Danielle
I attended this show with my friend Bryson. I had to drive 16 hours round trip to attend this show, but it was SO WORTH IT! We got to the Santa Barbara Bowl around 1:30PM because we didn't want to miss a second of Stevie action. Around 3PM she did her soundcheck, which started with "Fall From Grace." She also played "Outside the Rain," "Stand Back" and..... "LOVE IS." Bryson and I literally grabbed a hold of one another and danced around the parking lot in hysteria when we recognized it. That song is BY FAR the Stevie song that riles the most emotion out of me, so I knew that I was in for an interesting night.

Around 5:45, they opened the gates to the venue. Mia Dyson (who was a really incredible musician, by the way) started around 7:10. Stevie was onstage by about 8:10, which is much more promptly than usual if I remember correctly.

She started with "Fall From Grace" which was INCREDIBLE. She is sounding absolutely phenomenal; her voice is better than I've heard it in years. We were all allowed to rush the stage for that song, but then the ushers and security guards pushed us back for the rest. She then sang "Outside the Rain," which was also awesome. She did the entire "well Mick says, 'Stevie do not break the chain'" thing and was sounding both vocally strong and also just much more passionate about performing. By the end of "Outside the Rain," I realized that we were all in for a treat; Stevie was much, MUCH more passionate about performing than when I had seen her on the Unleashed tour last year. I expect that this was partially because she wanted to give her all to the little girl with a rare form of cancer whom the concert's proceeds benefited. Stevie just had a glow around her that night and it was easy to see that she really wanted to be there.

Then we had "Dreams" which beautiful but probably the least "exciting" song on the set along with "Landslide." We've just all heard Stevie sing those two songs at every solo and Fleetwood Mac show of all time. However, she quickly spiced things up again by singing Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me." First of all, it was great to hear Stevie covering any Tom Petty song that wasn't "I Need To Know." I arrived at the show feeling pretty convinced that she'd stick with her usual covers ("Crash Into Me," "I Need To Know," "The Circle Dance," etc.) but she really shook things up for this "Not a Tour" tour. She really knew how to work "You Wreck Me," so I think that song choice was excellent on her part. She performed "Gold Dust Woman" like it is done on her Soundstage DVD, including the eerie intro and the "baby baby baby"s at the end. "Rhiannon" was much, much better than the last few years in my opinion, and I give full credit to the amount of passion she had that night. She just really wanted to be there and sing. It was also done like on Soundstage.

During the band intros, I was able to move up in front of the stage since we were the only ones who knew the queue that it was okay to approach it (one of the great perks of flirting with the venue's security guards). I was literally RIGHT in front of Stevie. I had the best spot in the entire venue. Also, she was less than 10 feet away-- probably 7 or 8-- and the stage was low enough that I could comfortably lean against it with my arms. After the band introductions, she first did "How Still My Love" which was INCREDIBLE as always. It felt extra long for some reason, too, and I was having the time of my life because I absolutely adore that song and I was in touching distance of Stevie. hen she played "Edge of Seventeen"-- again, better than usual, even adding some Red Rocks vibes to it by changing the chorus to "singing it to ya!".

During the "Edge of Seventeen" walk, I really wanted to say something to her although I knew that she probably wouldn't stop to listen to anyone speak to her, nor would she be able to hear me if I tried. So when she got to me, I wasn't all that prepared... however, she seemed to have noticed that my friend and I were the only two people dancing like maniacs in her immediate vision, so she actually looked down at me specifically when I took her hand. I embraced the moment, taking both of her hands in mine and without thinking, I just said to her (she leaned down to listen), "I have loved you since I was less than two years old and I will love you forever." She looked at me with a face of HILARIOUS surprise (she had a total "whoa!" look on her face) and squeezed my hand and said, "thank you, thank you so much" with a big smile and a squeeze of my hand before moving on. The last time I had touched Stevie's hand was when I was nine years old, and she said some really beautiful things to me while hugging me that I will never, ever forget. Therefore, I was absolutely thrilled to relive that experience and it was a really emotional moment for me.

She then performed "Rock N' Roll" and "Love Is" for her encore. She sang it with only a pianist and the backup singers, so it was a beautifully simplified version of the "Love is" on Trouble in Shangri-La. That song has a tendency to rip me up because of my overwhelming history with it, so I was immediately crying. She started to sing it and I was just 10 feet away from her and bawling. She, too, was very near tears by the end of the song (she announced it to the audience) and I think that she felt a real connection to that song and the audience that night.

The band lined up and said their goodbyes. Definitely the best Stevie-related show I've ever been to.

