Trouble in Shangri-la
FAN REVIEWS

7/30/01 Chastain Park Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA
this page last updated September 5, 2001

Newest reviews posted at the top.

TERRY
I FIRST SAW STEVIE IN PITTSBURGH AT THE OPENING OF HER TOUR AND MUST SAY THAT IT WAS THE BEST CONCERT IV'E EVER SEEN. THERE WAS MAGIC IN THE AIR THAT NIGHT. OF COURSE BEING THE OPENING DATE ON HER TOUR MADE IT VERY SPECIAL TO HER AND YOU CAN SEE IT IN EVERY SONG. SHERYL CROW WAS ALSO AN ADDED PLEASURE AND MADE THE CONCERT EVEN BETTER. WE WERE SITTING IN ROW 6 SO WE WERE ABLE TO SEE EVERY EXPRESSION ON STEVIES FACE AND SHE TRULY WAS HAVING A GOOD TIME. I ONLY WISH IT COULD OF KEPT ON GOING. THEN I SAW HER IN CLEVELAND AND SHE ROCKED THE HOUSE THERE TOO. I THEN TRAVELED TO ATLANTA TO VISIT FRIENDS AND WENT TO HER CONCERT THERE. MY FRIENDS HAD NEVER SEEN STEVIE AND COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOW I COULD PAY TO SEE HER AGAIN. THEY QUICKLY UNDERSTOOD AFTER THEY WERE WILD EYED BY STEVIE. IM GOING TO ATLANTIC CITY IN SEPT. AND HOPE TO GO TO VEGAS IS OCT. I CAN TRUELY SAY THAT STEVIE IS A BIG PART OF MY LIFE AND I HOPE SHE KNOWS HOW MUCH SHE MEANS TO SO MANY PEOPLE. I WISH STEVIE THE BEST OF HEALTH AND TO STAY STRONG AND ROCK ON. FROM A FAN SINCE 1975 TILL FOREVER

Jeanie Thronson
First, I have to say that I had a blast in Atlanta for the three days I was there. I have the great fortune in that I look so much like Stevie Nicks that everywhere I went I was mistaken for her. For example, VIP tables at restaurants, wait staff coming over to tell me that people wanted my autograph, being chased down going to the restroom. This has been happening for years in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama for a long time. I sort of became a Stevie fan simply because of hearing over and over that I look like her. So I had to see her in concert and I was just awestruck. It is really great. She sounds live even better than on recording, you can't say that about many performers. I was very impressed with her show, you can tell she really cares about her audience. I am 39 years old and she looks like my age at the most! I saw her up close cause some of the security guards came and got me to come up close to the stage. I am very proud about looking like Stevie, but I really know now first hand from my personal experience how much people really love her. Even at the concert I was mistaken for her and I could tell how people love her so much, they showed so much respect. Oh what wonderful fans she has.

anonymous
What could be better than sitting under a beautiful , warm sky and listening to a true legend entertain us? Stevie has proved once again that she is a true to form entertainer. I was lucky enough to get some seats in the pit for the show after purchasing 8 tickets too many in my quest for the best seats. I was truly mesmorized as those familiar words to "TISL" started. I have seen Stevie on every tour since "the Wild Heart Tour" and I think this was the best yet. She rocked us with the familiair classics and thankfully threw in quite a few tunes from her newest album! "Fall From Grace" was played like she had been playing it for years. I think this was the best song of the night.

As the beginning of "Edge of Seventeen" began to play, I casually walked right up to the stage and stood there for the last 3 songs. I had never been so close to her before. She was amazing in her little platform tennis shoes! I was totally in shock standing so close to someone who has for so long entertained me with her incredible songs. And, I even got to shake her soft little hands twice as she passed by after "EOS". I am still a little bit in shock as to how lucky I was this time around to get such good seats, and to get to actually stand at the stage and watch her from so close. Every one of her fans who were at the stage were so kind, no pushing, no shoving, just a group of people together for one purpose-to watch this incredible woman entertain us and give us a little part of her life.

