STEVIE NICKS INFO

Tag: Phoenix

  • RECAP: 24 Karat Gold Tour – Opening Night

    RECAP: 24 Karat Gold Tour – Opening Night

    Stevie Nicks kicked off the highly-anticipated 24 Karat Gold Tour Tuesday tonight at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in downtown Phoenix. Promising an eclectic show packed with music “in your heart,” Stevie delivered a surprisingly diverse set list that focused heavily on her solo work, performing just three songs from her Fleetwood Mac catalog (see full set list below). This was clearly the rock icon’s plan, as she made the bold move to open the set with “Gold and Braid” — an obscure track from the Bella Donna sessions that was never completed (the 1981 live version appears on 1998’s retrospective Enchanted.)

    Among other set list surprises were a fantastic “Wild Heart/Bella Donna” medley; a moving stripped-down version of “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)”; and the elusive “Crying in the Night” from Stevie’s out-of-print 1973 recording Buckingham Nicks (with Fleetwood Mac band member Lindsey Buckingham). Stevie noted that her longtime friend, musical director, and guitarist Waddy Wachtel played an instrumental role during the recording of Buckingham Nicks.

    Fellow-Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Famer Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders hit the stage first at around 7:20 pm, igniting the crowd with a bevy of hits, which included “Back on the Chain Gang,” “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” and “Brass in Pocket.” Sporting ripped blue jeans, black Elvis Presley t-shirt, and white sneakers, Chrissie commanded the stage with authority, as she and the band knocked out a catalog of songs spanning nearly 40 years. (The Pretenders set list also appears below.)

    The Pretenders performed for about an hour before Stevie took to the stage at 8:45 pm. Chrissie returned to the stage to join Stevie and Waddy for the hit duet “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” filling in nicely for Tom Petty and providing a unique point of view at the same time. During the song, the two rock veterans high-fived in cool female solidarity (Stevie and Chrissie’s positive influence on female rock and roll is undeniable).

    Stevie Nicks and Chrissie Hynde
    (Melissa Fossum / Phoenix New Times)

    Stevie revealed that she was a little nervous about singing a full set of songs on her own again (20 in all), but she was delighted and inspired to be starting the tour in her hometown of Phoenix.

    “I’m a little freaked out,” Stevie said. “But I’m in my hometown where I wrote a lot of these songs.” After performing the “Wild Heart” and “Bella Donna” medley, Stevie told the audience she had been wearing the same blue cape she wore during the Bella Donna sessions in 1981.

    The middle part of the set was strong, with Stevie showcasing a number of songs from 2011’s In Your Dreams and 2014’s 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault. The uptempo “Annabel Lee” (Edgar Allan Poe’s poem set to rock music) and “Starshine” played especially well onstage, with the singers in full vocal range. This momentum led into the pulsating “Stand Back,” complete with full spins during the guitar solo. The signature spectacle never fails to impress.

    Stevie shared the stories behind some of the songs she performed, such as “Crying in the Night” and “If You Were My Love,” two lesser-known songs in her repertoire. Stevie revealed that both songs had languished in her back catalog for years, namely the reflective “If You Were My Love,” which had been rehearsed numerous times and withdrawn from both Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks solo projects.

    Stevie Nicks
    (Melissa Fossum / Phoenix New Times)

    Stevie closed out the show with her trademark anthems “Gold Dust Woman,” “Edge of Seventeen,” and “Rhiannon” (first encore). During “Edge of Seventeen,” Stevie paid her respects to “Stand Back”-collaborator Prince, showing a photo montage of the legendary musician on the large projection screen at the back of the stage. The tribute produced a loud crowd ovation from the Phoenix crowd.

    Stevie skipped her famous “Edge of Seventeen” walk, during which she has traditionally shaken hands with fans in the front row. A Stevie Nicks concert without this ritual seemed like an unthinkable occurrence, but this decision allowed time for additional songs and truly underscored an evening of experimentation for Stevie, who has not often strayed from familiar set lists. But the risk paid off, as she had the crowd pumped and on their feet by the end of the show.

