Oakland Review
 

It was a crazy night in the Bay Area tonight-Obama was in town, Janet Jackson was performing her second concert in SF, and Rod & Stevie drew what looked like a sold out concert in Oakland.
I have to say I really think alot of Rod for coming out to introduce her, and it was clear that Stevie had a very vocal & enthusiastic fan base in the crowd!
I would say the place was just over half full when she came out . By the time she was doing Dreams, it was a full house. She didnt say anything until she finished Dreams, and as always she said that coming to the Bay Area brings back so many memories. She said she had to keep it brief, because there were so many stories to tell.
Secret Love was received well with Stevie announcing this is my new single. Gold Dust Woman was the mid-set peak, with what looked like most of the people in the floor seats standing & a huge ovation afterwards. Although I have read on this board that people are sick of Landslide, it never fails to move me, and after a heartfelt introduction, she sang a very powerful & tender vocal.
Songs that normally dont do much for me-Sorcerer & Fall From Grace were also received & performed with alot of enthusiasm.
Introducing Love Is-Stevie said it was about someone who came into her life in a very difficult time, and even though it didnt last-it saved her life. This song has always been one of my favorites from TISL, and I was thrilled with the response she received. As the song went on you could tell that she was really getting the audience's attention because it got quiet and she nailed the vocal. Hopefully it's on You Tube tomorrow!
I love Rod's early 70's music and he came out strong with Tonight's the Night, and You Wear it Well.
When he introduced Stevie there was a great photo of them taken in 1977 displayed on this huge video screen right behind center stage. When she came out, she took Rod's hand & they both turned to look at it. It drew cheers from the audience. I gotta say Rod & Stevie sounded terrific tonight. He seemed tentative on the first performances of Leather & Lace on this tour, but in Oakland Stevie was all smiles , and they stayed standing close to one another for most of the song. He was great & Stevie didnt screw up on the verses.
All in all, a wonderful night, although my friend and I left after Rod did Reason To Believe.
Sorry but no pics. When I see Stevie, I am always just unable to do anything but give her my full attention. It was a great show!

Tour Report - Oakland Heart and Soul
 

Last night was the Oakland, CA show, which I went to. I wasn't quite prepared for Stevie to start so close to 7:30, so when she launched with Stand Back, I was in line getting beer. When I arrived at my seat about halfway through the opening song, I noticed the crowd was pretty mellow and tame. They weren't unimpressed with the music, but it was pretty obvious the majority of people there were looking forward to Rod Stewart more than Ms. Nicks. It provided for a less-than-energetic atmosphere during her set. It felt to me like Stevie and Waddy seemed pretty darn tired throughout the set as well, though Stevie very notably came more alive during Secret Love and the TISL songs of the set.

The crowd reacted more to Stevie's FM classics than her solo career work, which I noticed she didn't play anything from Rock A Little - Street Angel. It's as if she just wanted to forget that time period.

The band was very tight as usual, and though the set had less energy than the last time I saw them, it was still a great concert going experience. I really loved the piano interlude at the beginning of Rhiannon, which if that man has a solo piano album, I'd happily buy it. I've seen her start Rhiannon similarly over the years, but this interlude was the most memorable for me.

I loved Landslide with her video montage over her youth. Nearly cried with that, but don't tell anyone.

Stevie mentioned she's only closed her set with 2 songs in all of her years in her solo career, and she has made a change for here on out, closing the set off with Love Is, done with only piano. It was very emotionally jarring, and leaps and bounds beyond the TISL version. I really hope to hear a soundboard quality live version of this. If anyone has one, please let me know!

It was really strange to hear a poppy and light hearted Rod Stewart after Stevie's brooding and introspective set. I felt that it didn't really fit together with the fancy stage, the girls in short red dresses, but the crowd came alive during Stewart. I noted his mic was buried in the mix pretty well compared to Stevie. I've never been much of a Stewart fan so we left after the duet songs with Stevie. It was a great way to end the night with those two songs, and we got home early.

I was very happy to find Stevie's voice is in full form, and though she doesn't strive for the high notes anymore, she sounded beautiful!

Nice review, did you see a lot of Stevie fans there or did you notice most were Rod fans?

aprilsrain, I agree with your review. I was there too last night and while their were some definite Stevie fans, I think the crowd was mostly there for Rod. I too thought Stevie seemed a little less energetic than perhaps a solo show but she did a great job on "Love Is" and I think the crowd did appreciate hearing that song.

I'm not a Rod fan at all so for me he was just ok. I agree that his voice was lost in the mix. Compared to Stevie you couldn't hear him very well. I would have left early too but my friend was there to see Rod.

I'm hoping Stevie does a solo tour because I'm looking forward to hearing some new songs from her.

Oh, but we love to hear those stories! I love it when they play cities with a special meaning to them.

I'm not into FFG either, but I'm glad that she sticks by her guns and keeps a rocker in there, a change from the better known or easier swallowed songs. Now, I love Sorcerer. So, I'm thrilled it is still in the set. Don't like how she is screaming the word "ice" however.

Thanks for the great review.

Michele

Glad you had a good time. Nice review. I see her on Saturday and very excited to see her and Rod sing together!

We saw the show in Atlanta, but I'd kind of like to be there in Oakland. I'm hoping she'll come back around for her solo show, but she's pretty much doing the smaller venues.

This is the same impression I got at the Hollywood Bowl show, Rod Stewart pretty much "consumed all the beauty in the room"!! :lol:

I did note allot of people getting into Stevie's set & the good thing is she more then likely picked up a few more followers/fans.

I left the show before Rod was done , mainly to beat traffic......

Also in the back of my mind I knew I had a 4th row ticket to Stevie's Solo May 13th Indio show so the Hollywood Bowl show was just a warm up for me!! :thumbsup:

Oh, I thought the show was in a few days! Scratch what I just said about wanting to go!