Beloved musical icons like Stevie Nicks and Billy Joel don’t typically need to remind you that they are, in fact, icons. Their concurrent 50-plus-year careers; multiple gold, platinum, and diamond-certified albums; and dozens of hit singles should see to that. But just in case anyone forgot, the pair’s co-headling tour, aptly named Two Icons, One Night, served as a spectacular reminder. Announced via an elaborate press conference in January, Friday night’s packed U.S. Bank Stadium show certainly made it known to the more than 50,000 fans in attendance.

The 10-city trek began in March and slowly made its way around the country throughout the year. The sporadic dates have accommodated Nicks’s headlining tour and Joel’s Madison Square Garden residency, which is set to end in 2024 after an impressive 150 shows.

Seeing Nicks or Joel perform live is already a treasured opportunity, but both in one night is something special. This tour marks the first time they have shared the stage. Nicks’ kooky aunt vibe followed by Joel’s goofy uncle schtick ultimately made a lot of sense together and gave the night a sort of familial sense.

With no opening act, Nicks kicked things off with a hit-packed 90-minute set that spanned her entire solo catalog and time with Fleetwood Mac. While most artists sound a little different live than recorded, that’s especially true for Nicks. When she recorded most of her biggest hits, she sang in a mezzo-soprano range. Her tone was slightly dark but still had enough mid-range to cut through everything.

In the late ’90s, Nicks transitioned down to a contralto in part because of age but also due to years of heavy drug use taking its toll. Contralto is the lowest range in which most female singers can comfortably sing, and it adds an extra heaviness to Nicks’ vocals. Her words are now searing hot and otherworldly, punctuating each song with an emotional edge. That cutting timbre was most prominent on her opening number, “Outside the Rain,” as well as the synth-driven “Stand Back,” the yearning “Wild Heart,” and the biting “Fall From Grace.”

Sprinkled in amongst tracks from Nicks’ solo career were several Fleetwood Mac standards, including “Gypsy,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Rhiannon,” and semi-recent TikTok hit “Dreams.” For the final song of her encore, Nicks and guitarist Waddy Wachtel played through a moving rendition of “Landslide.” As a tribute to Nicks’ former bandmate Christine McVie, photos of the two of them flashed on the screens behind the stage during the song. These Fleetwood Mac classics have been ubiquitous for so long that hearing Nicks perform them live borders on surreal.

Visually, Nicks’ performance was fairly sparse, save for four massive video screens that showed the band playing with some mildly cheesy effects overlaid. Sparkles for “Dreams,” stained glass for “Gypsy,” glitzy jewels for “Wild Heart,” and a dreamcatcher for “Bella Donna” were among the cheesiest.

While Nicks and Joel’s tour is billed as Two Icons, One Night, they both brought a few others along for the ride, at least in spirit. On her cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” Nicks kept the soul of the original intact while adding her own edge to the anti-war track.

In addition to remembering McVie during the encore, Nicks paid homage to her late friend Tom Petty several times. Petty’s “Runnin’ Down a Dream” served as her walk-on music at the start of the show. Later, when introducing her duet with Petty, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” she regaled the crowd with how he offered to record and sing the song with her after her producer, Jimmy Iovine, realized that Bella Donna needed a single. When Petty’s vocal parts approached, a ball-cap and scarf-clad Joel staggered onstage, dragging a mic stand to lend his voice as a worthy replacement. Finally, she dusted off a Tom Petty classic and delivered a beautiful cover of “Free Fallin.”

Throughout, Nicks’ banter ranged from heartfelt and endearing to downright silly and playful. All the while, her natural charisma shone through. By the time her set ended and the changeover for Joel began, she’d charmed the entire stadium.

Next, experiencing Billy Joel perform some of the most universally known songs on the planet bordered on otherworldly. I grew up just knowing “Piano Man,” “My Life,” “Movin’ Out,” “Big Shot,” and “Only the Good Die Young” without ever really thinking too much about it. They were everywhere, and the proof is alive and well in every karaoke bar in America.

Joel has experienced his own vocal changes over the years. Before “An Innocent Man,” he explained that his voice deepened as he got older and asked the crowd for some grace if he couldn’t quite hit the high notes of the song’s chorus anymore. That grace was unnecessary as he effortlessly nailed the notes (followed by a “whew” gesture) each time.

