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Diary from a Swedish Stevie Nicks fan on her way to the Stevie Nicks & Friends concert (by Emmeline) I am something as unusual as a Swedish Fleetwood Mac fan, at the edge of seventeen (I turn 18 this year). I have been a Stevie-fan for over 3 years and my admiration has only grown deeper the more I listened to the music and the more I got to know about her. My friends never understood my obsession, they had never heard of Stevie or Fleetwood Mac (mind you people, I live in Sweden, no one under 40 knows that they even exist here). But even from the beginning, I had this dream of seeing Stevie live, in concert, with my own eyes. And then, my American e-mail friend David, invited me to come to the benefit concert this year in Phoenix, as soon as we both got the knowledge of this concert. He was paying for the tickets, but I had to manage to get over to the States on my own. I had some money saved on the bank, well my mom actually saved it for me, and that plus a few (?) extra bucks that my mom was kind enough to support me with (she knew how important this was for me) was enough for the flight ticket. I had been planning for months, counting the days, when finally that day arrived when I was actually leaving for the USA. It was one of the most exciting, interesting and totally fabulous weeks in my life. So, here’s my story, read and enjoy! Tuesday, Sept 19 Dad and I got up in the middle of the night, to take the car to Arlanda (the airport), Stockholm. I tried to keep my nerves calm, convincing myself everything was going to work out just fine. By the way, this was the first time I was actually going up in the air, in a plane. And I was doing it all alone, all the way to San Francisco, where my brother would meet me (he worked in Sunnyvale). I even had to get on another flight at Heathrow, London. I had only been to one airport in my life, Arlanda, but I knew that Heathrow was, well let’s just say, a lot bigger! I checked in, said goodbye to dad, and sat down to wait for my plane. At that very moment, I suddenly felt so lonely and abandoned! I remember thinking “What am I doing here, I must be crazy thinking I can do this on my own!” But I soon got over it as I got on the plane. We left Stockholm and soon there was nothing but clouds beneath us. I sat by the window, looking out, thinking how those clouds looked just like an Arctic landscape, just ice and snow as far as the eye can see....or perhaps like a big bowl of rice pudding....or brain mass...(yeah, I know, my fantasy was playing it’s own little games with my mind). When I landed at Heathrow, I had 30 minutes to get on my next plane. Luckily, I got help from the kind personnel there. Otherwise, I probably would have gotten lost within 5 seconds... After a long and tiring flight, I reached San Francisco, where my brother picked me up, and my journey continued to Sunnyvale on a Cal Train. I was fascinated by the palm trees, the surroundings, the arcitecture. There were a lot to see! We passed by Menlo Park and I was thinking “wow this is close to where Stevie and Lindsey went to high school!”. Later, we even passed by Palo Alto, where, as we all know, Lindsey was born. I never got a chance to check out that place though, maybe next time! The heat was a shock for me, coming from cold Sweden, where the temperature must have been below 45°F. Here it probably was close to 85... Finally we arrived at my brother’s place. After talking a walk and getting something to eat, I went to bed early that night (I hadn’t been able to sleep on the plane, so I was pretty exhausted). This had also been the longest day in my life, litterally, since Sweden is 9 hours ahead of San Francisco... Wednesday, Sept 20 I woke up early. Today, I was following my brother to his work. It would only be until 12. We ate a quick breakfast consisting of Rice Crispies (something familiar at least) with milk I tried to swallow as soon as possible; it tasted nothing like the milk I was used to! My stomach wasn’t too pleased with having flown over the Atlantic Ocean and getting this strange food in it. One thing I got familiar with in Sunnyvale was the Light Rail, and I always thought it was so funny when the doors were closing and this voice said, everytime: “The doors are closing.” Only thing was, I kept hearing it as: “The doors are clothing.” I smiled to myself everytime I heard it! In the afternoon, my brother and I took the bus to San José and East Ridge, where we went shopping, or actually I only bought a top....but it was fun, I had never seen such a huge mall! We also went to IHOP (International House Of Pancakes) to get Swedish pancakes. Yeah, right...those people probably never went to Sweden and actually tried swedish pancakes...at least I have never heard of anyone here eating pancakes with