8 reasons why Long Island fans love Stevie Nicks, who's playing UBS Arena on Valentine's Day
Stevie Nicks performs at Madison Square Garden on Oct.1. Credit: Getty Images for ABA/Jamie McCarthy
Penni Blizzard-McGrath, of Ridge, bears a striking resemblance to Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks. Last October she leaned into the coincidence by winning a Halloween costume contest at The Edge at Lulu’s in Patchogue as well as dressing up to see Nicks headline Madison Square Garden.
“I love her style with the bohemian dresses and shawls. I’ve even mastered her twirl,” says Blizzard-McGrath, 56. “People were asking for photos on the LIRR.”
She splurged and bought a pair of MSG tickets eighth row center for nearly $2,300.
“I spent an arm and a leg, but it was on my bucket list,” she says. “I was literally directly in front of her. When she came out, I had tears in my eyes. I was in awe the entire time. It was surreal.”
STEVIE NICKS
WHEN/WHERE 7 p.m. Feb. 14; UBS Arena, 2400 Hempstead Tpke., Elmont
INFO 516-460-8950, ubsarena.com
ADMISSION $120.65-$425.90
Blizzard-McGrath was so moved by the performance that she dropped $900 per ticket for a pair of seats in the fifth row for Nicks’ upcoming show at UBS Arena at Belmont Park in Elmont on Feb. 14.
Penni Blizzard-McGrath, 56, of Ridge dresses up Stevie Nicks before her October concert at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Diana Williams
“Even though she’s 75 years old, she’s still got it,” says Blizzard-McGrath. “Stevie is magical because she brings out the dreamer in people.”
Nicks has been a rock icon for nearly 50 years and one of the few artists who has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice, once with Fleetwood Mac (1998) and then as a solo artist (2019). Her Fleetwood Mac songs like “Dreams,” “Landslide,” “Silver Springs,” “Gypsy” and “Rhiannon” are classic rock staples as well as her solo tunes such as “Stand Back,” “Edge of Seventeen,” “Leather & Lace” and “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.”
But, there’s more to her than hit songs. Fans don’t just like Nicks, they adore her, emulate her and take her lyrics personally. Here are eight reasons why Long Islanders are faithfully embedded in the cult of Stevie Nicks.
Fashion icon
Jodi Schubert, 57, of Smithtown, with her daughter Lindsay after a Stevie Nicks concert at Jones Beach in 2008. Credit: Scott Schubert
Nicks has a specific way of dressing. Her bohemian fashion is focused on long skirts, platform boots, flowy blouses with bell sleeves, shawls containing tassels and lace as well as a top hat decorated with a feather.
“No one dresses like her. She has her own style,” says Jodi Schubert, 57, of Smithtown, who owns women's clothing stores Over the Edge Apparel in Commack and Smithtown. “Whenever you put an outfit together with clunky boots, leather and lace, people say, ‘Oh, that’s so Stevie!’ ”
Reluctant sex symbol
Unlike pop stars such as Madonna and Cher, Nicks never flaunted her beauty or wore revealing outfits on album covers and in videos.
“Stevie knew she was a sex symbol but didn’t play into it. She never subjected herself to that kind of attention,” says Ian Kramer, 22, of Farmingdale.
Jeanine Pearce, 53, of Bohemia adds, “She didn’t have to roll around on stage or on screen because she reached us through her words. That says something.”
Very relatable
Allison Eaby, 46, who grew up in East Northport, holds up the lucky charm her husband gave her featuring a Stevie Nicks lyric. Credit: Allison Eaby
Fans feel deeply close to Nicks through the lyrics in her songs.
“She’s very vulnerable to her audience. That transparency and authenticity is what drives her,” says Steve Yusko, 62, of Babylon. “She talks about stumbling and that brings emotion to a song. Her baggage is embraced and there’s something beautiful about that.”
Allison Eaby, who grew up in East Northport, 46, adds, “Listening to her music provides comfort, happiness and joy. It’s almost like having a friend in the room with you without her actually being there.”
Open book
Robin Hazen, 58, of Calverton likes to dress up Stevie Nicks style. Credit: Robin Hazen
Nicks has publicly spoken about her addictions to cocaine and Klonopin. In the early '90s, she went to rehab, cleaned up and has since greatly improved herself.
“As she has gotten older, I feel her voice and presence has improved,” says Robin Hazen, 58, of Calverton. “She has come into herself and gained confidence. It exudes on stage.”
Melissa Aldewereld-Moss, 53, of Long Beach, adds, “She’s grown more into her lure exposing her music to a whole new generation on social media.”
Timeless performer
Despite being 75, Nicks doesn’t come off like a senior citizen. Even though Fleetwood Mac has disbanded since the death of singer/keyboardist Christine McVie in 2022, Nicks has soldiered on as a solo artist, continuing to sell out arenas across the country.
“There’s something about her that’s timeless,” says Mary McDermott, 67, of Bay Shore. “Stevie inspires me to keep going at my age. She’s my idol.”
Joanne Hutchins, 59, of Bayville, adds, “I think she’s thankful to be in her 70s, still be able to perform and interact with the audience. She’s found appreciation and learned from experience.”
