By Graham Binder
Photos by Sherree Wolfman
Stevie Nicks, Live in Virginia
Few artists bring back fine memories of days gone by coupled with new songs that keep shows edgy and lively. Enter Stevie Nicks, the legendary songwriter and vocalist with Fleetwood Mac and a major solo artist in her own right who put on a fine Saturday night show for her fans at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia on September 3, 2011.
Anyone who’s been to Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia, for a concert has run through a gamut of challenges. The venue is a long haul from civilization, parking can be a nightmare and visitors are funneled from a major D.C. area highway into a squeeze play of bumper-to-bumper traffic. There’s also the recent new policy that’s abolished tailgating…a favorite past time of concertgoers and one that’s prompted a protest by Parrot Heads to steer clear of the place.
As frustrating as those things can be, when Nicks took the stage around 9:00 p.m. at the cavernous venue, everything was forgiven and the spotlight was laser focused on Stevie and her band. Clad in her signature witchy-gothic black lace dress and a fetching bright red shawl, she owned the night.
Opening the show with “Stand Back,” Stevie’s hit from her 1983 album, The Wild, which was clearly designed to get the crowd up and dancing and offered relief after a forgettable performance from Michael Grimm, a popular swamp rocker who took home the America’s Got Talent crown in 2010. From then on, her performance sustained a series of lulls and peaks, the peaks thundering down with fire and lightning emergent from four epic Fleetwood Mac songs in “Dreams,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Rhiannon,” and “Edge of Seventeen (White Winged Dove).” Her band was tight and emotionally tethered to Nicks as she had her way with the crowd, although the Fleetwood Mac songs were extended with instrumental intros and outros that seemed to distract from and marginalize their original brilliance.
A crowd favorite, “Landslide,” was moving and all the more so when Nicks offered that it was her father’s favorite song.
The Grammy Award-winner and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee was keen on showing off some if her new stuff, featuring several tracks off her 2011 album, In Your Dreams (Reprise). Melodic and centered by her narrative style, the songs work their magic with her steel-trap vocals that always reach for the universal while evoking the particular theme of an underdog or a woman who finds herself wrapped in romantic complexities. But, it was mostly her emotive displays of love and affection for each band member that drew us all into her orbit. And as expected, the classic Fleetwood Mac songs more than held their ground given the polished quality of the performances. Stevie’s captivating persona and her fine performances gifted the venue with her legendary style and grace, keeping her already devoted fans engaged throughout the night.
Stevie Nicks jamming with her guitarist/musical director Waddy Wachtel
Stevie Nicks and her band thanking the audience
Jan (12 years ago)
Well, we’re each entitled to our own opinions about what music we like. However, 69,000+ fans of Michael Grimm at Facebook, totally disagree with you about Michael’s performances being forgettable. I heard him open for Stevie Nicks recently, and he was absolutely amazing. “Stay With Me Baby” is my personal favorite, but he he knocks them all through the roof IMO and is a great guitar player as well. He has sold over 90,000 CD’s, and after his recent appearance on America’s Got Talent, the number of CD’s he sold on amazon.com went up by over 2000%!! Maybe you should take a second listen to him.