On Friday, May 24, 2024, Stevie Nicks headlined Napa Valley’s BottleRock Festival. For the general festival crowd, Stevie performed a shorter set, consisting of mainly her most popular songs such as “Dreams,” “Stand Back,” and, of course, the perennial favorite “Landslide.”
It was a homecoming of sorts for Stevie, who spent her young adult years in Northern California, performing shows with Fritz throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.
Stevie celebrates her 76th birthday on Sunday.
Videos
Special thanks to Roman Gokhman John Loughney, tumonview, and X A for sharing your videos from the show!
Dreams
For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)
Gypsy
Landslide
Reviews
Icon Stevie Nicks wows massive BottleRock crowds (excerpt)
Napa’s BottleRock Festival returned Friday with legendary pop-rock artist Stevie Nicks closing out the main stage with a relatively short set that still packed in decades of classic songs.
Wearing a dark velour cloak and her long blond hair in curls, the 75-year-old singer-songwriter appeared on the JaM Cellars Stage a few minutes before her scheduled start time of 8:15 p.m., taking many in the crowd of thousands by surprise.
An hour-and-a-half later, the chanteuse, backed by her longtime band, had run through a number of career-defining hits, including “Dreams,” “Gypsy” and “Edge of Seventeen.”
Telling the crowd she had a surprise for them, Nicks brought out her vocal coach, Steve Real, to sing “Leather and Lace,” a duet she originally released in 1981 with Don Henley.
She closed out the evening with “Landslide,” a song Moraga’s Sara Hall said holds special meaning for her.
Derek Moore / The Press Democrat / May 24, 2024
‘I think I’m crying’: Stevie Nicks overjoys, later confuses Bay Area crowd at BottleRock
The American singer-songwriter of Fleetwood Mac fame closed out the first day of the three-day BottleRock festival, illuminating the crowd with a performance that had people in the audience emotional and exhilarated. Nicks, 75, whose birthday is on Sunday, had a timeless presence showcasing her most cherished tracks.
“I just don’t know that I can leave,” one fan said to her friends in the crowd halfway through Nicks’ performance.
“I think I’m crying,” another fan said later during Nicks’ performance of the beloved 1975 Fleetwood Mac song “Landslide.”
This was a long-awaited performance at the festival by the celebrated artist, as she canceled all of her shows in 2021, including a BottleRock appearance, because of COVID-19 concerns. She was also scheduled to perform at the festival in 2020. However, some Bay Area fans were recently treated to a San Francisco stop at the Chase Center.
In a sunset set, just short of 90 minutes, Nicks played a colorful variety of her discography, kicking off with her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” Instantly, Nicks’ energy and glow animated the gigantic crowd, which ranged from babies wearing noise-canceling headphones to folks who appeared to have been fans since the Fleetwood Mac era.
Surrounded by sparkling visuals that irradiated her face, Nicks made several outfit changes throughout the set, including one classic look that paired a flowy all-black gown with matching black gloves. One of the most notable articles of clothing was her original “Bella Donna”-inspired shawl, which she is famously known to wear year after year, bringing in waves of nostalgia for many.
The blue shawl was pointed out by Nicks during a medley performance of “Bella Donna,” a 1981 hit and “Wild Heart.” Dazzling blue lights matching the shawl and visuals of birds on the screen were reminiscent of the iconic album cover.
Nicks also performed other fan favorites that included “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” “For What It’s Worth” and “Gypsy.”
The singer, known to tell stories about some of her songs’ history and writing, didn’t have much time to chat with the audience on Friday, but she still managed to slip a couple of tidbits into her set.
“I’m talking fast because I know we don’t have a lot of time,” Nicks said at one point, evidently eager to interact with the crowd.
Later on in the performance, Nicks brought out a special guest, Steve Real, her vocal coach, for an impressive performance of “Leather and Lace.” Nicks then did one of her highly anticipated tracks, “Edge of Seventeen,” with immense energy, lights and the precision of her stellar backing band.
After the big number, Nicks confused the audience as she took a brief pause to prepare for the grand finale.
Fans waited for several minutes, some leaving, as the lights continued to stay dark and the stage was quiet.
But those who weren’t ready to see her go, or perhaps the real OG fans, were ecstatic when she popped out for her first encore, “Rhiannon.”
