On December 1st, Harry Styles took the stage in Santiago, Chile during the Latin American leg of Love on Tour with a heavy heart. Just the day before, news broke of the death of Christine McVie, an iconic member of Fleetwood Mac and a friend of Styles. McVie passed away after a brief illness at the age of 79 years old on November 30th. Immediately following the news, the official Twitter account of Fleetwood Mac put out this post:
— Fleetwood Mac (@fleetwoodmac) November 30, 2022
Stevie Nicks even took to her personal Twitter to express her love for McVie as her “best friend in the whole world” with a sweet handwritten sentiment.
— Stevie Nicks (@StevieNicks) November 30, 2022
Styles was quick to join and voice his appreciation on his Instagram Story with an endearing photo.
https://twitter.com/hsdaily/status/1598070018675441664?s=20&t=wp7INg7MPYHZjFfzaXjzdg
Hours after the social media posts rolled in, he was doing a surprise performance of the 1977 hit “Songbird” written by McVie and performed by Fleetwood Mac on their acclaimed album Rumors. Fans were stunned by the tribute and especially touched by the emotion in his voice accompanied by the gentle plucking of his guitar. There was not a dry eye in the stadium with fans saying that even Styles himself appeared teary-eyed.
Closer snippets from different angles can be found on social media for us to get the most out of this intimate moment between him and the audience.
https://twitter.com/HLUniversee/status/1598491460860628992?s=20&t=LgEyGEVfGbduO7YweAsoVQ
Often referred to as “my Harry” by Nicks, Styles has been a known fan of Fleetwood Mac over the years from covering “Landslide” with Nicks herself to making Mick Fleetwood the face of his beauty brand, Pleasing. The death of McVie was sure to hit hard, and he wasted no time in tacking on extra time to his concert to do a stripped-back dedication. Some noted that it sounded like he finished the performance by saying, “thank you, Christine” before blowing a kiss to the sky.
https://twitter.com/musicforapoet/status/1598493090444091393?s=20&t=2nr3fpnTnaxl3qI2tQid1Q
While this was not the first time he has covered a Fleetwood Mac song on his own (previously covering “The Chain” for BBC Live Lounge in 2017), it is certainly the most special. We will cherish this beautiful performance from someone who knew McVie as a friend as we cope with the loss of such a legendary rockstar.
