[The Nicks Fix]

Stevie Nicks 2008 - FAN REVIEWS

6/25/08 Toledo Zoo Amph. Toledo, OH




Mark A. Tafelski
I attended Stevie's show in Toledo, Ohio last night and must say it was one of the greatest show's I have ever seen. The show took place at the outdoor amphitheater in the Toledo Zoo. Scheduled to begin at 7:30, Stevie was unable to begin until nearly 10:00 due to several absolutely torrential rain storms crossing the area. The thousands in attendance tried their best to find shelter from the rains, but by the time Stevie took the stage virtually everyone was soaked to the bone, and there was not an empty seat in the house. Stevie opened w/ "Stand Back" which immediately brought the fans to their feet. In the length of time it took her to finish w/ "Stand Back" the rain had returned, falling hard and straight. Playing in the rain themselves, Stevie and the band led in to "Outside the Rain". I can't remember when I've witnessed such a surreal moment as when she sang the first chorus "Thunder only happens when it's raining" in an utter down pour and the fans came completely "unglued" singing along w/ her. The rest of the night was incredible, Stevie sounded better than ever, the band was fantastic, and eventually the rain did stop. To paraphrase a review in this mornings newspaper; "Rain or Shine the tickets say. It rained, and Nicks shined."

Stevie your show was incredible. It's been a long time since you've been to Toledo, please hurry back. Toledo Loves You, and after last night I don't think there is any questioning that. Have a great tour and we'll see you next time, hopefully in the rain........


Sarah
As a birthday gift, my family gave me Stevie tickets for the Toledo show. We drove about 200 miles to attend and were caught in a nasty downpour outside for several hours. I was afraid it would never stop raining or that there would not be enough time for her to play before the city’s noise ordinance went into effect. As it turns out, Stevie came out to play the first 3 songs in the rain before it finally stopped. She looked and sounded amazing, as usual. This was my 9th time seeing Stevie and If Anyone Falls was one of the best performances she has ever given. She played almost the entire set and it was worth every second in the rain. My in-laws had never seen her before and were completely thunderstuck by her performance and all anyone could talk about on the way home was how wonderful she sounded, how energetic she was, and how she has such an amazing band and back-up singers. The experience was incredible and in my 27 years, this was the best birthday gift ever. Thank you, Stevie, for singing in the rain! Your cheerfulness and optimism were contagious. It was a great show.


Sherry in Rochester, Ny
I took my 18 yr old daughter to the Toledo show on June 24th!! We travelled over six hours, and it was her high school graduation in two days!! Still we had to see Stevie!! I fell in love with Stevie when I was around fourteen and someone gave me the Rumors albumn, and have passed my love on to my daughter. What a joy it is to walk past her bedroom in our house and hear Stevie and Fleetwood Mac coming out of her room, instead of all the other things I could be hearing. We waited 3 hours in the POURING rain, but it was worth every minute! My daughter cried thinking they might cancel the show, and my heart was breaking, but Stevie came through for her fans!!!!! At 9:00 pm her voice came over the sound system, like a mother hen, or an angel from above, and she told us "She had her boots on, her lipstick on, and they were ready to put on a show that would rock the place" And she did!! Eventually she came out with a big black and white umbrella and sang "Outside the Rain" and "Dreams" holding it! So fun!! Finally it dried up and she gave a performance that we will never forget. So thank you Stevie for making my daughter's graduation wish come true! This was a mother-daughter road trip I will never forget! We were still talking about your capes, and class at 1 am when we ate candy bars on our hotel bed! We love you!! and I thank you for being there for me at all the times of joy, or sorrow, in my life....your voice, and words have filled my soul!


Jeff
I have been A Stevie fan 4 many many years. I missed the Toledo show on Wed Night. Had plans to attend, but something came up. I was informed about the thunder stom that went thru Toledo that night. That caused the concert to be delayed for awhile. The next night Stevie played a friend of mine was at that concert & he called me @ home. So i did get to hear Stevie sing & all was good. Thank u David 4 being a friend & lifting my spirts. U r the best. Take time baby & listen to the rain.........