Mike
Stevie Nicks show at the Santa Barbara, California County Bowl (Aug 4, 2010) was a hit. She sounds as adorable as ever and looks the part. She is truly my favorite female artist on the planet. Stevie took command of the stage and the audience. Some were in tears singing along with her on every song. Mothers & young teenage daughters bonded with each lyric. It was Mesmerizing.

This fan saw her in Santa Barbara in the late 70's at UCSB foot ball stadium and she still has the magic to win you over. Still sounds fantastic. I hope to see her again in the future and look forward to the new album she is currently working to complete. Best wishes to the daughters in their introduction to the queen. keep it live......

Roo
Stevie was Amazing!!! I've seen her about 7 or 8 times, but this show was by far the best I've seen! She looked gorgeous (and in great shape)! Her energy was great, and she seemed to have a good time, and chatted with the audience more than usual. Her voice was strong and clear...just a great show and I wish it would have lasted longer! On a very sweet note, the show was dedicated to a little girl named Cecelia who has some kind of medical issue (Stevie didn't elaborate), and I believe that the proceeds of the concert went towards this little girl (again, Stevie was very gracious and didn't expand too much). Stevie and her band are a class act! Thank you for a beautiful night in Santa Barbara...magic!

Bryson
My good friend Dani and I just back from the show. It was absolutely incredible. We had 8th row seats but eventually made our way, front and center, hands touching the stage, right in front of our girl Stevie. Dani and I have been long time chiffonheads since we were.....babies, practically. My very good friend and neighbor, Sara Fleetwood, was coming with us but then had something come up, so she didn't make it....which made us sad because Sara is just hilarious and we would have had so much fun. HOWEVER....we had an amazing time with just the two of us. This is how the night went.....

Dani and I arrived like...5 hours early because we felt like hearing the soundcheck which was pretty darn exciting. Once the gates opened, we hurried to find our seats and wait it out. The opening act was Mia Dyson, who is like KD Lang and Elvis combined, which made for good music. We rocked out with her for about 20-30 mins, then she was done, then we waited for Stevie....like our poor little hearts couldn't take it, ha. I'm pretty sure Dani and I were the most excited people there, and I'm also sure everyone else would say that along with how annoying we were.

When Stevie came out, she was absolutely beautiful. She opened with "Fall From Grace", which makes me smile because it's one of my all time favs (and treadmill songs). She made some cute/funny remarks during the show, like about her red shawl that looked new, but apparently is actually "old" and how back in the day it was too short because her boots were too high but now it's too long....or something along those lines. I think I just messed that up. Nonetheless, it was funny as hell. And then she dedicated "Landslide" to the little girl, Cecelia, for whom she was donated the profits for the night. It was pretty intense. But Stevie looked happy and energetic and just overall in good spirits.

"Rhiannon" is my all time favorite and she really delivered. It was very similar to the Soundstage version, which I love, and "How Still My Love" almost made me cry with happiness because thats one of m favs from Belladonna.

The best was saved for last. "Love Is". Need I say more? Has she ever done this live? I'm not sure, but I was sure glad to be standing in front of her for it. You could see the real emotion in her eyes and she even mentioned how difficult it was to hold it together for that one. Prior to that, she covered "Rock and Roll" and one of Tom Petty's called "You Wreck Me", which also was pretty damn on point.

I know I speak for most everyone when I say we really appreciate this mini tour...which isn't supposed to be a tour, ha, but we really do. It's beautiful to see Stevie doing this for this little girl who might not otherwise have the financial means for what is going on in her life. Stevie is an amazing artist, poet, and just a beautiful person in general. I've always felt that way about her, but something about the show last night just proved that even more. When she did the "Edge" walk, she held on to Dani and mine's hands and we literally had tears streaming. Her presence is incredible and I definitely urge others to see the other shows if they can make it. Oh, and ps, and made mention of working on the new album....which makes us smile :-)

(Also--props to Sharon and Lori because they sounded and looked fabulous, and also kudos to Waddy, Jimmy, and Al who also rocked the stage. Everyone was just so energized and pumped for this show. LOVE IT.)

Tara
When Stevie Nicks announced her 8/4/10 concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl a few months ago, I knew I was going. Her music and lyrics have captured and entertained me for as long as I can remember. Her clothing and story had created a huge band of gypsy loving tambourine followers and I was one of them. Taking a short break from writing and recording music for her seventh solo album, Nick’s hand-picked Santa Barbara as a tour stop in a small list of five west and east coast venues.

The 62 year old the veteran gypsy singer dazzled an audience of hardcore fans with classic hits such as “Rhiannon,” The Edge of Seventeen” and “Landslide” at the Santa Barbara Bowl concert in Santa Barbara, Ca. Female fans showing their support for Nicks were seen throughout the venue wearing shawls and gypsy garb. Leave it to the songstress/ songwriter Nicks, the hills overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a young girl with cancer to create a night of timeless musical magic.