Similarly to Nicks, Joel also experienced a viral resurgence in recent years. “They’ve been playin’ this on TikTok, whatever the hell that is,” he said while simultaneously introducing “Zanzibar” and reminding everyone that he’s a man of a certain generation. Whereas “Dreams” went viral for a lip-syncing video, “Zanzibar” is forever immortalized with a TikTok dance. Joel’s longtime horn player, Chris Fischer, mightily handled the two solos in “Zanzibar,” first on flugelhorn, then trumpet.

Nearly all of Joel’s band members had moments to shine. Saxophone player Mark Rivera blasted through several impressive solos, including “New York State of Mind.” Guitarist Tommy Byrnes’ extended guitar solo during “Allentown” gave the live version a little extra panache. During “The River of Dreams,” percussionist Crystal Taliefero stepped out from behind her bongos to belt out an interlude of Ike & Tina’s “River Deep, Mountain High.”

But it was guitarist Mike DelGuidice who really stole the show. First, he handled vocals for a spot-on cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” Then, he gave us his best Pavarotti impersonation during a jaw-dropping rendition of “Nessun Dorma,” the aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot. Finally, during “You May Be Right,” he again broke out his Robert Plant skills for a “Rock and Roll” interlude. DelGuidice’s vocal range and tonal abilities were showstopping.

Joel skillfully showcased why he’s “the piano man” with his grand piano sitting front and center. For most of the show, Joel was planted at it, banging away at the keys while the entire thing spun around occasionally, including during his solo on “New York State of Mind.” During “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” Joel and Rivera duked it out with dueling piano and saxophone solos while drummer Chuck Burgi and bassist Andy Cichon carried the rhythm.

For several songs, Joel relegated piano duties to David Rosenthal and took his place at the front of the stage. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist. I’m not Mick Jagger,” he said. A few moments later, DelGuidice struck the opening chords of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.” What first appeared as an off-the-cuff goof soon became a full-blown comedic bit as Joel and the rest of the band ripped through the first half of the song. Joel showed off his best exaggerated Jagger moves. While it was a fun moment, Joel is correct. He’s not Mick Jagger. 

Joel pulled that bit again before his a capella hit “The Longest Time” when he “warmed up” with snippets of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and the Beach Boys “Barbara Ann.” Between these gags and sprinkling in some Zeppelin and Ike & Tina, Billy Joel’s set was a crowd-pleaser from start to finish. He clearly knows what his fans want after all these years. 

Joel’s deadpan banter was full of anecdotes about his songs or places he’s played in the Twin Cities. “We used to play at this place way out in the boondocks called the Marigold Ballroom, where Lawrence Welk used to play. It was a dump, but we got to play.” Before the less commonly played Turnstiles track, “Summer, Highland Falls,” he dedicated the song to all the manic depressives. “Or bipolar, I guess they call it now.” His mildly out-of-touch goofy uncle schtick was the perfect compliment to Nicks’s kooky aunt vibe.

It’s rare to go to a concert and know every song played. You might get a band you’re unfamiliar with, deep cuts, or, god forbid, a legacy act’s new song. But Nicks and Joel’s hit-packed sets on Friday, it’s safe to say most people at U.S. Bank Stadium knew every song played. Lest we forget, they’re both icons, after all.

Stevie Nicks Setlist

Outside the Rain

Dreams (Fleetwood Mac song)

If Anyone Falls

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around (with Billy Joel)

Fall From Grace

For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)

Gypsy (Fleetwood Mac song)

Wild Heart

Bella Donna

Stand Back

Gold Dust Woman (Fleetwood Mac song)

Free Fallin' (Tom Petty cover)

Edge of Seventeen

Encore

Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac song)

Landslide (Fleetwood Mac song) (Christine McVie tribute)

Billy Joel Setlist

My Life

Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)

Summer, Highland Falls

Zanzibar

Don't Ask Me Why

Start Me Up (The Rolling Stones cover) (Snippet)

An Innocent Man

The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Solomon Linda’s Original Evening Birds cover) (Snippet)

Barbara Ann (snippet)

The Longest Time

Vienna

Allentown

New York State of Mind

Whole Lotta Love (Led Zeppelin cover) (sung by Mike DelGuidice)

Sometimes a Fantasy

Only the Good Die Young

The River of Dreams (with "River Deep Mountain High" interlude sung by Crystal Taliefero)

Nessun Dorma (Giacomo Puccini cover) (sung by Mike DelGuidice)

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

Piano Man

Encore

We Didn't Start the Fire

Uptown Girl

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

Big Shot

You May Be Right (with “Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin interlude sung by Mike DelGuidice)