Stevie Nicks performs at Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Stevie Nicks returned to the historical Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado on Wednesday night, where she performed to an adoring, sold-out crowd. This was the second show on the unnamed summer-fall tour through the nation’s outdoor concert venues. For the first non-festival show of the tour, Stevie added two songs to the set, deep cuts “Soldier’s Angel” and “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream).”

Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” set the tone for the much-anticipated evening, as the prerecorded track played in the background seconds before Stevie took to the stage. Moments later, the enchanting Stevie Nicks appeared and kicked off her set with the “Outside the Rain/Dreams” combo.

Early in the show, Stevie performed her biggest solo hit “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” a Billboard Pop Singles No. 3 in 1981. Guitarist Waddy Wachtel served as Stevie’s regular duet partner for the live rendition.

,Next up was “Enchanted,” the tight and reliable ditty from Stevie’s second solo album The Wild Heart (1983).

Near the halfway mark, Stevie performed another combo piece, “Wild Heart” and “Bella Donna,” the title tracks from her second and first solo albums, respectively. Afterwards, Stevie showed off the famous “Bella Donna” cape. “This is the original ‘kimono,'” she said. “It’s in perfect shape. 1981.”

Next, Stevie lit up the night with “Gypsy,” her majestic Fleetwood Mac hit single from Mirage (1982).

A Stevie Nicks show wouldn’t be complete without the unforgettable “Landslide.” Hardly a dry eye in the entire amphitheatre at this point, no doubt!

Another emotional moment came just before Stevie began “Soldier’s Angel,” a track from In Your Dreams (2011). Reading words that she prepared earlier that day, Stevie introduced the personal song, which has proven to be relevant in today’s unsettling world affairs. “This next song was written 14 years ago. Sadly, I knew it would be called back into service at some point in my life. Sometimes it’s easier to say how you feel in music and in pictures. I let the song and the video tell the rest of the story. The sunflower painting, as it was a present from a lady in Ukraine, her name’s Julia… (starts to cry) This is ‘Soldier’s Angel.” Overcome with tears, Stevie appeared to cut the introduction short so that she could proceed with singing the song.

The large monitor showed images of the sunflower painting that Stevie had been gifted, along with scenes of Ukrainian cities in ruins after the Russian invasion. 

The pulsating “Stand Back” got the crowd on its feet, as Stevie twirled and kicked in her famous gold-circle cape.

The “Gold Dust Woman” emerged for a performance of what Stevie has described as “the crackhead dance” during the instrumental break.

Stevie explained that it wasn’t often that a movie could inspire her to write a song. But New Moon, the second film in the Twilight trilogy, did just that, as it motivated her to compose the atmospheric “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream) back in 2010. She joked that she had lived as a vampire over the last two years, alluding to the pandemic lockdown.

Stevie ended the regular set with the epic “Edge of Seventeen.” While she performs a shorter version of the rock anthem these days to help maintain her voice, it’s still a compelling showstopper in its abbreviated form.

The Red Rocks attendees continued to light up the night with their smartphones illuminating the entire venue just before Stevie returned to the stage for the encores. 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sz-OE1LKnM4 (YouTube link)

For the first of three encores, Stevie honored her muse, the late Tom Petty, performing his 1989 “Free Fallin.'” In 1996, Stevie covered the track, with it later appearing on the release Music from Party of Five. As Stevie sang the distinctive bars of “I’m freeee!” photographic memories of her performing with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers displayed on the large monitor at the back of the stage.

For the second encore, “Rhiannon,” the fine sky lark, took to the sky like a bird in flight once again.

Stevie ended the night with the Led Zeppelin classic “Rock and Roll,” an homage to another one of Stevie’s musical heroes.

All videos publicly shared by S Marshall, DrummerJT7, denise, and aerofan2007 via YouTube — much love!

Set List

1. Outside the Rain
2. Dreams
3. If Anyone Falls
4. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
5. Enchanted
6. Wild Heart
7. Bella Donna
8. Gypsy
9. Landslide
10. Soldier’s Angel
11. Stand Back
12. Gold Dust Woman
13. Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)
14. Edge of Seventeen
15. Free Fallin’ (encore)
16. Rhiannon (encore)
17. Rock and Roll (encore)

Band