Where to begin...let's just start by saying it was the most amazing Stevie experience of my life besides meeting her backstage during SYW of course. I have a million thoughts racing through my head right now and certain things still haven't sunk in. Sorry this is going to be long but well worth the read. Also keep in mind I don't have a great memory but I will try to be as accurate as possible and if I'm wrong feel free to correct me. The Stevie gods were definitely with me last night!
So I was able to get tickets because I have a business acquaintance that works for The Grammy foundation so I didn't have to deal with over-paying on Craig's list which was nice although I would have. I bought 2 tickets and our fellow Ledgie Liam met me there. No line at box office and we were good to go. Then I noticed there were only 3 people in line ahead of us which I thought was kind of odd but after talking to Jamie I discovered all the people were in line upstairs in the museum because they were "members". Since I am not a member I had to be in the outside line. Needless to say you guys who know me know that would not do so I talked myself into getting upstairs lol. When I got there there was a huge line of people and I thought, oh boy, this doesn't look good and figured I would just sneak in line somewhere when they started letting people in. I was under the assumption that the doors didn't open till 7:30 so at 7:15 I went to the bathroom. When I came out the line was gone and everybody had gone in. Needless to say I panicked and ran into the theatre. There was one single seat way over to the left side kind of by itself in the 5th row so I took it. The good news is the piano was directly in front of me. After I sat down somebody that works at the museum walked in to the front of the room and announced my name. "Is there a Lindsay *** here?" in front of everyone. I almost died, my heart sank. 2 things crossed my mind - Stevie was asking for me personally to go back to her dressing room or I was being kicked out for doing something bad lol. Well it was neither. When I went to the restroom I had left my ticket stub and CD on a table and forgot to take it back b/c when I came out the line was gone so I ran. Apparently one of the members of the staff saw it and brought it in. Anyway it was quite embarrassing. I seriously thought for a moment Stevie was summoning me lololol!!!
Moving on, of course I was a stressing slightly about not being in the first couple of rows and could have kicked myself for using the bathroom but all of the sudden this woman in the first row turns around and asks, "Are you by yourself?" to which I respond yes and she offers me the isle seat behind her in the second row literally 5 feet from the piano! Obviously I accepted and felt like the luckiest girl in the world!
So Stevie came out and the director of the museum talked to her for a while. Mainly about joining Fleetwood Mac. Not that this is unusual but Stevie seriously mentioned Lindsey's name a least 100 times. I mean really, it's like he should have just been there but she was there to represent him. At one point she said they were each other's m&m's which meant something beginning with an m (help someone) muses. Morbid, no...melancholy, no...miserable. I give up but someone will remember. She also shard that she had been at the museum all day because they bussed school kids in and she got to work with them on music. She talked about how she would have been a teacher if she hadn't been a rock star. Something significant that stood out for me is she mentioned being a mother but I can't tell you exactly what the context was but it was something profound. I'm sure someone else remembers. As someone else mentioned she told a lot of the same stories that we've heard hundreds of times but they never get old hearing them directly from her lips and there's always new details being added. Then he asked her about Rumours, Tusk, and Bella Donna and of course In You Dreams. That is the very short version.
Moving on, the q&a started and as many of you know I was determined to ask a question. I had finally decided not to ask about the demos and was deciding between asking her what she wanted her legacy to be or if I could come up and give her a hug. Well turns out I didn't get the chance and in the end it was totally fine by me. Some people asked great questions...one asked if she could dedicate Landslide to him (Justin) and after the q&a she did! She was like, "I'm still really smart, I catch everything". It was soooo cute and sweet. Another girl started totally gushing over here and was like "You are my muse, I love you , you are my inspiration, etc. and she wrote a book and the main character was inspired by Stevie and then she asked if she could hand Stevie the book and security took it from here and handed it to Stevie. Stevie responded that she might just read the book tonight lol. Several people asked questions about songwriting in particular and how she writes in terms of transferring from her journals and chords and melodies and then to be quite honest I got lost b/c I was obsessing on which question to ask her. My Anna (you go girl) asked if she would bring back Sisters of the Moon!! I almost died! Stevie said that some songs were really just Mac songs and that was one of them but that it was a possibility if it was with them. Yeah baby!! Another person asked if she could have a time capsule and put 2 songs in it (one hers and one not hers) and she responded that she gets this type of question all the time (kind of a "what is your favorite song you wrote" and she said it's whatever song she is into at that time and at this particular time it was Moonlight. As for the other song she mentioned 3 but I didn't recognize them so I can't tell you. One was a Kenny Loggins song though. There is a lot more I could type but don't want to turn this into a novel...
