Stevie Nicks entered the stage at BST Hyde Park to a crowd basically vibrating with anticipation.
We know Fleetwood Mac transcends generations – but so does Stevie Nicks. Now 76, the legendary vocalist can still produce the same soothing, husky sound with a punch of gutsy, cape-flying rock n’ roll – and the crowd, young and old, gothic and glitter, were enraptured.
She was masterful – and possibly the only person in the world who was able to tempt Harry Styles out of hibernation for a two-song performance. All hail queen Stevie.
Styles aside, the night began with a chord-crunching performance of Outside the Rain, before swooping casually – but ever-epically – into Dreams. The crowd, understandably, whooped to the heavens for Fleetwood Mac’s, rightly or wrongly, most adored song.
Stevie’s edge isn’t lost to the years, as she still has the same ethereal rock queen energy fans fell in love with in the 70s, as she swapped out her iconic capes throughout the set, and bashed her head to the masterful guitar solos throughout.
She is, quite possibly, the coolest 76-year-old in the world, as Stevie took to the stage with her gothic velvet jacket, fitted with thumb holes, and her microphone stand heavy with velvet tassels and chains.
Gypsy, with its nostalgic, swaying melody and famous guitar chimes had the audience clutching their chests and singing into the London sky with their eyes closed.
A highlight was seeing Stevie and her band make a meal out of Gold Dust Woman, which was accompanied by a magical set of twinkling gold flickers, as they built the song up and up, riffing like the rockstars they are, as Stevie’s sparkling golden cape swayed to the beat.
But the best moments came when they truly meant something to Stevie – who chattily told anecdotes between songs as if she was having a nightcap with an old friend.
Revealing to the crowd that the last time she saw Tom Petty was at BST Hyde Park, Stevie sang a beautiful rendition of Free Fallin’ – one of his greatest songs – to remember their four-decade friendship.
Edge of Seventeen was a heroic gut-punch ending to the main set, and of course, Stevie and her band returned for an encore beginning with Rhiannon, which saw horses galloping across the screen in one of the most atmospheric stagings of the night.
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The world stopped when Harry Styles made his way out on stage sporting a mullet and buttoned-down mint green shirt to sing a duet of Don’t Stop Draggin My Heart Around in place of Tom Petty’s lines.
Then came the moment of the evening: Harry and Stevie’s Landslide duet, which was dedicated to the late Christine McVie, who would have turned 81 on that very day.
Speaking about McVie, Stevie said: ‘I asked Harry to do this and it’s always heavy to ask somebody to come and sing a song with you that you’re singing about your best friend that died so suddenly.’
She added: ‘Today was her birthday so it’s taken me all this time to be able to even try to deal with this situation.
‘But one thing that my mum used to say to me when I was little was, when I was hurt, she would go: “Stevie when you’re hurt you always run to the stage,” and what’s I’ve been doing ever since Chris passed away, running to the stage, because the only people who have been able to help me get over this has been all of you.’
Black and white images of Stevie with her late bandmate and best friend, who died in 2022, flickered on and off screen as the pair delicately took fans through a seriously emotional musical journey to end the night of all Hyde Park nights.
Even world famous superstar Harry seemed humbled by Stevie’s presence, as he softly sang her songs with his hands behind his back like a school boy. When Harry’s hands came out from this position, it was mostly to direct the cheers towards the woman everyone came to see.
But while Harry was a welcome addition to the night, it all comes down to you, Stevie. Lightning strikes – maybe once, maybe twice – but there will never be another Stevie Nicks.