by Jim T.

The set was very elaborate. The stage backdrop had V shaped figures about 20 ft. tall that changed between red and blue hues. It gave the stage a mysterious appearance when the spotlights hit it. Above the stage on the left and right were video screens approximately 30 ft. by 30 ft. So viewing from our dinner table was very easy. The sound system was extremely advanced. The speakers were positioned above the entire ballroom so everyone could hear every pitch with accurate clarity. Stevie's name appeared on the video screen before the show started in a "brush script" style font. She appeared on stage and everyone stood and clapped. She looked really beautiful and happy! She started the show with "Enchanted" and the entire band sounded very technical and like a studio recording. When she broke into "Dreams" the entire Southern California crowd went wild. Her appearance reminded me of the FM days in the late 70's that I grew up listening to. She was charismatic and looked young again. Next came "Gold Dust Woman" (one of my personal favs) and her spaghetti strap dress covered by a red dress she was wearing prior to the song start morphed into black. Lanny Wadkins did an amazing job of riffing like Lindsey. She also sang "Stand Back" and other songs not familiar to most of the crowd...except for a group of Stevie fans that swayed back and forth dressed in lace. Sharon Celani was singing back-up with Mindy. Both looked moody but happy for their soul sister. Stevie's happiness showed through in every comment between songs. She insisted that everyone in the audience deserved to have the best time. The continual theme was "this show is for you." Indeed it was! Her piano player (name unknown) did a complex introduction to "Rhiannon" for at least 5 minutes. When Stevie started singing the opening lyrics the crowd erupted again. This time people stood and started dancing in their dresses and suits. She commented that "every audience makes the performance of Gold Dust and Rhiannon a little bit different." There was also a talented young Asian bongo soloist which then turned into a drumming session. She then played "Whole Lotta Trouble" and then she thanked the crowd for sharing her special evening. For encores, she did "Edge of 17" with a long riff session from Waddy and laser lights hitting the stage for a few minutes. She then sat down with him for "Landslide" which was reminiscent of "The Dance" video with less technical influence but similar soul. She finished the night with "Has Anyone Every Written Anything for You." Everyone gave her roses and by this time the magic of her night had drawn everyone to the stage in admiration. Wow. I was lucky to experience Stevie as many should.

A little while after dinner ended, they announced that the concert would start soon. In a couple minutes, the band came out, then Sharon and Mindy. They started to play Outside The Rain and then out walked Stevie!!! She had a big smile on her face and she looked fabulous! Everyone was screaming and clapping for her. She hugged Waddy and then went over to her microphone and started singing Outside The Rain. She sounded absolutely wonderful and I was just blown away that I was seeing Stevie Nicks! She was wearing the same dress she wore on VH1's Storytellers and I also noticed that she traded her usual platform boots for black platforms where the whole sole touched the ground with rhinestones on the front. They came up as high on high on her legs as her usual boots do. She also had a little crystal bindi in a cross shape on her forehead. There were two giant screens on either side of the stage, so everyone could see extremely well. Outside The Rain got much applause and moved right into Dreams without stopping. Dreams was beautiful and sounded perfect. Everyone was screaming and clapping for her. Stevie said "Thank you. This is your party so enjoy it." Then she said something about how it was raining here in San Diego and how they're having all those forest fires in Montana, so we should all pray for rain in Montana. She sang Enchanted next and it got the crowd psyched and excited. She looked like she was having a great time and really having a lot of fun singing. After Enchanted she went offstage for a second and when she came out she was wearing her beautiful gold shawl.

