Stevie Nicks is known for her distinctive voice, charismatic stage presence, and poetic songwriting. Her performances have a magical and ethereal quality that complements the dreamy and mystical nature of her music.
Saturday night’s show at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore was no different. Stevie was in fine voice and appeared to be in a good mood, joking around with the audience while telling stories about her songs and various events throughout her life.
Prior to singing “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” Stevie revealed that she loved Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and would go all fan girl around them. She had wanted to work with Tom, but she wasn’t sure if he would want to work with her.
Petty had written the song for himself and the Heartbreakers, but his producer Jimmy Iovine (who was also dating Stevie at the time) wanted to see what Stevie could do with it. The result of the duet between Stevie and Tom was a No. 3 Billboard smash in 1981 and to this day a mainstay of Stevie’s sets, and the show on Feb. 17 was no different.
Joining her onstage was her longtime guitarist and producer, Waddy Watchtel, who provided the guitar histrionics that her old flame, Lindsey Buckingham used to play but with much less personal drama and heartache. The two obviously enjoyed each other’s company and played off each other splendidly.
Stevie clearly loves being back out on tour and she would toss in a couple of shawl swirling twirls at the end of several songs, all to screams of delight from her enthusiastic fans.
Another lovely story Stevie told the packed arena, was about the song, “Gypsy.” Whenever she felt she was becoming too full of herself as a member of the massively famous Fleetwood Mac, she would take the mattress off her bed and put it on the floor, covering it with scarves and pillows. She would then sit on the mattress, repeating to herself “I am still Stevie.” She says she still does this regularly, in all her houses, to stay grounded.
Watch Stevie Nicks perform “Gypsy” live for Rolling Stone on YouTube:
Stevie’s storytelling ability added a personal touch to the concert experience for her fans.
The main body of the 17-song set was filled with all the hit songs from her solo albums and the massively popular Fleetwood Mac songs that she sang lead on. Stevie mixed in several cover songs.
Stevie’s concerts are not just about the music; they also showcase her unique fashion sense. Throughout the night, the video screens showed images of dreamcatchers and lace and raindrops and doves. It was all so Stevie with her gypsy queen persona and her beautiful dresses, knee high boots, and shawls. Looking around, one could see her fashion choices were being emulated by a good portion of the audience.
During the encore, a sweet-sounding cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” was followed by the song most closely identified with Stevie, the magical and bewitching “Rhiannon.”
The final song of the evening was a melancholy version of “Landslide” that Stevie touchingly dedicated to her long time Fleetwood Mac partner, Christine McVie.
During the song, photos of Christine and Stevie from over the years were displayed on the video screen behind the band and after the song ended, many fans were wiping tears from their eyes as they filed out of the arena and into the cold, winters night.
Setlist
1. Outside the Rain
2. Dreams
3. If Anyone Falls
4. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
5. Fall From Grace
6. For What It’s Worth
7. Gypsy
8. Wild Heart
9. Belladonna
10. Stand Back
11. Soldier’s Angel
12. Gold Dust Woman
13. Leather and Lace
14. Edge of Seventeen
Encore
15. Free Fallin’
16. Rhiannon
17. Landslide
Stevie Nicks 2024 Tour Dates:
02/10 — Atlantic City, NJ @ Mark G Etess Arena
02/14 — Belmont Park, NY @ UBS Arena
02/17 – Baltimore, MD @ CFG Bank Arena
02/21 — Greenville, SC @ Bon Secours Wellness Arena
02/24 — Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live
02/28 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
03/03 — Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center
03/06 — North Little Rock, AR @ Simmons Bank Arena
03/09 — Arlington, TX @ AT&T Stadium *
05/04 – Charlotte, NC @ Lovin’ Life Music Fest
05/07 – St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
05/10 – Thackerville, OK @ WinStar World Casino and Resort
05/14 – Nashville, TN @Bridgestone Arena
05/18 – San Antonio, TX @ Frost Bank Center
05/21 – Highland, CA @ Yaamava Resort and Casino
05/24 – Napa Valley, CA @ BottleRock Napa
05/27 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
05/30 – Denver, CO @ Ball Arena
06/04 – Indianapolis, IN @ Gainbridge Fieldhouse
06/09 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
06/12 – Albany, NY @ MVP Arena
06/15 – Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
06/18 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
06/21 – Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field *
* = w/ Billy Joel