UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It resembled two shows in one as two stellar rock singer/songwriters joined together.
Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart took the stage Sunday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena, playing lengthy sets of their own material and dueting on a couple of songs as part of their “Heart & Soul Tour.” Wednesday they hit the TD Garden in Boston.
Stewart’s performance was one of the more elaborate to be seen, with an extensive band and eye-catching white stage where even the two drum sets and keyboard were that color. Then again, he has for decades been known as a top-notch showman. The three guitarists were dressed in Beatles-looking mod – sharp sport jackets and with short hair, for an artist who has been nicknamed “Rod the Mod.”
Stewart the past few years has come out with several albums featuring covers of traditional songs, but he stuck mostly with his rock catalog.
Stewart is regarded as one of the finest white soul vocalists in rock history and did open with a cover of the O’Jay’s “Love Train” before lighting up the fans with “Tonight’s the Night,” which in 1976 spent a record eight weeks at No. 1, eclipsing The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” in the books. A sensational female violin player made her first appearance for the song.
Looking and acting anything but his age of 66, Stewart was also backed by four women singers and a three-piece horn section that featured two women dressed in bright red.
A cover of Sam Cooke’s “Having a Party” put the trumpet in the spotlight.
Nicks, who opened the show, reappeared for duets with Stewart on his snappy “Passion” and “Young Turks,” both hitting No. 5 on the charts in the early ’80s.
Nicks, 62, is known for her harmonies, having done duets with Tom Petty and Don Henley.
The pace continued to slow for Stewart’s 1977 cover of Cat Stevens’ “First Cut is the Deepest,” with acoustic guitar.
At the end of the eternal “Forever Young” from the late ’80s, the artist sat down for a lengthy “Downtown Train,” a No. 3 tune from 1989 that featured a dueling drum solo.
Following the splendid “You Wear it Well” from 1972 and “Reason to Believe” that involved a floor bass, the audience helped sing “You’re In My Heart,” a hit from the late ’70s.
After a version of Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller,” Stewart dedicated “Rhythm of My Heart” to those serving in the military. A backup singer shook the arena a la Tina Turner with “Proud Mary.”
Switching from a rust jacket to a purple suit, Stewart sang “Have I Told You Lately” that Van Morrison first did.
The arena turned into a sports stadium as Stewart, a former pro soccer player, kicked soccer balls into the crowd – reaching the upper balcony most times, during “Hot Legs” from 1978.
The mandolin, played by the violinist, was in the limelight for Stewart’s signature song, the ballad “Maggie May” that is considered one of the greatest rock songs. It was the first single to go No. 1 on both sides of the Atlantic.
The encore was the disco “D’Ya Think I’m Sexy,” a No. 1 in 1978 that had all the musicians lined up along the front of the stage.
Nicks is scheduled to release her first album of new material in a decade, “In Your Dreams,” on May 3. Her seventh album, it was co-produced by former Eurythmic David A. Stewart.
The album’s first single, “Secret Love,” which she wrote decades ago, has been out since February and that was among the first songs in her set.
After “If Anyone Falls in Love,” Nicks told the crowd before singing “Dreams” that it probably has been in every Fleetwood Mac show. That No. 1 song is off the phenomenal 1977 Grammy-winning “Rumors” album.
Nicks’ mystical “Sorcerer” led to the psychedelic “Gold Dust Woman,” also from “Rumors,” and which was extended as she did her trademark twirl.
The two drummers soloed to segue into Nicks’ “Stand Back,” a No. 5 song from 1983 that showcased some impressive bass playing. Stewart did the song in the early ’90s.
“Rhiannon,” Fleetwood Mac’s first hit off the No. 1 and first album with Lindsey Buckingham and Nicks, continued the blend of songs.
The acoustic guitar came out for the sweet “Landslide,” also from the above “Fleetwood Mac.”
Another of Nicks’ big solo hits, “Edge of Seventeen,” from her 1982 chart-topping debut album, was also dragged out with some sizzling guitar.
The encore was “Love Is,” with just a piano player and backup singers.
Nicks, whose voice was as breath-taking as ever, was also backed up by two women singers, three guitarists and two keyboardists.
Nicks and Fleetwood Mac were influenced by Stewart, who played in a short-lived group with Mac’s drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Peter Green.
In a career spanning five decades, Stewart has sold an estimated 250 million album and single sales and had 16 Grammy nominations. The Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer finished 2010 at the top of both the touring and album charts, having played Las Vegas and a 33-date European summer tour.
A one-time grave digger who went to the same English school as Ray and Dave Davies of The Kinks, Stewart has folk roots and his abrasive vocal style was influenced by Cooke and Al Jolson. He joined up with guitarist Jeff Beck – who he is working with again, relocated to America and worked with the Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood in The Faces.
Nicks is a seven-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum, Hall of Fame inductee who has inspired many female singers.
Reproduced with thanks to Stephen Peterson
STEPHEN PETERSON can be reached at 508-236-0377 or at [email protected].