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-   -   11/90 NY Times BTM Tour review (Madison Square Garden) (http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=57140)

ricohv 05-01-2017 01:31 PM

11/90 NY Times BTM Tour review (Madison Square Garden)
 
Review/Pop; Fleetwood Mac, on the Verge of a Change, Revisits Several Musical Eras
By JON PARELES
Published: November 4, 1990
"Yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone!" Fleetwood Mac proclaimed in its hit "Don't Stop," but the band ignores its own words. Its concert on Thursday evening at Madison Square Garden showed a band tangled in several time warps. (After performing "Don't Stop," the singer Christine McVie wished the audience "a great Christmas.")
From the 1960's, when Fleetwood Mac got started, there were blues-rock guitar jams. Most of the wardrobe recalled the band's heyday in the 1970's, when Fleetwood Mac turned to California pop-rock; the singer Stevie Nicks wore velvet, lace and high-heeled platform shoes, while the drummer Mick Fleetwood had a vest, knickers and wooden spheres dangling from his waist, like his get-up on the cover of the best-selling 1977 album "Rumours." For 1980's touches, there were an occasional dance-rock beat and synthesizer line, a headset microphone worn by Mr. Fleetwood, and backup musicians on the sidelines.
Moving into the 1990's, Fleetwood Mac is trying to survive the departures of the singers and songwriters who led it to pop glory: Lindsey Buckingham, who quit in 1988, and Ms. McVie and Ms. Nicks, who have said the current tour is their last (although they may continue to record with the band).
The current group is musically divided. Rick Vito and Billy Burnette, the two new guitarists, lean toward blues-rock, although they reprise Mr. Buckingham's parts in pop material. The band came full circle when its original rhythm section, Mr. Fleetwood and John McVie on bass, backed Mr. Vito in "I Loved Another Woman" from Fleetwood Mac's first album -- an American guitarist imitating an English guitarist imitating American blues.
Ms. McVie, as always, sang about longing, with lyrics that may seem tepid ("When I'm with you, it's all right") but that are transformed by the combination of her worldly voice and bouncy tunes. And Ms. Nicks, who now looks more like a matron than like the fairy princess she made herself in the 1970's, sang in tremulous, husky tones about lovers' pain and anger; between her songs, she would leave the stage to change into another shawl or cape. She treated Fleetwood Mac largely as backup band, saving most of her dancing for "Stand Back," a song from her second solo album. When the band played its finale, she strolled the edge of the stage, collecting bouquets.
The most spirited music came through in the blues-rock jams, especially the hoary "Oh Well," from 1969. Other songs were by turns vigorous and ragged, sometimes endearingly so. But the audience was eager to suspend any disbelief for hits from "Fleetwood Mac" (1975) and "Rumours," good or indifferent. And when Ms. Nicks sang the ballad "Landslide," there was a burst of applause for the line "I'm getting older, too."

David 05-21-2017 01:57 PM

Watching the band that whole year gave me the impression of a group of not-so-hipsters trying to maintain commercial relevance in an industry that was definitely not going to let them -- swank, elderly Titanic survivors in a careening lifeboat.

WatchChain 05-22-2017 06:03 PM

In 1990, liking Fleetwood Mac was about as UNCOOL as you could get. Fortunately, all that would change 7 years later with "The Dance". Prior to "The Dance", their career had reached life support status.

bwboy 05-27-2017 04:47 AM

Sure, their album only went gold, but their concerts were a huge success. Not sure why people are trying to rewrite history here.

Macfan4life 05-28-2017 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwboy (Post 1210346)
Sure, their album only went gold, but their concerts were a huge success. Not sure why people are trying to rewrite history here.

The tour was hit or miss with crowds. Of course they made money but nowhere near Fleetwood Mac standards. I saw Stevie Nicks in Pittsburgh in 1989 and she had substantial bigger crowd than Fleetwood Mac one year later. It was embarrassing when the lights would hit the arena and show empty seats. I saw the end of the tour which was the "Farewell tour" and it still was not packed. The reviews of the concerts were horrible. The rock elite just could not get Rick and Billy. The Pittsburgh Press reviewer even made fun of their "incredibly bad Italian hair cuts."
The Behind the Mask Farewell tour is actually one of my favorite Mac tours of all time. So much energy on stage. Stevie never danced like that again and Christine was on top of her game.

button-lip 05-30-2017 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macfan4life (Post 1210460)
The tour was hit or miss with crowds. Of course they made money but nowhere near Fleetwood Mac standards. I saw Stevie Nicks in Pittsburgh in 1989 and she had substantial bigger crowd than Fleetwood Mac one year later. It was embarrassing when the lights would hit the arena and show empty seats. I saw the end of the tour which was the "Farewell tour" and it still was not packed. The reviews of the concerts were horrible. The rock elite just could not get Rick and Billy. The Pittsburgh Press reviewer even made fun of their "incredibly bad Italian hair cuts."
The Behind the Mask Farewell tour is actually one of my favorite Mac tours of all time. So much energy on stage. Stevie never danced like that again and Christine was on top of her game.

Glad to read I'm not the only one who love Behind the Mask. Both ladies were on top form. And yes, sadly it was the last enjoyable time on stage. :)

ricohv 06-05-2017 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by button-lip (Post 1210643)
Glad to read I'm not the only one who love Behind the Mask. Both ladies were on top form. And yes, sadly it was the last enjoyable time on stage. :)

It's SOOO weird to me that even Stevie, over-weight & in a Klonopin haze, still moved more (and more gracefully/less clunky & awkward) than she would in any tour since then!
*Ricoh*

Macfan4life 06-06-2017 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricohv (Post 1210816)
It's SOOO weird to me that even Stevie, over-weight & in a Klonopin haze, still moved more (and more gracefully/less clunky & awkward) than she would in any tour since then!
*Ricoh*

Very true! Even stranger is it was one year after 1989 TOSOTM tour and Stevie says she cant remember big chunks of her life at this time and the tour. She was zonked out for the show. But she was in high platforms dancing like crazy during many songs. If you look back about 6 months in this thread you can see the Miami show and Gainsville show posted in their entirety. Stevie was on fire during Stand back, Don't Stop, Tear it Up.
I saw her in 1989, 1990, and 1991. In 1989 she was a zombie and never even acknowledged the crowd and just stood at the mic. 1990 was still zonked but she would catch waves of extreme hopping up and down and wild dancing. In 1991 she did not look as zonked as the earlier 2 years on stage. But I imagine every city was a bit different.


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