Gini Lea Ennis
I am a 26 year old Marine Biologist/Teacher from Savannah, GA who traveled 5 hours to see her Highness in HOTLANTA! I have to say...at least Savannah has a nice SEA breeze, but the stifling heat at Chastain was almost as bad as the heat at Lakewood (now HiFi Buys Amphitheater) in 98! I would do anything to see Stevie live, even sit in an oven! I thought that her new songs sounded wonderful on stage, but I fear that her throat (laryngitis) was still really bothering her. I found that her voice wasn't as strong this tour as it was in 98 in Atlanta and Orlando when I saw her...I hope it didn't hurt too bad and that it doesn't become chronic, Let's all pray for her and her angelic vocal cords! I loved Fall From Grace live on stage...she really hit those notes well. I noticed Sharon and Mindy was taking over alot of the other songs high notes for her, and that she was really trying hard to keep her pitch. I imagine our horrible heat in GA had alot to do with it! I pray that she still will appear again her in Sept. like the promoter said she would after making up her canceled shows. I would travel to the ends of the earth to see her Majesty! Have a safe rest of the tour Stevie and God Bless You and that ethereal voice!

anonymous
Stevie's Atlanta show proved once again that she is one of the most important and beloved artists of all time. The emotion in her voice is impossible to describe but I will try: giving, wise, healing, joyful, vulnerable, responsible, fun, truthful, vital, eternal. There is simply nobody else like her. Stevie, I hope you know how much love you bring to people. You are more than a performer, you are a gift of life. Stay well and thank you.

Sue Flynn
Stevie Nicks in concert at Chastain , Hotlanta , Georgia... Wow !!! What a night !!!! it was a most memorable experience. Stevie was marvelous. She mixed vintage old with some new and her voice was in perfect form.... Besides giving us great music, she talked to the sold-out crowd like we were all her friends giving us backgrounds on her songs and thanking us for being there with her... It was an extremely HOT, HUMID night in Hotlanta but Stevie hung in there.. What can I say, I have been a fan forever and she still gives me goosebumps when she sings...

David More
Well, after seeing that Stevie would not be coming to Florida (major disappointment) I was extremely upset. But then after collecting myself and realizing I have never missed a Stevie or Fleetwood Mac tour since 1979, and sometimes have seen multi shows per tour. I realized that if she was not coming to me I must go to her. So after driving 7 1/2 hrs to Atlanta. I saw what I would have to say is one of the better solo shows of Stevie's I have seen in a couple of years. I have met Stevie 3 times and I have to say she was very bright eyed and very together at 53 and still awesome as ever. I had read a lot of reviews but there were still some surprises. The venues acoustics could have been better but it was great to see her once again, and more than likely I will be driving up another 7 1/2 hrs again in Sept. to see her. Thank you Stevie for another awesome performs.

Bree
I first saw Stevie Nicks in 1977 with Fleetwood Mac on the Rumors Tour and six times since then. Tonite in Atlanta Stevie proved she can still rock with the best of them. In spite of a mediocre sound system and a voice that was still on the mend, Stevie delighted the sold out crowd with her enthusiasm and charm. Most of the high notes were left to the back-up singers. The two best songs were "Fall from Grace" and "Stand Back." It would have been nice to have a few more of the old hits but the new stuff is good. The TISL set list suffered and few lags and was in no way as comprehensive as the Enchanted tour, but nobody seemed to mind. One other noticeable omission--NO BOOTS! Stevie was wearing flat shoes--what an odd sight. Stevie is now an "old pro" and I'll continue to see her each time she performs.

Benjamin Dahlbeck
This was the first time I've had the opportunity to see Stevie Nicks live onstage and the only unpleasant thing was that the air was so thick and humid you could swim in it! Ahh, my hometown in summer. Why do we have outdoor theatre in Georgia?

Anyway, just as it got dark, the music began and it also threatened to rain. A wonderfully cool breeze blew through and to paraphrase a lyric; Outside NO rain. The skies held.

I liked the lighting in this show. It enhanced the atmosphere without being distracting. This being my first live show, I was so excited to see Stevie in all her mystic glory and when she came out, it was a vision, except....What happened to the boots she wears all summer long? I guess they're in the shop because she came out wearing Frankenstein's Hightops. But she is so graceful gliding across the stage, I soon forgot her footwear.

