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Stevie Nicks - FAN REVIEWS
07/10/2012 Bank of America Pavilion
Boston, MA Cathy G&G Now, the show….she did a perfect blend of the old and the new, respecting that we want to hear our favorites while sharing with us her new and fabulous “In Your Dreams”. She spoke so honestly about each song as if we were just a few friends gathered in her living room, there was no pretense, in fact she spoke with humility, often with humor, and always with gratitude. She’s just an adorable person. But then….oh, but then…her intro to “Soldier’s Angel” (which, I confess, I had heard last year at the same place…but her telling of it is so honest and true that she told it again almost verbatim). Having the background made the song all the more poignant. She then went on to tell of a very special young man that she met at Walter Reed named Vincent. I have a lump in my throat right now as I retell this. Vincent was gravely injured and had a very long road ahead, with an amazing family by his side – who left everything to join him on his fight back from near death – and a very special angel. Stevie. The telling of this story was enough to bring us all to tears, told with pictures of Vincent and his family being projected on the screen behind the band. And then…in the silhouette off stage left you could see a line forming and you just knew before the spotlight hit them that it was going to be Vincent and his family and we collectively fell completely apart with emotion before she could even introduce them. When she did, Vincent received his deserved hero’s welcome in the form of a 2 minute long standing, screaming, crying, cheering ovation. He has suffered some brain damage and it took him a few seconds longer to make it to center stage. Stevie then introduced each member of his family – who we had just met onscreen a few minutes before. They each said “thank you” and then Vincent came to the mike…and received a repeat ovation…and concluded the moment with in a voice labored by brain damage, “she’s my best friend”. It took me well into the next song to stop crying. I completely fell apart. I wasn’t alone. I told my husband that she still gives us reasons to fall in love with her again and again. When I left her show last year I was so afraid that it might be the last time I got to see her, and what if she doesn’t tour again. I did not feel that way last night. As a matter of fact, I am sure that she will be out there performing and inspiring us for as long as she is humanly possible. For that we are extremely blessed. Thank you Stevie. Christine S. Summer Elaine Kathy G. Jim "Doc" N. …She came on with that regular general fury she still has, playing a cover – “Rock and Roll”, By Led Zeppelin, and after a few songs, she declared that she would play the songs ‘she wanted to play’ instead of the regular hits she always plays when touring. Well, it is ‘her show’. …Should be her choice as to what to play - If the choice were mine, she would still play all her songs, at least once, which would probably take several days of continuous enjoyment on my part, but complete exhaustion on the part of the band, crew, and hers… About half way through, she played “Soldier’s Mother”, and introduced a veteran she met in a wounded veteran’s Washington DC hospital some years ago, named “Vincent”. He walked out on the stage with his family. Stevie introduced them, and we were all very pleased to see his near full recovery. She encourages us to send whatever we can to the organization that helps these wounded veterans… http://www.operationward57.org/donate/donation-faq/ …Later the show continues, and that fury rages on, ending with “Edge of Seventeen”, and followed by “Love Is” for an encore – Want to know ALL the songs – Go to a show - You won’t be disappointed… After the closing bows (which included Vincent and his family), they were all walking offstage, and a fan caught Vincent, and shook his hand. That continued for a short time with more fans seeming refusing to let him go, and nearly pulling him off the front of stage. At that moment, Waddy and Stevie were walking past me, (they were ahead of Vincent) – I shouted, and pointed back - “Waddy – Stevie - Behind you – Vincent”… Waddy quickly turned around and recovered him from the front of the stage and the show closed completely, other that the regular rush of the crew breaking down the set. …As I often shout during the shows between songs when it seems appropriate: “Thank You”… …And thank you also, Al for letting me know why Lenny Castro was not onstage with the rest of the band – (He just came off a different tour)… …And thank you ALL – whom most of you are never seen, nor heard, but make live music possible… Trudga Dorothy In addition to her amazing music, her unique voice, her mystique, her magical presence and her love for her audience we got to meet one of the soldiers who survived serious brain trauma. Stevie had visited him at some of her many trips to Walter Reed Army Hospital. PFC Vincent Mannion and his family were introduced after Stevie sang Soldier’s Angel. This song is on her latest album In Your Dreams. But she had long given a copy of the comforting words to the countless soldiers she visited as well as, their families, doctors and nurses. Stevie’s poetry had helped to take away some of the soldier’s pain if just for a moment. She always knew she would record it as it was their song. It was beyond emotional as photos of Stevie visiting with Vincent and his family were shown as she sang the song. When Vincent and his family walked onstage they were greeted with wild and warm applause. Stevie spoke about how the support of his strong Irish family contributed so much to his recovery as they were not going to leave that hospital without him. Vincent, his mom, dad, and sister were all introduced by Stevie and each spoke to the audience. There was hardly a dry eye in the house as the emotion and joy of the moment along with the fear that it might never have happened just overwhelmed you. Vincent said to Stevie, You’re my best friend” and that spoke volumes about his love for and gratitude to Stevie. The concert itself was memorable as Stevie bravely sang six songs from her new album after announcing that this was not a “greatest hits tour” The new songs were Secret Love, Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream), Soldier’s Angel, of course, For What It’s Worth and Annabel Lee, my two favorites and Ghosts Are Gone. Stevie did a mesmerizing version of my classic favorite Gold Dust Woman. She opened with a cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll. Although I would have preferred Stevie’s In Your Dreams the song really rocked! In addition Enchanted, Dreams, Stand Back, Rhiannon, Leather and Lace performed with her vocal coach, Steve Real, and Landslide all were sung with the love and conviction that Stevie still has for these timeless songs. Stevie did Edge of Seventeen for her finale and at the conclusion walked across the front of the stage receiving gifts and flowers and shaking hands with her adoring fans. I can