If you know me even a little bit, you know that Stevie Nicks has been my all-time top musical she-ro ever since my childhood. Fast forward to this week, which sees the release of Stevie's newest product, the Live in Chicago Soundstage CD and DVD. It's a lovely tribute to someone more than just an artist, but an enduring, multi-platinum selling, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame icon, who has above all remained true to herself and to her own personal "brand" for 40 years.
Let's just get this out of the way first and foremost: Stevie is 60, and she is hot...slammin' hot! Still workin' those fringy shawlish ensembles and the platform boots, every twirl, bounce, and high kick clearly shows that she's still got the goods. The wispy haziness has been replaced by a fiery wide-awake maturity with passion gloriously undiminished.
You know Stevie can do absolutely no wrong in my book, but I'll still do my best to be objective here. The setting itself strikes a strange vibe, as it isn't quite full-blown rock concert-size but isn't quite intimate either, being shot in a very controlled set, with a very controlled, politely enthusiastic audience. As for the song selection, Stevie has always been at her best in the extremes, succeeding with extraordinary resonance in the lowest lows (How Still My Love) to the highest highs (Fall From Grace, Enchanted). She also scores in her non-original cover interpretations (Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews, Circle Dance by Bonnie Raitt, and of course the big finale of Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin). Unfortunately she has always spent more time than necessary in a "mid-tempo" mode, where the songs aren't quite as danceable or singable, and admittedly comes pretty close to self-indulgence. Heck, she goes way over the line here and there, but guess what? It's Stevie, rock's most beautiful gypsy survivor emeritus; and by weaving her mystical poetic spell the way that only she can, all is well, and she gets away with what for other artists would be called murder.
There is no such thing as too many versions of Gold Dust Woman, Rhiannon, and the "white winged dove" song--Edge of Seventeen, all delivered in stunning new renditions here. And when Stevie sings Landslide for the umpteenth time, it feels even more potent now that, at last, she and all of us are really "getting older, too." These moments of songwriting brilliance, sophistication, and perception, show us once again why Stevie is a legend. In a way, she's always been about the beauty of moments even more than whole songs, the staggering impact of certain lines delivered with certain "hauntingly familiar" emphasis.
As an artist myself, I am so different than Stevie on the surface. I don't look or sound a bit like her. And yet more than anyone else, she has without a doubt been my greatest inspiration. She was the first rock and roll woman who refused to sacrifice the femininity of her identity. Other women throughout rock history have come across too much as either one of the ragged jagged guys, or overtly sexual to the point of excruciating excess. Stevie has always been, is now, and will always be not just a woman, but a Lady. While watching this new gift of her artistry at 3:00 a.m., I celebrated along with her all the things we both have made it through; still singing, dancing, twirling, and weaving musical spells for all those who care to embrace us. You may or may not embrace me; however, you MUST embrace the original Lady of Rock, Stevie Nicks. It's true that not all her studio projects have showcased her the best over the years (combination of substandard production values, performances, and well-documented personal sagas). But over time, the body of work ultimately tells the story. Both solo and with Fleetwood Mac (with whom she is on tour right now), the story of Stevie is a story of a conqueror, whose failures in life have always been overcome and ultimately overshadowed by her greatest success, a splendid 40-year marriage to her music and to her fans, of which I will forever be one of her most devoted.
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