lingonberry jam, lingonberry butter and powder sugar...but it tasted great! I was fascinated by all the different shapes and colours of the houses and buildings. A lot of it looked very Spanish. They looked nothing like the houses in Sweden. While not having adjusted to the time difference yet, I went to bed early this night as well. Thursday, Sept 21 My brother went to work until lunch. I stayed home. I needed to do some packing; we were leaving for Phoenix later in the afternoon. I was so excited. I was going to come even closer to Stevie! While packing, I turned the radio on. The station played 60’s and 70’s songs only. This was great! My favorite music! Maybe they would even play some Fleetwood Mac...Time went slowly passed... Finally time to leave for San José, where we got to the Greyhound station and got on the bus. We had a long journey ahead. I looked at my watch. 4.30 pm. Only 18 hours to Phoenix then...The bus went down through California, making a few stops on the way. I remember some of them clearer than others: Salinas. “One day up near Salinas lord, I let him slip away...he’s looking for that home and I hope he finds it...”(Me and Bobby McGee, Janis Joplin) Wow, I don’t know how many times I’ve sung along to that song! Now I finally get to see Salinas, or the Greyhound station at least...Santa Barbara. Heard of this place too of course. Couldn’t see much though, in the middle of the night. But I really had to visit the restroom by now....I don’t think I ever got used to those toilets....I must say I missed the swedish toilets. Friday, Sept 22 I didn’t get any sleep at all during the night, so tired and with my stomach endlessly reminding me of that motion sickness, I stumbled out of the bus in the sunlit city of Blythe, still in California. Most passengers headed for Mc Donalds, just a few steps away, but I felt like throwing up just by the smell of food. I honestly didn’t know if I’d make it to Phoenix, I felt so awful! We were now three hours away from our destination, and that gave me some comfort. But then something unexpected happened: The airconditioning just stopped working! Oh, great, here we were, almost in the middle of the desert, feeling like we were about to die of heat...But when we had an hour left, another bus stood on the side of the road waiting for us. What a relief, now I could actually breathe! When we arrived in Phoenix, I felt like I could kiss the ground. I swore I wouldn’t get on a bus for a long time...I didn’t want to even begin thinking about the bus ride back to San José...but that seemed far ahead in time at the moment. When we came to the hotel room, I threw myself on the bed, exhausted, but my stomach soon complained about it’s emptiness( it was over 20 hours since I last ate). I asked my brother if we could go get something to eat, but he was watching something on the tv, and was apparantly unable to leave until the end of the movie. I couldn’t believe it; here I was, starving to death, and my brother couldn’t leave the darn tv! So, when we finally got out of the hotel, I didn’t care where we went eating, as long as it was close and they had food. Phoenix was hot. 96 degrees was a temperature I had never experienced before, and in the wind, it felt like someone had a hair dryer on maximum heat right in your face. And you couldn’t go anywhere without bringing a bottle of water. But I soon got used to it, and came to love it, just as I loved the brown hills, the palmtrees (always had a thing for those) the clear blue sky and the cactuses. David arrived later that day. And the three of us went to a restaurant nearby in the evening, where we also got a chance to sit down and talk for the first time! I needed sleep, so it was straight to bed after that. Tomorrow was going to be a BIG day! Saturday, Sept 23 Stevie! was the first thought in my mind when I woke up (according to some, the only thing I ever think of...). Today was the day, one of the most important days in my life so far. But we did a lot of things before the concert too, which I must tell you about! After breakfast, we decided to go to the mall nearby. Only thing was, when we came there, most of the stores were closed...it was too early! Still, we looked around a bit, and then we decided to go to Paradise Valley. I thought that now when I’m finally in Phoenix, I must check out the area where Stevie lives! The cab driver gave us a strange look, and informed us that this area was huge, and unless we knew the address, it was as good as impossible to find the right place. When he got to know we came all the way from Sweden just for a concert, he just wouldn’t believe his ears! But he said he could take us to the zoo if we wanted to, and so we thought that would be a good idea. We had a great time at the zoo, and I was just as fascinated by all the different exotic plants as I