    The final encore “Leather and Lace,” performed with just “the girls” (background singers Sharon Celani and Marilyn Martin), as it had been arranged for the White Winged Dove Tour back in 1981, was a fitting homage to Stevie’s 35-year solo career coming full circle. “What a journey it has been!” she remarked at the end of the show.

    The 24 Karat Gold Tour coincides with the November 4th re-release of Stevie Nicks’ first two solo albums Bella Donna (1981) and The Wild Heart (1983), which combined have sold more than 6 million copies in the U.S. alone.

    All slideshow photos courtesy of Michael Chow / AZ Central

    [slideshow_deploy id=’374994′]

    Concert Reviews

    Stevie Nicks Set List

    Thank you to Jamie Maletic and her friends for providing the full set list before the show!

    1. Gold and Braid
    2. If Anyone Falls
    3. Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (with Chrissie Hynde & Waddy Wachtel)
    4. Belle Fleur
    5. Outside the Rain/Dreams (medley)
    6. Wild Heart/Bella Donna (medley)
    7. Annabel Lee
    8. Enchanted
    9. New Orleans
    10. Starshine
    11. Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)
    12. Stand Back
    13. Crying in the Night
    14. If You Were My Love
      Band introductions
    15. Gold Dust Woman
    16. Edge of Seventeen
      Encores
    17. Rhiannon
    18. Leather and Lace

    The Pretenders Set List

    1. Alone
    2. Gotta Wait
    3. Down the Wrong Way
    4. Private Life
    5. Hymn to Her
    6. Back on the Chain Gang
    7. Don’t Get Me Wrong
    8. I’ll Stand by You
    9. Tattooed Love Boys
    10. Mystery Achievement
    11. Stop Your Sobbing
    12. Brass in Pocket
    13. Holy Commotion
    14. Middle of the Road
    15. Room Full of Mirrors

    Videos

    Big thanks and much love to Haley Clark, UnderTheDesertMoon, and especially The American, who filmed the entire show!

    Gold and Braid (Haley Clark)

    Gold and Braid (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXljEmrv_Mw

    “Phoenix, Arizona…just like I pictured it! Well, I’d like to say, Welcome home! This is our house tonight. Very proud to be here, very very proud to have Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders here with me. This is not exactly… And I know you all know this, but I’m just gonna tell you anyway ’cause you know that I just love to talk, so. This is a… This is a little different kind of set. We really have done what you have asked for all these years, and we have gone back and we have picked up some things that we think maybe in your hearts you always wanted to hear. It’s been a lot of fun for us to put this together. So everybody, thank you for coming! We’re very, very happy to be here! We love you and we’re home! Thank you!”

    If Anyone Falls (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXfy3Q9URCc

    Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around – with Chrissie Hynde (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fucmVEYUPCo

    Outside the Rain/Dreams (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zt2Zveo_XY

    Wild Heart / Bella Donna (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQookMdC8i8

    Annabel Lee (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucHw3NHAEQk

    “Thank you, Edgar Allan Poe! Here’s here. He’s in the back. Just watch out. He’s standing behind you somewhere.”

    New Orleans (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sr2wUtxP9U

    Starshine (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nYqwrtBqw8

    Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream) (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VMNX2qvGyU

    Stand Back (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QElg2ETPUYw

    Crying in the Night (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeMqftCpUoY

    Gold Dust Woman (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SdkkRLLksI

    Gold Dust Woman (UnderTheDesertMoon)

    Edge of Seventeen (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv-XM3eMMVg

    Rhiannon (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaJLwrHqxbE

    Leather and Lace (The American)

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj8oHIAc074

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvYav6QRoP0

    “What a journey it has been! Thank you, everyone, so much. You know, uh, first of all, thank you for staying. That’s a big plus. That makes me really feel good because, you know, I mean if it was me, I’d probably be going like, ‘A lot of traffic out there.’ So thank you so much!

