Nokia Epic and More Pictures

[ELIUD]

Here's the extra extended mix of my review or perhaps its more of a over-long rehash. Read it if you like and enjoy more pictures.










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I get very tense the day I'm going to attend a Stevie Nicks concert. Maybe I'm just a pessimist but I'm always afraid some dark forces will be working against me that will keep me from getting there or that I'll arrive extra late and the show will be over by the time I arrive. Thank God that my partner Troy asked me, after driving a block from our apartment, if I'd remembered the tickets. I hadn't! SEE? Something's always trying to stop me from seeing STEVIE!!!

Luckily the drive to Grand Prairie was a breeze and it wasn't until we got to the access road into the Nokia Theatre that the dark forces had once again began to laugh in my face. Traffic...crawling...slowly...endlessly...this...is...where...I'll...die. After the longest TWELVE MINUTES of my life, we were safely parked and I was sneakily stuffing my bulky little digital camera into my sock. A quick sign of the cross would ensure it wouldn't fall out as we made the short walk to the entrance or worse yet fall out in front of the ticket taker at the door! Damned dark forces, surely they could still get the best of me yet.

When we got to the door the, the woman taking tickets made a quick inspection of the plastic Kinko's bag that had two poster sized prints of my Bewitched graphic rolled into separate tubes. I explained to the woman at the door, one was for Stevie to keep and the other I wanted her to sign and send back. Of course I would never presume I could give it to her myself – no no no. So I would need to find someone - some security personnel or perhaps a close associate or dead beat family member wandering about to do the favor for me. After running into the bathroom to rescue my now sweat-coated camera and while Troy waited in line us some drinks, I found nobody that looked like someone with real access to Stevie. So I asked the first usher I saw if there was somebody I could schmooze to get these posters to Stevie. The older woman was immediately helpful and suggested I speak to a man named Keith at the front door. Keith, like the usher, seemed genuinely interested in helping and said the best he could do was to give the posters to somebody backstage and maybe after the show they would be waiting for me at W1, which was apparently the gateway to Stevie.

After we enjoyed a smoke at the outdoor smoking area, Troy and I headed to our seats only to find droves of people heading out the door. "Why are they leaving?" Troy asked.

"I guess Vanessa Carlton's done." I replied referring to the opening act. Again Troy seemed dumbfounded and asked what was going on. As we hustled through the door I repeated that Vanessa Carlton was over. I don't think he heard me.

Our seats were on the back row of section 102, just right of center, and an excellent view - but unfortunately someone else had already taken them. Damn ye dark forces. Surely you have won. Our first response was to tell these intruders that they were in our seats, but apparently the couple next to them had already told them the same thing. After a little investigating the usher in that section told us that everything would be fine but that Ticketmaster must have double-sold some seating. Ticketmaster! Suddenly I realized the dark forces were in control the entire time and Troy and I were merely a ball of yarn being tossed around by the evil kitty that is Ticketmaster. After a little more pondering of our fate, (perhaps we'd be UPGRADED?! Mmhmm...sure that'll happen) our intruders decided to give up the seats they had actually obtained on eBay - the twisted sister of Ticketmaster. Troy and I could finally sit down, but first he needed another smoke.

After a few minutes of sitting alone, Bootylicious started and the crowd went crazy. I turned to look toward the door hoping Troy would be coming in but that didn't happen. Stupid Troy...he's missing BOOTYLICIOUS! The lights came down and then the new dance remix of Dreams started. Where's Troy?! My god, how many cigarettes was he going to smoke? People cheered as a clip from her 'I Can't Wait' video showing a giant Stevie strutting through a doorway ended the song and 'Enchanted' began as the Nokia Theatre welcomed the actual goddess onto the stage. What the hell happened to TROY? He's missing the ****ing opening number! Damn ye dark forces, damn ye to hell.