On to the performance. First she did Landslide acoustic with just her and Waddy. She dedicated it to Justin and talked about the fact that she's played it so much but it's just one of those she'll keep playing forever. It was the most powerful Landslide performance I've ever seen, I was choked up being that close and the speaker was right in front of my face so I could hear her voice so loud and clear. What a totally different experience than being at a concert to hear her like this *swoon*. Then Carlos and Sharon came out and they did the always adorable For What it's Worth, hand motions included! That was one of the highlights of the Wiltern show so I was happy to see it once again.
Now onto the best part, whew! As I mentioned I was in the second row so basically I was only a few feet from her and the piano. She focused a lot on her playing skills and how she was totally out of practice and that she learned a lesson that she needs to start practicing again now! She started it and then had to stop and get her aviators which are apparently her prescription glasses and then started again. Words cannot describe how I felt. It was as if I was in her living room and she was playing piano for me, you know the dream so many of us have?? It was surreal, like I had to pinch myself. Her voice was so clear, so raw, I could hear every intonation and note. To be it was not good or bad, it was perfect just to hear it in that quality and environment. And then of course Moonlight on piano. What a monumentous moment to be a part of, I could have never predicted it and it is hands down my favorite performance of all time (partly since I was close-up and personal). I finally understood what the song was about and the connection to Twilight as well as her and Lindsey. I mean I really can't even describe the feeling I had you guys. I felt so close to her in those moments. I could see and hear her emotion like never before and it finally all kind of came together just why I am so in love with this woman. My God she is so talented, a true musician and that is putting it mildly.
Now (drum roll), the highlight of the evening!!! Forget the hug! When Stevie came in she entered from the opposite side from where my seat was but as she was walking out (I was standing right on the isle) she went to the other side (my side), looked me in the eye and grabbed my hands in hers and we had a moment!! I seriously could not believe this happened and to me, no one else!! I would cry, or die!". I know that everyone thinks this and feels this way when they meet Stevie but I swear to God she recognized me and I think that is why she acknowledged me and came to me and grabbed me. I know I could be totally tripping but I don't think so and plus, love is what you believe it is, right? After that I turned around to leave and I was frozen. I literally just stood there mesmerized like a robot thinking, "how did this just happen?". My heart is pounding now just reliving the moment. Seriously one of the most special nights of my life.
*Going to add as I remember additional details and forgive me if they have already been shared:
-She talked about the fact that she never got married (but acknowledged she was for a short time which she rarely volunteers!) and said that her Grandfather (or father?) told her from a very young age she would never get married so she always knew.
-She really emphasized the fact that she's heavily influenced by R&B and how she's a combo of this with country.
-Oh this was so cute! Before Rhiannon started and she was telling the story she said something along the lines of "I have an old cassette tape from back in the day of an early version of Rhiannon where you can here me saying Lindsey, isn't Rhiannon a beautiful name and he actually responded yes Stevie it, it is which was really shocking to me". Not only was it funny what she said but I felt a little bad because we've had this demo for years and it sounded honestly like she wasn't aware of that.
Sending love to Anna, Jamie, Becca, Liam, and the Ledgie 3 seats down from me who introduced himself (sorry I forgot your name!). Marisa, how did we miss each other?!
My seat was directly behind the woman on the right.
