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Sunday 21 June 2015

My Dream of Meeting Stevie Nicks Came True!

 
 As some of you already know one of my biggest dreams was to meet Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac, one of my all-time favourite bands. Around six months ago my Mum applied to a charity named Rays of Sunshine to see if I fitted into one of their categories to have a wish granted. We soon discovered that I was in fact entitled to a wish so my Mum began the process of filling in the paperwork in hope that my wish might actually come true. Once all of the paperwork was submitted we quickly received a response from Rays of Sunshine to say that they would do their upmost to make my dream of meeting Stevie Nicks come true.
Last week, Mum received a phone call from Rays of Sunshine to tell us that they had successfully managed to arrange for me to meet Stevie at the first Fleetwood Mac concert in Glasgow. As you can probably imagine I was beyond excited and time always seems to go slower when you're excited.
Thankfully, Tuesday finally arrived and I was absolutely hyper as well as a little nervous I must admit-this was such a big deal for me! I'd dreamt of meeting Stevie for years and couldn't believe that finally it was going to happen!
We were contacted by a member of Stevie's team that morning to finalise the smaller details and we were told that we could park our car in the backstage car park where the band's private cars would pick them up and drop them off. The tour buses filled with equipment were all parked there too which was pretty cool! A member of the band's security met us there with our backstage passes and escorted in through the backstage door. Directly in front of us was the door leading directly behind the stage and on our left was the staircase to the dressing rooms. There was a door to the kitchens where I could see the caterers busy cooking what I'm sure would be some delicious food!
A member of the Hydro's staff was asked to escort us through to where all the food and merchandise stalls were situated to wait on the doors to the actual arena being opened. As we were making our way through the seated area in the arena we caught a glimpse of Mick Fleetwood hosting his meet n' greet. It was quite unbelievable to see Mick just a few steps away from us as we walked on by, it all felt rather surreal. 
Eventually, everyone was allowed inside to find their seats for the evening. At around quarter past eight the lights dimmed and the band walked on stage to receive a warm reception from the Glasgow crowd. Throughout the duration of the show we (the audience) were treated to a setlist of back to back hits all of which sounded absolutely amazing. I'd have to say my favourite song of the night was "Gold Dust Woman" which was both magical and simply mesmerising. I will hopefully write a review of the show itself for my music blog so keep an eye out for that!
The view from the side of the stage
During the second last song the gentleman who met us on arrival at the venue came and found us with a member of the Hydro's staff. They escorted us right round the arena, zipping in and out of the crowds of people dancing in the isles. It sort of felt like I was a celebrity! Before we knew it we were being ushered behind the barrier to watch the final couple of songs from the side of the stage which was completely unexpected. If you've read any of my concert reviews on my other blog you may have noticed that on a few occasions that I often find myself wondering what it's like from the bands point of view looking out towards the audience. Although I wasn't directly on the stage, my question was finally answered. It was quite a breath-taking sight; a sight that I never thought I'd see for myself. I don't think I realised just how big the Hydro is until I saw it from that exact angle.
At this stage I was beginning to become extremely excited and very nervous, I think being in as close proximity to the band as we were hit home and made realise what was about to happen. The show soon came to an end and the band gathered together at the centre of the stage to take a bow and bid their fans farewell. Before long the stage was empty, the house lights were turned on and quickly, the arena began to empty. We watched as the roadies carefully covered Mick's beautiful drum kit for its performance the following evening here in Glasgow.
It wasn't long before we were met by another member of the band's team who we followed behind the stage, through a door and round a small corner to the elevator. We clambered into the elevator as we chatted with the gentleman who had been appointed to take us upstairs. Seconds later the elevator doors opened to reveal a narrow corridor. On my left I could see a bunch of doors with familiar names printed on signs outside each one. Yes, those were the names of each member of Fleetwood Mac which was pretty cool! On the adjacent wall were framed posters of bands such as Eric Clapton and Prince who have performed in the Hydro since it's opening back in 2013.