‘Enchanted’ was almost note perfect to the original on The Wild Heart. I've always thought this would be a great live song and never heard it until the tour supporting the boxed set. The band was perfect and Stevie slapped her tambourine a lot. She's gorgeous. And luckily the speakers in front of her were blocking the ugly shoes. Troy came back after smoking what must have been a pack of cigarettes and seemed genuinely surprised Stevie had already started. "Where's Vanessa Carlton?" he asked. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Have the dark forces been sitting right beside me the entire time?

'Stop Draggin My Heart Around' started and everybody sat down. That was okay with me, this song can be enjoyed equally sitting or standing. In fact, it's a good song to kind of just scope out the crowd. Young people, old people, really old people. Hey! The usher! She's a dancin'! And so is the other one. What kind of ushers dance at the concert they're working? Hmm. I wondered if they were fans, and if so what kind? Casual fans, hardcore fans...fans of just one or two albums but not anything recent? It didn't matter, they were one of us to some extent and perhaps that would work in my favor later.

'Outside the Rain' kept people firmly in their seats. Except during the coked out Rock-a-Little days of yore, Stevie sung this song the same way since the beginning. Except tonight, my most-favorite-line-ever-in-the-world-OMGOMG! Which is 'No love's that hard to find, and I'm tire of trying' became, 'no love's that hard to find and I'm tired of it...I'm tired of it...' - rinse and repeat. That's cool. I forgive her. She wrote it, she could change it. Go ahead Rembrandt, paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa, she's a still just as a good.

When ‘Dreams’ started Stevie stepped back from the mike and did a sexy-ass little hula dance that elicited a loud roar of excitement from the crowd. This is Dallas; the sexy dance is very popular here and has magically transformed many strippers into respectable trophy wives. Oh my god, she's hitting some high notes that she didn't even attempt in 1981! Brava Stevie! Brava! It may have just been the enclosed theatre atmosphere or some really kick-ass acoustics but this is where I could tell the audience was here for the standards. When the song ended the applause was deafening and for that moment I enjoyed the song more than I had in a long time.

The Dallas crowd sat again and remained seated during Darrell Smith’s beautifully arranged piano intro for ‘Rhiannon’. It was longer than Fleetwood Mac's but much better and even rivaled Roy Bittan's from the E Street Band. Stevie appeared in her customary butterfly sleeves of black chiffon and began to sing the more recognizable lyrics bringing us all again to our feet. How I wished she'd unfurl them sooner and give us more swirly arm movements. It wouldn’t take much energy and it could make up for the loss of force at the end of the song that we've come to expect from today's Rhiannon. But she finally spread her arms out and turned her back to us letting us see the witchy silhouette of her classic uniform. Again the audience screamed with delight. The video screen featured some gorgeous Sulamith Wulfing images and what I'm certain were photographs of some beautiful and expensive dolls. The imagery went well with the song, and I found myself enjoying it more than I expected I would. In fact throughout the show - I loved the video screens.

I knew ‘Sorcerer’ was next and was very disappointed that everybody started to sit down again as it started. C'MON PEOPLE MAKE UP YOUR GODDAMNED MINDS! My knees get a little achy with all the up and down of a fickle crowd, besides I LOVE THIS SONG. I hope it remains a concert staple. It has force and fire and flares up and she sings it perfectly, minus the tiny falsetto part, which I don't miss anymore. I turned to Troy and told him "this song is about waiting on her drug dealer." And he nodded as if to say "yeah you tell me that every time we listen to it." I do. I don't care if it's not totally accurate or even completely false. I think I read that somewhere and I'm going with it. Stevie did a strange gesture by holding out her left hand open toward the ceiling and used the other to sweep up and down her palm with her index finger. Huh?? What are you trying to tell us Stevie? What does that mean? Is it drugs? First word, starts with…this is no time for charades! I'm going to write a review and I WILL mention this! And so she teased us with her own personal sign language, allowing us to find our own meaning. And as with Stevie, that is how songs are written, stories told, and rumours started – so don’t be blamin’ me. Then the song ended and she did something even more daring...but far less ambiguous. Right before the spotlight was cued off, she leaned forward with a fiendish grin and stretched her arm out passed the microphone stand. Holding her fist out she mimed stirring a large cauldron. Oh my. Um...Stevie? This is the Bible belt. I'm down with all the witchy vibe and cool with the skeleton humping the girl on the screen but you might want to tone it down a little in Texas. Another sign of the cross would ensure she wouldn't be tied to a stake after the show. Oh Lord, please protect her from the dark forces that surround me.