I was on the same side as Sharon and Mindy which was a lot of fun. They look great and move great, although I never realised just how tiny and thin Sharon Celani is. This is Georgia, eat a muffin, girl!

I really liked that Stevie talked to the audience and explained the origins of some of the songs. The old songs and the new songs sounded wonderful. I could tell she was still getting over her laryngitis, but she paced herself beautifully, still giving us the oomph and yet not wearing out vocally too soon. Her second encore was haunting and sweet. In spite of the hot&heavy weather, the audience was up on its feet most of the time and it really was a great evening. She's coming back, too!!

Valerie Taylor
I just returned from one of the best nights of my life. My boyfriend and I were patiently waiting for Stevie to go on stage four hours before the concert started. We were walking around the venue, when all fo a sudden we heard the lovely voice of Stevie coming from the Amphitheater. We stood for half an hour watching Stevie Nicks do her sound check in a black shirt and pants and pink rollers in her hair. Let me tell you, that was the coolest part of the entire experience.

Well we finally got in to the venue and watched Jeff Gains perform the opening act. Strangely enough, he actually sounded like one of my friends in a rock band from college. The lights went down and the crew set up the stage for Stevie. About 9:00 She came on stage and began to rock the house. This was awesome. The only thing I could not understand is why anymone would want to sit through this concert. At first I was a little uncomfortable standing in front of all the other fans, but after a few songs I could not controll my urge to dance and emote my engergy. I muust say this was a wonderful show and I am going to remember this night for the rest of my life. Rock on Lilly! Much love and devotion...

Chris McLeod
ATLANTA!!!! I will start from the beginning...... We got their way early, 2 1/2 hours early, beat all the traffic, a good bit of people were already there. So we hung out, outside the gates, meeting Stevie fans, fans everywhere were dressed like Stevie...we could hear Stevie doing soundchecks, it was so cool...so finally at 6:30 they opened the gates, and people poured in...i bought a black shirt, and the hat...and a postcard...

so Jeffrey Gaines came out at like 7:45, he was pretty good, this was his last night on the tour.... After Jeff, we heard thunder, and finally the storm passed over (no rain!) and Bootylicious played, which was cool, and that tricked everyone...the minutes later, the Amphitheatre darkened, the lights on the stage went off, and we heard "I hear there's trouble in shangri-la..." over and over..people were screaming and jumping....it was great, Chastain has AWESOME sound....then Stevie strolled on the stage in her black dress and black reeboks and immediately went and shook someone's hand, he was psyched!! She did Stop Draggin my heart around, and it was great, high notes were great, she turned the mic and sang to Waddy...Stevie was very talkative and energetic...I was soo surprised considering all the fan reviews saying she hadnt been moving much..BOY DID SHE MOVE...She shook her dress, she twirled a lot, all kinds of hand motions, banged her tambourine,....she wore the same black dress, with different shawls, and eventually added some black wings to the dress.........

Stevie was very happy, and her voice was in top form......she did the spider fingers and the shadows with her hands in GOLD DUST WOMAN.... She did a semi-wail in GDW sort of an "aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah"..the croud roared though...She did Rhiannon awesome, she even did the "Will you take me with you to the sky, dream on , try hard, you cant leave her!" and during Rhiannon she wore a black cape...I had really good seats, I could see like facial expressions even without my binoculars.....Stand Back was great, she danced and jumped sort of in it, very energetic, and the kick was great, everyone loved it!.......Fall from Grace rocked out, and Stevie did it perfect, much better than the one I have from the Pittsburgh show on MP3. The new songs were great and very well received....Mindy and Sharon looked great and danced a lot...there were lights flashing everywhere, the crowd was wild..and im hoarse now........Edge of 17, Waddy did a long guitar intro...and Stevie came out in her white shawl....dancing..as the crowd pushed up by the stage....she sang it great and the Edge scream was classic!!! i was just so surprised at her energy, it was great, i had the time of my life!!!!!!!! I Need to Know was great..people even left after the encore, but roared back in when this song began...she banged her tambourine, did all kinds of little kicks all through the night...and HAEWAFY was soooo great and everyone had lighters...she wore this tall black top hat with white feathers, and she looked so young....she sang it with passion......in all this was the best concert ive ever been too, and it gives you such a rock feel....I will never forget this incredible night.....i love you stevie!!!

