NZ Herald review: "costumes were a highlight of her performance"
 

A review from today's New Zealand Herald.

Stevie Nicks and John Farnham at North Harbour Stadium

06.03.06
By Rod Emmerson

It's been a while since I've seen so many people leap to their feet and cheer at North Harbour stadium. If only the Knights could pull a crowd this size. Still, I couldn't help but think the venue was all wrong.

Die-hard fans of Stevie Nicks and John Farnham were treated with a sensational night from two of the music industry's finest.

On equal billing with all advertising, yet most definitely there as a support act, I thought Farnham would perform a duet with Nicks, such was the way it was billed.

After all, he has done numerous highly successful duets, more recently with the likes of Tom Jones. Highly polished, an energetic performer and a consummate vocalist, he knows exactly which buttons to push to work an audience from a cold start.

Never far away is New Zealander and old friend, backing vocalist Lindsay Field, whose deep, rich tones in There's a Fool Born Each Minute give away his quality as an outstanding performer.

I've been spoiled to see Farnham at his best in "The Last Time Tour", performing in a more intimate, in-the-round format under a marquee, where he is truly in his element.

I believe Nicks and Farnham are better suited to smaller venues rather than a stadium atmosphere, a big call on those whose repertoire is heavily mixed with ballads.

That aside, Farnham has never lost his charisma. At 56, he still has women blatantly dropping various pieces of size 8 to 10 underwear on stage, something that didn't happen through the Stevie Nicks set.

All I really wanted to hear was Nicks' Rhiannon and Landslide, and I was one very happy vegemite in a cast of thousands.

Her extensive songlist brought everyone to their feet time and again throughout the night. Heavily gloved and dressed in her trademark Wicca shawls and taffeta garments, she left the stage probably once too often, but it seemed to not bother her die-hard fans.

Where the energetic Farnham and concert-opener Vanessa Carlton would openly engage the audience and maintain momentum between songs, Nicks left the stage for a Shakespearean costume change, leaving her high-calibre backing band to muster the intro to the next set.

Nicks said at one point she had come a long way. She has, too. There aren't too many people who are still alive who did opening sets for big-ticket names such as Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

Her Fleetwood Mac era was far and away a career highlight and the songs that cascaded throughout the night brought back many memories.

It's curious to see how our musical heroes handle the curse of age. Recent visitors, such as Tony Joe White, the legendary Joe Cocker and Mark Knopfler, and the highly anticipated Rolling Stones, have all dealt with it and moved on.

Sadly, the imagery projected on to a giant screen at the rear of the stage was Nicks from another life. It was the way we remembered her from old sound clips and the reason many a guy there had her as a bedroom pinup in the 70s and 80s.

No doubt it's the way she wants us to remember her. Nicks has successfully fought many demons in her 57 years but there wasn't much in the performance to say she, too, had moved on.

By no means a gym-junkie, in a couple of uncomfortable moments she looked unsteady on her feet while performing her signature pagan-gypsy pirouettes.

Her trio of leather-clad support vocalists, who included sister-in-law Lori Nicks, drew a call from the row in front for "someone on stage please smile".

But it was the haunting voice and list of truly memorable musical treats that carried off the night superbly. And credit must be given to Waddy Wachtel, who co-wrote Werewolves of London with Warren Zevon. He did a flawless job as the tour musical director and guitarist. If only we were inside and in-the-round.

I will give la Nicks SOME credit....the costumes are SLOWLY getting better...She must be praying to the wardrobe gods...LOLOL

By no means a "'gym junkie" .....:rolleyes:

"At 56, he still has women blatantly dropping various pieces of size 8 to 10 underwear on stage, something that didn't happen through the Stevie Nicks set."

Ewww. Who on earth fancies John Farnham? And why mention size 8-10?? Wierd!

If I thought Stevie would like it, I'd chuck my pants on stage for her :laugh:

"Her trio of leather-clad support vocalists, who included sister-in-law Lori Nicks, drew a call from the row in front for "someone on stage please smile". "

Wow. I guess they all had their moody pouts on, huh.

You know that is soooo true. Damn our girl is good! How many people touring today can say they opened for Jimi or Janis.

Awww poor Stevie. Did she almost fall while twirling? One too many tokes maybe? Sad yet funny. And hey, the lady works out on the treadmill 5 times a week so this guy doesn't know what he's talking about (although I guess that doesn't make her a gym-junkie but still).

okay. i don't understand this?
she doesn't leave THAT many times
before SB, before Edge, before R&R and before B&tB
all for costume changes
now how is 4 times for like 10 mins all up of a 2+ hour show 'once too often'?? :distress:

Her cosutme changes are very quick! I paid attention at the adelaide show and she does them really quickly so stuff that journo!

So who did she dedicate the songs too????

So what else did she change? Just the Red shawl for GDW right? Anything else I should know about?

She had changed the shawl in Adelaide... she wore red then too :wavey:

BRAVO Stevie, BRAVO Waddy! Those two should just keep rocking together. Ummm, Lindsey WHO?! :laugh:

BWAHAHA! Hilarious.

I was in the third row, and I don't recall this being said. I think that this reporter just made this up :shrug:

Ah, but only Lindsey can bust out the heartbreaking vocal harmonies with Stevie.
And I really mean that. Regardless of either one's other qualities, I think their voices together are sublime. But Waddy is awesome.

...on the guitar. I cringe when he sings SDMHA with her. I think Tom is her best duet partner and those two sound great together, but yeah, Lindsey harmonizes best with her. They're like Reeses peanut butter cups...two great tastes that taste great together :shocked: :p

All in all, this article sucks. This journalist only wanted to hear 2 songs by Stevie? What a douchebag.

Also, this Farnham character seems to be drawing in all the good, lengthy reviews from the Aussie press instead of Stevie :mad: .

And I'm not sure what this means: "Nicks has successfully fought many demons in her 57 years but there wasn't much in the performance to say she, too, had moved on."

Moved on? In what way? Because of the old footage? Do you (collectively) think that's why she puts that footage up there, because that's how she wants people to remember her? I don't think Stevie's necessarily living in the past if that's what this journalist means.

He might have, but the point was certainly astute.

Stevie's stage fright appears also to affect 75 percent of her band, for some strange reason. Everybody up there -- except for the rambunctious, doofy Waddy -- just seems paralyzed.