Gold Dust Woman (obviously) followed. It's one of my favorite songs and hearing Stevie sing it right in front of me just took my breath away. She got really into the song and it was awesome! While she sang Gold and Braid, I walked up and kneeled down right in front of the stage and I just couldn't believe Stevie was so close to me! At the end of the song I put the bouquet of roses I had bought for her that afternoon up on the stage. I don't think she saw them at first, but later on she picked them up and took them to the back of the stage. She went and put her red shawl on for Stand Back. Everyone was singing along and Stevie sounded terrific. I think she put her black cloak on for Rhiannon next, and before she sang it she said how she has sang it so many times and each time it has a different meaning. I was absolutely spellbound while she was singing it and she did the rock version and it was an absolute masterpiece. Everyone loved Rhiannon and then Stevie said "I'm going to introduce you to my band now because...what's a girl without a band?" she laughed. It was kinda funny because she hesitated on one or two names and she said "You can tell we're not doing this every night, ya know. I get so nervous when it comes to this part. I do know these people. Really, I do." she laughed. After the band intros, Stevie sang Whole Lotta Trouble as red and purple lights flashed on stage. The band totally rocked on this song and Stevie's voice was so powerful in certain parts of the song. Stevie dedicated Landslide to all of us and while she was singing I just wanted to cry. Stevie sang it so incredibly beautiful that it was perfect. She got a standing ovation and then she went backstage to change. The guitar was still playing and you could hear that Edge Of Seventeen would be next. White lights flashed onstage as Stevie came out in her white shawl. Edge Of Seventeen is one of the greatest songs and Stevie sang it with such phenomenal quality, as always. She totally rocked out on this one. Everyone absolutely loved it and she got a standing ovation again. Then she said something like "Everyone needs to dance one last dance in their life." (Everyone's screaming and clapping were so loud it was hard to hear.) She thanked us again and walked offstage. Everyone started chanting "Stevie" for her to come back out for the encore and when she did, everyone just ran up to the stage. I ran up and was right against the stage, which was only 2 and a half feet off the ground, so I was only five feet away from her. I was totally awestruck! She was singing a song called I Need To Know, and I've never heard of it before, so I'm assuming it's from the new CD. It sounded great and everyone was dancing.

Before the next song, she walked backstage again, and I could see she was putting on a white, lacey, glittery shawl. She came back and everyone was screaming "We love you Stevie" and someone took one of the table centerpieces and set it onstage and people started throwing roses at her (although I was the only one to give her a bouquet). As the last song, she sang Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You, and oh my God it was so astoundingly beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. She looked at me at one point during the song and I felt like she was singing only to me. When she was done, the band and everyone lined up to bow. Then she went and shook some people's hands on the other side of the stage and then she walked over to my side and came right up to me and smiled and shook my hand!!! Then I ran to be first in line at the backstage curtain because the guard told us earlier we might be able to get in. We waited for a while, and the guard finally let my mom and I backstage! There were a bunch of people standing around, and we weren't in there more than a minute before the same man who asked me to leave the sound check earlier, told me I would have to go back out. I was kinda bummed, but I still waited, and a little while later one of the kids that was backstage came out and gave me the guitar pick Waddy used that night! After an hour or so, they started taking down the backstage curtain so I left then. I rode to my room in the elevator with one of the crew guys who said Stevie had already left for home.

The next morning, the band was in the lobby getting ready to leave and they gave me one of the set lists they had used. Everyone I talked to that went to the concert loved it and thought Stevie did a great job. Seeing Stevie in such an intimate setting is something that happens once in a lifetime, and I feel so fortunate that I got to experience it. I couldn't have asked for a better concert and Stevie sounded so good that every single note she sang was perfect. My first time seeing Stevie in concert was the best night of my life, and I am so thankful my dream to see Stevie came true.

I've loved her music for so long, but nothing could have prepared me for the sheer magic of hearing it live. I just sat there with my mouth open, shaking my head, motionless in my seat. There were many times during the performance when I realized I hadn't taken a breath in a few seconds or I would come back to reality and realize that I had tears streaming down my face. Towards the end of the performance she managed to pull even stuffy pharmacists and business men to their feet and they began dancing. In between many of the songs she would duck of stage and change into a different shawl depending on the song. A white one, of course, for white winged dove, gold for gold dust woman and black for Rhiannon. On top of having an amazing seat they had TV screens located on both sides of the stage so that we could see her up close. Her skin is so flawless and her eyes look like they know so much, yet will tell very little. She had jewels on her forehead that added to the many other small touches that she's become known for. She had ribbons hanging off of her microphone, her tamborine, long black clothes and shimmery shawls. I don't think that I could get the image of her dancing and spinning out of my head if I tried for a million years.

She ended the concert with 'Has anyone ever written anything for you' and received a standing ovation.

After the performance as I walked out of the door I noticed a black drape hanging about where back stage should be with an exit sign. There were a few people hanging around with album covers and pens hoping for an autograph so I decided to give it a try. We waited for about 15 minutes when a couple women came out and said that they had seen her. They said she was in her incense-filled dressing room listening to 'Caribbean Queen'. I'm not sure how much of that is true though. There was also a rumor that she wasn't feeling well. After about a half an hour there was only me and three other girls there and then there was only me. I asked one of the stage managers if there was anything he could do, especially since it was only one person. He told me that if I went out the doors and to the side that she would be exiting there. So I ran out, hoping that I wouldn't miss her and then I saw her climbing into a Jeep Cherokee. Two girls ran up and got her autograph and I almost did. But when I got a couple feet away I noticed that she had her head in her hand and didn't look like she felt well so I stepped away and let them back up. When the car backed up it was positioned only a couple feet away and she turned (I swear she was looking at me) and waved.

