Nordic Dreams: Inside the World’s Largest Stevie Nicks Fan Event
BY Calli Ferguson with PHOTOS BY OWEN LABATE
You wouldn’t believe the sight of tambourines floating above a crowd of blonde wigs and the occasional ram horn, catching glimmers of the blue stage light at Irving Plaza on Saturday Night.
As more of them came flying from the stage, I swear I knew by the sheer magic of the night that one would end up in my hands. And then it did. On the face, a Celtic triskele wheel symbol, circumscribed by the words “Night of a Thousand Stevies 32”.
Somehow unsurprisingly, this was all thanks to the transcendent legacy of Stevie Nicks– Rock and Roll two-time Hall of Famer, Welsh witch, and muse behind The Jackie Factory’s annual ‘Night of a Thousand Stevies’. The event started in the ‘90s in the small, iconic Meatpacking District club, Jackie 60. What began as a tribute night for the club’s talented drag queens who would dress like Nicks, proved to be pretty popular among a crowd that transcended demographic. So much so, that it grew into what I saw on Saturday night: a ‘NOTS’ that once again enchanted a crowd with its 32nd iteration, themed "Northern Star: A Nordic Stevie Fantasy." The evening included three acts of music, variety, and drag performance with interludes of the Stevie/Fleetwood Dancefloor DJed by Sammy Jo and Tommy Sunshine.
The theme, inspired by the producers' trip to celebrate MIDSUMMER in Sweden, was perfectly at home in a community of Nicks fans (Stevie Nicks fans— that is). The room proved a satisfying and playful commitment to the bit. The bit being: a cool convergence of 70s rock culture, drag, witchcraft, and Nordic symbolism. Take it or leave it, but I’ll just say it all manifested in something palpably mystical. And if I really went there, I might even say we were all under some sort of spell to the vibes. Whatever you wanna call it, it certainly drew me deeper.
On stage, a line-up of artists dedicated performances to Stevie’s discography (both Fleetwood Mac era and solo) and the legacy extended from it. From burlesque dancers to humorous numbers and wonderfully talented musicians, the stage could keep you captivated all night. But what I couldn’t get over was that rhythmic pulse of tambourines punctuating the air. Throughout the night, there were a few ‘tambourine tosses’ as per the show’s tradition. Hands reached high in the air to catch a quintessential Stevie instrument/accessory- not to mention a perfect souvenir to prove to yourself it all really happened. I was so sure I would seize my own little NOTS 32 tambourine. And maybe it was all the magic in the air, the good number of tambourines tossed, or good old fashioned luck… but when I did, I became a part of the intoxicating world that unfolded. Adding to the chorus of percussion made me feel like a piece of the evening.
It was another way being a part of the NOTS 32 crowd was nearly as entertaining as the entertainment itself. Nearly. It really came through during Niki Luparelli’s performance of Landslide. Hearing the room in the collective song was so emotional somehow. You just heard this sea of voices on such a tender track. That was enough to jerk a tear in your eye. Or, at the very least, evoke some pretty notable goosebumps.
Later, we saw a totally witchy visual spectacle from Bridget Barkan, Dusty Lynn Childers, Shane O’Neill. Returning NOTS favorite, Amber Martin’s performance of Rhiannon (complete with Stevie’s “this is a song about an old Welsh witch” intro) was absolutely electric. A true embodiment of the Gold Dust Woman je ne sais quoi. Maryanne Piccolo + Mike Greko brought us something equally rock ‘n roll with Stevie and Tom Petty’s iconic Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around. And by the end of Act 3 a killer dance performance from JMV had the Stevies, Freyjas, and fauns screaming and tambourining with all they had.
Seeing these talented people indulge the oh-so-committed crowd, I couldn’t help but think about how, as much as it was all about Stevie Nicks, NOTS is also something far beyond the woman herself. She is the inspiration, of course. But that is only the root of a celebration wrapped in drag culture, variety theater entertainment, and stories of New York City nightlife.
In a way, it spoke to the idea of legacy itself. This is what it can look like: Something so dramatically ‘someone’ that it ironically becomes an entity of its own– completely beyond the human that sparked it. It’s the most Stevie Nicks event in the world, and Stevie’s not there. The gold dust has been immortalized in statue – solidified by the love all kinds of fans share for the world she’s given us.
The event ended (as it does every year) in the Battle of 1000 Stevies– which looks less like a battle and more like a collective jam sesh where the night’s Stevies take the stage, swept up together in The Edge of Seventeen. Fiercely celebratory, divinely rock and roll, and cathartic as hell.
Ooh baby ooh said ooh…
📸 photography by owen labate