Jan and Christie
We just got home from Chastain, where Stevie ROCKED Hotlanta tonight!!!!! She held nothing back and gave a performance that the audience was spellbound with and one that she should be proud of. From the moment she took the stage until the last notes of HAEWAFY, she had the audience submerged in her performance. The band was rocking with her and Mindy and Sharon rocked right along with the band and Stevie...everyone onstage seemed to be giving their all and having a ball doing it!!!! Everyone onstage was all smiles!!!

Carly Byrd
Where to begin?! I just returned home from seeing Stevie in Atlanta, GA. Her performance was so "beyond par" that it was ridiculous! You would have never known that she was/is recovering from an illness. It was so thrilling to see the crowd be so appreciative of her classic songs and so accepting of the new ones. I was so caught up in the atmosphere that I ended up spending $200.00 at the merchandise booth! I won't regret it though, the items are fabulous. One of my most favorite things about this particular concert was the fact that for "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You?" she came out in an incredible top hat with extravagent feathers! Stevie never ceases to surpass my expectations! Hopelessly Enchanted ~ Carly Byrd

Patte
The Chastain concert in Atlanta on July 30th was mesmerizing! Welcome home, Stevie! I've been a fan since 1974 in Tuscaloosa when Stevie and Lindsay played Morgan Auditorium. For those of you that don't know, Tuscaloosa and Birmingham Alabama provided the framework of fame in the early days. Stevie was the priestess and songbird even then. I'm always particularly proud of the fact that the fans in this area recognized the talent long before the rest of the world. Stevie would come to Birmingham as a superstar and go back to LA and work as a waitress.

In the 27 years that I have loved Stevie, I can honestly tell you her voice has never sounded better. The set is a work of art balancing just the right mix of songs. Her energy is bountiful, but her heart is open and her eyes are focused and the circle of confusion has been removed. Thanks Stevie and all of the band for another magical evening. I can't wait....until you are back on September 22 because I'll be there rocking the night and celebrating with you!

Jan and Christie (continued from Bristow, VA)
Having recovered from our journey to Bristow and back, we were rested and ready to "rock a little" at Chastain. There was no doubt in our minds that Stevie was going to ROCK ATLANTA tonight!!!...and that she DID!!! We arrived at Chastain around 6pm and as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, we could hear the band rehearsing and Stevie "letting loose". We immediately jumped out of the car and headed for the gate, in hopes of catching a glimpse of Stevie and the band. With noses pressed against the wooden fence, peering through a hole about the size of a silver dollar, there on stage was our Ms Nicks warming up for tonight's event, wearing black stretch pants, a black loose fitting top, with curlers in her hair...a priceless view and a picture book moment.

The gates opened at 6:30pm and we settled into our first row seats that were to the right of the stage. The temperature was 90+ degrees...very hot and humid!!!! We had a dozen white roses and because of the heat they were beginning to wilt so we bought a bottle of water and submerged the roses to hopefully keep their beauty. During our wait, we noticed Lenny Castro and Al Ortiz, standing in the doorway that led backstage, watching the crowd. We grabbed our Chastain programs which has an article about Stevie and asked them for their autographs. We not only got their autographs but we also got our picture taken with them...what a treat!!!

This was Jeffrey Gaines last show with Stevie and she dedicated the entire show to him. After Jeffrey's performance, we waited with great anticipation to hear the first chords of "Bootylicious", knowing that Stevie would soon appear onstage. As soon as TISL started playing and the band took the stage, the audience was on their feet and the magic of the evening began. Stevie and the entire band embraced the Chastain audience and had us cast under a spell with their powerful performance that lasted the entire evening. Stevie's voice was in excellent shape and all the hoarseness from the Nissan show was gone....she was back in full force!!!

