Classic rock icon and two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Stevie Nicks headlined the first show at Connecticut’s newly renovated PeoplesBank Arena on Saturday.
Nicks’ show was powerful, fun, charming and haunting at the same time. Fans of all ages, from mother-daughter duos to elderly couples and millennial super fans packed the updated arena, formerly known as the XL Center.
“The seats alone were better, which seems like a silly thing to notice, but at a concert where you are sitting for like three hours, comfort matters,” Dana Humphreys, a Marlborough, Connecticut resident and attendee of the concert said. “I was blown away by all the new seating.”
Honoring both Nicks and the venue, Gov. Ned Lamont signed Oct. 25 as Connecticut’s official “Stevie Nicks Day.” The day was fitting, with Nicks describing the Hartford audience as her most energetic crowd of the tour, despite already being multiple shows in.
“I appreciated the fact that [Lamont] did that, mainly because artists to the caliber of Stevie Nicks don’t come to Hartford; they go to Boston or New York,” Humphreys said. “I think the fact that she did take the time to come to Hartford made it more than appropriate and very cool to proclaim Stevie Nicks day.”
Just weeks prior, the fate of the concert was up in the air after Nicks fractured her shoulder in August. However, the show did go on, and she did not disappoint. Nicks explained on stage that the injury taught her a lot about herself — both about the things she can and cannot do. She even dedicated the final song of the night to her doctor, Dr. Goodman, who helped her recover and helped her brother in the past.
Nicks performed 15 songs, with her encore being the famous and ever-haunting “Rhiannon” followed by the sentimental “Landslide.” At the conclusion of the show, many audience members were seen crying as Nicks finished the show with lyrics “the landslide will bring you down.” Hearing a 77-year-old Nicks sing the lyrics “I’m getting older too” that she first wrote at 25 is enough to make any longtime fan cry.
“Her whole performance was really impressive, I thought,” Ana Sanchez, a third-semester molecular and cell biology major at the University of Connecticut said. “For her age it’s amazing to see that she can still put in so much effort into a show and make it entertaining.”
The majority of the set consisted of songs off of Nicks’ debut album, “Bella Donna,” its successor “The Wild Heart” and earlier hits from her Fleetwood Mac days. Highlights of the night were the emotional title track “Bella Donna,” the infamous “Dreams” and the upbeat “Stand Back.”
Despite her recent injury, Nicks got around the stage alright for someone her age. Then again, she is not a typical 77-year-old.
“I had seen some clips online, and she did not really sound great when you listened through third parties,” Humphreys said. “But I will say that in person, in that concert I thought she was absolutely phenomenal. Her energy, the sound of her voice; if you closed your eyes, you would never know it was 77-year-old Stevie Nicks singing, and not 37-year-old her.”
The essence of the early Nicks era and her white witch magic especially shone through during “Gold Dust Woman;” it was enchanting and transcendent. Nicks performed an extended version of the song where it almost seemed as if she were casting a spell on the audience. There was an instant shift of energy in the room during the song, with everyone’s eyes glued on Nicks and all of her mystique.
Sanchez also enjoyed a Fleetwood Mac song that Nicks performed.
“My favorite song she performed was ‘Gypsy,’” Sanchez said. “I was really looking forward to it.”
Generations of women were found everywhere at the show. Nicks has recently stood for women’s rights with her 2024 song “The Lighthouse,” which she also performed live. She encouraged the audience to stand up for their rights.
Humphreys explained that Nicks’ storytelling made the show a much more personal experience.
“[Nicks] is a female powerhouse, she’s an icon. Anytime there are people like her, I am drawn to them,” Humphreys said. “I am drawn to her, woman to woman. I love to experience females that are successful. She is really inspiring.”