Whole Lotta Trouble

I've just suffered a flashback to 1989. I am at a Stevie Nicks concert with my best pal, Jenny, and we are watching our shared idol trip her way across a stadium stage, losing her footing, her top hat and forgetting lyrics as multiple camera cranes zoom around her barely missing her head. Poor Stevie is stoned and the concert has been lacking.

One particularly awkward moment came when she seemed to forget all of the lyrics to "Outside the Rain" and substitued most with "Oh Baby" "Oh yeah, my baby" ...and that was her entrance. A happy fan tossed a teddy bear up to the stage, Stevie didn't notice and nearly fell down as she walked on it with her famous platform boots. Jenny muttered, "There will be no throwing of stuffed animals to Stevie tonight" into my ear as our songbird drifted into a rather loose performance of "Dreams"

So sad was it that we thought about leaving, but we didn't dare as it had been announced that Stevie was filming her new video for MTV at our concert.

The video was for the second single, "Whole Lotta Trouble", from her then new album, "Other Side of the Mirror" We stayed on and watched poor Stevie try to maintain her top hat and remember the lyrics to her new hit single. Those cam cranes really seemed to scare her and those boots were not helping. She joked about it to the audience, but it was clear that the poor director was upset.

Some cameras came by us several times and we jumped up and down clapping! I believe she "performed" the song 5 times and then told us that she would do it some more after the show and film her close-ups --- the entire audience was invited to stay. We kept thinking that this was all just one big dream, but the sad fact was that this was quite real.

We never saw the video on MTV or any other channel. Years later I posted a question to one of the many Stevie web rings if anyone knew of the video filmed in Houston, Texas ---- and many did, but all said the shoot had been a lose and the video was never released.

Well, today as I sat at the computer, I heard Stevie's voice singing "Whole Lotta Trouble" I slowly walked to the living room and there it was on VH1 Classics ---- the lost Stevie video in which Jenny and I had participated.

I was transported back to that night. We decided not to stay after because we had already seen the witchy goddess stumble enough for one night. However, I have to note that the '89 performance was said to be better than her '83 performance of "Stand Back" where she did actually fall down. Anyway, she is quite beautiful in the video, appears to know all of the lyrics and her top hat stays on at all times! I could see our seating area, but no close-ups of me or Jen. I have fired off an email to Jenny in hopes that she was watching VH1 at the same time. Jen remained in Texas, but we stay in touch thanks to email. ...and the magic that is Stevie Nicks!