    Secondly, you always surprise me, and uh, this was a very, you know it’s like, I’m not really supposed to like talk this much. Someday I’m going to do a show where I don’t even sing, I’m just gonna talk. And uh, but I want you to know this was a very different show. This is doing songs that we’ve never done, and it’s hard because you haven’t ever. You’re so familiar with your other songs. These songs, a lot of them you’re not familiar with, but you love them, and to be able to share them with everybody is wonderful. By the time we get a couple more shows, they’ll be a little more finessed. But I’m glad that I was able to share this first night of trying to get this all in my head with you.

    You have been my great friends, sitting in my living room, listening to my new demos. And that, of course, is my favorite thing of all to do, is sit in my living room and play demos. So that’s what’s you’ve done for me tonight. And you’ve let me know that this is gonna work, and I’m gonna be OK, and I appreciate that.

    So take care of yourself, stay strong, don’t watch the news  — it’s depressing. I love you all! We’ll be back! Take care! God bless you!”

    Touring Band

    • Stevie Nicks – Lead Vocals
    • Waddy Wachtel – Guitars, Musical Director
    • Ricky Peterson – Hammond Piano
    • Scott Crago – Drums
    • Darrell Smith – Grand Piano
    • Al Ortiz – Bass
    • Carlos Rios – Guitars
    • Sharon Celani – Backup Vocals
    • Marilyn Martin – Backup Vocals

    Live Streaming from Periscope

    The Pretenders – “Don’t Get Me Wrong” (clip)

    Tour Merchandise

    Stevie Nicks 24 Karat Gold Tour t-shirt

    Stevie Nicks 24 Karat Gold Tour mug

    Stevie Nicks 24 Karat Gold Tour keychain

    Stevie Nicks 24 Karat Gold Tour t-shirt

    These images were shared by Nicks Fan and his friend — MUCH THANKS!

    [slideshow_deploy id=’374954′]

    Purchase 24 Karat Gold Tour merchandise here!

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    We are here!!! #24karatgoldtour #stevienicks @haleydclark

    A photo posted by michelle matthews (@michellematthews12) on

  • Stevie Nicks kicks off 24 Karat Gold Tour tonight

    Stevie Nicks kicks off 24 Karat Gold Tour tonight

    Stevie Nicks kicks off her 24 Karat Gold Tour tonight in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, and she promises a show packed with music, not a lot of chatter.

    “I’m not gonna do long talking things, where they might be going, ‘Well, she could’ve actually done a whole song during this little talk here,’” Stevie tells ABC Radio. “It’s gonna be fast and furious.”

    The set list will feature songs from Stevie’s entire solo career as well as Fleetwood Mac hits, so everyone will go home happy.

    “It’s gonna be eclectic,” she says. “I don’t think anybody’s gonna walk away going, like, ‘Oh my God, she didn’t do that Fleetwood Mac song that we wanted her to do.’”

    She adds, “I’m not even gonna give people a minute to even start to ponder what’s missing!”

    And while she’s giving fans a show, Stevie wants them to give her a show, too — she’s urging them to come dressed to the nines.

    “I’m dressed-up up there, so I think it’s a great thing to…say, ‘I give you all permission to totally pretend that you’re going to a glorious cocktail party, and wear your most beautiful clothes,’” Stevie says.

    “If you’re a six-foot-five guy and you want to come in your white ‘Edge of Seventeen’ outfit, please do!’” she adds. “‘Cause I just think it’s hysterical, and I love it!”

    Stevie’s opening act is another legendary rock and roll chick, Chrissie Hynde, and her band the Pretenders —which thrills Stevie to no end.

    “When my manager said, ‘What about The Pretenders?’ I’m like, ‘Would they even go with me?’ And he said, ‘I think they would!’” Stevie says. “I’m really excited about this, and I think, yes, we are bada** chicks, and it’s really gonna be fun!”

    Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

  • VIDEOS 12/10: US Airways Center, Phoenix

    VIDEOS 12/10: US Airways Center, Phoenix

    Fleetwood Mac performed at the US Airways Center in Phoenix on Wednesday, the band’s 34th show of the tour.

    Both Stevie and Lindsey spoke affectionately about the city where Stevie’s parents lived and the two spent a lot of time early in their career. Lindsey called Phoenix a “second home” and Stevie expressed regret for selling her beautiful home near Camelback Mountain, where she wrote many songs. Stevie later dedicated “Landslide” to the Phoenix audience, saying “it’s good to be home,” and delivered an especially poignant rendition of her late father’s favorite song.

    Photos

    [slideshow_deploy id=’32037′]

    Videos

    Special thanks to 9693297602 ., Traci Baker, Dan B, mattjohnson723, and Ron Orion for sharing these videos!

    COMPILATION: The Chain / Second Hand News / Rhiannon / Landslide / Gypsy / Gold Dust Woman / Go Your Own Way / Silver Springs (mattjohnson723)

    Second Hand News (Traci Baker)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4z3pgq1Ynz8
    Everywhere (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qwp51a3Uu4A
    I Know I’m Not Wrong (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJyMeKyCdnw
    Tusk (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8PD_Ajarrw
    Seven Wonders (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyZr5bX6S9s
    Big Love (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY8T3r_DOck
    Landslide (Dan B)

    Never Going Back Again (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w0aXQsC5RY
    Gypsy (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qD0-4F9JUtY
    Little Lies (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoUweY4FsB8
    Gold Dust Woman (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMOOKSDNIYk
    Go Your Own Way (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mW7lJhiZJgU
    World Turning (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qa-MIfCbwaw
    World Turning / Band introductions (Ron Orion)

    Don’t Stop (Ron Orion)

    Silver Springs (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFXO2cBUpaY
    Silver Springs – video is sideways (Ron Orion)

    Songbird (9693297602 .)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTf7ufmRqlw
    Songbird (Ron Orion)

    Songbird (Tina Zouppas)

    Reviews

    Fleetwood Mac celebrates Christine McVie’s return (Arizona Republic)

    Set List

    1. The Chain 13. Landslide
    2. You Make Loving Fun 14. Never Going Back Again
    3. Dreams 15. Over My Head
    4. Second Hand News 16. Gypsy
    5. Rhiannon 17. Little Lies
    6. Everywhere 18. Gold Dust Woman
    7. I Know I’m Not Wrong 19. I’m So Afraid
    8. Tusk 20. Go Your Own Way
    9. Sisters of the Moon 21. World Turning (encore 1)
    10. Say You Love Me 22. Don’t Stop
    11. Seven Wonders 23. Silver Springs
    12. Big Love 24. Songbird (encore 2)
  • REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac celebrates Christine McVie’s return

    REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac celebrates Christine McVie’s return

    “Our songbird has returned,” Mick Fleetwood told the sold-out crowd at Talking Stick Resort Arena Wednesday night before the reunited “Rumours” lineup treated the fans to an encore performance of “Don’t Stop” that featured the songbird in question, Christine McVie, taking a turn on lead vocals and contributing a rollicking piano solo.

    [slideshow_deploy id=’32037′]

    This is McVie’s first tour with Fleetwood Mac since 1998. And Fleetwood was far from alone in viewing her return as cause for celebration, reuniting as it does the soft-rock icons’ most successful lineup. The crowd responded with enthusiasm when she took her first lead vocal, two songs in, on “You Make Loving Fun,” which was followed by a heartfelt tribute to McVie by Stevie Nicks.

    McVie herself talked about “what a thrill it is for me to be standing on this stage singing with these amazing musicians and friends” before taking another lead vocal on “Everywhere.”