Suzanne in Buffalo, NY
What a night! With over a 2 hour delay in the pouring rain, Stevie came over the P.A. and apologized for the delay, she said "we're all ready, lipstick's on and me and the girls are ready to rock, only if this damn rain would let up!" Stevie came on and started right into stand back, but all of the speakers went out....so she just kept right on going and what a great acapella performance of stand back!! What a pro...never missed a beat! Sadly she had to cut her set short due to the time and noise ordinance so we missed "has anyone ever written anything for you". But I've never in my life been in a full down pour listening to Stevie sing "Outside the rain" and "Dreams"...the whole audience was in full chant "Thunder only happens when it rains" as Stevie twirled her umbrella! I've seen Stevie MANY times, and that night, I will never forget. Much love to you
Suzanne (Buffalo, NY)
Oh, and please come back to Buffalo Stevie where we have a covered amphitheater!


Pam in Toledo, OH
What a great show. I was so worried it was going to be cancelled because of the rain. Stevie finally came out and sang her heart out. The music was fantastic. What a trooper. She was out there singing with an umbrella to all of her drenched fans. Waddy is such a funny character, making us laugh. Wish I would have caught a guitar pic. Her guys on the drums are just awesome. It was great to see her same backup singers. My favorite was Landslide and seeing the backdrop of pictures. Thanks Stevie for a great time.


Brandi Neal, Portland, Maine
I just saw Stevie Nicks in Toledo, Ohio June 25. I drove all night to my hometown in Toledo from Maine to attend a wedding, several parties and to see Stevie. Mere minutes before the show was set to begin a lightening storm blew through the outdoor venue with hail and very heavy rain. The show was delayed for 2 and ½ hours. Fans did not waver however, and everyone from children to senior citizens (including my 70-year-old great uncle) donned plastic ponchos and waited it out.
Stevie eventually came on stage and assured the crowd she and her band were ready with their lipstick and boots on just waiting for the OK to begin the concert. About 10 minutes later she made good on her promise as staff pushed buckets of water off the stage. The first song “Stand Back” was a little rocky, the vocals were turned up too high and no one could hear the music. By the time she got to “Dreams” three songs in all the kinks had been worked out but the rain began again. Stevie didn’t miss a beat as someone handed her a giant golf umbrella and she went through most of her set.
A few numbers had to be omitted and she sped through some of the regular talking she does on her solo tours in the interest of time as Toledo has a noise ordinance of 11:30 p.m. Stevie is my absolute favorite performer and she didn’t let us down. The show was fantastic and the crowd very enthusiastic since this is only the second time she has visited Toledo in more than 20 years. Some were skeptical if she would even perform because the weather was so awful. I knew she would come out and would not let us down.
Stevie is just so full of passion and appreciation for her fans and her music it is truly a real treat to see her live. At the end of the show I was able to make my way toward the stage and shake her hand during the famous walk she does at the end of “Edge of Seventeen.”
Though I was exhausted, soaked to the bone and will probably catch a cold, it was totally worth it. Stevie is truly incredible and I will continue to attend her concerts as long as she is on the road. There is a very short list of people I would stand in the rain for more than three hours for. Stevie is definitely one of them.


