Greg Bartram/Ohio Stadium
Ohio Stadium Billy Joel Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel made the latest stop on their co-headlining tour in Columbus at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 5.
Stevie Nicks led the way, arriving shortly after the scheduled kickoff time of 7 p.m. The sun set while she performed and the sky had gone dark before Billy Joel emerged to a roaring crowd, many of whom were just in tears following Nicks’ performance of “Landslide.”
Nicks performed a mix of songs from her career as an independent artist as well as her time with Fleetwood Mac and other groups. She said that she often forgets what band is behind her and just focuses on singing.
Her personality was shining through her anecdotes between each song. These tales are among the many features of Nicks’ live performances that have stayed intact over the years, such as trance-like bridges, spinning and gliding around the stage, and wardrobe changes of her flowing shawls.
Nicks’ range is not what it used to be, as she would often alter songs or sing harmonies that would have formerly been passed to her mates. However, her signature hypnotizing rasp is fully intact, and the leading woman is undeniably herself.
She wore her heart on her sleeve, displaying stronger emotions than one would expect for someone who has been performing certain numbers for more than 40 years. The crowd responded to this display, most rising to their feet for songs they wanted to sway to, and silencing themselves for quieter numbers.
Nicks’ voice was able to reverberate over the noise of the band and audience, but some of the lyrics sounded garbled in her vocal fry. No matter for a crowd that already knows the words anyway.
Billy Joel made his first appearance joining Nicks for Tom Petty’s vocals during “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” which was the first of a pair of songs Nicks played as a tribute to Petty – the second being “Free Fallin.’” The loss of her friends in the industry was a central theme of Nicks’ mystic performance, and she properly conjured their spirits in a way that only this urban legend “witch” could.
Greg Bartram/Ohio Stadium
Billy Joel Ohio Stadium
Joel’s approach to his set was quite different, as he strongly embraced his role as “The Entertainer.” He spent much of the show tickling the ivories on a piano setup that spun around center stage, but emerged for other tunes to dance around and play with the mic stand.
Where Nicks performed some deeper cuts, such as a gem she said hadn’t been performed since 1982 before this tour, Joel promised “we’re not gonna play anything new that you don’t know.”
The majority of Joel’s songs were his own, with a few exceptions such as a cover of the Stones’ “Start Me Up,” with a comically stiff Mick Jagger impression. He knows each tune so intricately that each movement – a wink, a slammed fist, a head nod – emphasized every beat.
Greg Bartram/Ohio Stadium
Billy Joel's band
He was self-aware as a performer, with his boisterous vocals and skilled fingers on full display. He is still able to hit the high note while “cry(ing) out as an innocent man.”His performance was complemented by a talented and experienced band at his side, each of whom got their moment in the spotlight.
Joel’s most confusing move may have been his setlist, the order of which hurt the momentum he carried through the show. “Piano Man” closed out his set before his five-song encore, and he never quite recaptured the electricity that came with it, even with hits such as “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and “Uptown Girl” following.
Joel and Nicks both earned and held the attention of thousands in The Shoe for nearly four hours total. The sound of the crowd’s decades worth of memories all coming forth for this once-in-a-lifetime show made the admittedly high price of admission worth it.
Tyler Kirkendall is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at tkirkendall@cityscenemediagroup.com.