I thought about it later whether I had any regrets. I realized early into the show that I could have brought my camera and didn't so I was kind of bummed out about that. But like I said, no picture could do what I saw justice. I also thought about whether I should have ran up to her and got her autograph or not. I'm thankful that I didn't. Instead of a forced signature I got a genuine acknowledgment from her. I could never have any regrets about that night it was the most enchanted, wonderful night of my life.

Encore:
I need to know
HAEWAFY

I have been such a Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks fan for years... my name is Stephanie, my dad wanted to name me after Ms. Nicks. So, when I got a call from my friend who was coming from Philadelphia and he had 2 extra seats at his conference... well you bet I said "YES!!!" to the invitation to join him. Stevie has had a lifelong impression on my musical tastes, and her music has many personal meanings to me. Her music has helped me through very personal hard times, and it meant a lot to be able to see her.

It was an incredibly intimate setting... very small. My only wish is that they would have had a dance floor so we could have gotten up sooner to dance. Stevie came out, looking radiant and happy. She sang strongly... and her band was incredible, especially the ladies Mindy and Sharon, they were amazing, lending their lovely voices to compliment Stevies perfectly!!! The gentleman in the band were so wonderfully in synch with Stevie, lending their musical geniuses to her soulful voice. She played so many of my favorite songs, and as she said - each one was unique to the audience to which she was playing to. This gave new meaning to songs for me.

After the show had ended, my two friends and I went by the back-side curtain in the hall foyer where she was playing at this Marriott ballroom. We waited for a while to see if she would come out to greet her waiting fans, but after a while it became apparent she was not going to come out from that exit. We decided to go outside to get some fresh air and I noticed a truck pulling around to the side in the back. From that point, I walked over and spoke to the security guards out there asking if she would make an appearance. They didn't seem to know much, so we waited for a little while longer. We spoke to a few people who were lucky enough to go backstage and meet with her in the "candle incense filled room" as they were leaving and the look of joy on their faces was priceless. They said she was in a great mood, and she was so very kind.

After a while, someone came out and pulled up this Maroon Ford Explorer and popped open the back hatch. Then one of her aides came out and loaded her shawls into the back of the Explorer. We got very excited, because we knew we'd get to at least wave to her. One of the guards mentioned to me she was staying at the Marriott for the night, and the Explorer was only to drive her to the other side of the hotel.

Then, the Lady of the night emerged... she walked gracefully to the side of the Explorer and got in. I approached her aide and asked if it would be possible to get an autograph. I did not want to see pushy about it, and the kind gentleman asked her "Stevie, can you do an autograph?" she said yes, turned and took my pen and the handbill from the AZ Heart Benefit 9/23/00 show I had from the wonderful artist Bob Masse, and then she turned to me. Stevie spoke to me and said "what is your name?" and I said "Stephanie... my dad wanted to name me Stevie after you." Then she said "well that's an easy one its MY name, your dad did name you after me!" So she signed it "Stephanie Nicks" and then realized she meant to put "To Stephanie". So she apologized for her error (??!! no need to apologize!!), and wrote "steph" and "love" down below, because "love is a good thing". I said "thank you so much Miss Nicks I appreciate it so much!". She handed my pen and handbill back to me and held my hand for a few moments, looking directly at me. It is a moment I will never forget... looking into her eyes... I then walked away from her and my friend who was with me approached and the aide said "Stevie, one more?" and she said "yes, where?" And so my friend too got to speak to her for a few moments. It was overwhelming for her... she cried a little bit... and Stevie told her "its okay". Quite an amazing night... she drove away, waving at all of the people standing there (the two of us, my friend from PA, and a couple standing about 20-30 feet behind us). We were speechless... filled with such a joy and gratefulness.

I am still in awe some 4 weeks later at that night. However, while reading these "reviews" I and my friend were dismayed to see someone feeling we got a "forced" signature from her (by "anonymous"). It must have been from one of the couple who were standing behind us, who asked us after she drove away to describe the experience of meeting Miss Nicks. I can only say she looked good to us, and we did ask the permission from her aide. We are not the type of people who are "autograph hounds" and had the aide said no, we would have respectfully walked to the side so we could wave to her. Also being the mother of two children, I am far from a "girl".

Thank you Stevie for one amazing night we will never forget... we love you!!!