    Lindsey Buckingham shared his thoughts on how “the return of the beautiful Christine” had signaled a new chapter in their history.

    And the second encore started with McVie alone on piano and vocals for two verses and a chorus of an understated “Songbird” before Buckingham joined in on lead guitar.

    That was it for the music, but Nicks returned to share a charming anecdote about a phone call she got last October in Italy, imitating McVie’s British accent to ask, “What would you think if I decided to come back to the band?” and ending her speech with “We so wanted her to come back. And we’re so happy to have our girl back.”

    They did a lot of talking in the course of their nearly three-hour performance. Buckingham talked about how thrilled he was to be in Phoenix, where he and Nicks had spent a lot of time, saying “It kind of feels like a second home.” He gave a lengthy monologue before tearing it up on a solo acoustic performance of “Big Love,” talking about how although that “Tango in the Night” track is actually newer than much of the material in Wednesday’s set, it feels like it came from “a whole different lifetime,” before he “pulled back and made a few adjustments.” The song began, he explained, as “a kind of contemplation on alienation perhaps” but had become “more a meditation on the power and the importance of change.”

    And Nicks talked at length about living in Phoenix.

    “I actually lived here for 20 years,” she said before admitting that she wished she hadn’t sold her house. “I miss coming home to write and being near Camelback Mountain and all of you.” After acknowledging her friends and family in attendance, Nicks said, “A lot of our songs were written here. It’s good to be home.” And after talking about McVie in the second encore, she signed off with “And Phoenix, I’m so sorry I don’t live here anymore.”

    As for the music, they made their way through nine of the 11 songs on “Rumours” and half the songs on 1975’s “Fleetwood Mac,” their first release with Buckingham and Nicks.

    Fleetwood set the tone for their performance with the thumping kick drum of “The Chain,” the first of several tracks that thrived on Buckingham’s intensity both as a singer and as one of rock and roll’s most underrated lead guitarists. The man should be enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Most Watchable Guitar Gods. His tone is amazing and his presence makes his most electrifying moments that much more electrifying. The excitement he seems to be feeling when he plays those leads couldn’t be more contagious.

    They kept the focus on “Rumours” as they traded off lead vocals from McVie on “You Make Loving Fun” to Nicks on “Dreams” and back to Buckingham for “Second Hand News.”

    Highlights of the early part of their performance included “Rhiannon,” an electrifying “Tusk,” which was accompanied by footage of the USC Trojan Marching Band playing the song at Dodgers Stadium, “Say You Love Me” and “Seven Wonders.”

    Buckingham’s solo performance of “Big Love” was exhilarating and far more intense than you’d imagine one man on acoustic guitar can be — unless, of course, you were familiar with Buckingham’s solo performances of that awe-inspiring song. They kept things in acoustic mode for “Landslide,” which featured Buckingham accompanying Nicks on her best vocal of the night. And then he took it up a notch with a haunting performance of “Never Going Back Again.”

    At that point, their bandmates returned for a stripped-down set with Fleetwood on a kit out front for “Over My Head” and “Gypsy,” which was set up by another lengthy monologue from Nicks about a San Francisco dress shop called the Velvet Underground.

    The set built to a climax from there with McVie’s “Little Lies” giving way to a haunted arrangement of Nicks’ “Gold Dust Woman,” Buckingham’s most insane guitar work of the concert on “I’m So Afraid” and a set-closing “Go Your Own Way.”

    After starting the encore with a version of “World Turning” that featured a lengthy drum solo, they brought things up a notch with “Don’t Stop,” ending that first encore with an aching “Silver Spring” (the B-side of “Go Your Own Way”) with a really nice vocal from Nicks. And saving “Songbird” for the second encore was a nice touch, shining the spotlight one last time on the prodigal daughter, McVie, whose return really does suggest, as Buckingham said, a new chapter in Fleetwood Mac’s history.