She did alot of dancing and twirling onstage and did the high kick at the end of Stand Back....a definite crowd pleaser!!! While she held her audience mesmerized she truly seemed happy and very pleased performing for the sold out crowd here at Chastain. She mentioned that when she and her assistant were landing at the airport, she told Karen "We are home" and then Stevie went on to explain that she had spent 3 months living here two years ago and "knew where all the good shops were"...so it definitely felt like home to her.

She did alot of talking and joking thru out the night....for the band intro she said "I want to introduce my band because without them I couldn't be up here by myself" and she laughed, then proceeded with the introduction of each member. The chemistry between everyone onstage was so apparent by their smiling faces...they were truly enjoying their performance and the audience responded back with the same enthusiasm. We noticed that tonight's props were different from what they were Saturday at the Nissan concert...due to the size of the stage, the vine covered columns and the arched backdrop were not used. Security was again "fan friendly" so we snapped away with our cameras. They also let us know ahead of time that we would be allowed to rush the stage during EO17....and when that time came we planted ourselves directly in front of Stevie's mic and there we stayed til the end of the show. We had our bouquet of roses and also a tambourine that had a dark blue background with a white winged dove in flight....we had also attached different color ribbons and 3 white roses. As Stevie started her famous walk across the stage, she shook hands and the security guard accompanying her collected gifts along the way. When she stopped in front of us, she first seemed surprised that the tambourine was for her but then told us "give it to him" meaning the security guard.

She shook both of our hands then continued walking across the stage shaking hands and collecting gifts. Knowing there were only two songs left before this most enchanting evening came to an end, we remained standing at the stage and at one point Lenny and Al smiled and waved to us. Stevie, wearing a black top hat with pink feathers and her hair in a ponytail, ended the evening with the traditional HAEWAFY....with tears in her eyes. Jeffrey Gaines and the rest of the band then joined her onstage, Stevie thanked us for coming, and they all took a bow. As everyone was leaving the stage, Stevie looked directly at us then waved one last time....and then she was gone. On our way out, we saw Mindy standing in the same doorway as Lenny and Al were earlier in the evening, and we were able to get her autograph. We then noticed Chris Nicks standing in front of the merchandise booth, and we stopped to speak to him. Chris said that Stevie was feeling much better and was ready to continue with the rest of the tour...he also mentioned that Stevie would be performing at Chastain again in September. As we left the venue, we knew we had just witnessed a spectacular performance from Stevie and even though the show had ended our "memories will remain....."

John Wichman
July 30 finally arrived! After continuously checking the web site and listening to the radio stations to see if she was still sick and would have to cancel, she appeared. About 10 minutes prior to the show a huge rain cloud came up and then bolts of lightening came down. How appropriate-"THUNDER ONLY HAPPENS WHEN ITS RAINING"Stevie must have put her magical spells on the heavens because the clouds cleared, a cool breeze came up and the moon and the stars came out. I loved how Trouble in Shangri-La began to play prior to her coming out-I wish she would have played the whole song live. I was amazed on how well she sounded after being sick with laryngitis. Gold Dust Woman , Rhiannon was unbelievable. She had us at the beginning chords of the piano and guitar. I haven't seen her twirl or dance as much in years and I have seen her and Fleetwood Mac everytime they've hit Atlanta since Rumours! It was great hearing her talk about the songs before she sang. You could really tell how pleased she is with this album as she should be. She followed the same song list as you have listed on the site except for Outside the Rain and the Cheryl Crow songs. You couldn't hear a pin drop as she closed with "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You" I'm glad she's back with such a full force. The only thing that I kept thinking as I was leaving was tickets go on sale next Saturday for her return show at Chastain in September.

Angela Watkins
I'm so thrilled to have seen Stevie in such a beautiful place. The Chastain Park Amphitheater is in the most beautiful neighborhood in Atlanta. There are million dollar homes and trees surrounding everything, it just added to the to the finesse of this wonderful artist. I can see why she added another date to this venue.

The stage was different from the other shows. There was not so much emphasis on the new album. The backdrop was flowing with different colors and there were two golden statues of a little woman on both sides of the stage. The light show was tremendous, so many colors and variations - very professional but that is what Stevie is all about. She sounded great and looked beautiful as always. The only thing I missed was "Outside the Rain" which was not played before "Dreams" which I found odd. She did not try to hit the high notes on "Sorcerer" but it was still beautiful. Sheryl was not there, but maybe she will return for the September show.

