“My mum used to say to me when I was little, ‘Stevie when you’re hurt, you always run to the stage', and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since Christine [McVie] passed away.” While honouring her fallen friend and former bandmate on what would have been her 81st birthday - - looks as though she’s trying to hold back tears, as she explains the reason behind why her tour schedule has been so busy. Over recent years, Nicks has been endlessly on the road, solely performing in the US.
The last time the singer-songwriter was on British soil was in 2017, when she supported another late close friend and collaborator, , at Hyde Park. She was additionally booked to play Glasgow and Manchester earlier this month but was forced to cancel due to injury, keen to recover in time for one of the most prestigious events in the musical calendar year. The tribute arrives following the performance of , which features guest vocals from Nicks’ “adoptive-son” Harry Styles, and sees the 76-year-old sing the line while gazing longingly at the stage screen, which presents a slide-show of personal photographs of McVie.
It’s heartbreaking, and one of many intimate moments Nicks shares tonight, summoning a freeflow of tears from the crowd, who are largely made up of her obvious disciples - fans in long gossamer skirts, feathered hats, 70s-style hair-dos - wearing staples of her own wardrobe. When they arrive at Hyde Park earlier in the day, the field evokes a gathering of witches, a .
