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concert reviews

Stevie Nicks, Rock Steady
Stevie Nicks at Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA, Sunday 10 July 2005

One would think that after more than 30 years of making music, Stevie Nicks's popularity would have waned at least slightly. But for two consecutive years, she has been voted the No. 1 "Chick Who Rocks" by the listeners of local radio station WARW-FM (94.7). On Sunday night at Nissan Pavilion, it was easy to see why, as she and her nine-member band blazed through a nearly two-hour set that included hits from Nicks's solo career as well as her time in Fleetwood Mac.

Nicks kept a solid momentum through the show, despite a few unnecessary costume changes (she donned a golden shawl for "Gold Dust Woman" and switched to a white skirt during an extended version of "Edge of Seventeen"). But when onstage, she was focused. Nicks talked about spending an emotional day with the patients at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and dedicated a moving version of "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" to them. A few songs later, she serenaded the audience with a mellow rendition of Bonnie Raitt's song about her father, "The Circle Dance."

Nicks wasn't always so serious, though. She and her band dove into a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" and sped through a thunderous "Fall From Grace." And during instrumental interludes in "Stand Back," Nicks spun in circles with her arms outstretched and her long black dress billowing around her, joyously basking in her music.

-- Catherine P. Lewis

.: Originally published: The Washington Post, 12 July 2005
.: Selected discography: Enchanted: The Works of Stevie Nicks (1998); Trouble in Shangri-La (Stevie Nicks, 2001); Street Angel (Stevie Nicks, 1994); The Other Side of the Mirror (Stevie Nicks, 1989); Rock a Little (Stevie Nicks, 1985); The Wild Heart (Stevie Nicks, 1983); Bella Donna (Stevie Nicks, 1981); Tusk (Fleetwood Mac, 1978); Rumours (Fleetwood Mac, 1977); Fleetwood Mac (Fleetwood Mac, 1975).