    Setlist

    1. “The Chain”

    2. “You Make Loving Fun”

    3. “Dreams”

    4. “Second Hand News”

    5. “Rhiannon”

    6. “Everywhere”

    7. “I Know I’m Not Wrong”

    8. “Tusk”

    9. “Sisters of the Moon”

    10. “Say You Love Me”

    11. “Seven Wonders”

    12. “Big Love”

    13. “Landslide”

    14. “Never Going Back Again”

    15. “Over My Head”

    16. “Gypsy”

    17. “Little Lies”

    18. “Gold Dust Woman”

    19. “I’m So Afraid”

    20 “Go Your Own Way”

    Encore

    21. “World Turning”

    22. “Don’t Stop”

    23. “Silver Springs”

    Encore 2

    24. “Songbird”

    Ed Masley / Arizona Republic / Thursday, December 11, 2014

  • Desert Rose

    Though still the Fleetwood Mac poet-goddess, Stevie Nicks is rock-steady now, settled in a five bedroom Phoenix house. Silk and velvet-and of course a touch of gold dust-trail her wherever she goes.

    There’s a rock goddess in the kitchen. The blonde diva in a vintage floor-length mauve fur coat prances in front of a microphone, twirling in dervish-like delirium, fixing the attention of everyone in the room. “Oh boy, here we go again,” says Stevie Nicks with a laugh as she watches her 10 year old niece, Jessica, do her best Aunt Stevie impression. Well, anyone can put on the coat. But what truly becomes a legend most? For Nicks, the poet-gypsy solo artist, and lead singer of Fleetwood Mac, it’s carving out a peaceful life with family, not spinning in place. Happily, today Nicks isn’t. She feels firmly anchored here, in this five bedroom house in Phoenix that she shares with her brother Chris, his wife, Lori (one of Stevie’s longtime backup singers), and Jessi. “This is not a rock and roll party house now,” says Nicks. “It’s a family house.” She glances at the refrigerator, covered with school art projects and Halloween photos. “This place has been through a lot of different journeys, every kind you can imagine.”

    As has Nicks. Her history is a template of the rock saga, with surreal highs and soul-scraping lows, and she’s got a VH1 Behind the Music special to prove it.

    “Stevie has lived the glamorous rock and roll life, especially when it was really cool,” says friend Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks. “She hung out with people like the Stones — she was this little hottie in the center of it all.” Listen closely to Nicks lyrics and you’ll catch snippets of about her love affairs with rock royals like Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Joe Walsh, Don Henley, and Tom Petty. And the list goes on. But Nicks was not just a party gal — she was also a hostess. In the eighties, this house was the setting for many, shall we say festive nights with Fleetwood Mac and others — a period Nicks calls her “cocaine-and-brandy days.” In the nineties it was where Nicks retreated in a daze of apathy and fatigue for the eight years she was hooked on Klonopin, the anti-anxiety drug prescribed to help her kick her habits. “Klonopin is like taking a lot of Valium; you want to get in your chair with your clicker and watch TV.” Somehow, through it all, deeply personal music has flowed from her pen in nearly every room; she estimates that three-fourths of her songs were created here. And now, another incarnation: The house and the people in it are clean as a whistle. “The more I think about the Klonopin years, the more astounded I am by how stupid they were,” says Nicks. “Life is more precious here now, more serious. With Jessi around, we can’t even have weird television on.” That suits Nicks fine. Life is sweeter straight. And it’s another top-of-the-charts time: She was nominated for a Grammy for best female rock performance for her critically acclaimed solo album Trouble in Shangri-La, a gold record she considers her best work since Bella Donna in 1981. In their 2001 fall collections, designers like Anna Sui, Betsey Johnson and Oscar de la Renta seemed to invoke Nicks’s look with bohemian skirts and ruffled shirts. And her nationwide tour sold out in 35 cities. To top it off, she’s back in the studio with Fleetwood Mac.

