[The Nicks Fix]

July 31, 1998: Irvine Meadows - Irvine, CA

from Michael Palomares - Huntington Beach, Ca
Just got home from seeing Stevie in concert and as always she looked and sounded great!!!!. I was lucky enough to get a good seat for this concert, she talked to us quite abit about the songs she was singing & that she was glad to be back in sunny California. During one song she actcidently hit the microphone and it started to fall over but she grabed it before it hit the stage at the end of the song she turns to one of the band members and says "Great Catch". This is the best she souned in awhile, and it looked as if she was having doing what she loves doing performing for us.
from Brigette - brigette@worldnet.att.net
"...So I'm back..." and a memory is all that is left for me now. But I saw my gypsy! And you guys, I made it up to the stage and gave her the Sulamith Wulfing book once again! It was so funny, because her face lit up and it was a deja vu. And I go into some far-off land, being that close to her, therefore it's difficult to find or remember words. "...but words don't matter, they don't matter at all..." I think I told her to "hang onto it this time! don't forget!" and I smiled and said "love you!" And again, you know, the lights come up and my lonely book still sits upon the stage. I just had to laugh over the whole predicament. My mom had gotten the main dude (security) to make sure it will get to her, which he was in the process of doing when Alas! - a crew guy swiftly picked it up and went off with it backstage. yea! yahoo! I could have danced for joy! Thank you crew guy! Gotta say that it was wonderful being able to see Michael McDonald too...with that sexy voice and those brilliant blue eyes. And "minute by minute" we held on for Stevie. This Southern Californian crowd made me proud too, for we were ALL dancing and singing and rockin' away...and thank goodness, no stage hopping, no imbeciles, no drunken disasters. I actually got to enjoy every single moment. The stage was rushed right after "Rhiannon".....and me, I didn't see the crowd, nor did I see the band - my eyes never left Stevie (you can understand) ...So a thanks is in order, once again, to my friend Dawna, for waking me up to the "get up there!" moment, which came early and unexpectedly. I don't think there was lightning during "Twisted", and I do know that the winds didn't come up, as Stevie pointed out as she sang the line. "Has Anyone Ever Written..." usually does bring tears to my eyes, but this time it brought a strong smile that I still wear. And I know that all of you reading this know that smile, as well as the love, warmth, and understanding whence it came. We are blessed, having her with us in this world. I don't want to get all mushy (too late, for now I have smiling tears), so I'll quit it. - And I'm being good this time - keeping it short. Just want to thank STEVIE! and All of You, and Dawna, my mom & dad, and Jim Ladd too (klos) - he's been the best! Take Care! And keep that smile!
from John - rockalittle@webtv.net
Stevie Nicks has truly come to full circle..After last year's HUGE Fleetwood Mac reunion,Ms. Nicks is currently touring with her own band in support of her new ENCHANTED,3 cd box set.My seats were 1st row center,and worth every penney! Playing to a crowd of around 10,000,Stevie put on one of her best solo concerts in years! Not only was her voice in fine tune,but she has slimmed down,and looked very healthy and happy. In the 21 Nicks shows I have attended,she has NEVER been so open and chatty with her audience. She acted as if she were visiting old friends,taking us down memory lane with her. Opening with her standard "Outside the rain/Dreams",she welcomed everyone to the show,explaining how special this tour was,and how she had the rare chance to sing us songs never before performed live,such as her wonderful "Unplugged" set which included the songs,"Rose Garden","After the glitter fades","Garbo"(a B side from the Stand Back single) and "Sleeping Angel'(From the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack). Let me stress again how happy she looked,and excited she was about doing these songs! And the crowd loved it too! It is amazing to see how loyal and strong her fan base has remained! She rocked us through "Golden Braid', "Enchanted" and did a beautiful version of "Landslide",which sounded great even without Lindsey!! She had a blast doing "Stand Back",which set the place in a frenzy! At the song's climax,she kicked her boot high above her head,and went into a twirl,and knocked the Microphone over,and sweetly smiled and picked it up,which was rather cute! She did an awesome version of "Twisted," combining both the original version with the demo version on Enchanted,turning it into a killer live performance,complete with her trademark wandering and tambo playing! As always,"Edge of 17" rocked hard,and I was lucky to have already pressed myself up to the stage a few songs earlier,as fans RUSHED the stage as "EDGE" began! Stevie really sang it like she meant it,blending hard edge vocals with an intence spiritual performance! She also did her reference to The Artist(formally known as Prince),screaming,"I know what it sounds like when doves cry", at the end of the song,then made her way through the 1st row on the lip of the stage,shaking hands and collecting presents(ALOT!!) I had left the tambo I was going to give her in the car,so I had to be content with holding her soft,petite,little hands. May I add,she is even prettier,and younger looking in person...She looks closer to 30ish than the 50 years old that she is! After thanking everyone,she came back out and did a KILLER version of Tom Petty's "I need to know" which has become a standard live cover for her! The end of the show finally came with "Has anyone ever written anything for you",which she sang with such feeling and heart! Stevie Nicks,rocked,twirled and enchanted us with her wonderful tour,and proved once again she is the Queen of Classic Rock! A living legend she is, with her spellbinding lyrics,unique volcals,and her trademark clothes..There will NEVER be an artist like Stevie Nicks,and we love her for that! Her band sounded increadible,and longtime back-up singer and friend,Sharon Celani looked as gorgeous as ever,sounding great,especially on her "Ohh baby" part in "edge"..Also singing back-up was a pretty blonde named,Mindy Stein,who sounded very nice as well. Micheal McDonald opened the show,and gave us a surprisingly good 50 minute set,combining his well known solo hits,as well as some Doobie Brothers faves.   NOTE: This review will also be posted soon on my website,at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Backstage/7910/stevie.html
from BluGraEyes
