Where does Stevie go from here?

[APerfectLie]

So I am sure many of you have seen her performance with Taylor Swift and most people agree it wasn't the best performance of the night. Now it seems the general consensus is that Stevie was amazing and Taylor ruined it, but I'm wondering if Stevie will see it this way. So what do you guys think? Do you think she knows Taylor did bad and will just let this performance slide by? Or do you think this is going to make her question herself? And if so, is that going to put her in fear of doing anything else? Or will it make her want to PROVE that she is a legend by blowing everyone's mind with new stuff?

[Nikolaj]

I think Stevie knows that Taylor did poorly, I thought I saw it in her eyes when TS went so offkey in Rhiannon, there was a flash, I thought of, 'I can't believe it'...also the hug at the end seemed maternal, like 'my little girl really messed up but it's my job to make her feel better'- I don't think Stevie will be plagued by any self-doubt because TS was flat and off-key (not only on 'Rhiannon', either). I think Stevie is self-aware enough to know that her own performance was ok, nothing remarkable, but nothing to make her wake up in a cold sweat screaming, either. I think Taylor Swift's reputation will suffer, a professional just really can't get away with such poor singing, a talented amateur could have done a better job.
Next for Stevie? I think back into the studio. I think she'll have at least one new song on itunes by the summer and an album by fall, and yes, I know that's incredibly fast, which isn't Stevie's normal pace. But there's no time to waste, and I think SN performing with TS was just to try to get a new generation of potential buyers for her new music. I won't be surprised if Stevie doesn't get new music out fast, though I hope she really rallies and revitalizes her songwriting career. After most of '09 singing songs she wrote from the 70s to 1983, I'd think she must know the time is now to really become prolific about getting her music out there, and not keep the dozens upon dozens of songs many of us have heard left unrealized, unfinished and unheard by the masses. I don't think she can do it at 70, so she'd better hurry up! (Yet, wasn't Roberta Flack quite good, she'll be 73 this month!)

[louielouie2000]

I'm thinking she'll come away from this empowered, and ready to kick some butt with new material. I'm still not sure if that will come in the form of Fleetwood Mac or solo. I tend to think she'd prefer her solo career... but if she left it right now, her legacy is tied up pretty neatly with Trouble In Shangri La. Fleetwood Mac however has loose ends. I suspect she'd prefer and have more fun with her solo career... but I think she knows she has unfinished business with the Mac. Anyone's guess is as good as mine as to what she'll do next...

[GypsySpinsNVeil]

Hello~I agree that Stevie went maternal and Im thinking Taylors mishap isnt a reflection on Stevie. Taylor is young and must have been nervous bigtime. Wayne (my hubby) said she should have used one of those mics rigged to a synthesizer that Jamie Fox used~LOL Stevie was as awesome and gracious as ever. I dooooo love her!

[mike_nh]

I'm not so sure anyone will be hurt by this because taylor is such the ''it'' girl right now i don't think
anything can touch her..not even a bad performance. As far as stevie goes..i'm not sure why she was there other than to make taylor look better. If anything at all comes out of this it just might be
that both artists will have new fans. Stevie could definitly widen her fan base and taylor might gain
some crossover fans who normally would not give her a second look. either way it was a great night
and looking forward to see what happens next.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by mike_nh

I'm not so sure anyone will be hurt by this because taylor is such the ''it'' girl right now i don't think
anything can touch her..not even a bad performance. As far as stevie goes..i'm not sure why she was there other than to make taylor look better. If anything at all comes out of this it just might be
that both artists will have new fans. Stevie could definitly widen her fan base and taylor might gain
some crossover fans who normally would not give her a second look. either way it was a great night
and looking forward to see what happens next.

