My Tribute to Stevie Nicks

June 23, 2008

What can be better than a 13th inning walk off homer by the Red Sox Kevin Youkilis? In this case it’s an unforgettable Stevie Nicks concert at the Bank of America Pavilion on June 22nd. Both were on the same day to boot and it was an amazing one at that. On a beautiful summer evening when Stevie took the stage in Boston, she owned it. From the intoxicating opening sounds of Stand Back to the plaintive ending sounds of Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You, Stevie gave her all to each and every song – not bad for someone who turned 60 years old on May 26th. Her commitment to her music and her intensity delivering it are unparalleled.

Stevie Nicks is a survivor one who battled serious addiction to both cocaine and prescription drugs and came out victorious at the other end. I’ve always admired people who overcome their demons. At the same time I’ve loved Stevie’s voice since her days with Fleetwood Mac when I first heard Rhiannon, “Would you stay if she promised you heaven; will you ever win…dreams unwind; love’s a state of mind.” Rhiannon is just one of Stevie’s many alter egos. These include my favorite Sara, “Stay with me awhile said you’d give me light but you never told me about the fire…all I ever wanted was to know that you were dreaming…” My other favorite Gold Dust Woman, “Heartless challenge; pick your path and I’ll pray…is it over now – do you know how; pick up the pieces and go home.” Then there is Gypsy, “She is dancing away from me now…and a memory is all that is left for you now…” From Tusk the haunting Angel, “Sometimes the most beautiful things, the most innocent things, and many of those dreams pass us by…and to those that I love like a ghost through a fog, like a charmed hour and a haunted song and the angel of my dreams.” From the only number one song Fleetwood Mac ever had Dreams, “But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness, like a heartbeat drives you mad, in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost…it’s only me who wants to wrap around your dreams…”

For ever so many people their best loved song is Landslide, “What is love, can the child within my heart rise above, can I sail through the changing ocean tides, can I handle the seasons of my life, well I’ve been afraid of changing ‘cause I’ve built my life around you…” If anyone remembers when the band reunited for The Dance in 1997you’ll know how unforgettable Stevie’s performance was of her break up song with Lindsey Buckingham called Silver Springs, “Time cast a spell on you, you won’t forget me…I’ll follow you down ‘til the sound of my voice will haunt you, you’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you…” Chills!

It’s easy to recall all these memorable poetic lyrics. Here are some from Stevie’s solo career. From her 1981 break out album Bella Donna we have After the Glitter Fades, “We all chase something and maybe this is a dream…even though the living is sometimes laced with lies it’s alright, the feeling remains even after the glitter fades…” The song Stevie ends her concerts with and greets her fans at the stage with is Edge of Seventeen, “And the days go by like a strand in the wind in the web that is my own I begin again…with the words from a poet and the voice of a choir and a melody nothing else mattered…” The song Stevie wrote when her best friend, Robin, died of cancer was Nightbird, “And when I call will you walk gently through my shadow…and the darkened eyes through the net of the face in the darkness it’s hard to see her face…” My favorite song from The Wild Heart album is Sable on Blond, “What was it that fell, was it one fallen leaf like the feather that it was, was it freedom by choice or… was it love, was in thorn in your side, something that you hide, something you can’t touch because it hurts too much…just how deep do you hold that dream in your hands each night…” Stevie has many fans in the military and has often visited the veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. She ended her encore last night with a montage of emotional scenes from the Iraq War and with the singing of the remarkable Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You, “In all your darkest hours have you ever heard me sing, listen to me now, you know I’d rather be alone that be without you…and the rain comes down, there’s no pain and there’s no doubt, it was easy to say I believed in you every day…” The last eleven words were often posted in my classroom of 4th Graders for inspiration as were other lyrics such as, “All I ever wanted was to know that you were dreaming…”

It is truly mind-blowing to be able to sustain two careers simultaneously, one solo and one with Fleetwood Mac. Such is Stevie’s devotion to her fans and that love is returned to her in kind and more. I will not soon forget Stevie’s heart-felt, joyful performances and her ethereal, thought provoking and yes haunting lyrics. Having seen her, I imagine one hundred times or more, I always appreciated how her music could take me away. I recall a concert in Atlantic City just a few days after 9/11 and how we her fans were helping each other through the pain of that catastrophic event with the beauty of her songs and the magic that is Stevie Nicks. That evening I was fortunate enough to be at the stage and to have a little moment with Stevie when she shook my hand. Thank you, Stevie Nicks for the timelessness of your songs and the wonder of your presence on stage. "You're the poet in my heart, never change, never stop..." You are a true and brilliant artist.

Post Script: About the photo of Stevie Nicks - I took it at an outdoor concert outside of Seattle, WA on May 27, 1990. I love the wistful look on Stevie's face as she greets the audience.