I don't really know what to say. It seems that everything that can be said about Stevie has been said. She is just so ........... I love her. The show was so powerful, and moving, and passionate. Sometimes I feel her voice can solve all the problems of the world. And I think she is more beautiful than she has ever been, I don't just mean in the last few years. I look at pictures of her when she was younger and she was gorgeous, but I still think she is more beautiful than she has ever been. I drove 400 miles to see her in Irvine and after the show the next day I actually started driving another 400 miles to see her at Shoreline north of San Jose, but when I got to the north side of LA I knew I had to turn around and go home, I didn't actually have tickets, although I'm sure I could have gotten them at the venue, but I had also told my wife that I would be home the day after the Irvine show and I didn't want to upset her. She already thinks I'm being really immature going on about a rock star like I'm 15 and I can actually understand what she means, but I just don't know what it is about Stevie that makes me act like this. I mean it really is quite silly for a 36 year old married man with 3 kids to be so wrapped up in a star personality. I really don't like overused cliches, but maybe she really is the poet in my heart, she touches places in my heart that haven't been moved since I was young, places that hurt, places that rejoice, places that cry with delight as well as the reality of life. It was just so wonderful to be in the same place as Stevie. And her fans are so great, they love her so much. Most of you who follow these reviews have seen the show or read numerous reviews, so there is nothing I can really tell you about the show. There was not one disappointment for me in the show. The set and lighting were so well done and the sound was great. One thing that really impressed me that I haven't heard too many people really rave about is the drum solo before Edge, WOW was that powerful. Also I have never heard Stand Back rock so hard, really super, the place was just shaking. It is so sad when the show is over, because I don't know when I will see her again. Hopefully in a year she will have a new album and be touring again. Oh, and in all this rambling if you missed it I really liked the show! Another note I have to add, because it is such a positive experience and such a great reflection on Stevie Nicks fans. When I left Phoenix for this show, I purposely did not make detailed plans for the trip, I wanted the weekend to be a free flowing adventure with enough flexibility to accomodate anything that might come along. I hadn't been to Southern Cal since I was 12 years old, so when I got to town I asked at a service station about beaches, looking for a quiet one near Irvine where I could listen to some music and feel, see and smell the beauty of God's creation. I went to Laguna and completely enjoyed the scene for about two hours before heading out to Irvine Meadows. Nice venue with a great sound system. Met Fawneyes from the board before the show and she was so sweet, I was so glad she said hi to me when I was walking in. After I was seated for a few minutes a young married couple came and sat next to me, notice I said young married couple, they were the same age as my wife and I. We started visiting and they were so nice, we talked about families, jobs, life histories and of course Stevie. When they found out I was from Phoenix and had driven in just for the concert they were intrigued and wondered where I was staying. I told them I wasn't sure yet, that I may just crash at one of the beaches or I might just head up north after the concert and get some pictures along the Pacific Coast Highway in the morning on my way to Stevie's next concert. We rocked together throughout the show and had a great time. After the show we walked out together and talked for about an hour in the parking lot until security told us it was time to clear the parking lot. Then we decided to go to a restuarant, but I no more than followed them a 100 feet out of the parking lot and they pulled over and asked if I would just like to come and crash at their house for the night. Isn't that unbelievable, we had only known each other for about 3 hours and here they were inviting a stranger to their house. I know that most people would say they were crazy for inviting and I was crazy for accepting, but I see it totally as an act of kindness and a heart open to the possibilties of extending a welcoming spirit to a stranger. They treated me so wonderful and it left me with a heart full of encouragement the next day. We walked together in the morning and they made me breakfast and I helped them move a sofa sleeper. It was a good feeling, a feeling like this is the way we are all suppose to be with one another. Since then I've been calling them my Sheltering Angels because of what they did for me and because of where we met and how much Stevie likes and incorporates angels in her work. Well I know this has been long, but I thought it was such a cool story I just wanted to share it.
from Jessica Sampson
Irvine was wonderful, the light on the set of the stage was magical, it was the most beautiful light show I have ever seen. Purples and greens and pinks and all the colors that make you feel so good. Stevie sparkeld in the night, with her glitter all around her, she was great. She wasnt quite as talkative as she was at the Universal show but she rocked out more in Irvine. You could tell that she loved it when the audience sang along with her and a couple of times she didnt come in quite when she was suppose to come in so she could hear the audience singing, it was wonderful. I didnt want it to end, like I said before it has all been said about Stevie, her beautiful cape/jacket that she wears at the end of the show is awesome! Taupe colored but shiney and flowing, it was great for "edge of seventeen". It seemed like her voice was a little tired she is winding down on the tour so of course it is tired, I dont know how she does it. At the end of Stand Back she kicked up her leg 3 times! Wow! Rose Garden was beautiful as well, when she held out her hand and said"I have all these things but a small gold band on my finger" it was kind of sad, but none the less very good thanks Stevie, your the only one who can do what you do!
from Amy
"Welcome Irvine!!!"..........were her opening words....the lady never stopped for 2 hours........another Enchanting evening...........what a night, what can I say? She was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think if any, this show is the only one to come close to the energy at Universal, San Diego was kinda mellow, but last night OMG!!!!!! Stevie rocked the house, I haven't seen so many people since the Fleetwood Mac tour last year!!! She kept saying how great it was to be home as well.

