Stevie Nicks has surprised her fans by dusting off a long-lost Fleetwood Mac favourite for the first time since 1983. At her latest show in Portland, Oregan, Nicks revisited Angel, a track from Fleetwood Mac’s sprawling 1979 double album Tusk, giving the song its first live outing in more than four decades.
This was Stevie’s first show back after fracturing her should in August and postponing here tour.
Nicks’ current setlist has leaned heavily on Fleetwood Mac classics and highlights from her solo career, but the inclusion of Angel was an unexpected and historic moment. The song, written entirely by Nicks, originally appeared on Tusk and was performed throughout the 1979-1980 Tusk World Tour. After that tour wrapped, however, the track was shelved until now.
“It’s about Mick Fleetwood and his incredible style,” Nicks once said of Angel, describing it as her first attempt at a “silly rock and roll song.” Behind its lighthearted inspiration, the track is laced with mythological imagery and mystical references that would become part of her songwriting trademark.
Angel was released as a single only in the Netherlands in 1980 and largely disappeared from Fleetwood Mac’s setlists. It resurfaced for fans via archival live recordings, notably the 2015 Tusk super deluxe edition and the expanded Fleetwood Mac Live reissue. But a true live performance by Nicks herself had been absent since the final shows of the Tusk era.
The Setlist 1 October 2025 Portland
Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover, 1957)
If Anyone Falls (The Wild Heart, 1983)
Outside the Rain (Bella Donna, 1981)
Dreams (Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, 1977)
Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (Bella Donna, 1981)
The Lighthouse (single, 2024)
Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac, Mirage, 1982)
Wild Heart / Bella Donna (The Wild Heart, 1983 / Bella Donna, 1981)
Stand Back (The Wild Heart, 1983)
Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover, 1989)
Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac, Rumours, 1977)
Angel (Fleetwood Mac, Tusk, 1979)
Edge of Seventeen (Bella Donna, 1981)
Encore:
Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Landslide (Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac, 1975)
Angel was a late addition to Tusk, recorded in April 1979 and shaped by Lindsey Buckingham’s guitars, Christine McVie’s keyboards, John McVie’s bass, and Mick Fleetwood’s drums. Though Nicks described it as playful, critics saw more depth. Rolling Stone’s Stephen Holden called it a “risky flirtation with hard rock,” while biographer Stephen Davis later praised Nicks’ “strong, passionate” vocal performance.
Lyrically, Angel blended personal diary entries with mythological influences, Ovid’s Metamorphosis, the Welsh stories of the Mabinogion, and references to the underworld king Arawn. Its dreamy lines “So I close my eyes softly / Till I become the part of the wind” cemented Nicks’ status as rock’s resident poet-mystic.
The return of Angel is more than nostalgia. It’s a nod to one of Nicks’ most adventurous eras, the experimental Tusk, which followed the world-conquering success of Rumours. While Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits are endlessly replayed, Angel stands as a deep cut beloved by fans who craved the return of a rarer moment in the band’s live canon.
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