Kansas City Review
 

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/01...big-crowd.html


Fleetwood Mac gives big crowd reasons to look back and ahead






May 1

By TIMOTHY FINN

The Kansas City Star


When this tour was announced, the initial reaction was dubious. Fleetwood Mac hadn’t been on the road in more than three years. Its previous appearance in Kansas City exceeded that: May 2009, and back then the band looked as if it might be delivering its unofficial swan song.

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SETLIST

Second Hand News; The Chain; Dreams; Sad Angel; Rhiannon; Not That Funny; Tusk; Sisters of the Moon; Sara; Big Love; Landslide; Never Going Back Again; Without You; Gypsy; Eyes of the World; Gold Dust Woman; I’m So Afraid; Stand Back; Go Your Own Way. Encore: World Turning; Don’t Stop; Silver Springs; Say Goodbye.



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Four years later, no one is younger than 63, and its oldest member, bassist John McVie, will turn 68 in November. Yes, the world is turning, and time makes you bolder and older, but Fleetwood Mac somehow manages to keep its chain intact.

Tuesday night, more than 12,500 fans showed up to watch a group founded as a British blues band nearly 50 years ago reprise nearly two dozen songs from the past 38 years of its catalog, including several from the fabled “Rumours” album, which celebrated its 35th anniversary last year.

Surprisingly, this show was more polished and energetic than the 2009 show. The setlist was significantly different, too. It included a brand-new song and one drawn from the days when Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had not yet joined the band.

As he was back in 2009, Buckingham was the focal point for much of the show, as much for some of his guitar-god pyrotechnics (electric and acoustic) as anything. He was the only one on stage, as drummer Mick Fleetwood pointed out, who didn’t leave the stage for a minute of the two and a half hour show. (The four were backed by two singers, a guitarist, a keyboardist and a percussionist.)

Despite that, he was nearly overshadowed by Nicks, 64, who is the gypsy-spirit, if not the soul, of this band. Women of several generations still adore her; at least two who looked no more than one-third her age showed up Tuesday night in Rhiannon costume. And she gave them reason to cheer. She has pretty much given up all the dancing and twirling, and her voice has lost range, but she still sings with plenty of heft in her lead vocals and her harmonies with Buckingham.

From the outset, it was evident this is the Buckingham-Nicks band. They are exes, but in concert that estrangement disappears, like Richard and Linda Thompson or George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Or Sonny and Cher. They took the stage last, together, like a couple. That dynamic resonates through the show. More than once there were displays of affection, during and between songs. Halfway through, they sang “Without You,” a song from their Buckingham-Nicks days, back when they were more innocent and naive, Buckingham said.

The rest of the show was pretty much a greatest-hits rundown. Its 23 songs featured more than half of “Rumours,” several from “Tusk,” a peppy new song called “Sad Angel” that was neither sad nor angelic and one of Nicks’ better-known solo hits, “Stand Back.” They altered the arrangements of a few songs, like “Tusk,” which was slowed a bit and included some surf-guitar in its intro. Otherwise, songs were played like everyone remembers them.

There were several explosive moments, none bigger than “Go Your Own Way,” which included Buckingham’s second-most volcanic guitar solo (the one during “I’m So Afraid” was first) and ignited a voracious and immediate sing-along. “Don’t Stop” was another. Some of the quieter moments were stellar, too, like “Landslide” and “Never Going Back Again,” which was given a bluesier treatment.

The sound was a mixed-bag. I listened from the floor for about five songs, and it was fine. Then I took a spot at the top of the lower-level, where, during the more percussive songs, a noticeable (and distracting) echo was apparent from off the back wall. Otherwise I thought the sound was OK, but others expressed otherwise..

They wrapped up the night with “Silver Springs,” a song from the “Rumours” session, and then “Say Goodbye,” a song Buckingham told the crowd he wrote about 10 years ago to put into some perspective his relationship with Nicks, which now exceeds 40 years.

It was a fitting valediction to a night filled with nostalgia, but in a larger context it seemed like “Don’t Stop” was a better closer. At least for this night, this band sounded like it has a lot more tomorrows to think about.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/01...#storylink=cpy

Here are some pictures from the Kansas City Star:

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/04/30...nt-center.html

wow, for about half the set of pics I thought John had stayed home....... :(

love the one with him and Stevie in blue.

So Fred Phelps stayed home??? No protesters?

Hellomonster may want to take a look at this one (right behind Dave) -

Bob Welch
 

and they actually did no memorial to Bob Welch who died less than a year ago? What's wrong with these people. They didn't even send me any flowers or even a card, although every other member of every band he played with did. He was so loved, yet they d0n't acknowledge him. Please forgive them and pray that they beg to get him in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which they so vindictively left him out of, after inducting Peter Green, Danny Kirwin and Jeremy Spencer who played on less albums and were in the band less years than Bob. Please tell them to right this wrong. Shame on them! It meant so much to Bob and I have to fight for this for him. He gave so much to that band and loved them so much. I don't know what else to say. <3 Wendy Welch
:(:(

Nope --- in 2009 the Phelps were there protesting and I was expecting them to be there again this time (They had even made a parody of 'Dreams' in anticipation of the concert:distress: and said they would be there, but something else must have come up. Living in KS, I see way too much of them as it is.

They made a parody of Dreams??? What's wrong with these people?! I don't envy you living in KS.

Hey, thats me! :D:thumbsup: thanks, Elle!

I agree with every word, Wendy. I'm appalled at the lack of any of Bob's songs in the set-list. Lindsey Buckingham would no doubt claim to be a better guitarist than he was in 1975 - he could play 'Hypnotised' then but apparently not now(?). It's disgraceful and shows a lack of respect to someone who sustained the band through so many personnel changes and actually got the band to move to L.A., without which I doubt it would exist now. And so many of his songs are classics!

I'm even more shocked that they didn't at least send a card or flowers. I'd bet that Stevie Nicks has a standing order with a florist that would put Elton John to shame! This has altered my view of them as people, and definitely not for the better.

I hope I speak for all fans of the band when I say how much we miss Bob and we know how much he contributed to Fleetwood Mac. Much love to you, Wendy.

Wendy,

I was one one of the most offended that Bob (or Billy or Rick) wasn’t included back in 1998. I assumed they wouldn’t say a word about Bob at the show, which is partially why I skipped it. Most bands would be thrilled to have “Hypnotized”, “Sentimental Lady”, or “Miles Away” available for their set, and have Bob’s legacy at their disposal. Not Fleetwood Mac circa 2013. Hell, the only Christine McVie song they’re doing is “Don’t Stop”, and she had the most BIG hits....

Barely any Christine McVie songs and no Peter Green or Robert Welch songs... I wouldn’t worry about them. They’ve sold their souls already. If they were, as a band, maintaining any creative credibility, then I'd be worried. But they're not.

You think they're being disrespectful by not playing Christine songs? It's the exact opposite I think. They can't do those songs justice without Christine. I think they would LOVE to play some of those huge hits that Christine wrote and sang, but they have no one to replace her. They have tried ("World Turning" is also partially a Christine song and they did "Say You Love Me" in 2009), but I think they're playing to their strengths. Secondly, I agree they should play a Bob Welch song as a tribute, but otherwise I don't think it would be necessary. They play mainly the songs from their own era written by the musicians on stage. Occasionally they drop in "Oh Well" from Peter. I can't see anything wrong with that strategy.