I can't tell you much about Gold Dust Woman. The middle-aged lady two seats to our right was fully under Stevie's spell and doing something that looked like the 'I really gotta pee' dance while erasing an invisible chalkboard with her bare hands. I was riveted.

You'd think by now people would remain standing until the next song started and then they could all decide to stay on their feet or sit down and make themselves comfortable. Well we sat during the drum solo for ‘Stand Back’ and then quickly got right back up when the crowd recognized yet another standard. This song will remain a Stevie concert staple forever. The casual fan LOVES eat it up like fat kids on Halloween. And I love the spinning. Even the giant spinning Stevie on the screen, it really got the crowd screaming. Stevie took a few steps back from the microphone while the giant screen image went into turbo spins that made Troy and I laugh. Then she took a step into the first spin and I started the count. One, two, three, four spins...spin Stevie SPIN! Six, seven, don't fall, God please don't let her fall! Ten, twelve, or is that thirteen, fourteen, FIFTEEN SPINS and back to the mike! Screams engulfed the Nokia Theatre as she nailed the song. And just when I thought there was no more to see, I forgot about the high kick, which quite frankly, I don’t care for. It's...unlady-like - especially in a flowy chiffon skirt. And she really seems to have to brace herself for it by grasping onto the mike stand and stepping on the base with her right leg while she kicks using all her might with the other. Ouch! Stop it. It hurts me to watch her do it and I barely have time to turn away. Save it for the band.

‘Landslide’ was lovely. It’s absolutely the best rendition of the song since the Fleetwood Mac Live album where her voice breaks throughout it. That's still my favorite version but this was pretty damn impressive. Jana and Sharon really shine on this song. The three voices mesh beautifully and they sound more like a trio than a singer with two background vocalists. Stevie dedicated it to Roger, the guy who piloted the plane for Fleetwood Mac during the Say You Will tour, which makes me think she's bussing it again this time around.

There was a thread on the Ledge that asked what our favorite Stevie song was because of the lyrics and not the music. 'Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You' would have to be mine. I like this song, and always have. But I never felt it made a good closer all the times I've heard her use it that way on tour. And there are many other songs I like more because overall they are better musically or have better structure or whatever. But the lyrics to this song always make me think of people like myself who've depended on Stevie's music to get us out of a dark place or a terrible period in our lives and who will always be grateful to her for that. And instead of doing something for her like making a nice gift or trying desperately to meet her to tell her how much she's done for them, Stevie would rather we do something more profound like learn from her mistakes, be kind to each other, donate to charity or make peace with our enemies because that would benefit everybody the most. Do it for the world, yadda yadda yadda. It's one of the Stevie songs that really makes a lot of sense to me. Tonight her voice was crystal clear and flawless so again the message was received.

I'm glad she added 'Circle Dance' to this show. It really resonates with her and you could tell from the expression on her face when she sings it that there's some heavy connection to it in her heart. Is the circle dance a relationship or is it her career? Bonnie Raitt wrote it and Stevie said she was happy to share it with us and I'm happy she did too. It's really beautiful.

'Fall From Grace' is the song I probably love most from Trouble in Shangri-la. I'm so glad she continues to sing it live as she does it so well. I don't mind her going with the lower note on the big finish, Jana or Sharon - I wasn't sure which - comes in with it well enough. It's a powerhouse. And I don't care that everybody sat down during such a hot rocker.