    When Nicks is at home, she’s welcoming and mellow and ready to chat. Or to listen. “When I visit, we build a fire, put music on, talk and laugh,” says Rebecca Thyret, a friend of 26 years. “She’s a girls’ girl and very loyal.” Maines admires her attitude. “Women can be catty and competitive, and she’s not like that. She doesn’t put out any vibe to fear her.” Stevie’s rambling, Santa Fe-style home, built in 1980, is divided into two wings — one for her and one for her brother’s family — with the kitchen table in the middle. “I kind of live in a commune,” she says. “Several other people live here off and on. It’s always been that way — I have my own party wherever I go.” Upon entering the atrium-like foyer through a huge wooden door, guests are hit by a prism of colors from a huge stained-glass window. “The moment I saw this room, I said ‘Oh I want this house,’” she says. Step further into Stevie’s world and color intensifies, the living room saturated with deep-red walls and gem-toned lamps. Red roses, her favorite flower, abound. A vivid shawl covers the bench of a grand piano. Black drapes can be drawn to create instant midnight. Her bedroom is a sensual feast of silk, velvet and lace, strewn with angels, dolls, Buddist statues and a painting of Ophelia. “I have to live in dramatic places” says Nicks. “For me, atmosphere is everything.”

    In some ways, Phoenix has always been home: Nicks, 53, was born here, though at age 2 her gypsy life began when her father, onetime president of Greyhound, was relocated and began the first of many moves. Her parents retired here in the seventies and they — as well as the purple sunsets and the views of Camelback Mountain — have always drawn her back. “This view is pretty stunning, you know? I love that it never changes. It helps me put everything into perspective.”

    One thing she’s totally clear on is that she’s not the good-witch character she plays onstage. That’s just an act. “People love the whole Bella Donna thing so much, and I’m not that at all. It’s turned into something way beyond who I am.” Discreet signs of her Stevie-ness do surface — the platform sandals, for example — but there’s no top hat, no fringe, no chiffon. Instead she wears black velvet stretch pants and a loose velvet shirt. She says her acclaimed style was merely a pragmatic solution to the old problem of what to wear. “My stage fright was and is terrible, so adding pressure with clothes was ridiculous. I didn’t want to think about it. So I designed my little uniform.” She also wanted her music to be the star, not her navel. “I knew from the beginning that I wanted to be famous when I was 70 and realized that being terribly sexy couldn’t last. I would say to all the younger girls now, be careful about what you do if you want to stick around.”

    Her romances include a short 1983 marriage to Kim Anderson, the widower of her best friend, Robin. (When the two stopped grieving, they realized they were not a match.) But music is the love of her life, and for her it has meant monogamy. Though she doesn’t have children, “she calls herself the rock and roll Mama,” says Maines. “She’s a mom to all women in music.” Nicks knows she has made sacrifices, but says: “It’s like, Do you want to be an artist and a writer, or a wife and a lover? With kids, your focus changes. I don’t want to go to PTA meetings.” And the truth is, dating is not always easy for emeritus rock stars. “You know, that black limousine drives up and I get in and I go away,” she says. “There are very few men who don’t get that glowy look, who can rise above the rock star thing and go, ‘I’m not going to look at her as Stevie Nicks, but instead as a nice woman.’” But, she says, “I still believe in love. You never know when it is going to walk through your door.”

    Nicks reaches down to lift Sara, one of her two Yorkies, into her lap. As she pets the dog, Nicks smiles. The storyteller will eventually tell one more, in an autobiography. “But it’s not going to be the kind of really sinful book people think it would be. It will be all the great things.” The CD changes, and Rumours comes on. When “Gold Dust Woman” plays, she sings along with herself for a few notes. “All I ever really wanted was to do this music well and get through the experience to the other end. I wanted to be a beloved character out of the rock history books. And be all right. And I’m here.”

    Stephanie Tuck / Frank W. Ockenfels (photographer) / InStyle / March 2002