My guess is some people have seen Stevie "too often," in any number of forms- Fleetwood Mac, solo. We've all probably seen her in too many reviews, too many bootlegs, too many videos. To other fans, seeing Stevie LIVE is a rare and unique moment even today. "Would you say that to Bob Dylan?"
He's almost catatonic up on stage! Once in a great while he'll smile. Think back to a certain Vice Presidential debate: "You're no Jack Kennedy." Likewise, "Stevie's no Paula Abdul," maybe? "Stevie's no Tina Turner?" Stevie's just not a dancer- you've read all those statements from Stevie that people use in their posts: "I came here for a reason. I didn't come here to be a mother. I didn't come here to be a nun. And I did not come here to be a cleaning lady. I came here to be a poet." I don't think we are going to get a lot of change out of her. I'm just glad to see her out there, being happy.
Your criticism of Stevie isn't unfair, and it's not unlike other people have for other performers. I happen to be reading about the Rolling Stones.
Here's just a piece of a review from 1997:
Hold the Ben-Gay: Stones Still Rolling
by Joal Ryan
Sep 24, 1997, 4:20 PM PT
"Mick Jagger was preening; Keith Richards was smoking. Same old, same old for the AARP-eligible members of the Rolling Stones, as the band of fiftysomething rockers kicked off their umpteenth world tour Tuesday in Chicago."
The older rock and roll generation just re-creates what has worked for them; choreography? Never!
Like I said, you make valid remarks. Stevie's just being Stevie. Look at Fleetwood Mac. They have moments of "spontaneity," but mostly it's "all the same, baby, all the same."