Jeff Miers on Seeing the Present Band
https://buffalonews.com/2019/03/27/r...st-be-in-town/
……………………………………… "Rumors, Recriminations and Rock-n-Roll. Yep, Fleetwood Mac Must Be In Town" Guilt. That’s what I felt about halfway through Tuesday night’s sold-out Fleetwood Mac show at KeyBank Center, at the moment when I realized that the band sounded pretty fantastic in its latest guise, and that the “new blood” on the stage was making the music and the people playing it sound fresh, rejuvenated and at times even inspired. I should have been happy that “new guys” Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and Neil Finn (Crowded House) had been rather seamlessly integrated into the ornate, soulful rock and pop that are the Fleetwood Mac stock in trade. But what I felt, mostly, was guilt for being so easily won over by this Lindsey Buckingham-less version of the band. The guitarist/vocalist/producer/songwriter and general sculptor of the Fleetwood Mac sound since the mid-'70s, Buckingham was rather brutally fired from the band prior to this 50th anniversary tour’s commencement last year. As a serious fan of his work, one who acknowledges that Buckingham’s vision played a big part in the multiplatinum, career-defining success of the “Rumours” album, I felt duty-bound to mourn Buckingham’s fate and, as unflattering as it is to admit it, was hoping that his absence would be noticeable, obvious and immediately felt. But it really wasn’t, so much. The full Fleetwood Mac lineup can be seen on the stage and the video screen during a concert at KeyBank Center. (Sharon Cantillon/Buffalo News) Guitarist Campbell and vocalist/guitarist Finn sounded fantastic, as if they had been playing with the Mick Fleetwood/John McVie/Christine McVie rhythm section for decades, rather than months. Finn’s still-strong and soulful tenor worked wonders on the songs Buckingham used to sing and fit into the Christine McVie/Stevie Nicks harmony blend (aided by a pair of background singers) with graceful ease. Campbell’s instantly recognizable blend of gritty garage blues and soulful, elegant and often elegiac melodic lines made the jump from the late, lamented Petty’s band to Fleetwood Mac with conviction. It all worked, and well, for the two-plus hours the band was on stage. It helped that Fleetwood Mac is sitting atop a catalog of songs that refuse to bow to the brutal reality of aging. From the mildly sinister, slow-boiling invocation of opener “The Chain,” through a 21-song set that included much of the 1970s/'80s music that Buckingham either wrote, sang, co-wrote, arranged or produced, and even in such tireless anthems as “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop,” the band proved that the songs and the sound – that laid-back marriage of California pop and British soul – transcend the people playing and singing them. Nicks, who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Friday for the second time – this time as a solo artist – seemed to be the primary focus of the packed house’s attention throughout. Her features – the woozy “Dreams,” of course, the leather-and-lace-clad “Rhiannon,” the folksy “Landslide,” the desperate, keening “Gold Dust Woman” – brought raucous ovations from the crowd, and her mildly gothic presence remained a focal point whenever she was on the stage. None of this was new – Nicks has been doing these songs in pretty much the same way since Fleetwood Mac returned to the concert trail after a hiatus, beginning in the mid-'90s. However, a spirited arrangement of the Peter Green-era Fleetwood Mac tune “Black Magic Woman” was indeed new, and acted as one of the set’s high points, Nicks’ at times weathered voice ably serving the tune’s hard-blues structure, which she approached from the first-person point of view of a woman. (“I’m a black magic woman,” she sang, truly making the song her own.) Campbell and Finn were all over this one, their layered guitars celebrating the Green-era of the band with fire and fury. Campbell did the same during a stomping take on Green’s “Oh Well,” a tune he played often with Petty and the Heartbreakers. Christine McVie sang in her gorgeously languorous style throughout, her voice sounding as strong as ever as she led the band through “Say You Love Me,” while her ex-husband John McVie laid down the song’s indelible bass line hook behind her. Finn – who, let’s face it, had the toughest gig of anyone on stage, as he was largely fulfilling the role previously held by Buckingham – was granted a well-received solo spot for a stirring take on the Crowded House gem “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” with Nicks thrilling the crowd when she emerged to sing the song’s second verse. These disparate parts should have ended up forming what was essentially an amazing Fleetwood Mac tribute act, performing a Vegas-style career retrospective. Yet somehow, this version felt like a real, honest-to-goodness band, and a revitalized one at that. The Buckingham fan in me protested. But that protest was in vain. [Jeff Miers – The News' music critic since 2002, Jeff Miers also compiles the "90 Minutes" series where he highlights things to do in various Western New York neighborhoods. Miers co-hosts the monthly Gusto Vinyl Happy Hour at the Sportsmen's Tavern.] |
At least the truth is making the rounds.
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Sounds like they won another skeptic over.
