and open with a new song off your latest album - why not Starshine, given it is super catchy and was a single?

If I got to choose the “new” songs I wanted to hear at those concerts:
- Starshine (tick)
- Belle Fleur (tick)
- 24 Karat Gold
- All the Beautiful Worlds
- Hard Advice (acoustic version with Waddy or Dave Stewart)
- Twisted
- Watch Chain
- I Don’t Care (and dedicate it to Lindsey by saying “I’d like to take a moment. Just to dedicate this newish song to Lindsey. Because it’s not written about him, but it just sums up so perfectly how I feel about him trying to record a Fleetwood Mac album without me… you’ll hear it when I sing it… “I don’t mean it, I do care. I would follow you anywhere. Lindsey, what would my life be without you in it? Jealous, broken, lost and angry” … this is “I Don’t Care”.)
Now I’m just being cheeky.
- She Loves Him Still (This should have either closed the set or been the second last song played before Landslide.)


Quick question was Landslide the last song she played on this tour? It was the encore, like it is on the live album, right?

Stevie and Harry did a private show for Gucci in May of 2019. Harry did Stop Draggin and Landslide w. her.

Landslide was the last song, but she started the tour closing the set with Leather and Lace.

She should've dumped Gold Dust Woman, Landslide, Rhiannon, and Gypsy for Rooms on Fire, Talk to Me, I Can't Wait, & Whole Lotta Trouble that way you're still doing radio songs over deep cuts. Oh well.

Gold & Braid never made it onto an album. It’s an oddity in Stevie’s cannon. It was demo’d for Bella Donna but never made the record. She then did a killer live version of it on the Bella Donna tour.

It didn’t show up again until the Enchanted tour in 98. The 1981 live version was included on the boxset.

It was certainly a strange choice of opener but I love that she brought it back. The 81 live version is one of my most played Stevie tracks.

I actually think it is one of the best songs she has ever written. I was lucky enough to see the shows in Beverly Hills, and nobody of course had any idea what that song was. All we knew was that is was a killer song you could dance to. (There was an article in US around that time with some song titles listed, including "A Bit of Gold," "Braid," and "Blue Lamp.") I was at the theater with a sizable group of Macheads and fans. In fact, at first we thought it was not even HER song - we literally thought it was a cover of someone else's song. It sounded like something from Laura Nyro from her "Stoned Soul Picnic" or "Jimmy Mack" years.

I think that's right. Or, wait, didn't she bring it back for the 1983 US Festival?

I wish the Bella Donna Ultra-Spiffy Deluxe collection had put one of the other 1981 concerts in the collection, like Oakland or Dallas.

I was thinking of great songs that Stevie has essentially neglected for decades, and "Angel" comes immediately to my mind. Fleetwood Mac does it for one tour and one tour only (and it is one of the set highlights almost every time it was done). Stevie Nicks does it for really super-short tour in 1981, and a few performances on her next tour. That's it. Crickets on it until right up to the present. Did she forget about it?

:]"Stand Back" SNL 1983 has to be my favourite Stevie performance, ever.

I still get chills watching that:D

Gold & Braid was played the first week of the Wild Heart Tour. She performed it 4 more stops after the US Festival. She played it in Norfolk, Philly, NJ, and Pittsburgh. I wish she would have played Enchanted more since she only played it a couple of times. The Norfolk show is on youtube where she plays both Enchanted and Gold and Braid and its a fantastic show. She also stuck with Angel instead of Sara only in her Pennsylvania stops.

For the 24K tour, I thought Gold and Braid was a fantastic opener. Its upbeat, has a great guitar solo and makes a statement for an opening song. Although the early dark versions of Gold Dust Woman with Benmont always are my favorite opener. Those are my all time favorite Gold Dust Woman versions.

Probably not the best, but I'd say it ranks up there. From the Live Deluxe set.
Lot of good tracks on it.



The whole band rocks on this. Energy level high and it exudes sexiness.

Isn’t that fantastic? I mean, it’s the high point of the whole collection. Listening to it takes me back to that entire year and the sensations I had watching Fleetwood Mac play all those concerts with their whack. Truly no other band in the major leagues sounded anything like them, except maybe Talking Heads. (“Angel” and “Life During Wartime” are twin brothers from different mothers.)

Yeah, it really is. Definitely one of the tracks I gravitate to more on the Live Deluxe set. Their whack, haha, in spades.

the key word here is "high"

man she had such energy on the coke....:eek:

Yea, this might be my favorite! She was on fire!!! :thumbsup:

Of the many awesome Sisters of the Moon performances, this one is the bested she absolutely kills it. However, for my fandom, the '76 Rhiannon performances are essential Stevie and shows her at her most committed Welsh Witch best. Top 3 concert staples remain Rhiannon, Sisters of the Moon and Gold Dust Woman. Take your pick.

These were the last great Mac shows. The shows before back up singers and lip syncing the 1987 concert. Beyond ridiculous but thankfully the Mirage show was captured on video the old fashioned way.....men with cameras on their back instead of those annoying floating cameras with insane close ups. The mid to late 80s really sucked with concert production. It was more glam video stuff than raw rock music.

Fleetwood Mac LIVE pretty much died on the last date of the Mirage tour. RIP.

This tour (DVD)should have been include with the Mirage box set. The full live set.

I agree 100%. Even the live audio disk is THE SAME AUDIO from the limited version of the video concert, that we got 100 years ago. Same overdubs, same everything.

These FM folks... face it, they're just f*cking LAZY ASSES.

They lip synced to studio tracks? Or to live tracks? When and on what songs?

They did a great one at Irvine Meadows too. I think that Irvine show is my favorite Mac concert that year—it actually cured my migraine—but the Detroit show sounded really passionate on tape. I’ve only heard a couple of songs from the Meadowlands.

Forgot: there’s also a very fine Sisters of the Moon from the tour rehearsal. Stevie’s voice is all over it.

The Tango concert that was commercially released was similar to Stevie's Red Rocks show in that many of the close ups were lip synced especially Stevie with her constant eyeballing the camera. I dont know if they were studio live tracks or actual live tracks. But the editing is only slightly better than Stevie's Red Rocks. The audience fades in and out with blurring slowed down effects so you cant see the edits. Its just one long video rather than a truly live concert. It was the late 80s and glam and packaging was more important than realness. Stevie's close ups during Dreams are annoying but Gold Dust Woman is ridiculous with her long earrings and Debbie Gibson hat. Dig your grave OH YEAH. Pick your path and I'll pray OH YEAH. I cant even stand to watch it.

I bought that just a couple of years ago. I found it on VHS at a yard sale for 25 cents. I got ripped off!:D

Ha ha. I sort of liked it when it came out but good grief its so cheezy and almost as bad as Red Rocks. Although the hair styles are not as dramatically different :lol:
Today we have piped in special music and backing vocals so this is why I say Mirage concerts are the last real Mac concerts. Another reason why I love the Live album so much too.

Sorry, I meant I bought Red Rocks for a quarter.

To be honest, I think this showed them that many years ago how much fun Stevie, Christine and Mick could have without Lindsey. Or at least Stevie and Mick, you can't see much of Christine.

They are having a GREAT time on stage.

that performance of GDW reminds us how great it was and how awful it's become.