Queen of rock rolls with career's punches
BY STUART WALMSLEY
08 Dec, 2011
Rolling Stone once dubbed her the ''reigning queen of rock and roll'', and while Stevie Nicks may no longer sit on the throne, she continues to influence those who do.
Artists like Sheryl Crow, Courtney Love and even the Dixie Chicks have cited her as an inspiration - not bad for a girl who was only added to Fleetwood Mac after then boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham insisted they came as a package deal.
The long, flowing skirts and tassles remain at age 63, but the feverish on-stage antics have given way to a slow twirl. She may be moving with less verve, but Nicks showed fans at the AIS Arena last night that her songwriting ability is far from on the wane.
Nearing the end of an Australian tour to promote her latest album In Your Dreams, Nicks only borrowed sparingly from her Fleetwood Mac days and past solo career, preferring new material co-written in 2010 with Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame.
In Your Dreams has been widely lauded as her best collection of songs since the '80s and she told fans last night that the experience of making the album with Stewart at her Santa Monica home was ''the best year of my life''.
And Nicks has had some tough ones. She battled cocaine addiction during her Fleetwood Mac days, dependence on tranquilisers after she began her solo career in 1981 and has had a string of failed romances and one divorce.
But she doesn't hide from her past - openly declaring after the first track Stand Back last night that she was almost certain she'd never been to Canberra before, unless it was some time during the '70s, ''and you all know why I might not remember that''.
A glitter-clad Stewart made sporadic appearances during the show, but allowed Nicks centre stage to perform her greatest hit Dreams, to this day Fleetwood Mac's only US No.1 hit.
The faith she has in the new material was demonstrated by the fact Nicks performed Love Is from In Your Dreams as an encore and the smattering of teens in the AIS Arena crowd was proof her appeal is not just restricted to those approaching pension age.
A recent appearance on the popular American musical television series Glee shows Nicks has the potential to inspire a whole new generation.
That's great news for fans, and also the owners of heritage clothing stores.
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