Last night the Piccadilly Line was overrun by travellers in floaty dresses, spangly silver moons, and shimmering capes. The moon was not full, and to my knowledge, there were no major witches conventions scheduled for that evening in the capital. So it could really only mean one thing: Stevie Nicks was in town.
As well as having one of the most beautifully distinctive voices in rock’n’roll, the thing about Nicks is her constant aura of cool: her brand of charisma is effortless, and out in full force on this new tour.
When Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac with her then-partner Lindsey Buckingham back in 1974, it was largely her influence that helped to transform the group from a bunch of fusty, folk-loving hippies into the soft-rock juggernauts who went down in history. Some of the group’s most perfect, heart wrenching songs – Dreams, Rhiannon, Landslide – are penned by Nicks.
Back at Hyde Park for the first time in seven years (she last played here with the late Tom Petty, and paid tribute to that moment with a powerful cover of his hit Free Fallin’) Nicks played all three smash hits (as well as Gypsy and Gold Dust Woman).
The set celebrated the legacy of Fleetwood Mac, but also showcased Nicks’ solo magnetism with power-pop anthem Edge of Seventeen, the stunning Outside in the Rain, and her Don Henley duet Leather and Lace. Here, she sang it with her long-time vocal coach Steve Real.
Immense credit is due to the collaboration between Nicks and Real: while the timbre, register and range of her voice has shifted dramatically over the years, subtle new arrangements, shifted keys, and extended shredding solos from Nicks’ live band both all allowed space for the singer-songwriter to play to her strengths (and pace herself) in a way that felt entirely natural.
Over the course of the show, Nicks showed off a range of glitzy (and original!) capes from various past eras to huge cheers, and shared entertaining anecdotes between songs; regaling chaotic nights spent on the Sunset Strip and in San Francisco.
Ahead of covering Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth – which she explained has morphed into a kind of protest song of its own accord – she urged the audience not to follow her past example. “I was too busy,” she said, admitting she exercised her democratic right for the first time when she was “like, 70.” “Don't be me,” she said. “Vote.”
The velvet backdrops, beaded curtains, and witchy amulets hanging off her mic stand gave the show the close, intimate feeling of hanging out in Stevie’s living room. One enterprising crowd member successfully smuggled in a tambourine, raising it up to huge cheers whenever Nicks started playing hers.
Across the masterfully-paced set, which largely focused on legacy, Nicks saved the best until last with a joyful encore that paid tribute to her late bandmate and “best friend in the world” Christine McVie. After a spellbinding solo performance of Rhiannon, none other than Harry Styles guested with Nicks on Bella Donna’s strutting rock duet Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around, and remained on stage for closing song Landslide.
HAROLD x STEVIE!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/fc1hBXpS04
— El Hunt (@El_Hunt_) July 12, 2024
Despite the ridiculous scale of Styles’ fame and celebrity, he was understated, wearing an embroidered songbird pin in tribute to McVie’s vocals on Rumors ballad Songbird. The moment didn’t feel overly showy or starry; the close connection and artistic chemistry between the two was plain to see, and in harmony with Nicks, his additional vocals helped Landslide to soar beautifully.
Holding Styles’ hand, Nicks closed out with a speech instead of a song, with the rest of her band gathered close in support. “One thing that my mom used to say to me when I was little was… When I was hurt, she’d go ‘Stevie when you’re hurt, you always run to the stage.’ And that’s what I’ve been doing since Chris passed away.”
It was a low-key but perfect ending to a flawless show.