Alicia
"Rain or Shine," was a phrase that came up constantly at the Toledo Zoo Ampitheater. I arrived in Toledo from the Greater Cincinnati area at about 5:00P.M.- one and a half hours before we were allowed to enter the amphitheater. I noticed it was cloudy, but didn't pay much attention to it. At a little after 6:30P.M., I took my seat after buying some Stevie Nicks merch and noticed the wind was picking up. That was NOT a good sign. Suddenly, all at once, it began to poor down rain and everybody left the ampitheatre to take cover. Everyone was let back into the amphitheater at about 7:45P.M. even though the show was supposed to start at 7:30P.M. The stage crew cleaned off the stage and then, once again, it rained, stopped, and rained again. This happened several times throughout the night.
Everyone in the crowd was growing restless- we'd been sitting in the rain for a long time. At about 9:30 or so, I saw a girl grab a microphone and run back stage with it. I had no idea what was going on- I was a little irritated too. Then, there she was, Stevie Nicks came out to comfort the crowd and say everyone was ready and they would come out in about fifteen to twenty minutes. They had their boots, lipstick, and chiffon on- I was excited... finally... Believe me, after being in the rain for about 3 hours, it's hard to be excited, but once Stevie came out, I didn't care. About fifteen minutes later, the lights dimmed and music began to play. "Outside the Rain," echoed through the amphitheater and everybody in the crowd screamed. I'll never forget the beginning. Stevie was singing and then, suddenly, the bass and guitar just went out. Stevie turned and gave that "oh crap" look, smiled, and continued on. That's what professionals do- they continue on... even in the worst circumstances. It was funny to see the bass player look and shrug. The PA system must have gotten wet- everything got wet.
Guess what happened next. Rain. At this point, it was kind of funny. It must have looked like a sea of ponchos from Stevie's point of view. Stevie Nicks said we were the best audience she had ever had in her life. I think, that made everyone in the audience feel pretty good.
Once the rain really started to affect Stevie, Lori, Jana, and Sharron, people brought umbrellas out. Stevie took a huge blue and white umbrella with a wooden handle and began to twirl it around. She had a "singin' in the rain kind of moment" and she felt like breaking out into some tap dancing.
"Dreams," was definitely the best to fit with the weather. When the line, "Thunder only happens when it's raining," came up, Stevie, kind of, addressed the crowd- everyone loved it. Finally, after, "Dreams," the rain stopped completely- that was pretty exciting. Someone came and took Stevie's umbrella and she sang a line from Rhianna's song, "Umbrella." That was pretty funny.
The rest of the concert was amazing. I really loved hearing, "If Anyone Falls In Love," "Crash," and "Sorcerer." Those are all AMAZING songs, but the ones that really made a huge impression on me were, "Landslide," "Gold Dust Woman," "Rhiannon," and "Edge of Seventeen." Stevie sings those songs with such an intensity- I love it. "Landslide," was a little sad for me. Whether Stevie Nicks will admit this or not, she seemed emotional, at least, in the beginning. Of course, I would be sad if my father died too... even if it were a few years ago. "Rhiannon," was amazing- she sang it with such radiance and energy. I can NOT tell Stevie is 60. I guess, doing what you love keeps you young.
"Gold Dust Woman," was really cool. Stevie left for just a minute to change her shawl- she wore a beautiful gold one. The leads to that song were really good. Waddy Watchel is a GREAT guitarist. "Edge of Seventeen," was great. Stevie really got into this song- she even went for a bunch of high notes. At the end, Stevie did her greeting with the front row. I think, I saw her get a couple bouquets of roses and some, probably, wet cards. I wish I could have been in that front row. My seats were really good though- I was in Row F, so I was pretty close.
After "Edge of Seventeen," Stevie left for her encore. When she came back, she played "Rock and Roll," which pretty good. Stevie Nicks has that kind of voice where she can sing almost anything and sound great. Unfortunately, the concert was cut one song short because of a curfew. Sure, I was a little sad about that- I could have seen Stevie all night if we would have been allowed, but I understood. What really impressed me was the fact that she didn't have to go through her set list if she didn't want to- she only HAS to play one or two songs under those circumstances. I think Stevie really cares about her fans though, because she knows how dedicated we are. I mean, we sat in a thunderstorm for over three hours. Sure, people were getting angry screaming, "Rain or shine, " like idiots, but we really wanted to see her. I would rather wait in the rain for a couple hours than risk Stevie and the band's safety. Luckily, I didn't get pneumonia, but, even if I did, it would have been worth it. Stevie has a way of captivating the audience. I'm not even sure how she does it, but it's amazing. I will never forget Stevie's energetic scream through, "Edge of Seventeen," her several leg-kicks throughout the show, the emotion, the umbrella, and the, "Damn rain."
Thank you, Stevie, for an AMAZING show.


Frank Welter
I wanted to thank Stevie and band for waiting out all the rain this week in Toledo and giving us a great show. I've been a fan since the Buckingham/Nicks days and was looking forward to the show!!! Hope to see her back in Toledo again in the future.

Thanks again.



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