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December 31, 1999 When she entered the stage at eleven to launch into a familiar set (i.e.: Outside the Rain led to Dreams) I forgot about the four hours I had been standing and waiting all ready. She looked great, and she was so mystified by the millennium, it started to sway even me. Stevie's voice was great, but the sound system in the House of Blues was not. She was forced to stop abruptly in Landslide even after a touching intro and dedication "to all of us"because of massive feedback. For the first few songs, she twirled and danced while miming to the sound people. I dare say her frustration was visible, but it didn't interfere with the music. She sang powerfully and delivered an array of uplifting messages about the future. In "Rhiannon" she told us all that she didn't think we were trying...I promise I will! As midnight approached, we watched Stevie engage in antics on stage in an attempt to delay before a countdown. As a fan, I couldn't ever imagine the feeling of a countdown to the New Year done by Stevie Nicks...and so what if she didn't really sing Auld Lang Syne--the girls did. By then, I was in the spell. As the set closed with Edge of Seventeen, Stevie began her traditional fan bonding session. I was in the back...way back, as I always seem to be. For nearly 20 years, I have watched with disappointment as those lucky enough to be in the front got the privilege to interact with the mystical queen of rock. At the instruction of my wife, I tried my luck at getting to the front. As I reached the front, she stood above me, resplendent in white. My arms were stretched to the limit, and while I desperately reached, I watched as she passed by...It was a sad moment, but one I felt, with a level head, was inevitable. As my expression changed, so to did her direction...I soon found her little hand in mine and her smiling gaze looking down in my direction. I could only muster two words that had been building for decades: "Thank You." Not that my problems are that bad--they are merely the same as most experience in life. But to me, they seemed like the world was ending as they happened. And in those dark moments, I could listen as Stevie turned her own tragedies to art if only to let us all know that you can get through it all; and in happier times, she offers music that helps to further the mood. My memories of the eve on which we rolled into the new millennium will always be with me, and I can say that on that night, whether or not she really saw me say it, I got to say thanks to someone who has been such an inspirational force in my life... Tidings for a safe and bright future... Lasher |