tell you I’ve had this honor of meeting Stevie at the stage many times and it is a thrill. This is a very special gift that Stevie gives to her fans. For the encore Stevie did Love Is and said that we could interpret it any way we want. She was chatty throughout the concert giving some background about many of the songs especially the new ones. At the conclusion once again Vincent and his family came onstage to enthusiastic applause and they all took the traditional bow with Stevie and her band. Stevie again thanked us for our support and especially for the way we welcomed Vincent. She said she would never forget this night and just how special it was to have Vincent there and for the reception he received. Stevie lingered at the stage waving to us and Vincent leaning over even shook hands with a few fans. Stevie ever caring and motherly said, “Be Careful” to him. It was an honor to be in the audience for this most memorable evening. Thank you, Stevie, for continuing to give your fans the joy which is you and your music. Timothy M. Thanks Stevie for another night of healing, rock on ancient queen. Ann R. Brandi N. I have been enthralled with this gypsy woman ever since I awoke to “Sometimes It’s a Bitch” blaring from my clock radio when I was 13. As a woman and a writer myself, I see Stevie as a role model. She struggled for years cleaning houses and waiting tables before joining the British blues band Fleetwood Mac with then boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham when she was 27, basically turning it on its ear. The group was looking for a guitar player, not a female lead singer and songwriter and only took her because Lindsey refused to join without his musical and life partner. The band figured that if she sucked they could simply sack her. At first no one took her very seriously and she had to work twice as hard to prove her worth as critics dismissed her as flaky and her voice as too raucous. During her second album with Fleetwood Mac, Stevie finally earned the respect she deserved when she penned the band’s only number one single, to date “Dreams,” and has since become the most successful and most beloved member of the seventies super group, much to the chagrin of former boyfriend Buckingham. Though successful and talented beyond comprehension, Stevie is far from perfect. Like every human being she is beautifully flawed, and she’s honest about it. As a nonfiction writer I appreciate when someone can take themselves to task just as much as they take everyone else. Stevie spent decades addicted to cocaine and painkillers. She had affairs and ruptured breast implants, and she’ll tell you about all of it. She’ll tell you all of the dirty details, her role in the chaos and how she dug herself out of hell with her bare hands and a little help from her friends. She takes all of the pain she’s walked through and turns it into teachable moments, and as a result she is a better artist, a better woman and a better mentor for the next generation of female musicians. In the fifteen years I have seen her in concert, I have never seen Stevie not completely covered from neck to feet, barely even a wrist showing, and I can’t imagine a more appealing or enchanting woman who oozes the natural allure that emanates from Stevie. After getting her head straight, Stevie started visiting wounded soldiers at Walter Reed hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. Most of these men weren’t even born when she was at the height of her fame snorting a hole through her nose the size of a quarter. Sure maybe they remember their parents rocking out to “Rhiannon,” but these wounded warriors have no idea who Stevie Nicks is, and that’s just fine with her. She brings them iPods loaded with her favorite music. She sits with them. She listens to them. She becomes their mother, sister and friend. After she first began visiting Walter Reed in 2007, Stevie wrote a poem turned song called “Soldier’s Angel” that appears on her most recent album, “In Your Dreams.” At the July 10, 2012 concert in Boston she gave a lengthy introduction to the song that included an onstage appearance by Vincent Mannion, a soldier with Traumatic Brain Injury whom she met during some of her first visits to Walter Reed. Mannion and his family walked onto the stage and embraced Nicks, and amid tears Mannion told the crowd that Stevie was his best friend. I have my own issues with war and the military because my father suffered severe post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning from Vietnam and died of alcoholism in 2008. What I can appreciate is Stevie’s commitment to fighting for the best care for these wounded soldiers without taking a stance on the war. No matter my opinion on combat, Americans returning from the trenches deserve the best care available and instead often receive worse care than stray animals, as was the case with my dad, and when he died and was buried in Arizona, I had my own white-winged-dove experience mirroring “The Edge of Seventeen.” One of the things I love about Stevie is that she’s real. Despite not living in the real world (as Tom Petty likes to remind her), she continues to make new music four decades into her career because that’s all she’s ever wanted to do. She doesn’t need the money or fame. She doesn’t care if she sells a single record. She does it because she loves it, and when you see her onstage, it’s obvious. She has given up everything for her art -- love, family and a good portion of her sanity -- but she’s not bitter. It would be easy for a woman to get angry about not being able to have it all the way a man can. Her male band mates have young children, an option she gave up a long time ago, because unlike men, women don’t have fifty or sixty years to decide that they’re going to have a family when they get around to it, and few men can withstand being with a powerful women who is always on the road and is more successful than he will ever be. Most men just aren’t this secure. For many women at the top, it’s one thing or the other. Despite all of her sacrifices, its clear Stevie has made the right choice. The world is a better place because she’s in it. She’s found out how to navigate and succeed in a man’s world on her terms, as a woman, and she’s an angel to people like Vincent Mannion and his family, and to little girls like me, who can see by her example that it’s okay to make mistakes, it’s better to keep your clothes on, and if you want something badly enough, there is no other option except to go out and get it. http://brandineal.com/brandineal.com/What_I_say/Entries/2012/7/11_Things_Ive_learned_from_Stevie_Nicks.html Christine D. Donna N. Experiencing Stevie's relationship with soldier Vincent and his family made the concert a once-in-a-lifetime event also, illustrating her timeless commitment to soldiers, dating back to Desert Angel and the first Gulf War. To those of you afraid you won't see Stevie in concert again, do not despair. She will tour until she can't possibly do it anymore. It's her life. It's why we love her so.
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