Stevie Nicks & The Pretenders
21st November 2017
Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Doug Peters.
Women are powerful creatures; and none more so than a woman in music. If one needed evidence of this then all they had to do was attend one of the biggest shows of the year; that of Stevie Nicks with none other than Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders.
A gorgeous backdrop curtain and well laid out stage awaited Hynde and crew as they arrived, Hynde striding out in skin tight jeans and sequined jacket. It’s hard to believe that Hynde is now sixty-six years old, her swagger giving away absolutely nothing. Straight into the opening track ‘Alone’ from their latest album of the same name and the lyrics were the absolute personification of all that Hynde is; an independent, rock n roller who will not be told “can’t” or “shan’t” by anybody. Flanked by two rockabilly styled gentleman on guitar and bass – James Walbourne of Son Volt fame and Nick Wilkinson respectively – Hynde looked every inch the rock goddess that she is with guitar strapped over her shoulder and a slight sneer on her face.
Making up the rest of The Pretenders tonight was fellow co-founder and drummer extraordinaire Martin Chambers, a man who by her own admission she has been working with for the past almost forty years; and a rather talented Welsh keyboardist who not only charmed the crowd – after some encouragement from Hynde – by speaking in his native tongue but who also provided one of these best maraca solo’s to date and wasn’t adverse to slinging a guitar either!
Making her way through the set Hynde would often stand on the edge of the stage and purvey the audience, while it had been well advertised that no cell phones were to be used during the set a few punters still took a chance, one – after being spotted by the eagle eyed Hynde – being admonished by her for the fact.
“You like that?” Hynde asked the audience following a rendition of ‘Down The Wrong Way’, “cause I like you” she confessed before throwing a handful of picks into the first few rows. Grabbing the mic she then went on to deliver a beautiful rendition of ‘Let’s Get Lost’, her voice having lost nothing over the years. Unlike most ‘support’ band slots, this was to be a full set from Hynde and the gang which meant that fans were treated to an extremely well rounded set list – Hynde informing one and all that it had been changed slightly for the people that had come both nights (and there were more than a few of them!).
Following a haunting acoustic version of ‘Hymn to Her’ the fans were treated to the delicious rhythmical drive of ‘Chain Gang’ (Hynde pointing out that she made a couple of mistakes during the song and then telling the audience – tongue firmly in cheek – to “fuck off” when she asked if they could tell) and of course the singalong classics ‘I’ll Stand By You’ and ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’. But where this astoundingly talented group of musicians really came into their own was on the 1984 Thumbelina; a heavily country infused track it was a display of musical adroitness as Walbourne and Chambers matched each other in speed and dexterity, the crowd sitting almost on the edge of their seats watching this battle play out before them.
But all good things must come to an end and following a rather self-deprecating drum solo from Chambers, Hynde and her posse delivered a vibrant version of ‘Middle of The Road’ complete with harmonica solo from Hynde herself. Turning to the side of the stage Hynde asked someone in the shadows if they had time for one more – thankfully the answer was yes as the performance would not have felt complete without the gorgeous ‘Brass in Pocket’ Peppering the set with talk of never being afraid to Rock n Roll and girl power, Hynde truly is one of the greatest female rock idols of our time, long may she remain so.
The stage crew were on fire tonight as the stage was quickly turned over in preparation for the arrival of Miss Nicks herself, with the advertised thirty minute intermission being almost cut in half and seeing a lot of patrons scurrying back to their seats as the lights dropped.
Nicks band quickly and quietly settled themselves into their respected areas, the full complement of two keyboardists, a drummer, three guitarists and two back-up singers certainly making a statement. And then there she was, the original white witch herself, Miss Stevie Nicks in trade mark black drapery and sky high heels, her spun gold tresses resplendent under the stage lights. Needless to say that the crowd (many of whom looked like they were entering a Stevie lookalike contest) went completely wild and jumped to their feet the moment she arrived, applauding her like the returning conquering hero, a welcome that she indeed seemed to appreciate.