There is no way that Stevie made new fans last night based on that performance. Yes, we all know that Stevie was forced to "manage the damage" throughout the performance due to Taylor's off-key bellowing. And, yes, Stevie had to sing the low harmonies, which sounded Poltergeist-ish at times. But it just seemed like, amidst a roster of highly-produced, big spectacle performances, their performance was just too low-key and lacking inspiration, which is rather inexcusable coming from the winner of the album of the year trophy. To make matters worse, Taylor was bathed in the most exquisite lighting, whereas Stevie was shot from a most unflattering angle while her face was cast in harsh shadows, making her look a bit rough and, um... old . If anything, I think that people who have not seen/heard from Stevie in a long time will have probably thought "WTF was that?"

It's hard to fathom what made Stevie do this. Did Taylor initiate this? Do they have managers/agents in common? Did Stevie insist on performing with TS? Did her management insist on it? Did she do this to get her name in the papers? Did Mick twist her arm? Is Stevie orchestrating a solo comeback? Nothing about this makes any sense at all.

[mike_nh]

the only thing i can think of right now is that maybe stevie saw something in taylor. taylor's
songwriting style and skills are very close to stevie's. meaning that both stevie and taylor write
from the heart and personal expearinces.

[ButterCookie]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

It's hard to fathom what made Stevie do this. Did Taylor initiate this? Do they have managers/agents in common? Did Stevie insist on performing with TS? Did her management insist on it? Did she do this to get her name in the papers? Did Mick twist her arm? Is Stevie orchestrating a solo comeback? Nothing about this makes any sense at all.

I can't get my head round it either. I mean, why would Stevie WANT to sing backup and play tambourine for Taylor? Come on, she's Stevie Nicks. She doesn't need to play tambourine for an off key little pop star.

I hope it is the beginning of something new for Stevie though. *Hint* Solo album *Hint*

[wheart]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

There is no way that Stevie made new fans last night based on that performance. Yes, we all know that Stevie was forced to "manage the damage" throughout the performance due to Taylor's off-key bellowing. And, yes, Stevie had to sing the low harmonies, which sounded Poltergeist-ish at times. But it just seemed like, amidst a roster of highly-produced, big spectacle performances, their performance was just too low-key and lacking inspiration, which is rather inexcusable coming from the winner of the album of the year trophy. To make matters worse, Taylor was bathed in the most exquisite lighting, whereas Stevie was shot from a most unflattering angle while her face was cast in harsh shadows, making her look a bit rough and, um... old . If anything, I think that people who have not seen/heard from Stevie in a long time will have probably thought "WTF was that?"

It's hard to fathom what made Stevie do this. Did Taylor initiate this? Do they have managers/agents in common? Did Stevie insist on performing with TS? Did her management insist on it? Did she do this to get her name in the papers? Did Mick twist her arm? Is Stevie orchestrating a solo comeback? Nothing about this makes any sense at all.

no need to apologize about the old comment. That lighting was horrible and I was shocked by how old she looked. Is it me or did she also look really tired?? I think curled hair would have improved her appearance also but what's done is done.

[skuncles]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

It's hard to fathom what made Stevie do this. Did Taylor initiate this? Do they have managers/agents in common? Did Stevie insist on performing with TS? Did her management insist on it? Did she do this to get her name in the papers? Did Mick twist her arm? Is Stevie orchestrating a solo comeback? Nothing about this makes any sense at all.

Well if you saw the rest of the show you saw Elton John, Roberta Flack and Leon Russell. There were lot's of legends there with the newer acts. Stevie was no different.

[holidayroad]

Originally Posted by louielouie2000

I'm thinking she'll come away from this empowered, and ready to kick some butt with new material. I'm still not sure if that will come in the form of Fleetwood Mac or solo. I tend to think she'd prefer her solo career... but if she left it right now, her legacy is tied up pretty neatly with Trouble In Shangri La. Fleetwood Mac however has loose ends. I suspect she'd prefer and have more fun with her solo career... but I think she knows she has unfinished business with the Mac. Anyone's guess is as good as mine as to what she'll do next...

