Stevie Nicks with one of her three capes [Jennifer McCord]

IN between three change of capes, Stevie Nicks told the 60,000 faithful in Hyde Park that she had never voted until she was 70.

“I was just busy,” she explained, leaving us to wonder how the current state of US politics had now inspired her to finally mark a cross.

On the basis of last week’s show, where she had the crowd cultishly enthralled by every anecdote, she could probably win the presidency herself – although at 76 she is still a bit young for the job.

Nicks was in chatty mood for a crowd who had feared she might not be able to make it.

She had cancelled a couple of recent shows at late notice, but seemed determined to make this one, the hot ticket concert of this year’s British Summer Time line-up.

Maybe because it was a presentation soaked in aching poignancy.

She was taking to the stage on what would have been her Fleetwood Mac bandmate Christina McVie’s birthday.

We lost her in November 2022, but together – and with the rest of them – they earned legendary status among this sea of flowing skirts and fingerless gloves.

Nicks also wanted to pay tribute to another missed soul, Tom Petty. She had been the last person he had sung live with before his passing from an accidental overdose seven years ago. Free Falling was devoted to him.

This makes it all sound like a rather maudlin occasion but in between these tender throat-lump moments, Nicks’ night in the park was a rush of perfect nostalgia.

So there was Dreams, and Gypsy, and Gold Dust Woman. As the sun set in the heart of London, who didn’t want to hear her twirl through the best bits of Fleetwood Mac’s back catalogue?

What’s interesting about their music is how it chimes with younger listeners. Angsty teenagers appear to love it as much as those who remember it all the first time around.

And maybe proof of all these jigsaw pieces fitting together was the arrival of Harry Styles on stage to sing Landslide, in tribute to McVie.

Harrington’s own adolescent daughter turned around and said he was ruining the show, concerned that Styles was dragging the glow from the night’s heroine.

But Nicks assured everyone: “I asked Harry to do this.What I want you to know is that Christine was Harry’s girl, she was my girl, she was your girl.”

And right there was something everybody in the park, whether they knew what it meant or not, were happy to vote for.