On December 5th, thanks to the generosity of a neighborhood friend, I was gifted two tickets to see the living legend that is Stevie Nicks at the Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert (the same venue where I saw the Eagles and Tears for Fears/Cold War Kids concerts earlier this year). Though I’ve been a long-time fan of both Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, I sadly have never before seen her nor Fleetwood Mac in concert, so it was a thrill to finally see her perform live. She toured earlier in the year from March through June, then later extended her tour, beginning with a show on October 1st at Madison Square Garden, that will conclude December 15th in San Francisco. She’ll resume her tour in February with a run of eight shows, ending with a rescheduled concert with Billy Joel in Arlington, Texas on March 9th.

On the most recent leg of her tour, Nicks was accompanied by the lovely Nashville-based Country singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress, who opened for her. A successful artist in her own right, Andress has released two albums, Lady Like in 2020 and Good Person in 2022, as well as several singles, two of which – “More Hearts Than Mine” and “Wishful Drinking”, a duet with Sam Hunt – reached the top 10 on the Billboard Country Songs chart. In late 2020, she was nominated for three Grammy Awards, for Best Country Song (“More Hearts Than Mine”), Best Country Album (Lady Like), and Best New Artist.

I couldn’t find a setlist for her 35-minute long performance, for which she was joined by a guitarist, but she sang eight songs, some while playing piano and some while standing, with a guitar as the only musical accompaniment. While I wasn’t familiar with any of her songs, I enjoyed them a lot, as well as her warm and engaging personality. She joked that all her songs are sad, and also mentioned how honored and thrilled she was to be opening for one of her biggest music idols.

I didn’t film her performing any of her songs, but here’s the video for her beautiful “More Hearts Than Mine”:

After a half-hour long break, Stevie Nicks’ band strolled onto the stage while Tom Petty and the Heartbreaker’s song “Runnin’ Down A Dream” blasted through the speakers. Nicks soon joined them to thunderous applause, upon which she launched into “Outside the Rain” from her hugely successful debut solo album Bella Donna, which was released in 1981.

As with any artist who’s been performing for as long as she has – nearly 50 years – I must admit that I had a bit of trepidation given that she’s now 75. But the moment she began to sing, her distinctive voice sounded as vibrant and strong as ever, albeit a bit huskier and deeper. Wearing a billowing dress that was black on top and silvery gray below, her mic stand festooned with her signature ribbons and beads, the still beautiful Nicks served up some of her best-loved hits with a her bewitching grace and stage presence. The graphics, photos and light displays behind the stage were fantastic, and some of the best I’ve seen at any concert.

Without missing a beat, she and her band immediately segued into “Dreams”, my all-time favorite Fleetwood Mac song, followed by her hit “If Anyone Falls” from her 1983 album The Wild Heart. She then welcomed everyone, thanking us for coming to her show, and reminisced about how she came to record “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty, who wrote and produced the track, which was the lead single from Bella Donna. She admitted that she’d had a bit of a crush on Petty, and spoke about how cool and down to earth he was.

In between songs, Nicks entertained us with both humorous and heartwarming stories and anecdotes from her long career, including her recollection of events that prompted Stephen Stills to pen the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth”; it wasn’t a political protest, but rather a bunch of young people who got too rowdy on Sunset Strip one night, resulting in the police coming to break things up. She sang the song, which she’d recorded a cover of last year (2022). She briefly left the stage after singing “Wild Heart”, then returned wearing the beautiful blue floor-length cape she wore for the album cover photo of Bella Donna. Before singing the title track, she recalled that her mother chided her for spending $3,000 on it at the time (1981), adding that it was worth every cent.

She later sang “Soldier’s Angel”, which she originally wrote for her 2011 album In Your Dreams, but felt it was relevant to the situation in Ukraine, particularly the suffering of Ukrainian troops by the Russian invasion. She ended her set with an electrifying performance of her iconic hit “Edge of Seventeen”. Her backing band and singers are outstanding, as evidenced in the final part of the song which I captured with my mobile phone:

When the song ended, Nicks and her band left the stage, but we knew they’d be back because she hadn’t yet sung one of her most beloved songs. When they reappeared, she performed “Free Fallin'” in a heartwarming tribute to Tom Petty, followed by her Fleetwood Mac song “Rhiannon”. She ended her show with an emotional performance of “Landslide”, dedicated to her fellow Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie, who passed away last year. Both “Free Fallin'” and “Landslide” were accompanied by numerous photos of the two late musicians, some of them featuring Nicks. She performed for two full hours, showing that age is just a number. As she and her band exited, McVie’s solo song “Got a Hold on Me” wafted over the departing audience on the Arena’s sound system. It was a perfect ending to a beautiful show.

I managed to capture “Landslide” in its entirety with my phone, and other than for the annoying phones of a few people in front of me partially blocking the view, the video I shot turned out pretty well I think.

Stevie Nicks setlist:

1. Outside the Rain
2. Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)
3. If Anyone Falls
4. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
5. Fall From Grace
6. For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)
7. Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac song)
8. Wild Heart
9. Bella Donna
10. Stand Back
11. Soldier’s Angel
12. Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac song)
13. I Sing for the Things
14. Edge of Seventeen

Encore:

15. Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)
16. Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac song)
17. Landslide (Fleetwood Mac song)