Stevie Nicks slays United Center with Fleetwood Mac and solo classics, lauds late Christine McVie
The focus of Stevie Nicks’ previous visit to the United Center was entirely Fleetwood Mac, since after all, it was the iconic act’s 50th anniversary, which in hindsight took a bittersweet turn since it wound up being Christine McVie’s swansong.
Nonetheless, her spirit was in the air all evening when Nicks returned solo, especially when the group’s tunes popped up on the playlist, alongside many from the headliner’s forthcoming box set “Complete Studio Albums & Rarities,” due July 28.
Between those two colossal catalogues and the fact she’s just as enormous of a star outside the band, it was once again a total sell out that found the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer sounding as distinctively divine as ever.
Backed by her longtime band, massive screens filled with visuals artifacts and a collection of sparkling shawls, the theatrical Nicks blended her own “Outside The Rain” and Fleetwood’s enduring “Dreams,” followed by an equally fantastic “If Anyone Falls.”
Prior to “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” Stevie spoke about how much she adored not only dueting with the late Tom Petty, but his entire body of work, prompting a cover of “Free Fallin’” a little later.
She was similarly effusive about Stephen Stills surrounding a stunning interpretation of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” chosen as a general statement on today’s social climate, plus more specifically, dedicated the personally penned “Soldier’s Angel” to Ukraine.
Nicks especially aced the timeless twirler “Gypsy” and the psychedelically-charged “Gold Dust Woman,” while her backers brought additional intensity to both “Stand Back” and “Edge Of Seventeen,” though they also kept even the most ardent appreciators guessing thanks to deeper tracks “Wild Heart,” “Bella Donna” and “I Sing For The Things.”
The Mac attack continued with the resplendent “Rhiannon” and an extremely poignant edition of the reflective “Landslide” as images of McVie appeared overhead, a monumental loss Nicks admitted she wasn’t quite ready to put into words, but like the two expressive hours that came before, simply let the legendary music do the talking.
For additional information on Stevie Nicks, visit StevieNicksOfficial.com.
For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.
Upcoming concert highlights at the United Center include Twice (Jun. 28-29); Anita Baker (Jun. 30); Erykah Badu (Jul. 1); Drake and 21 Savage (Jul. 5-6); Windy City Smokeout (Jul. 13-16); Alicia Keys (Jul. 18); Thomas Rhett (Jul. 28); Lionel Richie and Earth, Wind & Fire (Aug. 5); Madonna (Aug. 9-10); Lil Durk (Aug. 11-12); LL Cool J (Aug. 13); Sam Smith (Aug. 15); Chance The Rapper (Aug. 19); Lil Baby (Aug. 24); Arctic Monkeys (Aug. 27); Pearl Jam (Sept. 5 and 7); Aerosmith (Sept. 15); 50 Cent (Sept. 16); Peter Gabriel (Sept. 30); Mana (Oct. 1); Wu-Tang Clan and Nas (Oct. 8); SZA (Oct. 10); John Mayer (Oct. 18); Joji (Oct. 20); Queen + Adam Lambert (Oct. 30-31); Enrique Iglesias, Pitbull and Ricky Martin (Nov. 1-2) and Depeche Mode (Nov. 13). For additional details, visit UnitedCenter.com.