Cincinnati Post Review

[jwd]

Nicks still has magic
By Rick Bird
Post staff writer

The shawls and capes were flying. She had her patented sashays and twirly dance in fine form, too.
It was a night for vintage Stevie Nicks as the original witchy woman worked her magic at Riverbend Music Center on Tuesday for nearly 10,000 fans.
Nicks, 57, was in her best vocal form in years with her trademark nasal, gravely voice soaring on classics spanning her solo career and tunes from her Fleetwood Mac days.
The night continued what has so far unintentionally been Riverbend's summer of nostalgia following recent shows from classic rockers Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and John Fogarty. Like those memory lane sets, Nicks, too, gave fans what they came for and also showed why she is one of rock's great female icons willing to both revel in her past and show she is a spirited contemporary singer.
Perhaps the night's centerpiece was a refreshing version of her classic "Landslide." Nicks didn't mind both parodying and saluting her past with the song's poignant refrain of "Well, I've
been afraid of changin'. And I'm getting older" sung to a video of clips showing Nicks as a young, sensual rock vixen, a reminder of her often tortured and storied personal legacy. Nicks even briefly turned and smiled knowingly at her younger self in the video as she sang the tune.
And there were plenty of Nicks' famed costume changes. During some not always inspiring percussion and guitar solos, she managed to go from her basic black low cut flowing gown to a sparkly black dress, a black gold patterned look, sequined black and she topped off the black motif with a shiny gold shawl during her elegant and searing version of "Gold Dust Woman."
Nicks surrounded herself with great musicians in her seven-piece band anchored by legendary session guitarist Waddy Wachtel and two female back-up singers.
Overall, Nicks was as at ease as she has ever been with the audience — one could say at peace
— running through plenty of Fleetwood Mac covers, which she has rarely done on solo tours.
There were searing versions of "Rhiannon," "Dreams" and a rollicking "Stand Back." And her recent material wasn't ignored either — such as a raved up version of "Fall from Grace," a tune from her last solo album, "Trouble in Shangri-La."
Nicks chose her covers well with a moving version of Bonnie Raitt's "Circle Dance," written for Raitt's late father, and Tom Petty's "I Need to Know."
And just when you think you know all Stevie Nicks' musical moods, she surprises you as if she's a feisty bar band chick singer and it's late at night and last call. She began her encore set with a rowdy version of Led Zeppelin's "Rock 'n' Roll."
Vanessa Carlton opened the evening with her too squeaky voice and gushing perhaps too much at how cool it was that Stevie Nicks chose her as an opener for this leg of the tour (Unfortunately, Cincinnati just missed the 10 dates that Don Henley was Nicks' opener).
Carlton is a solid songwriter and performer giving moving versions of her hit "A Thousand Miles" and the more intricate "White Houses." But her piano playing was better than her singing and she ought to really thank Nicks for letting her bring a luscious grand piano on stage as an opening act.


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Have at it folks!

[Livia]

We already are - it's posted in another thread.

[jwd]

Are your referring to the enquirer review? I don't see the post's review?

[Livia]

It's in this thread:

http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showth...0&page=2&pp=15

[jwd]

Oh sorry, didn't see it.