You know all the songs, but there were some highlights, like during "Stand Back" when she started to really dance hard at the end and as she went into a spin, over went the mic! She caught it tho before it hit the ground and said "Good catch!" It was so cute......She still did the kick tho, actually a few kicks......U could tell she was in great spirits......I was in the 13th row for most of the evening, until the last 3 songs when I ended up sitting with my friends from Canada in the 4th row. There was no special guest other than the keyboard player's dog at the final bow, at which point Stevie did a DOUBLE TAKE and said, "Hey! Where's MY DOG????" It was so cute, I was laughin so hard......I'm bummed my 3 shows have come and gone, but now I look forward to next year..........Rock on my Lady! Forever Enchanted, Amy


from Teri
Well, another great Stevie concert night. I don't know if I can say anything that hasn't already been said. The woman rocks! She was as comfortable and all smiles as ever, with a "Thank you very much" at the end of every song to a screaming audience, which stood and danced for the entire show (save for the trilogy).

How do people get those seats in the pit??!! I don't know, but I was in the 5th row, right behind. I was fortunate enough to get down to the front on the Edge of Seventeen, despite the determined security bouncer, who once he saw that there were many others behind me heading downstage said, "Oh shit!". Although I had beautiful flowers to give to Stevie, she didn't seem to be taking flowers this time, unlike she did at Universal and most of the other shows. But, I did get to shake her hand!

I would like to say something different than all the fans who wrote in with the experience of touching the hand of Stevie Nicks, but it is this experience; I could not believe it was happening, it was surreal, her hand was soft and warm, when she looked at me, I was in a trance, and it could have been 30 seconds or several minutes, I lost track of time.

Kevin Stoller was out on the stage a few minutes after the road crew started cleaning up, talking to some ladies, and I gave him the flowers and asked him if he would P-L-E-A-S-E! give the flowers to Stevie...he said, "I'll see what I can do". For this night in Irvine, this was enough for me. She plays Mt. View tonight, and then Concord the next night, so I'm sure she just wanted to get on the road, and there's more in store for us in the future, I know. This band is tight, and they seem like a happy band playing together. I think that they had as much fun as we did watching and listening - great job! I saw a couple of friends after that, who said that I was, "beaming". Yes, it was a very good night. I wish I could be a part of every show.


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