[blackcat]

It's funny--I was there, and I have such a different take on a lot of the happenings of the show. I just turned my review in to Nicks Fix and figured I'd put it up here as well for an alternative view of "Leather & Lace,"

"Life Is SO Brief, Time Is A Thief" in Philadelphia, PA


April 5th, 2011. Do you know where you were that night? A few of us know: we were at the “Heart & Soul” concert, featuring Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart, taking in the sound and harmonies of two enduring rock powerhouses! Where does the time go? Wasn’t it just yesterday, in junior high, where we first heard Maggie May? It wasn’t that long ago when we first heard Gold Dust Woman on the radio, was it? But this night we were getting to see two not so old friends on stage performing their classic hits, while directly across the street, Cole Hamels and our Philadelphia Phillies were competing for the local attention!



There didn’t seem to be much time—to me there never seems to be enough time to stop and chat with all of us, even though it’s a rock concert. We all crave those moments. When Stevie did speak, it was clearly from her heart. Just before singing “Landslide” Stevie spoke about the slide show to be displayed behind her as she sang—special moments throughout her life, her dear family and her amazing career: “I hope it makes you appreciate what you have, and love your family.” No one can do Landslide like it’s songwriter, and yet so many people now lay claim to it and make it their own. Stevie, you should be proud, just as we love and are proud of you. "Love IS!" I’m so happy Stevie made the time to be with us.



Just to show you how tight the time was, Stevie didn’t even have time to introduce her amazing band. The men worked hard, so I won’t let time rob them here: Al Ortiz (bass), Jimmy Paxson (amazing drums), Lenny Castro (master percussionist), Ricky Peterson (keyboards/organ), Darrell Smith (piano), Carlos Rios (left handed guitar player) and Waddy Wachtel, (left handed magician that plays right handed guitar, Stevie’s band master). Original Stevie backup ladies, Lori Nicks and Sharon Celani, were wearing black leather tonight, while Stevie was in black lace.



Stevie’s performance was over too quickly, but not before she pulled out “Secret Love” from the new album! Would we get more tonight? “In Your Dreams!” Stevie kept to her word: No other songs from the May 3rd album were performed, "I don't want to see them on YOUTUBE the next day." Stevie, “I Can’t Wait!” As Stevie was closing, she said, “Philadelphia, one of my favorite cities, honest to God! For real! Thank you so much everybody! We’ll be back—take care of yourselves, we love you!” Back at you, Stevie. A number of my Stevie buddies were not on board tonight. They were holding out, waiting for opening night of Stevie’s solo tour at the Borgata in exactly one month. The clock seems to be moving very SLOWLY waiting for that time to come! Stevie delivered a powerful "Love Is" before surrendering the stage.



There was a brief intermission. A large, neon colored curtain dropped, with the name ROD STEWART in blazing chartreuse lettering and a cartoon of a locomotive, featuring Rod Stewart as engineer! This was clearly going to be something wild coming, and there was. A lightening white stage and flashing lights hit people right in their eyes, powerful sounds jolting everyone out of their seats. Flashes of red bounded onto the stage. Brass horns—trumpets & saxaphones hit the stage, and, like Stevie, Rod served up his heavy hitters and there would be no "Great American Songbook" tonight: it was ALL rock & roll! Ever the showman, Mr. Stewart began with a party, and kept it moving for the rest of the night! It was clear that Rod is still fighting a touch of the flu symptoms. He had his hankie out a few times. While he was fully energy charged and a total pro out there, there were hints of moments of a fire inside, some diaphoresis and a moment when he seems to loose balance, as if the cold medicine was kicking in when attempting to sit down on a stool. He left the stage shortly after that, and one of his back up singers stepped up to the plate and belted out a masterful rendition of “Knock On Wood.” Rod got it together and brought down the house for the remainder of the show. I knew all of Rod’s songs by heart. It was a fun show! We were treated to another spotlight on Stevie Nicks: she came out during Rod’s set to duet on “Young Turks” and her own “Leather and Lace.” It was pretty cool hearing Stevie cover Don Henley’s higher harmonies while Rod pulled off Stevie’s melody part on "Leather and Lace." Rod did a great job on the song, and considering his Allen Iverson attitude toward "practice" (Philly 76ers reference), he was terrific. Don Henley, Mr. Perfectionist/Mr. TwoVoices, would probably make him “do it again.” But I loved it, and Waddy Wachtel was terrific in making this song come together so beautifully. Rod Stewart is a serious sing-songwriter in his own right. If you have never listened to the lyrics of "Forever Young," you've been robbed. As I think about it, I'd love to hear Stevie's take on that song one day. Rod can be just as thoughtful and tender a writer as the best of them--in fact, he IS one of the best of them. As the night near an end, Rod kicked autographed soccer balls out all over the venue. It was a featured event with his singing the song “Hot Legs.” It was fun. I’m glad we got to do this. I’m thrilled that Stevie and Rod came to the city that loves them back. Stevie, we “can’t wait” for your new album! Thank you Stevie for giving us this extra show for us tonight.
love, blackcat

FORVER YOUNG
May the good Lord be with you
Down every road you roam
And may sunshine and happiness
surround you when you're far from home
And may you grow to be proud
Dignified and true
And do unto others
As you'd have done to you
Be courageous and be brave
And in my heart you'll always stay
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young

May good fortune be with you
May your guiding light be strong
Build a stairway to heaven
with a prince or a vagabond

And may you never love in vain
and in my heart you will remain
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young
Forever Young

And when you finally fly away
I'll be hoping that I served you well
For all the wisdom of a lifetime
No one can ever tell

But whatever road you choose
I'm right behind you, win or lose
Forever Young, Forever Young
Forever Young ,Forever Young
Forever Young, Forever Young
For, Forever Young, Forever Young