Les
05-08-2004, 09:56 PM
Los Angeles Times
Wednesday, October 20, 1982
Star Power Sparkles at Irvine Amphitheater
by Robert Hilburn
“Wow,” exclaimed someone near me during Fleetwood Mac’s all-star benefit concert Monday night at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. “There must be a million dollars worth of talent on that stage.”
And, the remark came long before the headline band even appeared. The lineup that caught this fan’s eye included ex-Eagle Glenn Frey, the evening’s opening act, plus guests Boz Scaggs and Joe Walsh. Later, another ex-Eagle, Don Henley, sang a duet with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.
Considering these pop-rock figures are jointly responsible for about two-dozen platinum albums, the fan’s $1-million price tag was too conservative in these inflationary times. This one show reportedly raised $250,000 for the City of Hope medical center.
While this type of all-star gathering invariably delights audiences, it frequently bogs down artistically because of dreary, self-indulgent testimonials or a poorly paced parade of guest performers. An entertainer’s ego is rarely more noticeable than when he or she is trying to be humble.
But Monday’s benefit avoided the traps.
The performers were restrained in their remarks and the guests actually contributed to the show rather than cluttering it. Scaggs and Walsh helped brighten Frey’s local solo debut, and Henley’s vocal with nicks on “Leather and Lace” brought a compelling intimacy to Fleetwood Mac’s set.
The result was a warmly entertaining and sometimes stirring evening that showed that a million dollars’ worth of talent sometimes can live up to its reputation.
“Mirage” is an appropriate name for the latest Fleetwood Mac album because it’s such a cautious retracing of the band’s softly romantic style that it all but disappears under close scrutiny.
But Fleetwood’s approach on stage these days is anything but cautious. The quintet, which also appears Thursday and Friday nights at the Forum, apparently has given the reins on stage to Lindsey Buckingham, the singer and guitarist whose music mixes forceful--and urgent--emotional touches with a playful eccentricity that is underscored by his quick marches around the stage that are reminiscent of a windup toy.
In fact, the group seemed dangerously close to spinning into some offbeat pop orbit as Buckingham continuously ripped at the cushioned perimeters of the band’s familiar “Rumours” sound. Not to be outdone by Buckingham’s verve, drummer Mick Fleetwood , too, played with sometimes awesome speed and power.
By placing such emphasis on force, the group achieves a daring, invigorating side, but it also tends to bludgeon its softer aspects.
But Nicks, who appears to have gained enormous confidence from her recent solo success, sand Monday with an intensity that matched Buckingham’s own drive. She even has shed some (though far from all) of her narcissistic aura that has made her something of a caricature in rock.
Her vocals were all the more touching because it was the recent death of Robin Snider Anderson, a friend of hers since school days, that led to Monday’s benefit. Rather than try to explain the loss, Nicks channeled her emotion into moving renditions of her songs, many of which touch on the elusiveness of love and the ache of loneliness.
Between the force of Buckingham and intensity of Nicks, the band’s other singer, Christine McVie, seemed somewhat overshadowed Monday, though her softly romantic tunes have perhaps the most consistently appealing edge of the group’s three writers.
As the emphasis shifted from the raging energy of some of Buckingham’s work to the haunting emotionalism of Nicks and the unadorned gentleness of McVie, the band seemed to be tugging in three directions at once. But when they combined the elements on “Go Your Own Way,” the group offered a glorious combination of independence and ambition.
The group’s material isn’t consistently top level enough for the band to be called great, but its willingness to defy on stage the safety of its own soothingly romantic image makes it a fascinating and vital attraction.
Frey, who co-wrote most of the Eagles’ hits, exhibited a likable manner on stage, sporting the white suit and tie that pushed him about as close to the well-scrubbed preppie look as a former desperado probably can get.
Backed by a disciplined eight-piece band, Frey went through several songs from his “No Fun Aloud” album and even reprised three Eagles songs, including “Lyin’ Eyes” and “Heartache Tonight.” But he seemed tentative vocally in this early stage of his solo career and the band, too, needs to open up more.
Returning to the microphone after guest tunes by Scaggs and Walsh, Frey seemed far more comfortable and engaging on a delightfully energetic treatment of the Beatles’ “Slow Down.” The move from the Eagles to the solo role is a difficult one and the limited depth of the material on Frey’s first solo album makes it hard for him to live up fully to expectations, but he’s got excellent rock instincts and things should catch fire more quickly by the time a more relaxed Frey headlines Nov. 5 at the Universal Amphitheater.