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this review makes me just glad that I'll see them after all, I just could not not see them.
It's Pinkpop in the Netherlands, yeah. |
The show is fantastic. If you saw early shows with Hypnotized, it was killer. I can't believe that I will likely NEVER hear that kick drum starting The Chain live after they close in North America next month. Can't get my head around that at all. If you're on the fence about going, GO.
This is the end of the road... |
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^^ you seem to be confusing marketing with conspiracy theories.
Marketing pieces are sent out all the time, you can’t be oblivious to that? Up to writers whether to use some of the text from them or not. |
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Don't get me wrong, I adore Stevie and Christine. I'd never miss a show. For ANY of them. SOLO or with FWM, but this tour is STALE. It's the same show. Cambpell and Finn are Burnette and Vito replicas. Same sets. Same songs. Same wardrobe. Tom Petty tribute? Yawn. Like can't they do Angel or Crystal or something. Kicking Lindsey out took me some time to get over. But then when the set list/show videos I think I was even more disappointed. Like this is what we got? Lame. |
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https://www.pollstar.com/concert-pulse Based on this, it looks like the word of mouth is pretty good. |
I posted the article. Yes, it's a very positive review of the present band's live shows that acknowledges none of this would have been possible without Lindsey.
It rightfully respects Flynn and Campbell, who are not responsible for this mess. What it doesn't do--because it can't--is address where the heck this band will go beyond what it's doing right now. Besides making money on a very presentable package, what's next? If there's no discussion of new music, Why bother? If there is, by some miracle, even a few new songs, there would need to be an honest assessment of that new music in light of previous achievements under the guitarist they fired. I guess what I'm saying is, a positive review like this is only addressing a single night's entertainment, allowing masses of casual fans who want to hear the songs they sort of adore when they're in the mood for them a night of bliss. Bravo. |
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I was actually pumped up to see Stevie/Christine. I was going into it as "well this is the last time you're gunna see a few of these guys so you better go." But as The Chain started, there was a GLARING absence. Obviously, this was a personal issue. Plenty of fans didn't even realize Lindsey was missing. The couple behind us were discussing it, saying "they were all together the last time they were here. They had just started touring." It was sad. The whole night all I could think about was Lindsey being gone. It just didn't seem right. Stevie was a mess. Her ear monitors were all messed up for probably the first 5-10 songs. You could tell she was tired. Rightfully so after her Induction ceremony. While I couldn't bring myself to not go, there was just such an obvious void for me. I thought the whole time about what they did to Lindsey and how they couldn't make it work. It seemed like he had never existed and that Mike/Neil had always been there. No offense to either of these guys, they surely hold their own, but it just didn't seem appropriate in this context. To your point Steve, I will reiterate, there was no deep cut that "did it" for me. Isn't it Midnight could have done it, but that is a lost dream. One interesting point, after World Turning, John McVie walked up to a microphone and introduced Mick. I almost fell over, probably the most shocking point of the night. Again, was it a bad show? No. Was it weird? Yes. One fan said he "entered with trepidation" and I agree with that statement. I was actually expecting to have a good time, but there was a malaise of sadness I simply could not get over. I did enjoy a few numbers: "The Chain, Little Lies, Everywhere, and even Say You Love Me" were all strong. My mother, who is a huge Lindsey fan and was with me, couldn't get over his absence. |
That is interesting about John. Did it seem to be a joke between them?
I always got a kick when Christine would say it was herself, if Lindsey didn’t say it. Like, her song would end and she would expect him or someone to say “Christine McVie” and they didn’t. So, she would say it. |
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LOL coming from the person who just spent days whining about people coming over to the Stevie forum to dare speak negatively about Stevie and how all that negativity ruined the ledge. LMAO. |
I don't understand how all this crap about stale setlists falls back on Lindsey's shoulders.
Even the "new band" introduced "deep cuts" and guess what? those were cut too and replaced with "Gypsy" That argument is complete bunk, IMO. I'd bet some coin that it wasn't Lindsey's choice to cut "Running Through The Garden" or "Destiny Rules" in 2003/2004. |
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These people are conservative and boring in their song choices in general. Blaming Lindsey makes the least amount of sense. He has demonstrated a willingness to go out and play new songs and pull out obscure tunes. My problem with his choices is he gets hell bent on sticking with them - I Know I'm Not Wrong" being a prime example. Pull it out for a tour or two, but there are other options from the same album that could have been played as time went on. The present incarnation of Fleetwood Mac had a perfect opportunity to shake the set up. They did briefly, and then almost immediately, they took most of the interesting choices and got rid of them. And, for the life of me, I will never understand how Christine continues to ignore her pre-1975 catalog. She has AMAZING songs that have been ignored for most of her career and instead chooses to play something off of Time on this tour. |
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