A sneaky backstage photo
We waited with a member of staff in the hallway until we got the go-ahead to enter Stevie's dressing room. As we waited a bunch of people came and went from all angles, one of which just so happened to be Mr John McVie, Fleetwood Mac's bass player!
Just a little while later we were called down the corridor to Stevie's dressing room. As they fiddled around with the doors to open them up so I could enter the room in my wheelchair, I caught my first glimpse of Stevie Nicks sitting at her dressing table. I couldn't believe just how close I actually was to her-my heart was absolutely pounding!
Once the doors were opened, we were introduced to Stevie who pulled her chair right up to me so she could talk face to face with me. I have to admit I was a little tongue-tied for the first few minutes or so but thankfully, Stevie was very good at calming me down and quickly made me feel at ease. I'd brought her a little gift and card to say thank-you for taking time out of what I'm sure is a crazy schedule to meet with me. She opened the card right there and then before realising I'd written a rather long letter to which she asked me if I minded she took it back to her hotel as she loved reading letters before going to bed. She then opened the gift we'd given her which was a flower brooch/clip that Mum had handmade for her. She took it over to her dressing table and clipped the flower onto one of the stunning shawls she had hung over mirror. Apparently, she keeps things that are special to her on her dressing table as they bring back memories. So I feel pretty honoured she put it there!
We spent a while quite literally chatting about everything and anything, it seriously didn't feel like I was talking to a world famous singer instead it felt more like I was talking to a friend which was pretty special. Stevie was so genuine and extremely caring towards me which really meant a lot. I really felt like she "got me" in a way that very few people ever has and I'm not just saying that because of who she is; I genuinely mean it! To be honest I sort of forgot who I was talking to, it seriously felt like I'd known her all my life.
After a while, the door opened and I was so engrossed in conversation with Stevie I never even noticed until she said "Mick come in, this is Robyn, I'm making her wish come true" (words to that affect). As I turned round, standing in the door was Mick Fleetwood himself and oh my goodness was he was extremely tall! He shook hands with both my parents and I before pulling a chair over to sit next to Stevie. He spent quite a while chatting to my Dad as Mum and I continued to speak with Stevie.
Stevie's eyes fell upon the tour programme that I'd been clutching in my hands the entire time. "Would you like us to sign that for you?" she asked me motioning towards it. And of course I said yes! I began rummaging through the bag I'd brought to find the CDs and tambourine I'd brought in hope that Stevie would sign it for me. Kindly, they both signed every single item I'd brought with me. To be honest, I'd have been happy to have Stevie sign just one item but she happily worked her through my pile handing each item to Mick who also signed them for me.
Next, one of Stevie's team (I think it might have been her assistant but I'm not 100% sure) asked us if we'd like her to take a photo of us all with Mick and Stevie which of course was an offer we really couldn't refuse! After having a group photo Mick bid us all farewell shaking our hands as he did. Stevie and I had a couple of photo taken together where Stevie wrapped her arms right round me giving me what felt like the world's biggest hug. It was such a sweet moment! One of her best friends, Mary who I'd seen in photographs with Stevie when they were younger had been hanging about in the background so we asked her to come over and pose for a photo of her, Stevie and I together. It was such a cute photograph by the way! 
It was getting close to midnight and Stevie's car was waiting on her-although it seemed like she'd happily have chatted with me for a while longer, so we decided it would probably be a good time to make our way back home. We gathered up our stuff and said goodbye to Stevie who gave me a hug and blew me a kiss as we left with security leading the way to the elevator. We walked past Stevie's fancy car which was waiting to take her to her hotel and made our way to ours after thanking everyone for taking such good care of us. I was absolutely hyper the entire journey home and didn't get much sleep as I was far too excited!
It was an incredible night and I still can't quite believe it actually happened! A huge thank-you to the amazing charity Rays of Sunshine who worked tirelessly to make my dream come true! I can't begin describe just how much this meant to me! If you want to find out more about the amazing wishes Rays of Sunshine have granted in past or you'd like to make a donation to help make another young persons dream come true please click here.
I also want to say a huge thank-you to my Mum for taking the time and nominating me to have my wish granted. Thank-you so much to my best friend, Heather who is like a big sister to me for kindly signing some of the paperwork in order to make this happen. Finally, a big thank-you to Stevie and her team for being so sweet and making my night so special! I will cherish the memories you gave me for the rest of my life!
 
 

18 comments:

  1. Lovely story Robyn. I am so happy to read your story from the United States.

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    1. Thank-you so much Ken! Pleased to hear you enjoyed it!

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  2. That's amazing! What a dream come true. Best wishes to you from Seattle, Washington, USA.

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    1. Can't quite believe it actually happened! Thank-you so much for stopping by and reading my blog! Best Wishes to you!

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  3. How very beautiful! I shared your story on our Stevie tribute band page :) xoxoxo Bless you, and Miss Stevie.

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    1. Thank-you so much for your support Barbara! Really appreciate it! Thank-you so much for reading! - Robyn x

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    2. See Robyn, Crystal visions really do come true! Loved your story......