was by the animals. After the zoo, we still had hours to the concert, so we went to see a movie. They had 24 theatres where we went, and I had never seen such a place before! And the chairs were so comfortable, and the sound seemed to come from everywhere. I was stunned! But this was of course nothing compared to what the concert would turn out to be! The concert! When we came to the America West Arena that night, the streets were crowded. Stevie look-alikes passed by with long blond hair and black chiffon dresses (oh, what wouldn’t I do to have one of those!) We got to our seats, David and I on the floor just about 20 meters from the stage. We had been given small flashlights and roses. I carefully stuck my rose under the chair, I wouldn’t want it to get hurt! Wow, this place was huge; people everywhere! Stevie’s father came out to introduce his daughter. I’ve never seen the man before, he looked so small and fragile! And then Stevie came. Everone was on their feet! She started up with “Outside the Rain” followed by “Dreams”. I still tried to get my mind to understand that there she was, standing in front of me, singing. It seemed so unreal! “Enchanted” and “Gold dust woman” followed. Both excellent versions, and Stevie seemed energetic and happy tonight. It was now time for the first guest: Sheryl Crow. They sang “Everyday is a winding road” together, and it swept me off my feet! I knew this was a great song, but not that it could be this good! The next song, “My Favorite Mistake”, Sheryl sang by herself, and Stevie accompanied her in their last song: “The Difficult Kind”. I had never heard it before, and I can’t say I absolutely fell in love with it, but it was ok. “Stand Back”, always energetic and full of life this song. It was awesome! Everytime Stevie were to introduce her next guest, I hoped it would be Lindsey, but not this time. Don Henley entered the stage, when Stevie was already halfway through “Leather and Lace”. He sung the second verse, as expected, while Stevie stood behind him, holding his arm. I don’t know why, but I never really liked the man, somehow I’ve always seen him as a rival to Lindsey... Anyway, his next song “Boys of Summer” was just sooo great! I had heard it before, but didn’t know he was the one who sang it. After Don, it was time for the band introductions. It was one of the band members’ birthday, so they sang “Happy birthday” to him. Then “Rhiannon”, as beautiful as ever. I don’t ever get tired of that song. Chris Isaak enters the stage, dressed in a red 50’s suit...hmm, well, at least Stevie thought he looked, as she said “fabulous”. Stevie says they have a surprise for us tonight; then they start up that ol’ song “It’s late”. Never thought she’d sing that one live! Before the next song, Chris starts telling us he and Stevie had been playing together a long time ago, under the names Happy and Gail...yeah right. Stevie is laughing, and so are we. Maybe she felt we were getting too cheerful, so she says: “This is a serious song.” Chris replies: “Not the way I do it!”. The song is “Solitary Man”, unknown to me. Then Stevie leaves and Chris does “Baby did a bad bad thing” accompanied by Sheryl Crow, who comes in sneaking up behind him. They are so fun to watch, and Chris with his naughty little gestures... Time now for the man I’ve waited for all night, the one most of us seemed to have waited for, because when Stevie introduces him (from the bottom of her heart), the crowd seems to go wild: Lindsey Buckingham!!! She goes to meet him, and they walk in holding hands. Lindsey holds a little speech about coming back to Phoenix, and how he and Stevie used to come here to visit her parents, all of this while Stevie is standing behind him, her arms wrapped around him and sort of leaning her head against the back of his shoulder. They are just soo cute! Lindsey dedicates his two songs to Stevie: “Big Love” and “Go Insane”. To hear him play that guitar live like the God he is, it’s like being in heaven...Just when you think it couldn’t get better, they start playing “Landslide”. Sounds like it use to do but so much better to hear it live of course! Then for the big surprise of the evening: Waddy and Carlos come in to join Lindsey with their guitars, and the familiar tunes of “Gypsy” starts playing. Just the guitars and Stevie singing, this a great change, making this acoustic version. Stevie actually announces that it was Lindsey who asked for to play this song. Lindsey and Stevie are so lovable to each other, he kisses her hand at least twice and they hug a couple of times. I think it shows the deep friendship, love and respect they have for each other. There’s an unbreakable bond there. “Edge of seventeen” starts up with a long drum solo. Then the song kicks in, the spotlights flashing. Gives me goosebumps the size of chicken eggs (to quote another