When 'Edge of 17' started, the people up front were allowed to rush the stage. From my view on the back row of the front right center section, it looked like anyone who could get there were allowed to stand at the foot of the stage. I saw people coming from the back and remaining there for the song. I told Troy they were all going to try and touch Stevie during the Edge walk and he told me I should go down there too. I said they wouldn't allow that but I thought maybe I could go down the aisle and take some pictures, then come back. As I stood up, one of the dancing ushers looked toward me and I felt the dark forces facing me head on. "Why won't you let me run down for just a moment?", I thought. What harm would it be? If I could just take one good picture, it would mean so much. So I stood there and hovered at the end of the aisle for maybe three seconds before the dancing usher, came up to me and said "you could go down there and find an empty seat if you like". I was all "whaaa? rrreally?" So I decided to go for broke and asked her if I could take some pictures, she said I could take as many as I liked as long as it wasn't a professional camera. OH…MY...GOD. As many as I liked? Oh...my...God. So without thinking I took off and skipped like a little girl down the aisle to the THIRD ROW which only had one guy left in it. Damn I was going to get me a good shot of the famous Stevie Grita (that's what Troy and I call the 'ooowahhh scream' in the middle of the song). I took my place directly in front of her highness and put my camera strap around my neck. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! One after the other. I think Stevie was getting mad. I hit the 'no flash' button and decided to take some that way. OH GOD THOSE SUCKED!!!! AND I MISSED THE GODDAMN GRITA! Then I thought poor Troy, he could be enjoying this with me, the dark forces have obviously been defeated by the guardian angel/dancing usher and I felt I must retrieve him. I ran up to the back row and asked her if my friend could join me. She nodded yes and I could have kissed her but thanked her instead. We made it back down and Stevie began her progression at the left of the stage. Boobage. Handshake. Boobage. Handshake, smile and thanks. Boobage. Boobage. Boobage. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! All pictures of this part of the concert are rate R for RAVISHING TATAS.

"Damn look at those tits!" Troy said. I said "yeah I know, there are tons of boob shots of her during this part of the show on the web."

When the song ended, I looked through my pictures and was pretty confident I got some shots worth posting. Stevie came back out in her fabulous velvet top hat and plumes. She gave a quick karate kick to Waddy Wachtel and smiled like the cat that ate the lead guitarist. Then she stood behind the mike with an expression on her face that seemed to say 'I'm going to kick the ass out of this song'. The pants made her look tens of pounds thinner and years younger. Who would have thought she could be more fabulous in a pair of shiny spandex Mariachi pants? Truly, she is a witch. When 'Rock and Roll' started I couldn't help myself...I was standing in front of the Queen of Rock herself who was rocking out to Led Zeppelin and I started to jam. My ass shook, my arms darted to and fro, my shoulders shimmied and I was loving it. If I were wearing a fringed mini-dress – I would have been Tina Turner. Oh God, Stevie looked great. I had to take more pictures. FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! It's hard to take pictures while your dancing and it was hard for me to stop, after all it had been a long time since I myself had rocked and rolled and it just felt too good to stop. But alas I felt I had to capture her like this so one more time - FLASH! FLASH! FLASH! Yeah, she was probably getting pissed.

The screen imagery was all very psychedelic and appropriately so during that number, but it was all back to fairy tales and dreams with her finale. 'Beauty and the Beast' is truly a beautiful story. Watching scenes from the classic movie blend beautifully together on the large screen behind her, while she sang her own telling of the tale, made for a breathtaking Stevie moment I’ll always cherish. I cannot exaggerate enough when I say that she blew this song away. It is almost like it's been resurrected from a dusty ballad into a new Stevie signature song. How can she not sing it now? I'm all for keeping it again, and now - I must find this movie. Current eBay listings had it at around $35.