Wednesday, October 20, 1982
Star Power Sparkles at Irvine Amphitheater
by Robert Hilburn
“Wow,” exclaimed someone near me during Fleetwood Mac’s all-star benefit concert Monday night at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. “There must be a million dollars worth of talent on that stage.”
And, the remark came long before the headline band even appeared. The lineup that caught this fan’s eye included ex-Eagle Glenn Frey, the evening’s opening act, plus guests Boz Scaggs and Joe Walsh. Later, another ex-Eagle, Don Henley, sang a duet with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks.
Considering these pop-rock figures are jointly responsible for about two-dozen platinum albums, the fan’s $1-million price tag was too conservative in these inflationary times. This one show reportedly raised $250,000 for the City of Hope medical center.
While this type of all-star gathering invariably delights audiences, it frequently bogs down artistically because of dreary, self-indulgent testimonials or a poorly paced parade of guest performers. An entertainer’s ego is rarely more noticeable than when he or she is trying to be humble.
But Monday’s benefit avoided the traps.
The performers were restrained in their remarks and the guests actually contributed to the show rather than cluttering it. Scaggs and Walsh helped brighten Frey’s local solo debut, and Henley’s vocal with nicks on “Leather and Lace” brought a compelling intimacy to Fleetwood Mac’s set.
The result was a warmly entertaining and sometimes stirring evening that showed that a million dollars’ worth of talent sometimes can live up to its reputation.
“Mirage” is an appropriate name for the latest Fleetwood Mac album because it’s such a cautious retracing of the band’s softly romantic style that it all but disappears under close scrutiny.
But Fleetwood’s approach on stage these days is anything but cautious. The quintet, which also appears Thursday and Friday nights at the Forum, apparently has given the reins on stage to Lindsey Buckingham, the singer and guitarist whose music mixes forceful--and urgent--emotional touches with a playful eccentricity that is underscored by his quick marches around the stage that are reminiscent of a windup toy.
In fact, the group seemed dangerously close to spinning into some offbeat pop orbit as Buckingham continuously ripped at the cushioned perimeters of the band’s familiar “Rumours” sound. Not to be outdone by Buckingham’s verve, drummer Mick Fleetwood , too, played with sometimes awesome speed and power.
By placing such emphasis on force, the group achieves a daring, invigorating side, but it also tends to bludgeon its softer aspects.
But Nicks, who appears to have gained enormous confidence from her recent solo success, sand Monday with an intensity that matched Buckingham’s own drive. She even has shed some (though far from all) of her narcissistic aura that has made her something of a caricature in rock.
Her vocals were all the more touching because it was the recent death of Robin Snider Anderson, a friend of hers since school days, that led to Monday’s benefit. Rather than try to explain the loss, Nicks channeled her emotion into moving renditions of her songs, many of which touch on the elusiveness of love and the ache of loneliness.
Between the force of Buckingham and intensity of Nicks, the band’s other singer, Christine McVie, seemed somewhat overshadowed Monday, though her softly romantic tunes have perhaps the most consistently appealing edge of the group’s three writers.
As the emphasis shifted from the raging energy of some of Buckingham’s work to the haunting emotionalism of Nicks and the unadorned gentleness of McVie, the band seemed to be tugging in three directions at once. But when they combined the elements on “Go Your Own Way,” the group offered a glorious combination of independence and ambition.
The group’s material isn’t consistently top level enough for the band to be called great, but its willingness to defy on stage the safety of its own soothingly romantic image makes it a fascinating and vital attraction.
Frey, who co-wrote most of the Eagles’ hits, exhibited a likable manner on stage, sporting the white suit and tie that pushed him about as close to the well-scrubbed preppie look as a former desperado probably can get.
Backed by a disciplined eight-piece band, Frey went through several songs from his “No Fun Aloud” album and even reprised three Eagles songs, including “Lyin’ Eyes” and “Heartache Tonight.” But he seemed tentative vocally in this early stage of his solo career and the band, too, needs to open up more.
Returning to the microphone after guest tunes by Scaggs and Walsh, Frey seemed far more comfortable and engaging on a delightfully energetic treatment of the Beatles’ “Slow Down.” The move from the Eagles to the solo role is a difficult one and the limited depth of the material on Frey’s first solo album makes it hard for him to live up fully to expectations, but he’s got excellent rock instincts and things should catch fire more quickly by the time a more relaxed Frey headlines Nov. 5 at the Universal Amphitheater.