of our dear FM members...) Can those guys rock up there or what! “I Need To Know” is a Tom Petty song, and Stevie as always giving it all she’s got. This fabulous show ends with “Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You”. So beautiful I almost start to cry. Back out on the streets again, we wait for our cab, watching all the people coming out of the arena. Cars passing by, playing Stevie music and there’s a sense of magic in the air. We didn’t bring our cameras (since you weren’t allowed to, but no one seemed to care), so we figured we had time to go back to the hotel to pick them up. We had the expensive tickets, so we were going to the party at the Wells Fargo. It’s just that, when we arrive, I realize you have to have the pass to get in, which I left at the hotel...so, it’s off to the hotel, and back again. But when we come back, Stevie and the guys have already been there, and we missed them. I was so devastated! I didn’t think I would ever forgive myself, and I haven’t still to this day. It wasn’t easy to fall asleep that night. So many impressions, so many memories that I will bring with me forever. Just the experience of being in the same room as Stevie... Sunday, Sept 24 The last day in Phoenix.We were taking it easy, relaxing, until David left at noon. My brother and I decided to take a walk to the Arizona Center before it was time for us to leave. But the walk was longer than expected, it took about an hour. I didn’t mind though, in fact I loved it! We took a pizza and enjoyed our last few hours in the paradise of the desert. I felt sad to leave this place, so beautiful, calm and relaxed. The bus ride back to San José wasn’t half the hell it had been coming here. I had bought some pills that actually worked for my motion sickness. I still didn’t get much sleep though. But it felt like this time, it went faster. 18 hours didn’t feel like an eternity anymore. Maybe I had just gotten used to it. Monday, Sept 25 We came to San José around 10 am, grabbed something to eat, and took the Light Rail home to Sunnyvale. I was tired when we arrived, so after I had taken a shower, I slept for a few hours. I actually don’t remember much of this day, maybe I was just too exhausted. The afternoon passed quickly, and I went to bed early. I had to prepare my body for another long and tiring trip: tomorrow we were leaving the States, going home to Sweden. I didn’t want to leave already, there was too much left to see. Home seemed so distant from here. It was another world. A world of triviality, school....homework. But of course I couldn’t wait to tell everybody at home about my journey! And I did miss my bed... Tuesday, Sept 26 My brother went to his work, to finish off and tell everybody goodbye. He had been working there for three months, and was now joining me back to Sweden. I stayed at home, packing. We left for San Francisco at noon from where our plane was leaving around 3. It was with a bit of sadness in my heart I left this sunny place. I carried my jacket in my hand, because I knew I would need it at home. The plane was big and we had our seats in the middle, so I couldn’t look out of the window. At least I had my music this time: a portable cd player and two cd’s; The Dance with FM and Mirror Ball by Sarah McLachlan. I even made some less successful attempts of getting some sleep. Wednesday, Sept 27 We arrived in London sometime after 9 am, local time (which would have been in the middle of the night in Sunnyvale). We spent 4 hours walking around, checking out the tax free shops and waiting for our next flight. A funny thing happened when we passed by security. The man who was standing there, handing us our bags, saw my handmade Stevie t-shirt I was wearing and said, with a smile on his face: “Stevie Nicks...oh, are you a fan?!” I said yes, and he told me the “Live at the Red Rocks” was available on dvd. I said I hadn’t seen it, and he told me I should get it! This must be some sort of a sign, I thought. I should try and get my hands on it as soon as possible. The flight to Stockholm was only two and a half hours, and I thought it was a piece of cake, after all the travelling I had done. There’s a striking difference between Arlanda and San Francisco International. When the plane touched the ground, the landing strip was mostly surrounded by woods, and you sort of get this in-the-middle-of-nowhere-feeling. And this is our biggest airport! Home, yes, there was something special about being home. The trees, the ground, the air...I realized I had missed it all. This is, after all, home! But, I thought, looking up to the sky where a plane was just disappearing through the clouds, I’ll do this again someday. Perhaps next summer, if I can afford it. Because this has been such an adventure! I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. *~*Emmeline*~* |