I go for what you say. Trouble in Shangri-La is a good place to end, concerning the solo projects. I know a lot of fans want more solo material, but after TISL, I think a lot of people wouldn't be satisfied with a new solo. It would have to be a very excellent album to surpass TISL. Let's all think about this, would you want Stevie to put out an album, risking the fact that it could be about as well accepted as Street Angel, or would it be better that her solo career end on a high note?

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by wheart

no need to apologize about the old comment. That lighting was horrible and I was shocked by how old she looked. Is it me or did she also look really tired?? I think curled hair would have improved her appearance also but what's done is done.

I was hoping and hoping that for this special occasion that she would have surrendered herself to a new stylist that really understood the whole Boho-goth Stevie-persona, e.g., Rachel Zoe. It would have been amazing to see Stevie sporting some variation of the marcel-wave hairdo that has become TS's trademark. And it would have been great to see her wearing some haute-couture from a current, happening designer, rather than that tired old sparkly black **** from the tour, which we couldn't see anyway due to the bad lighting. I could only dream that she would appear on the "What Not to Wear" show one day, and we will be able to witness Stevie throwing all of those Margi Kent creations into the rubbish can.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by holidayroad

I go for what you say. Trouble in Shangri-La is a good place to end, concerning the solo projects. I know a lot of fans want more solo material, but after TISL, I think a lot of people wouldn't be satisfied with a new solo. It would have to be a very excellent album to surpass TISL. Let's all think about this, would you want Stevie to put out an album, risking the fact that it could be about as well accepted as Street Angel, or would it be better that her solo career end on a high note?

These days "well accepted" is relative. Basically if you sell half the number of units you sold ten years ago, it is considered to be a hit. Accordingly, I think Stevie could easily move 300-400K copies of a new album if she released it today, and I don't think that would be anything to be ashamed about. And let's face it- Street Angel didn't sell because it was not a good album and it was virtually unpromoted. One thing that Stevie has going for her now that maybe was not as apparent ten years ago, is the overall sense of goodwill from her peers. They are finally coming around to admiring her body of work, her longevity and her iconic status in the history of rock music. In this age of manufactured celebrities and talent shows, people are appreciating people who have earned their stardom the old-fashioned way- talent and hard work. I have every reason to believe that if Stevie decided to do another solo album, it would be as strong as anything she has ever done, even if it means involving a lot of helping hands.

[SmileAtYou]

I think it's really cool that Stevie has taken on this role as a sort of "fairy godmother" (if you will) to the young ladies of pop music. It seems like she has chosen to go that direction.

She seems to work with the the more conservative artists who are trendy at the moment, like Vanessa Carlton & Taylor Swift (as opposed to Lady Gaga or Britney Spears - more wild artists)... I wonder what sorts of guidance she gives them... lucky girls

[holidayroad]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

These days "well accepted" is relative. Basically if you sell half the number of units you sold ten years ago, it is considered to be a hit. Accordingly, I think Stevie could easily move 300-400K copies of a new album if she released it today, and I don't think that would be anything to be ashamed about. And let's face it- Street Angel didn't sell because it was not a good album and it was virtually unpromoted. One thing that Stevie has going for her now that maybe was not as apparent ten years ago, is the overall sense of goodwill from her peers. They are finally coming around to admiring her body of work, her longevity and her iconic status in the history of rock music. In this age of manufactured celebrities and talent shows, people are appreciating people who have earned their stardom the old-fashioned way- talent and hard work. I have every reason to believe that if Stevie decided to do another solo album, it would be as strong as anything she has ever done, even if it means involving a lot of helping hands.

I agree that 'well accepted' is a relative term. The music business has changed a lot. I didn't dislike Street Angel (nor did I love it). Likely, we fans will at least like some of any album she puts out. As for 'involving a lot of helping hands', that can be an asset, or a disaster. Stevie isn't always the best judge of who is helpful or hurtful to an album.