Meredith
I was very excited to see Stevie in my hometown, even though I have resided in Los Angeles for many years now. I was very pleased to see that her fan base in the South was still very much alive and well!

She was looking good, and the show was a nonstop, energy-filled ride. The humidity was deadly, and it looked like some serious rain was about to hit us, but we survived.... It was a fantastic performance, and Stevie seemed very rested after her recent illness. She said that when she and her assistant got off of the plane, they said "We're home!"....She loves Atlanta and spoke of her 3 month stay a few years ago. She spoke on many things----

Ms. Nicks was very in touch and connected with her audience, as always. She is SO gracious and truly appreciates her fans. The moon was almost full, and it was another special evening that seemed to end too quickly. The one thing I was a bit disappointed in, however, was the program.....Except for the very well deserved page dedicated to the Nicks Fix, it was lacking. There were no still photos of Stevie. Not really anything, a lot of amateur photos. And $65.00 for a sweatshirt? $20.00 for a coffee mug?? We work too hard to be treated that badly....I expected it to be expensive, and I took a lot for my collection, but I was not happy about that part of things. (Sigh).....

When it was all said and done, I would not trade anything for how full my heart is when I hear Stevie sing. She is an inspiration. My ticket to Shangri-La was a lovely trip. I look forward to the next show I am seeing, in Santa Barbara.....

Whitney
Stevie was wonderful!!! I'm just going to go down the list of songs and tell as much as I can about each one... (the show was long but went by fast and I was so excited, so these are not in order... I can't remember :(

Trouble in Shangri-La-- It was great. I especially loved how they played the opening chorus quite a few times before Stevie actually came out on stage. It really built anticipation! Love the song!

Enchanted-- It's just a great tune..she rocked!

Dreams-- The crowd really got into this one of course, and Carlos did an excellent job on lead.. u know...taking over Lindsey's part and all.. ;) She sang it so well, and the chorus sounded full, and had lots of depth. The blend of vocals really reminded me of the Rumours version...

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around-- full of energy.. and I loved how Waddy took over vocals for a minute there. It was great.

Gold Dust Woman-- It was really good...vocal blend, again, on the chorus reminded me of Rumours. It was just so plush. The song was great.

Sorceror-- I love this song..and she stayed away from the higher parts which was probably a good thing. She introduced this song with something along the lines of "I wrote this song back in 1974 when Lindsey and I were living together, and it was really about that..In fact that's when I met Waddy..." This was good.

Rhiannon-- Everyone went wild with this one also. Though, I had no idea it was coming because Scott Plunket did a really great and long intro...but then of course I heard the familiar chords start. It was really exciting in the end...she doesn't do the screaming anymore, but she gets into it anyway..it was wonderful.

Everyday-- A really good song...and I love it when she plays air violin..it adds a touch to the show.

Stand Back-- It was really rockin..another one everyone went wild for.

Planets of the Universe-- She talked about this one for a few minutes...she wrote it in 1977 at the end of her break-up w/ Lindsey, and no one could believe she wrote a song so harsh, but she explained that it was just out of anger, and went back and re-wrote some of it to sort of tone it down a little. This song was really good... it sounded exactly like the album version.

Fall From Grace-- This song rocked!! I love this song... one of my favorites. I especially loved the forceful part "just to watch..you..walk..out..that..door!!" That song was just so great.

Edge of Seventeen-- Of course this one was good. Lenny and Mark really rocked on drums, and then Waddy definately stole the spotlight to show off some hot guitar licks..the crowd loved it. But after a while.. 10 min maybe, there came the rest of the band..and then Stevie...in her trademark white cloak. She really rocked this song, and everyone was so into it. In the interlude she slowly swept by the edge of the stage and shook hands, and collected her flowers and gifts. She was amazing.

I Need to Know-- short but sweet... great song.

Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You-- she walked out with her feathered top-hat (beautiful and exciting!!) and her cute little outfit and did a wonderful version of that.

