Behind The Mask Tour Stories
 

Just Do It!

Time for the BTM tour stories! If you went to see the Mac during this tour, tell us your story here. The second time this line up went out on the road. What did you think? If you went to see Tango, or TOSOTM, what did you think when you saw this tour?

I wish we had more boots from early on in this tour. What BTM songs were played? I can think of: Save Me, In The Back of My Mind, Stand On A Rock, Love Is Dangerous and When The Sun Goes Down. Any others? The setlist seems to have been played with a lot, in terms of what BTM album songs were played. Some much more often then others.

Anyway, if you went to see this tour please post here with your story.

I saw some of these shows in person, Nail, but I don't really have any stories.

But I'll ask a question that may have been a story: There was talk for a long time that Billy Burnette, at one of the stops on the tour on the East Coast, sang Rhiannon.

This is actually the tour I'd be most interested in hearing all about. Behind The Mask isn't my favourite Fleetwood Mac album by any means but this was just such a transitional period for the band. It seems like by the end of the tour the 2 guitarists had decided to leave...what on earth happened?! Like the original poster syas, there's also not much out there for us to listen to. I have a few live tracks but not many.

Billy Burnette sang Rhiannon?! WTF?! Surely not? I just find that sooo weird...

Well - at least what did you think of the show(s), David? I know you've seen previous tours and it would be interesting to hear what you thought of the direction the band seemed to be going in at that time..

Speaking of direction, I don't know much about Billy and Rick at the end of the tour? Did they call it quits at that time? Correct me if I am wrong, but it's my understanding that Stevie and Chris said they would be quitting once the tour was over. I'm not sure when exactly they announced this though. Did Chris want to retire from all aspects of the Mac, or just touring?

No weirder than Bob Welch covering Rhiannon!

The sound of the band was a nearly exact repeat of the sound on the 1987 tour, I thought. You could have played me a CHAIN or a SAY YOU LOVE ME from 1990 & a CHAIN or a SAY YOU LOVE ME from 1987 & I wouldn't have been able to tell you which was which. I perceived no different direction in 1990 from what I noticed in 1987: production design, performances, orchestration, emotional atmosphere, even clothes -- the only thing that separated the 1987 touring from the 1990 touring was a period of time lasting about 15 months.

Generally, I was unhappy only with two elements:

1. Top-heavy use of hardware to create the sound of the band.
2. Stevie Nicks's drug dependence & lethargy.

The rest of the show was pleasant: Christine McVie, Rick & Billy's eager-to-please casualness & charm, a set covering many great songs.

Billy & Rick said nothing about quitting the band on the tour. Chris & Stevie told the press that they'd no longer tour with the band after 1990, but would continue to record with them (even though recording plans were nonexistent at that time).

Well this was my first Mac concert at the Palace of Auburn Hills, MI....I forget the date but I think it was a reschedule from earlier in the year cause of Christines fathers death. I think it was in November but it was to have been in July. It was fun. I enjoyed it but I'd wished it had been Lindsey on tour though. I'd just started collecting Stevie /Mac stuff in like '88 so other than the old videos etc....although I'd say Mask isn't my favorite time either ...but heck I don't like Tango either ugh....I don't recall alot about the songs sung anymore I mean its been 20 + yrs ago now. I don't think theres a boot of this concert at the Palace either at least I've not ever heard of one. I probably liked Rick better than Billy.....anyway.....thats all that comes to mind about this tour.....it was fun though....:shrug:

I saw two shows on this tour - one on the east coast and in the northwest.
Both shows were good on their own terms. Stevie was okay -- not a lot of movement or energy; just going through the motions. No surprise there!

The show opened with an overly long intro to In The Back of My Mind. I like the song, but I thought it was terrible opener; ominous tone, low tempo and ponderous. Though Love Is Dangerous and When The Sun Goes Down were performed at some shows, they weren't in the set.

Billy and Rick brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the shows. It was definitely a MOR affair, but it was professional and entertaining, and the crowds seem to accept and welcome the new line up. Rick did a great version of Stop Messing Around, and Billy sang Tear It Up, an old song written by his father. If I remember correctly, Stevie sang "Has Anyone Ever Written...", a song choice and performance I wasn't too thrilled about, especially because she didn't sing any of her new songs from the album. Freedom and Affairs of the Heart would have been good choices.

I like Billy's voice and considering the way Stevie sounded/performed at that time, if Billy did sing (which I doubt) it would have been a huge improvement.

Again, this is probably the single biggest reason I was happy Bekka joined the band.

I could probably do a search on the post-Rumours forum, but to save time, I'll just ask here- Does anyone know if Bekka covered any of Stevie's FM tunes like 'Gold Dust Woman', 'Rhiannon' or 'Dreams' while touring, or were the Stevie songs pretty much neglected?
Also, in anyone's opinions, is Bekka, or her mother, Bonnie Bramlett, the better singer? I had a friend who insisted it was Bonnie Bramlett who had joined FM, and not her daughter. I wonder if Bekka, or Billy and Rick, for that matter, wish they'd never joined FM.

The only Stevie song Bekka sang regularly was a new arrangement of Gold Dust Woman. I've heard she did a few others, but not regularly. She mainly sang Christine's songs. Billy did Lindsey's songs. Dave Mason did Dave Mason or Traffic songs.

Bekka vs. Bonnie. While I love Bonnie's voice, I think Bekka got the best of both parents.

That's just wrong! I have to ask though, are there any mp3s of either of them singing it floating around out there? I'm curious to hear it...the same type of curiosity that made you pick the scabs off your knees as a child!

I used to have it, but lost it. He did put a very nice spin on it that really made it his own while still staying true to Stevies.

But to get back on topic, I take it not many ledgies saw this tour? More people posted a story in the Tango thread. Were their ledgies here that didn't like what they saw during Tango and because of that skipped out on BTM?

[I] did see this tour at The Garden, but i don't have an interesting story or tidbit to go with it.I just thought it was a cool show.