This is going to be kind of short because I'm trying to get ready for the Portland show which begins in a few hours. I just want to say that Stevie's performance was INCREDIBLE last night...beyond what I had expected.
First of all, I want to describe the concert venue because it is probably one of the most spectacular venues in the country. (And it is perfect for a Stevie Nicks concert!) The Gorge is about 3 hours east of Seattle (5 hours NE of Portland where I was driving from) in the desert of Eastern Washington. The stage is literally on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge (kind of like a mini Grand Canyon.) Stevie commented several times about how happy she was to be in such a beautiful place. The amphitheater was packed, it appeared to be a near-capacity crowd. I was VERY happy with my seat, it was in the 5th row on the aisle but actually turned out to be in the first row! The first few rows were kind of curved towards the stage and there were less seats in the rows in front of me than in my row. So there were no seats in front of me, I could literally stick my leg out and touch the stage!!! I was thrilled. Stevie looked beautiful in person, even more so than on TV or in pictures. She also looked thin, if I didn't know better I would say she was about 25 or 30 years old!! And she sounded like she was about 25 or thirty, hitting all kinds of high-notes! I won't describe every song, just a few that stand out in my mind, (I'm very tired right now so I'm forgetting all kinds of things! Sorry!)
As soon as she came out the crowd was on it's feet, and stayed that way for the whole show, except for the acoustic set. There was a full moon out and upon seeing this Stevie laughed and said "it's going to be a dangerous night!!" The crowd went crazy!! Everyone seemed to love Enchanted, I was surprised at how many of her lesser-known songs people seemed to know. Her acoustic set sounded great, I remember her hitting the high-notes during Garbo, especially when she sings "Marlene...." Unfortunately, during the acoustic set some b$#@% behind me started arguing with one of the security personnel, so I missed everything that Stevie said before this song. I finally turned around and told her to "Shut the hell up!!" That seemed to help a little bit. I can't believe how stupid some people are at concerts, especially the ones who feel the need to get drunk and/or stoned before the concert is even half-way over! I was determined not to let these brainless idiots ruin the show for me but I was really getting pissed! I also missed the beginning of Rhiannon because of a near brawl in the aisle next to me. Oh well, I'll stop bitching now! :-)
The crowd rushed the stage during Whole Lotta Trouble, I only had to take one step and I was leaning against the stage for the rest of the show. The audience seemed to enjoy Stand Back and Edge of Seventeen the most, singing and dancing the whole time. I really liked Twisted, I couldn't tell what song it was at first but once she started singing, it rocked! I love the part at the end of Has Anyone Ever Written... when she says "And they ask her about the men in her life, and they DO ask her..." She seemed to almost start laughing when she said this! In fact that is one thing I really noticed was how much she smiled and laughed during this show, she seemed so incredibly happy, which, of course made me happy.
Towards the end of the show when she was introducing her back-up singers the guys in her band were apparently talking amongst themselves because she stopped what she was saying and turned to them and said "EXCUSE ME!! You are all grounded!!" (for talking) It was hilarious! Unfortunately, she didn't shake hands during Edge of 17 because there is kind of a barrier between where she was and the edge of the stage. So everyone had to settle for a wave and I could swear she made eye contact with me! I almost forgot, the backdrop (stained glass and curtains) that I have seen in pictures from previous concerts was missing. I'm not sure why, perhaps it was to preserve the natural beauty of the amphitheater.
Well, I'm going to be late for tonight's's concert if I don't stop writing. (This is about 10 times longer than I planned!!) I will just say that it was a night I will always remember!!
Thanks for reading (if you lasted this long!) and take care,
A Short Review
August 1, 1998
Hi everyone,
This is going to be kind of short because I'm trying to get ready for the Portland show which begins in a few hours. I just want to say that Stevie's performance was INCREDIBLE last night...beyond what I had expected.
First of all, I want to describe the concert venue because it is probably one of the most spectacular venues in the country. (And it is perfect for a Stevie Nicks concert!) The Gorge is about 3 hours east of Seattle (5 hours NE of Portland where I was driving from) in the desert of Eastern Washington. The stage is literally on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge (kind of like a mini Grand Canyon.) Stevie commented several times about how happy she was to be in such a beautiful place. The amphitheater was packed, it appeared to be a near-capacity crowd. I was VERY happy with my seat, it was in the 5th row on the aisle but actually turned out to be in the first row! The first few rows were kind of curved towards the stage and there were less seats in the rows in front of me than in my row. So there were no seats in front of me, I could literally stick my leg out and touch the stage!!! I was thrilled. Stevie looked beautiful in person, even more so than on TV or in pictures. She also looked thin, if I didn't know better I would say she was about 25 or 30 years old!! And she sounded like she was about 25 or thirty, hitting all kinds of high-notes! I won't describe every song, just a few that stand out in my mind, (I'm very tired right now so I'm forgetting all kinds of things! Sorry!)
As soon as she came out the crowd was on it's feet, and stayed that way for the whole show, except for the acoustic set. There was a full moon out and upon seeing this Stevie laughed and said "it's going to be a dangerous night!!" The crowd went crazy!! Everyone seemed to love Enchanted, I was surprised at how many of her lesser-known songs people seemed to know. Her acoustic set sounded great, I remember her hitting the high-notes during Garbo, especially when she sings "Marlene...." Unfortunately, during the acoustic set some b$#@% behind me started arguing with one of the security personnel, so I missed everything that Stevie said before this song. I finally turned around and told her to "Shut the hell up!!" That seemed to help a little bit. I can't believe how stupid some people are at concerts, especially the ones who feel the need to get drunk and/or stoned before the concert is even half-way over! I was determined not to let these brainless idiots ruin the show for me but I was really getting pissed! I also missed the beginning of Rhiannon because of a near brawl in the aisle next to me. Oh well, I'll stop bitching now! :-)
The crowd rushed the stage during Whole Lotta Trouble, I only had to take one step and I was leaning against the stage for the rest of the show. The audience seemed to enjoy Stand Back and Edge of Seventeen the most, singing and dancing the whole time. I really liked Twisted, I couldn't tell what song it was at first but once she started singing, it rocked! I love the part at the end of Has Anyone Ever Written... when she says "And they ask her about the men in her life, and they DO ask her..." She seemed to almost start laughing when she said this! In fact that is one thing I really noticed was how much she smiled and laughed during this show, she seemed so incredibly happy, which, of course made me happy.
Towards the end of the show when she was introducing her back-up singers the guys in her band were apparently talking amongst themselves because she stopped what she was saying and turned to them and said "EXCUSE ME!! You are all grounded!!" (for talking) It was hilarious! Unfortunately, she didn't shake hands during Edge of 17 because there is kind of a barrier between where she was and the edge of the stage. So everyone had to settle for a wave and I could swear she made eye contact with me! I almost forgot, the backdrop (stained glass and curtains) that I have seen in pictures from previous concerts was missing. I'm not sure why, perhaps it was to preserve the natural beauty of the amphitheater.
Well, I'm going to be late for tonight's's concert if I don't stop writing. (This is about 10 times longer than I planned!!) I will just say that it was a night I will always remember!!
Thanks for reading (if you lasted this long!) and take care,