Tonight’s set from Nicks (as part of her 24 Karat Gold Shows) was not a straight concert in the usual sense of the word, but rather a musical journey through time and place. Nicks was about to open the book on her life and share chapter and verse with everyone in attendance. Following ‘Gold and Braid’ from Nicks debut solo album Bella Donna, the backdrop screen lit up with word Auckland emblazoned across it as she greeted one and all and relayed how wonderful it was to be back. Wanting to explain the show a little she went on to tell how tonight would be a night of “stories” and that many would both involve and revolve around Tom Petty who the world sadly lost this year. “With that being said, let’s go!” Stevie shouted and with that began an almost two and a half hour long insight into the world of Nicks herself. Two songs in and the crowd were already beside themselves as Stevie spoke of her desires to record with Tom Petty and the realization of that dream; behind her an old photo of the two of them together was displayed. ‘Stop draggin’ my heart around’ was always going to be one of the early favourites – but who would sing Tom Petty’s part? Well when you have a rather talented female singer on tour with you … the crowd roaring as once again Chrissie Hynde appeared on stage in jacket and tie and delivered an evocative rendition of the 1981 track.
Nicks at sixty-nine is certainly not the young woman she used to be anymore, instead she has now fully transformed into the sentient being we see before us, hand grasped around her ribbon encrusted mic stand she commands the stage with the slightest of hand movements. As promised stories are told; ‘Belle Fleur’ following a rather amusing anecdote about her first car that lost the ability to reverse but never lost its ability to let her feel free.
It would be naïve not to expect any Fleetwood Mac tracks to be wildly popular and as the first was delivered in the form of ‘Gypsy’ the crowd were up on their feet and ready to dance the night away; Nicks that distinctive voice of hers seemingly reaching the further most corners of the venue all at once appeared unearthly as she grabbed handfuls of her dress pulling it away from herself as she spun in slow circles on the stage. ‘Bella Donna’ saw Nicks don the original (and still in perfect condition) dark blue velvet cape that she wore for her original photo shoots, proving that sometimes you just need to pay for quality – the cape in question costing her three thousand dollars back in the early 1980’s.
While many of her stories – especially those involving artists that have passed on such as Petty and Prince – were wonderfully entertaining and at times rather humorous; however some were also just a little too long and a tad self-indulgent; hecklers in the crowd beginning to interject during the middle portion of the show. ‘Dreams’ with its stunning back drop of the night shy and the Northern Lights was an uplifting experience while ‘Star Shine’ one of Nicks latest tracks was absolutely spell binding sending shivers up the spine; Nicks wearing a giant white winter coat with (we hope fake) fur trim. ‘Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)’ was accompanied by a surprising tale of how Nicks watched the second film in the Twilight Series and was inspired to write the song. For those in the audience tonight who were never a part of the Edward vs Jacob fan club, the song may possibly never be seen in the same light again. ‘Stand Back’ brought forth a burst of energy to the middle of the set, Nicks having the fans eating out of the palm of her hand as she spoke about Prince in his purple velvet suit and purple Camero arriving at the recording session and rendering everyone present completely star struck.
It was the final section of the evening that saw the big guns came out; ‘Gold Dust Woman’ easily being the stand out performance of the night; Nicks draped in an intricately woven gold cape seeming to embody other worldly spirits as she stepped away from the microphone and danced, clever camera work transforming her into a pagan enchantress who truly had the heart of a dragon. Gold hair falling over her face, Nicks stuck out her arm as she cried for all to “Pick up the pieces and go home” the audience collectively feeling the absolute power in this woman’s conviction. While hard to top, Nicks came close with a stunning rendition of ‘Edge of Seventeen’ to close the night. Encore expected and noisily demanded; Nicks and band soon returned to stage to deliver that infamous track ‘Rhiannon’ that brought a tear to more than just one fans eye tonight. But Nicks hadn’t quite finished yet; an acoustic version of ‘Landslide’ the absolute cherry on the top of what had been a dream evening for everyone in attendance.
Two inspirational women, one night of pure gold; magic in anyone’s eyes.
Stevie Nicks:
The Pretenders:
Were you there at Spark Arena for this magnificent double header? Or have you seen Stevie Nicks or The Pretenders perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Stevie Nicks Setlist:
- Gold And Braid
- If Anyone Falls
- Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
- Belle Fleur
- Gypsy
- Wild Heart
- Bella Donna
- Enchanted
- Outside The Rain
- Dreams
- Starshine
- Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream)
- Stand Back
- Crying In The Night
- If You Were My Love
- Gold Dust Woman
- Edge Of Seventeen
- Rhiannon [encore]
- Landslide [encore]
The Pretenders Setlist:
- Alone
- Gotta Wait
- Message
- Kid
- Down The Wrong Way
- Let’s Get Lost
- Hymn To Her
- Chain Gang
- Stop Your Sobbin’
- I’ll Stand By You
- Don’t Get Me Wrong
- Night In My Veins
- Thumbelina
- Middle Of The Road
- Brass In Pocket
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