Seattle welcomed the Hall of Famer to Climate Pledge Arena.
It was a beautiful, sunny spring day in Seattle as guests adorned in flowing robes, bell bottoms and flowery hats arrived at Climate Pledge Arena to hear the Grammy award-winning, Queen of crystal visions, Steve Nicks, perform on her first stop on her 2023 tour. The scene was electric as excited fans spanning generations took selfies against the giant digital screen displaying the former Fleetwood Mac star behind them.
A collection of ’80s and 90’s rock blasted through the arena’s speakers and fans warmed themselves up dancing to INXS and Tom Petty. As I settled into my seat I made friends with the guests to my right who were also seeing Nicks for the first time. In a moment the lights would dim and “Running Down the Dream” by Tom Petty would play as the lights went dark. Suddenly a black and white silhouette of a woman appeared on a giant screen over the stage, covered with golden glitter and then Stevie Nicks stepped onstage to a deafening roar of applause.
Nicks started her 18-song set list with the lovely “Outside the Rain”, from her 1981 debut album Bella Donna followed by the Fleetwood Mac hit “Dreams”. As she spoke to the crowd of about 12,000, Nicks commented on the mountain landscapes that greeted her in Seattle and how much she loved performing indoors. Then with a smile, she paused, stuck out her foot from her long black robe, and announced “I’m not wearing my heels!” Nicks had broken her toe the day before and decided to play it safe and wear sneakers for her performance. She playfully made light of the situation stating she could now be more “cheerleadery” on stage. With a flip of her long golden blonde curls, Nicks yelled “Let’s get the party started” and jumped into the dance-pop hit “If Anyone Falls”.
Nicks’ vintage style of gossamer tunics, shawls, and fringed lined robes influenced by Bohemian fashion also influenced generations of fans and their wardrobes. Nicks informed the crowd that each robe, cape, or shawl she twirled onto the stage were the originals worn in her videos. After each song, Nicks placed them, almost ceremoniously, at the foot of Jimmy Paxson’s drum riser. Joking that by the end of the show, he would be “the Princess and the capes”.
During her classic rock hit “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” the seasoned session and touring guitarist, Waddy Wachtel, filled in on the vocals as images of the late Tom Petty appeared on the screens. Towards the end of the song, I heard a series of cheers behind me and turned to witness a wedding proposal. She said “yes” and held up her left hand as the audience cheered for the happy couple. Nicks would further pay tribute to Petty later in her set with her version of “Free Falling”.
One of the things I absolutely loved about the evening was Nicks’ storytelling before each song. To hear the inspirations behind her songwriting was something truly special. She’s also got a knack for comedy and threw in a bit of humor to lift up the mood a bit when needed.
One of the more somber moments came when introducing her cover of the 1966 Stephen Stills classic “For What it’s Worth” made famous by the band Buffalo Springfield. Its catchy chorus “Stop children what’s that sound? “Everybody look what’s goin’ round” has been sampled by several artists over the years. Nicks spoke of growing up in San Francisco during the curfew protests and how the lyrics of the song are still relevant to today’s current events.
Switching moods and capes, Nicks twirled her way into the first sing-along song of the night with “Gypsy” followed by “Wild Heart” and “Bella Donna” before circling back on a more serious note. If you follow Nicks on social media you already know the artist has a big heart and is constantly advocating for the rights of others. During the song “Soldier’s Angel” from her 2011 album, In Your Dreams, a series of photographs flashed on the large screen of bombed-out buildings, burned military tanks, and injured people in various states of distress. Looking around, I could see the imagery having an emotional impact on fans. A stark reminder that not all in the world is right and what a privilege it was to be watching a concert without fear of war. At the end of the song, Nicks exclaimed: “Ukraine is fighting for all of us” as the stage illuminated with a field of sunflowers and a QR code posted on screens for fans to donate to help the victims of Ukraine.
Being the first stop of the tour, Seattle would be gifted with hearing the debut performance of “I Sing for the Things” off her 1985 album Rock a Little. Telling the audience she was never quite satisfied with the original as it was written in a bad place. “I don’t remember the place, but it was a bad place.” Nicks joked while nervously pulling on the sparkly colored fringe on her mic stand. Years later, Nicks, has a new take on the song telling the crowd “Money can’t buy everything, and hope this song makes you happy”.
One thing that really stood out about this show was the lighting and digital effects that were perfectly synchronized to every lyric. Every song had its own individual visuals to match the story Nicks was singing on stage. A perfectly choreographed video for “Edge of Seventeen” even snuck in a photo of the late artist, Prince, while white doves seemed to swarm around the stage.
Nicks took a short break before returning to the stage for her encores “Free Falling”, “Rhiannon“ and “Landslide”. All of which brought the entire crowd on its feet, after being seated for most of the show. Nicks headbanged and jumped up and down with her tambourine as if she never told us she had a broken toe. The night would conclude with one of the most poignant and heartfelt tributes one could ever dedicate to a dear lost friend. As Nicks began to sing the closing song, ”Landslide”, personal photographs of her and her late best friend and bandmate, Christine McVie, appeared on the screens over the stage. Fans held up lighters and cell phones and swayed along to the ballad which now seemed more of a story of love found and not lost. Wiping away my own teardrops as I fumbled to turn off my flashlight, I noticed I was not the only one overcome with emotion. Sometimes it takes a good couple of hours to come down from a good concert high, but this one took a couple of days. Seeing Stevie Nicks was part music therapy, part comic relief, and one of the best damn trips down memory lane I’ve ever taken. I only regret that I waited 30 years to experience the magic. Bowing to the audience, Nicks thanked the crowd “for being beautiful souls” and reminded us to take care and love ourselves.
