Stevie Nicks Rocks On: A Few Life Lessons

Stevie Nicks is not just an enduring rock star. She's a state of mind.

A few nights ago, my amazing fiancé said the magic words that got me in that state: "I got us Stevie tickets. Sixth row."

Insert scream here!

I've had a lifelong love of both my fiancé and all things Stevie. As for the second, Ms. Nicks was early on one of the reasons I snuck out of the house at age 16, "fibbed" to my parents and told them I was going to a double feature of a revival of "Gone with the Wind" and "Star Wars." What I really did was get in the blue Trans Am with some friends and drive to Wisconsin to see Fleetwood Mac.

My parents never figured it out, but I figured that this was the start of something major.

Over the decades, I've leaned on Stevie's music during good times and bad, her sure, raspy voice and amazing lyrics providing some of the answers.

As a midlifer, Stevie resonates more than ever with those magic words in "Landslide": "Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life? Mmmmm, I don't know."

All these years later, I don't have to make excuses to go to concerts ….and Stevie Nicks doesn't make excuses either.

She never did. Call her a maverick, a survivor, and a legend. The great thing is that her fans still make the call to see her on every tour.

At the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas last Saturday night, the ageless artist told her adoring fans, "I'm going to play you the new songs because you've already been to the greatest hits concert 25,000 times." Just when you think that you have Stevie figured out, she changes the playlist.

Here are a few Life Lessons from Stevie Nicks:

*Graciousness Never Goes Out of Style. I've seen Stevie about 2000 times and I've never heard her do anything else, but start the show by opening her arms wide and saying, "Welcome, everybody." Nothing beats someone who has such style that she makes every single person in a room feel glad that they're there.

*It's Great to Be Ageless. Several times during the show, my finance and I watched in awe as Stevie was the Energizer Bunny up there and kept asking each other, "How old is she?" Isn't it amazing that we weren't even sure if she was in her 40s, 50s or 60s? And guess what? It didn't matter at all. If you really need to know, it's later in this column.

*It's Great to Have a Trademark Style.  You have to admire Stevie's unique look and even stylist Rachel Zoe touts Nicks trademark gypsy style. Stevie didn't disappoint a few nights ago when she wore three outfits with full skirts and sleeves that looked like mini-wings when she did her trademark Stevie spin in a circle. It was that great peasant, gypsy, pulled together with great panache look that Stevie has never abandoned. She wore dark burgundy; basic black and then did her encore of "Edge of Seventeen" in pure white. Add to that green feather earrings and gold and silver beads hanging off her mike stand.

*It's Cool to Have Long Hair Over 40. Stevie never cut her down-the-back long tresses that were light blonde at her show and curly all over. The next night at the Clinton concert in LA, she had those locks straightened. Either way, her hair was shiny, bouncy and it remains her best accessory.

*Get on the Bus. One of the best moments at her concert, among many, was when she sang a song I never heard before about a great summer, and the only one she spent touring the US on a bus. "Everyone should take a bus tour," she touted. As she sang, a video backdrop offered Stevie Nicks' home movies. The point was that she decided to take a deep breath and enjoy the view that makes up her life. Great advice.

*Want to Be Relevant? Take the Reigns On That One. Stevie could have just played her hits, and she played many of them including "Dreams," "Edge of Seventeen" and "Rhiannon." But she was the one who insisted we listen to the new music. At the end of the show, she said,  "Thank you for listening to my new songs with such grace and not turning me into some relic of the past." I'm sure some music biz execs would have said, "Just play what works." But what fun is that? It was up to her to shake it up. You just know Stevie sticks to her guns.

*Stop. Look Around. Feel the Love. At every Stevie show during "Edge of Seventeen," Ms. Nicks goes to the edge of the stage and works the entire stage, shaking hands, talking to fans, waving, and smiling. She collects letters, flowers, and even a few proposals. The point is she doesn't rush through life. She takes in the love. Still.

*And By The Way. She's a fabulous, gorgeous, amazingly talented 63 years young rock star and is leaving to tour Australia next week. Rock on!

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