Similar to the lyrics from “If You Ever Did Believe,” the audience was both captivated with Nicks dressed in her “timeless” signature black renaissance/rock finery and a young girl in the audience battling cancer. Nicks donated her night’s salary to go towards paying hospital bills for a young family friend, Cecilia, who was in the audience with her family that evening. This is what had brought Nicks to Santa Barbara to perform and she dedicated the show to the girl announcing “this is Cecilia’s house tonight.” Nicks has known eight year old Cecilia for almost five years. Cecilia was diagnosed a couple months ago with a very rare cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer. She has one more week of radiation, and she will be in chemotherapy, according to an interview by “The Santa Barbara Independent.”

In between writing and recording a new album, veteran gypsy singer and songwriter Stevie Nicks was able to sneak in a mini summer concert tour. “You should do the tour because you could pretend that you worked all year,” Nick’s manager convinced her.

Santa Barbara is a town built on non-profit and community causes and the audience showed their spirit for Nicks and her young friend Cecilia throughout the evening under a star filled sky.

Although I was at the concert reliving my journalism days, I could not abandon my eternal “fan” status. I hung close to the stage throughout the concert as both a gypsy loving groupie and an open minded critic. Staying true with the times, I filmed some of my favorite Nicks songs including “Sorcerer” and “Dreams.” Wearing a flowing Stevie inspired dress, scarf and high heeled boots I felt right at home even after the steep hill climb to the venue. Throughout the evening I hung near the stage, shot video footage and took in the amazing sounds and crowd.

With a five piece band including her sister in law Lori Nicks, Nicks transitioned between fifteen hand selected songs effortlessly and with the energy of a 25 year old. Wearing her signature renaissance style platform boots and numerous shawls from her days in Fleetwood Mac including a metallic gold shawl representing “Gold Dust Women,” Nicks flowed throughout the stage with her signature dramatic movement and enchanting voice. At specific moments, Nicks would disappear behind the instruments and band to raise her arms covered in a symbolic shawl to channel the wings of a bird as in “The Edge of Seventeen.”

Throughout the concert, the ever changing set backdrops complimented each song and included bold images of white winged doves, lightening bolts and album inspired images.

The evening ended with an enchanting performance of “Love Is.” Nicks and her band graced the stage and bid farewell to Santa Barbara with a big “thank you.”

“I’m doing lots of interviews and stuff. I’m longing for the days of getting up, not having to put on makeup, doing my hair and just going to the studio,” proclaimed Nicks in a past interview yet she just keeps going.

As reported Stevie Nicks and Dave Stewart of the Eurhythmics are working together on songs for a new album to break sometime this year or early 2011.

The new album will surely entertain and capture the ears and hearts of Nick’s huge band of gypsy music followers and live in the mind of a special fan, little Cecilia. The set list for the 8/4/10 Santa Barbara Bowl show was as follows:

• Fall From Grace
• Outside the Rain
• Dreams
• You Wreck Me
• Sorcerer
• Gold Dust Woman
• If Anyone Falls
• Face the Promise
• Rhiannon
• Stand Back
• Landslide
• How Still My Love
• Edge of 17
• Rock and Roll
• Love Is

Renia
Ahhhh.. The wonderful gift that is Ms. Stevie Nicks!

I attended the fabulous show in Santa Barbara and let me just tell you the whole band ROCKED!! All of the performers put their heart and soul into this show which was a benefit for a young friend of Stevie's with a rare disease.

Aside from a couple of sound tech issues (which Stevie quickly rendered!), we couldn't have asked for a better show. The night was gorgeous, the location was magnificent and the performers gave it their all.

I especially loved the percussionist and drummer set they had all to themselves-Ye-ow!! Lori and Sheri, the back up singers looked so happy to be there and are terrific performers in their own right. The piano player was fantastic and Stevie mentioned they did a 15 minute rendition of Rhiannon together- I sure hope they recorded that one! The bass player had a perma-grin all night and really enjoyed rockin' us out! And Mr. Waddy Wachtel- what a rock star! Thank you all soo much!

As for the graceful, eloquent and gorgeous Stevie, we were able to witness what a witty, funny and down-to-earth person she really is. I've never seen a performer of her caliber well up with tears and try and compose herself as she did with her song "Love Is". Her songs come from somewhere deep down within and that must be why we all relate with her so well.

I had the rare opportunity to hand Stevie a lavender bouquet during the infamous Edge of Seventeen set. And after a quizzical look on her face, she realized what it was and turned to me with the most sincere look and beautiful smile and said "Thank you". No Stevie, thank YOU for the wonderful gift you've given to all of your fans for all of these years. We truly appreciate you!