'Landslide': 'The most beautiful song ever'
The song “Landslide,” which Nicks wrote for her first album with Fleetwood Mac in 1975, has become a global anthem. Not only did she have a hit with the song, but so did the Smashing Pumpkins in 1994 and the Chicks in 2002.
“I believe ‘Landslide’ is the most beautiful song ever written,” says Hazen. “There’s something very emotional in it because the lyrics speak about different times in a person’s life.”
“Landslide” holds a special place in the heart of Dawn Banks, 59, of Blue Point, because it’s the song she sang to her mom while she was in hospice.
“At her funeral, my brothers asked me to perform it,” says Banks. “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”
Ersilia Byrne, 61, of Floral Park, has a plan to use the song at a family event later this year.
“ ‘Landslide’ is the song I will dance [to] with my son at his wedding,” says Byrne. “The song means a lot to me.”
Mac attack
Classic Fleetwood Mac: John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo/Globe Photos/ZUMA Wire
Back in 1975, Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac with her then boyfriend/creative partner Lindsey Buckingham. The folk rock duo injected some commerciality into the already existing English blues rock outfit.
“Stevie brought a presence to Fleetwood Mac. She drew everyone in and they were all focused on her,” says Lisa Zizzo, 62, of Long Beach. “She was the nexus of that band.”
Hazen adds, “I don’t think they would have been the same without her. She contributed songs that changed the direction of the band.”
That voice!
Lisa Zizzo, 62, of Long Beach, with her Stevie Nicks memorabilia. Credit: Lisa Zizzo
Perhaps the most signature part of Nicks’ aura is the sound of her voice. Her register is a low mezzo-soprano with a husky rasp that has grown into a contralto, which is unique to her.
“The minute you hear that voice on the radio you instantly know it’s Stevie,” says Zizzo. “Very few singers have such a distinctive sound.”
Rock singer Gina Bilardi, 32, of Huntington, feels Nicks’ vocals are special because she backs it up with raw emotion.
“Stevie was never afraid to use her pain in her music. She is so brave to put that out there,” says Bilardi. “This is why she is such a trailblazer.”
Channeling Stevie
Long Island has its own versions of Stevie Nicks with tribute acts Gold Dust Woman featuring Janet Soluri, of Lindenhurst and Fleetwood Macked starring Hillary Epstein, of Smithtown. Both singers faithfully represent Nicks visually and vocally.
“We bring a show to the audience and get them up dancing,” says Soluri, 62, who obtains her Nicks-like outfits from a seamstress in Italy. “I like to connect with the crowd because that’s what Stevie does. My job is to deliver the songs to the people as authentic as I can.”
Epstein has been obsessed with Nicks since she was 9. She even wears some of her old clothes from high school on stage to match Nicks’ style.
“Some of the costumes I wear are former prom dresses of mine from the '80s,” says Epstein, 56. “People would tell me that I sound like Stevie Nicks through the years, but nobody is Stevie Nicks.”
Both bands will be headlining 89 North Music Venue in Patchogue — Gold Dust Woman on Feb. 17 and Fleetwood Macked on March 2. For tickets and more information, call 631-730-8992 or visit: 89northmusic.com.
Meeting Stevie
Some Long Islanders have had a face-to-face encounter with the extremely private Stevie Nicks. The common denominator among their stories is the impression that she’s both warm and kind.
Lisa Zizzo, of Long Beach, met Nicks on a flight from Portland to New York while working as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines in 1998.
“The first person on board was Stevie holding her little dog and she got right in her seat,” says Zizzo, 62. “We even had some bad turbulence and she was more worried about me than herself saying, ‘Please make sure you are safe.’ ”
While waitressing at the Cheesecake Factory in Westbury, Beth Landers, of Bellmore, was surprised to see Nicks at a table in her section prior to Fleetwood Mac’s show at Nassau Coliseum in 1997.
“I walked up to take her order and was thinking, ‘Wow, that lady looks just like Stevie Nicks.’ Once I heard the voice, I knew it was her,” says Landers, 57. “Stevie was very polite and had salmon. Plus, she tipped very nicely.”
Darlene Giammancheri, of Uniondale, waited at Barnes & Noble in Manhattan from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to meet Nicks at a promotional signing for her “Live in Chicago” CD and DVD in 2009.
“When you talk to her, she looks right in your eyes,” says Giammancheri, 64. “I just said, ‘Stevie, I love you’ and she lifted her head and gracefully said, ‘Thank you.’ ”
The name's the same
Some Stevie Nicks fans are so dyed-in-the-wool they’ve even incorporated her into their family. These dedicated Long Island fans named their children after Nicks in one way or another.
Jodi Schubert, 57, of Smithtown, named her twin daughters Nicole and Lindsay after Nicks and her former boyfriend/creative partner Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac. Meanwhile Darleen LoBasso, 65, of East Northport, named her daughter Rhiannon after Nicks’ 1975 hit “Rhiannon.”
“The only problem was nobody knew how to pronounce it,” admits LoBasso.
Christine Marano Singer, 63, of West Islip got straight to the point naming one daughter Stevie and the other Nikki.
“They grew up listening to her and are proud of it!” she says. — DAVID J. CRIBLEZ
David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.