Nicks then closed out with an emotional performance of “Landslide,” accompanied by a slideshow of old photos, paying homage to some of the lyrics including: “Well, I’ve been afraid of changing, because I’ve built my life around you.”
She closed the heart-rending track with elegance and sang with a full, powerful and euphonic voice, displaying that her talent hasn’t faded through the decades.
Madilynne Medina / SFGATE / May 25, 2024
Stevie Nicks finally headlines BottleRock 2024, kicking the festival off on a nostalgic high
The third time was a charm for Stevie Nicks at BottleRock Napa Valley.
Initially postponing her first two scheduled appearances at the Wine Country music festival, the iconic Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer finally headlined the main stage on the opening night of the Memorial Day weekend concert on Friday, May 24 — and it appeared as if Nicks couldn’t wait to get on the stage.
Magically appearing in head-to-toe black velvet on the JaM Cellars Stage a few minutes ahead of her scheduled set time, she caught many fans on the field at the Napa Valley Expo by surprise.
Nicks, in her signature blond curls, delivered a concise, no-nonsense 90-minute performance, revisiting pivotal moments in her career. Her repertoire included a selection of Fleetwood Mac classics such as “Gypsy” and “Rhiannon,” along with beloved solo hits such as “Edge of Seventeen” and “Stand Back.”
She also treated the audience to a few covers, opening her set with a ramshackle rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” grasping the bedazzled microphone stand for dear life, and offering a reflective take on Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.”
Although Nicks didn’t address her past cancellations at BottleRock in 2020 and 2021, the specter of COVID-19 was evident. The backstage crew and at least one member of her longtime band donned KN95 masks throughout her performance.
But onstage, Nicks, just two days before her 76th birthday, remained enchanting, draping herself in her original “Bella Donna” shawl from the early ’80s and even attempting a few twirls in sync with the music.
Despite being less chatty than at her headline show at San Francisco’s Chase Center in December, Nicks sparked excitement when she hinted at a surprise guest. But instead of bringing out one of the luminaries backstage, such as actor Bradley Cooper or drummer Tommy Lee, she surprised the audience by inviting her vocal coach, Steve Real, to join her in a rendition of “Leather and Lace,” originally a duet with Don Henley released in 1981.
Nicks was more impressed with his appearance than the rest of the audience, momentarily forgetting the lyrics.
“I was looking at you and I forgot to sing,” she told Real.
Closing her set 15 minutes before the venue’s strict 10 p.m. curfew, Nicks delivered a poignant rendition of “Landslide,” leaving the audience members in a nostalgic reverie as they drifted off into the night.
The 11th annual BottleRock Napa Valley festival is scheduled to continue through Sunday, May 26, with performances by Pearl Jam, Ed Sheeran, Kali Uchis and Queens of the Stone Age, among many others. Celebrities such as Cooper, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry and renowned chef Jose Andrés are also set to hit the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage over the weekend.
Stevie Nicks BottleRock setlist
“Rock and Roll” (Led Zeppelin cover)
“If Anyone Falls”
“Outside the Rain”
“Dreams” (Fleetwood Mac song)
“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”
“Gypsy” (Fleetwood Mac song)
“For What It’s Worth” (Buffalo Springfield cover)
“Stand Back”
“Wild Heart / Bella Donna”
“Gold Dust Woman” (Fleetwood Mac song)
“Leather and Lace”
“Edge of Seventeen”
Encore
“Rhiannon” (Fleetwood Mac song)
“Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac song)
More Information
BottleRock Napa Valley: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, May 25-26. Tickets start at $233. Napa Valley Expo, 575 Third St., Napa. www.bottlerocknapavalley.com
Aidin Vaziri, / San Francisco Chronicle / May 26, 2024
Set List
Reviews
Band
- Stevie Nicks: Lead vocals
- Waddy Wachtel: Guitar & Musical Director
- Al Ortiz: Bass
- Drew Hester: Drums
- Carlos Rios: Guitar
- Ricky Peterson: Keyboards
- Darrell Smith: Piano, keyboards
- Sharon Celani: Background vocals
- Marilyn Martin: Background vocals
- Steve Real Vasquez: Vocal coach