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  4. Wow. Great story and super cool. Very happy for you.

    http://csuhpat1.blogspot.com/2015/06/music-monday-those-water-songs.html

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    1. Thank-you so much for stopping by and reading! Pleased to hear you enjoyed what I wrote!

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  5. Wow, that is awesome! I'm 14 and totally obsessed with Fleetwood Mac. It sounds like you had a lot of fun, I'm very happy for you, and maybe a little jealous :P

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    1. Hi there!
      Thank-you so much for stopping by and reading my post and of course taking the time to leave such a sweet comment! I really appreciate it! It was such an amazing evening and I still can't quite believe it actually happened! It's so lovely to "meet" another young Fleetwood Mac fan, they really are an incredible band!Thank-you again for stopping by!

      Sending you my best wishes,
      Rob xx
      (The Hat Hippie)

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  6. Greetings from Boston, Massachusetts
    So happy for you, Robyn! Thank you for sharing all the details of such a meaningful and fun meeting with Stevie. Glad to know that she is every bit as kind and caring as she seems to be. Sending every good wish your way.

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    1. Aw thank-you so much for your lovely comment and reading this post!It was a dream come true to meet Stevie and I still can't quite believe it actually happened-what a wonderful woman!
      Best Wishes,
      Robyn x

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  7. What a great story - the question is, which CD's did you take for her to sign? I'd have been so torn as to which to take!

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    1. Thank-you so much James! That was definitely a hard decision I must admit! I ended up taking quite a few with me and Stevie was ever so kind to sign them all for me. Eventually, I decided upon taking Rumours, Tango In The Night, 'The Fleetwood Mac' album, Bella Donna & Stevie's latest solo album 24 Karat Gold as well as the tour programme and a tambourine so that was pretty cool!

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  8. Robert Vanderliet 29/7/2016, 1:30 a.m

    Hello Robyn,

    I am so pleased for you to read about your meeting Stevie. In the year she joined Fleetwood Mac, together with Lindsey, I saw 'Rhiannon' on Dutch TV (footage from Top of the Pops). I was 12 by then and Stevie blew me away with her performance of the song. Her 'Dreams' was a calm answer to Lindsey's agressive 'Go Your Own Way'. Other than that, I did not follow them that much; I did know of the existence of Tusk, Mirage and Tango in the Night, the last one spawning Christine's two hit singles 'Little Lies' and 'Everywhere', during the MTV era. As is well-documented, both Stevie and Lindsey left for decade (during which I had absolutely no idea of Stevie's solo career). I was more into U2/Genesis/Phil Collins in those days. After a decade they were all back together again, only for Christine to leave and go into hibernation in Kent, which I didn't know either. I cannot exactly recall how the rumours (pun intended) came to me but Christine had apparently awoken and had, indeed, had a crystal vision: rejoining the band. For me, this great news was the reason to immediately order a ticket for the first show here in Amsterdam, exactly three weeks before the one you attended. Stevie may be a diva, the Queen of Rock & Roll, etc., but she is very humble and down to earth, isn't she? And patient with her fans, as you must have experienced. Their Amsterdam show rekindled my interest in the band and Stevie in particular. In June of last year I bought all the Fleetwood Mac CDs from 1975 (except for Tusk) to Say You Will, and all of Stevie's solo studio CDs. I now have a whole row of Stevie pics I printed taped to the shelves of my bookcase, from her early days to about the time when 'In Your Dreams' came out. She still radiates that mystical aura. For my 53rd birthday (3 weeks ago) a friend of mine sent a card with as enclosure a photo of 'young' Stevie shaking her tambourine and the text 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND LISTEN TO STEVIE NICKS'. Who could have told me as a 12-year-old I'd be addicted to Stevie at 53...
    Cherish your memories, Robyn. Many greetings to you from Robert.

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    1. Hi Robert,

      Thank-you so much for stopping by and leaving your lovely comment, it is greatly appreciated and great to read! It is great to hear that you have rediscovered the wonders of Fleetwood Mac all these years after first seeing them on Top Of The Pops. They have some incredible music and as I'm sure you'll agree after attending their concert in Amsterdam that they put on an amazing show and sound just as amazing as they did on the records.
      It was truly a wonderful experience and an absolute privilege to spend some time with Stevie; she is an incredible woman and in person still radiates that mystical aura which you described. As you said she is down to earth, very humble and most importantly extremely caring and loving towards her fans and those around her.
      Keep listening and enjoying the music Fleetwood Mac and Stevie and here's hoping there'll be more music and future tours to look forward to!
      Best Wishes to you!
      Robyn

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