Stevie was great tonite in Atlanta..the show was sold out..packed house, and she's coming again!! I hope to see her once again in September. The merchandise was great.. a little on the expensive side, but a great selection. Bootylicious was played before she came out which I thought was a cute little touch. The ride home was really great when Atlanta's Z93 played tons of Stevie and Fleetwood Mac tunes as a tribute to her. It was a beautiful night!! Stevie sang and performed better than ever!!

Peter H
Chastain Park is an outdoor venue designed for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. It has a gentle slope with wide aisles between the rows of seats so that people can bring small tables and set up little ornate meals and sip wine while enjoying the show. As this was a rock concert instead of a formal, classical event, there were not a lot of little private dinners, but there was a lot of mini-bars set up! Through a completely random and lucky series of events, we were able to get front row, center, just to the right of the main aisle, seats 1-4. As we walked closer and closer to the stage, we were completely awstruck at our luck in scoring these tickets (Thank you so much, Carmen! I owe you BIG TIME!)!!! And when you are that close, you realized that Stevie is this package of dynamite in this little, tiny, beatuiful woman. She came out on stage and we all looked at eachother in amazement -- she's this little pipsqueak of a girl, which just endears her to us even more!

We got to the show after Jeffrey Gaines opened. We had been watching a thunderstorm try to take hold, but nothing more happened than several rumbles of thunder and a brisk breeze. It all subsided by the time Bootylicious started playing through the sound system. While it was a hot, sticky Georgia night, it didn't effect Stevie like it did when she was here for the Enchanted tour. She didn't sweat, she glistened! She told us that she was in Atlanta for three months while making this record, "which is a long time to be in a city, and when we arrived today, it was like, we are home!" The crowd went wild and welcomed her back "home". The show went off without a hitch. I know everyone reading the website is anxious to know how she sounded due to the recent bout of laryngitis, but have no fear. Stevie sounded great, altho' I think I could tell when she was testing her voice, and would back off when she felt she shouldn't push it. This sure wasn't negative and did not detract from her powerful delivery! I also think that the platform Reeboks allow her more mobililty, as she was quite sure footed and danced about quite a bit.

Speaking of dancing, how does Sharon remain standing and dancing in those pencil thin stilletto heels? She must have an amazing sense of balance! The wonderful guitar intro to Bombay Sapphires was a surprise and was out of this world! In this song, she dropped the chorus between "the call of the wild" and "it's like purple haze". Not a mistake, it was planned, and it sure did not detract in the least from the song. All the songs were done wonderfully, and you can tell that she was sure having a good time performing. Watch for her eyes to light up when she really gets rocking, especially during Stand Back, Fall From Grace and I Need To Know. Stevie speaks quite a bit between song, and she's really funny, altho' I don't think she means to be -- it just comes out! We all laughed good humoredly, and she took it all in stride, laughing at herself along with us! Like when she introduced the band, she said "it's all about them, because, you know, without them, it's be just me up here by myself..." and she did a little dance, realized what she'd said and started laughing! She's just too cute for words!

What an interesting bunch of people that rushed the stage at the intro of Edge Of Seventeen! When Lenny started on the bongos, I told my friend to stand and get up to the edge of the stage, or we'd get trampled. The crowd was very polite with the shoving and singing along. At the end of the song, when she came across the front of the stage to greet and thank everyone, she took both my hands, I said "God bless you", she smiled sweetly, and moved on. Ah! What a moment!!! "OHMIGOD! Now THAT'S a hat!" She came out to do HAEWAFY, and the crowd lost it! Tears, shouts of joy, mayhem at the foot of the stage! Truly a religious experience for many of us there! And then she was gone and it was over... We sat for a while to allow the crowd to dissapate and to come down off the high of being so close and caught up in the magic. Even today, I'm still numb.

Rachel Roberts
Stevie's Trouble in Shangri-La concert was absolutely amazing. I am sure you have read the other reviews. But I will just tell you there is nothing better than seeing Stevie live and in person. This was my first time seeing her perform, and I hope not my last. She was and is an incredible performer. She captivates you and frees your emotions. She brought tears of joy several times throughout the concert. She is simply the best! I only wish I could see her again.