September 26th, 2001 - Mars Music Amphitheater, West Palm Beach,FL
by Albert (of The Coffee House Gypsies)
STEVIE NICKS- OUTSIDE THE RAIN IN FLORIDA
We arrived over an hour before the show, and as we got out of our car, I could hear Stevie doing a mic check and rehearsing before the show. As we entered the amphitheater, we found it was empty. It had begun to drizzle and the clouds looked like nasty rain was coming.
There were small crowds scattered here and there, walking around, having drinks, setting up their rain coats and their blankets in the lawn around the theatre. The die-hard Stevie fans, in their full attire and boots. Fellow Coffee House Gypsies mates Carmen Tauler, Frank Perez, and myself sat down next to each other when they called everyone together for the National Anthem. There was a huge flag hanging over the stage, and we all shared a special "moment" in that song before the show.
Then, just as the opening band began to play, the rain began to fall down HARD. There was heavy wind, and every now and then lightning would flash and thunder would echo. The place was so dead, I almost felt sorry for the opening band. I say almost because they were just too darn good to get any sympathy for anything. But anyway...
The opening band was called California, and it was a 4 piece band with a lot of sound.The lead vocalist had a Bryan Adams-type voice with vocal chords from hell, and the guitaring was super sweet. It was a good old fashioned American Rock n Roll Band, like I hadn't heard in a long time.
Since the theatre was still mostly empty after some time, they invited everyone that had tickets out on the lawn to come in out of the rain and enjoy the show. It was a very nice gesture on behalf of Stevie and the Mars Amphitheater. Especially for all the poor, soaked fans. (Security seemed extra tight because of the last few weeks' activities, and they did not even allow umbrellas into the theatre. People were ringing out their T-shirts and pouring water out from their shoes...
Then the stage went black, and the voice was heard, "I hear there's
Trouble in Shangri-La...."
And the back-up vocals responded in perfect harmony, "I run through the grass, I run over stones, show me the way back..."
And the stage lit up, and there she was! Stevie Nicks herself, all decked out in her full witch attire and as beautiful as ever. Her long blonde hair falling to one side of her black outfit and boots.
The stage setting was just as beautifully impressive... it looked like she was standing in the ruins of some Malaysian Temple, with gigantic vases and columns all around her, vines all over the walls and the floor, moss hanging down from above her, golden statues of ancient gods on pillars, the shadows of overgrown branches on the walls, and behind her... a threshold, and through it you could see the ocean and sky. Around her stood a nine man band: drums, percussion, keyboard, piano, guitar, solo guitar, bass guitar, and her two harmony singers. Of course, Sharon Celani and Waddy Wachtel were among these nine. (nothing but the best for Stevie)
They opened the show with "Stop Dragging My Heart Around". Waddy sang Tom's part, and I was impressed cause I had NEVER heard Waddy sing!!! Halfway through the song, we saw what looked like ants in the distance rushing towards the theatre, and it wasn't long before the stadium was full of bodies and people were being returned back out to the fields. Luckily, the rain had stopped by then and it was just a lot of thunder and lightning, which only added to the Stevie mood.
The performance list consisted of "Stand Back", "Enchanted", "Edge of Seventeen", "Too Far From Texas", "Dreams", "Rhiannon", "Fall From Grace","Planets of the Universe", "Everyday", "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You" and there may have been more, but at some point I went into a catatonic state and lost track of everything around me... except Stevie.
She spoke between songs and told us stories about her and Lindsey, and the moments that led to the writing of certain songs. There was a five minute drum and percussion solo-piece. A five minute classical piano interlude. An improv-jam between Waddy on electric guitar and the drummer and percussionist which led into the next song six minutes later... There were people dancing,singing, holding up candles, lighters, American flags. Teenagers, baby boomers, all generations, together in one big party...
Carmen, Frank and I all harmonized with "the voice" and Carmen said to me,"Now you can die happy..." To which I responded, "Not yet... I have to be sharing the stage with her when I harmonize with her before I can die happy." and we all laughed.
The hour and a half drive back consisted of a car-full singing of Stevie songs and talking about the show, and me teasing Carmen because I had sworn long ago that I would recruit her into being a Stevie fan and she had sworn it could never happen.
Today, I look back on it, sneezing, coughing, and having to cancel my own band practice because I am now sick, and think...
"Gee, I wish I could do it all over again."