stevie: my love, my hero.

To anyone with taste in music, there is only one answer when someone invites you to a Fleetwood Mac concert.

That answer, of course, is an enthusiastic yes.

 

Yet, when my friend Chuck asked me if I was interested in taking his ticket because he was going to be out of town, I actually hesitated for a bit.

Not because I don’t love Fleetwood Mac; not because I don’t think Rumours is one of the best albums ever recorded; not because every time I hear one of their songs I’m not instantly filled with nostalgia.

But because I felt guilty about attending this concert with anyone but my Dad, who introduced me to the band and who, since I was very young, has called me “Stevie" after the one and only Stevie Nicks.

I’m not entirely sure why he started calling me that – I mean, my name is Stephanie, so Stevie isn’t really much of a stretch. I also have an abnormally deep voice, wear long flowy skirts and have always loved to twirl, so the comparisons are certainly there.

Now completely aware of what a bad ass Stevie Nicks is, the name that used to bother me when I was a kid, I wear proudly as a badge of honor. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be nicknamed after a woman who writes meaningful (and beautiful) music and still looks and sounds the way she did 35 years ago?

Yes, I did feel guilty about not going with the man whom I give most credit for introducing me to good music. But if someone literally drops a ticket to Fleetwood Mac in your lap, you go.

Especially with fun people like Martha and Jarek, who happily invited me take Chuck's place.

You MUST go.

And so I went.

 

Based on the outrageous ticket prices, the huge venue, and the myriad of Fleetwood Mac hits, I knew going into it, there was a good chance that the show would be like every other typical, “I’m-so-famous-and-everyone-feels-lucky-to-be-here-so-I-don’t-have-to-try.”

But like Eric Clapton and Hall & Oates (two other big shows I enjoyed this year), Fleetwood Mac was on my live music bucket list and shouldn’t be missed. Unlike Eric Clapton and Hall & Oates, though, Fleetwood Mac was phenomenal.

In addition to being completely complimentary of Atlanta and the fans here, they played for 2.5 hours, speaking to fans in between songs like they were taping an episode of VHI’s Behind the Music.

They performed as if they were doing so for the first time and to a crowd they were sincerely trying to impress. Hearing songs I’ve grown up listening to and loving is always an emotional experience for me –the return on investment I get from the money I spend on concerts always makes it worth it, even when the show is just okay.

Fleetwood Mac far surpassed my expectations.

 

Also, I'm completely fascinated with the relationship of Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham and have wasted at least three hours over the last couple of days doing Google searches about them and watching videos on You Tube (read: loser). Their love, their breakup, their decision to keep performing together despite their personal history – it adds an extra layer of intrigue and awesomeness. 

I really wanted to tell my dad, who texted me during the show his sincere disappointment we weren’t enjoying the show together, that he didn’t miss out, and that the concert wasn’t anything to get excited about. But that would’ve been a lie.

So I told him the truth.

I told him how amazing it was, how happy I am that he still calls me Stevie and promised him that when Fleetwood Mac tours again, we have a date.