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Stevie Nicks Treats Jazz Fest Crowd to Her Iconic Twirl, and Plays a Song She Hasn’t in 15 Years
Some people are just lucky. But those that got to see Stevie Nicks perform at Jazz Fest on Saturday must be God’s favorites.
Videos by American Songwriter
This past weekend, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer took the stage at the two-weekend event in New Orleans for the first time since 2022. The singer performed Fleetwood Mac classics like “Gold Dust Woman”, “Gypsy”, “Dreams”, “Rhiannon”, and “Landslide”, in addition to solo hits like “Stand Back”.
During her set, Nicks even treated Fleetwood Mac fans to a special surprise. The rock icon performed “Don’t Stop”, a song that in years past has traditionally been performed by Lindsey Buckingham and the late Christine McVie. The song hasn’t been played live for about 15 years, according to Setlist.fm.
As Nicks explained to the crowd on Saturday, her decision to play the anthemic song wasn’t a coincidence.
“It feels like a good time to do it,” she explained. “It’s a happy song, it has a lot of hope.”
In true Stevie Nicks fashion, the singer even took a moment between songs to do a costume change, adding an accessory to complement her long, drapey black dress.
The look featured a sheer black shawl with fringe and gold spots. The 77-year-old even gave the audience a twirl in her getup, which was met with enthusiastic cheers.
Her set also featured other special moments, including a performance of “Landslide” during the rainy weather.
Stevie Nicks on the Art of the Twirl
Nicks doesn’t twirl with the same gusto she has in decades past. However, the signature move has become a staple of her live performances, it doesn’t seem like she’s planning on stopping anytime soon. In a 2014 interview, the singer gave insight into why she does the iconic twirl onstage.
“Well, I’m very practiced at twirling,” she explained to Rolling Stone. “I would be so bored if I was up there just standing. I took a lot of ballet — I always wanted to work the dancing in.”
The then 66-year-old also elaborated on why she often makes the outfit choices she does.
“The reason I wear the ponchos and the big shawl-y chiffon things is because I realized from a very young age, if you were 5 foot 1, and you wanted to make big moves and be seen from a long way away, if you weren’t twirling a baton of fire, you needed something that was gonna make you show up. Like a Las Vegas showgirl, really. You need big moves. If you’re gonna dance, you gotta really dance.”
Other headliners at this years’ Jazz Fest include The Eagles, Rod Stewart, and Lainey Wilson.
Photo by: Noam Galai/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
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