The singer is not ready to give up her inheritance to Taylor Swift or anyone else – The Irish Times

Stevie Nicks

3Arena

★★★★☆

When Stevie Nicks performed in Ireland for the first time in November 1989, her musical colleague Taylor Swift was not even born yet. But a few days ago, Nicks delighted the parents in the audience at Swift’s performance at the Aviva Stadium by appearing masked in the VIP tent. Around 50,000 people were in the presence of rock and pop greats as Swift, the biggest pop star in the world, paid tribute to the genius of her heroine.

There is no sign of a return for the Princess of Pop and the friendship bracelets tonight in the 3Arena, but the Swift effect is still visible: the audience is noticeably younger and many are wearing the boho skirts that made Nicks famous in Fleetwood Mac’s heyday in the 1970s.

Although there was much (understandable) gnashing of teeth at the exorbitant ticket prices, Nicks’ first solo appearance in Ireland in nearly a decade is undoubtedly an event gig. And with little chance of Fleetwood Mac reuniting following the death of Christine McVie in 2022 – Nicks recently vowed, “There’s no chance… without (McVie) it just couldn’t work” – fans flocked to the temple to worship their goddess.

This is no mere run-through of songs from her former band, however. When Nicks takes the stage just after 8pm, her trademark long blonde locks are easily visible even from the furthest reaches of the 3Arena. She begins with a solo song, Outside the Rain.

This is followed by the fast gallop of “Dreams” before she tells the first of several long and amusing stories about recording “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” with Tom Petty for her 1981 solo debut album, “Bella Donna.”

In fact, tonight’s show could have been billed as “An Evening with Stevie Nicks,” because her stories are almost as entertaining as her songs. Particularly entertaining is a story about her life in poverty with Lindsey Buckingham (“we were so poor our car didn’t have a reverse gear”) and her first meeting with the members of Fleetwood Mac. Many fans wonder what other stories she might have in store if she ever decides to write her memoirs.

Now 76, Nicks is clearly less steady on her feet, spinning around the stage less like a “whirling dervish” than she once did, and taking more breaks between songs as her amazing band kills time or she changes into another of her trademark capes.

Nevertheless, her distinctive voice is still in excellent form – be it in a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, a duet with her singing teacher Steve Real (standing in for Don Henley) on “Leather and Lace” or the shrill “Edge of Seventeen”, which brings many audience members to their feet.

“Soldier’s Angel,” a sultry ballad dedicated to the war-torn people of Ukraine, is the only real letdown in a setlist largely drawn from her early solo albums—and the onstage visual effects, while fitting with Nick’s mystical aura, are occasionally a little cheesy.

There’s even an unexpected shout-out to Irish TikTok comedian Garron Noone, whose videos Nicks says she’s enjoyed, before she launches into a dazzling two-song encore from Rhiannon and Landslide. The former is a highlight of the evening, Nicks’ voice dark and passionate as she shakes her trademark scarf-wrapped tambourine. The latter, however, makes for a moment that will no doubt live on in many of the audience’s memories, as images of Nicks and the late Christine McVie from decades past are projected behind her. It’s a moving dedication, and the line “And I’m getting older too…” seems particularly poignant tonight, although Nicks seems adamant that she’ll be returning to Dublin soon. Not yet ready to hand over her mantle – to Swift or anyone else, it seems – she tells the audience that she’s been “running onstage” for the past few years to try and cope with McVie’s death. If tonight is anything to go by, she will continue to be welcomed with open arms by Irish audiences who have fallen in love with a true legend.