When the concert ended, we headed for W1 which is a door where all the lucky backstage pass holders were waiting to enter. VIPs made there way through the door as the mean-looking guard waved them through. After I asked him if my posters were there somewhere, I spotted them on the floor and pointed them out. He told me to wait while he retrieved them and said he didn't know if they were signed. I opened the one with our names on it, unrolled it and saw that it was not signed. Troy told me to give it to someone who was going backstage and I for a second considered it. I really didn't want to bother anyone and for the most part, I thought it was a bad idea. Everyone that was waiting with a backstage pass seemed to be so anxious and probably wanted to make sure their own items got signed. All the people that were whisking their way in so fast without passes seemed too important to bother. Suddenly it became a non-issue. I'm not one to make a fuss or grovel and really this wasn't a big disappointment - I didn't need to give this back to Stevie. The show was so much better than I thought it could be and I knew I had some good pictures. So if there were any dark forces hovering about that night, they were either too weak or just entirely defeated by the magic that Stevie conjures up with her songs and funny hand gestures and with a lot of help from the guardian angel/dancing ushers. Bless you girls. Bless you.

[eclipse]

More great pictures and a review....

Thanks so much--(I also think you are going to make the SOTB club......
VERY HAPPY)....Yes, I do

[skcin]

Great review & even better pics! Thanks so much for sharing!

BTW - there's speculation that the charades you mentioned are Steviemaking the motion of cutting lines of coke on a mirror. Of course, Alex thought she may be buttering bread, so take your pick.

[StevieNicksEO17]

That was a great review!!! Man, you actually asked if you could go down there? I would have just started running and brought my friend!! It sounds like you had a great time!

Those pictures are so clear! Thanks for sharing more!

[amber]

Excellent funny review. Your pics are again, some of the best ever. so clear. Thank you.

[wondergirl9847]

Those are kick a$$ pics and a fantastic review.

[witchy_woman13]

thank you thank you .................... and thank you once again ! what a wonderful review ! great story ... and the pics .....awsome ! huggs and kisses i attended the gd tour in milwalkee with my daughter 34 and my son 24 his first stevie concert! he loved it even though he is a rapper ! you shoulda seen this old ass woman shakin ass ............. you woulda lyao seats were good but not as close as i woulda wanted but i was still broke from the 5th row seats i had for her and don on 6/19/2005 that was my concert !!!!!!!!!! i got upstage for eo17 and she shook my hand !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! what a thrilling experience that was ! i think she knows when i'm there cause i'm always screeming long live the queen ! she is truely the queen of rock and always will be imo ..............well thanx for sharing

[Rickypt]

Very fun review! I can't get over these pics and how incredible Stevie looks.

[MirrorInTheSky]

Originally Posted by ELIUD

'Fall From Grace' is the song I probably love most from Trouble in Shangri-la. I'm so glad she continues to sing it live as she does it so well. I don't mind her going with the lower note on the big finish, Jana or Sharon - I wasn't sure which - comes in with it well enough. It's a powerhouse. And I don't care that everybody sat down during such a hot rocker.

Ahem....I most certainly was not sitting during this! I was the guy down front and left who looked like he was having an epilectic seizure the entire song...It rocked hard!!

[Songbird4]

Those pictures are amazing!! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the concert.

~Kim

[CreepingDeath]

Awesome pics and review! Thanks for sharing.

[GardenStateGirlie]

You're the best, you know that? Thanks for the laughs. Glad you and Troy had an awesome time. Sorry there were no deadbeat family members there to take it back to her

[LiquidBlue5000]

Originally Posted by ELIUD

And just when I thought there was no more to see, I forgot about the high kick, which quite frankly, I don’t care for. It's...unlady-like - especially in a flowy chiffon skirt.

for real?? the high kick during "Stand Back" is one of the highlights in every live show she does.. i wouldn't exactly call it "unlady-like"... i would call it "a woman who is scorned"...

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by LiquidBlue5000

for real?? the high kick during "Stand Back" is one of the highlights in every live show she does.. i wouldn't exactly call it "unlady-like"... i would call it "a woman who is scorned"...

OH YEA - a la "I am kicking your a$$ right out that DOOOOOOOORRRRAAAAHHHHHRHRRRAAHHHHH" or was that walk out that "DOOOORRRRRAAAAHHAAAAHH" oh well, same subject in each

[ELIUD]

Yeah I know I'm in the minority there. Seriously I worry she'll hurt herself, plus I don't want to see her cooch.

Uh oh. The bandwidth, she's a dying!