Idea for the shows came from Stewart’s daughters. Plus: New LPs from both

By Patrick Doyle
Rolling Stone
February 2, 2011 5:35 PM ET

Rod Stewart hadn’t seen Stevie Nicks since the mid-1980s, when both of them were recording in the same L.A. studio. Until last month, that is, when the pair, who are gearing up for a 16-date co-headlining tour‚ were reunited to perform on Ellen. “I tiptoed up behind him and put my arms around his waist from the back,” Nicks tells Rolling Stone. Adds Stewart, “I’d know those hands anywhere.”

The pair have never worked together before, but they’ve crossed paths over the years. Nicks recalls attending a New Year’s party in the Seventies at Stewart’s L.A. home. Nicks remembers Stewart, afraid she was drunk and might damage his collection of Tiffany lamps, asking, “Can I have that glass of wine before you walk in?’ I was horrified.” Stewart says, “Oh, the bitch I am sometimes. I probably wanted more wine for myself.”

The idea for the shows (which kick off in March) came last year from Stewart’s daughters Ruby and Kimberly. “They love Stevie,” he says. “She’s just ultra-cool – she has a cult.” Nicks will open the three-plus-hour show with solo tunes and Fleetwood Mac classics, followed by a Stewart set that will likely mix deep tracks and hits.

They’re still working out the pacing, but there will be a portion of the shows where they sing together. “We won’t let people down on that score,” Stewart says, adding he hopes to tackle Nicks and Don Henley’s 1981 duet, “Leather and Lace.” Nicks wants to join Stewart on “The First Cut Is the Deepest” and “Reason to Believe.” “That’d be a wonderful one,” he says. “We’re both sort of sopranos, so it’ll sound great.”

At the Ellen rehearsal, Nicks spent two hours running through “Stand Back” with her band while Stewart showed up and banged out “Hot Legs” once. “He walks in, expects the band to be fantastic, and then it’s, ‘Let’s go and I’m out of here,’” says Nicks.

“In the Faces, we never rehearsed,” Stewart says. “I always like there to be the element of risk in any show. When things go wrong, I love it. We’ll have to meet in the middle.”

Outside of the tour, Stewart is planning an LP with former bandmate Jeff Beck‚ their first full album together since they were in the Jeff Beck Group in the late Sixties. One proposed album title: Unfinished Business. Stewart is also in talks to extend his recent stand at Las Vegas’ Caesars Palace to multiple residencies over the next two years, and he’s considering a stint at Carnegie Hall performing only American Songbook material. “I’m proud of those records,” he says.

Photos: The Who, Jeff Beck, Debbie Harry and More From the Concert for Killing Cancer

Meanwhile, Nicks is readying her first studio album in a decade. In Your Dreams, due May 3rd, is co-produced by an old friend, Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart. Together, they wrote seven of the LP’s 13 tracks, including “Everybody Loves You,” inspired by their experiences of being in bands with lovers (Nicks with Lindsey Buckingham, Stewart with Annie Lennox). “We know what it’s like to be in love with the person and be in love with what the person does,” she says. “It’s different from just being in a band.”

Nicks praises the producer for adding a Sixties pop vibe. “I have never written a song with anybody sitting in the room, not even Lindsey,” she says. “I suddenly realized why John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote together. I haven’t had this much fun since Lindsey and I were working in the beginning.”

By Zach Edwards
ConcertTour.org
January 13, 2011

Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart, two of the biggest superstars and members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, have announced they are joining forces. One of this year’s most anticipated events in rock music will be their “The Heart and Soul Tour.” Now the question is will there be a big enough stage to hold that much raw talent.

The tour will be uniting two of the most legendary forces in rock music for a run of North American arena concerts. Performances have been confirmed already for Los Angeles, Toronto New York and Phoenix among other cities. The shows will be featuring both artists who will perform rock-n-roll sets containing material from their impressive catalogs of musical hits. They will be backed by an amazing band along with an incredible stage production.

Stewart said we haven’t started rehearsals yet, but already I can tell you having Stevie on board will give our audiences a night of pure rock-n-roll. I am thinking already about which old favorites of mine I want to bring back. I think vocally, we both starting thinking about what songs may be well-suited and fun for singing a few duets together.

In Stewart’s five decade career he has sold approximately 250 million singles and albums combined. Stewart is one of the all-time most successful performers and wrapped up 2010 on top of the album as well as the touring charts, capped off by his first run of sold-out and critically acclaimed shows in Las Vegas at The Colosseum.

Stewart has received an impressive 16 Grammy nominations, including this year’s Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album nomination for his set Fly Me to the Moon… The Great American Songbook, Volume V. On February 1 The Best of… The Great American Songbook will be released.

Grammy Award winning artist Stevie Nicks has been dubbed “The Reigning Queen of Rock and Roll” by Rolling Stone. Nicks is best known as a singer with the band Fleetwood Mac. She has also had an extensive solo career. Collectively she has sold more than 140 million albums and produced more than forty hits songs in the Top 50.

Nicks will be adding to her impressive totals no doubt with the release of In Your Dreams, her greatly anticipated new CD, which will be released on May 3, 2011. It will be the first album from Nicks with new material in ten years. The set was co-produced by Glen Ballard and Dave Stewart, formerly of the Eurythmics.

Starting on January 21, tour tickets will be going on sale.