Hmm, I did notice that too, but authenticity doesn't seem to matter much to them these days.

Resting on Lindsey's laurels
 

One killer Buckingham McVie track replaced by another.

REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac get bluesy with new members in Oakland
OAKLAND — During its heyday in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Fleetwood Mac was nearly as famous for drama as for music. Despite big egos, love triangles and a penchant for indulgence, the band managed to crank out hit after hit and establish itself as true rock-pop royalty.

Following a widely publicized split with vocalist-guitarist (and key songwriter) Lindsey Buckingham, the band returned to the Bay Area, playing shows in San Jose, Sacramento and Oakland’s Oracle Arena on Sunday. For a band with such big personalities, the remaining members and two big additions showed that they are, as ever, more than the sum of their parts.

Taking the stage to the familiar opening kick drum thump, the band ripped through “The Chain,” a fan favorite that showcased the signature three-part vocal harmonies that define the Fleetwood Mac sound. Newcomer Neil Finn (Crowded House) held down the Lindsey Buckingham parts, including the iconic “Running in the shadows” line, to good effect.

A flurry of hits came next, each featuring a different lead vocalist: “Little Lies,” with Christine McVie up front, was followed by “Dreams” (Stevie Nicks) and “Second Hand News,” off Rumors, with Finn singing lead. Finn matched the soaring intensity of the original vocals without turning to mimicry. His performances throughout the night were solid and almost craftsman-like. It was clear he’s aware of the role he is now playing in a much larger musical machine. “Say You Love Me,” the Christine McVie-penned tune from the band’s 1975’s eponymous record, rounded out the string of chart toppers.

Casual fans may not be aware that Fleetwood Mac existed long before Lindsey Buckingham and his then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks joined the band on New Year’s Eve in 1974. The earlier incarnation, led by blues guitar god Peter Green, had a minor hit with the song “Black Magic Woman” in 1968. The version released by Carlos Santana in 1970 is, of course, far more famous, but songwriting credit goes to Green.

The addition of guitarist Mike Campbell (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) to the lineup gave Fleetwood Mac an ability to revisit its blues roots and stretch out into musical zones that the virtuosic Lindsey Buckingham was, apparently, less interested in exploring. Campbell dug deep on several tunes from the Peter Green era, including “Black Magic Woman” (with Nicks on vocals), “Tell Me All The Things You Do” and “Oh Well.” Elsewhere, Campbell proved more than versatile enough to pull off the sometimes-complicated guitar parts authored by his predecessor. One interesting side note on Campbell’s style versus Buckingham’s is that Campbell tends to play just a bit behind the beat (known as “in the pocket”) while Buckingham is often pushing on the front of the beat. This makes the whole groove feel a little more relaxed with Campbell at the helm.

The highlight of the evening was a double-bill of ballads. The first was “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” a Crowded House hit that Mick Fleetwood noted he had loved for years before he met Neil Finn. The crowd joined in en-masse during the chorus and didn’t stop singing as that song merged into the classic Stevie Nicks song “Landslide.” The arena was awash in swaying smart phone lights as the band changed gears and played “Hold Me.” It was the first full band performance of the song in 36 years.

An extended, trippy version of “Gold Dust Woman” let Stevie Nicks show off her vocal chops and ability to mesmerize even a huge crowd. She was in fine form and teased fans by saying that “Of all my hometowns, Oakland is the favorite.”

“Go Your Own Way” capped off the pre-encore set and, after a standing ovation, the band returned to perform a touching cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” while a photo montage of Petty, Nicks and Campbell played on the video screens. The bouncy hit “Don’t Stop” closed out the show on a high note before Nicks and Christine McVie returned to duet on “All Over Again” and wish everyone well and good night.
http://www.riffmagazine.com/reviews/...-mac-20181125/

The Chain:
https://youtu.be/HL3uammwvyo

Gypsy:
https://youtu.be/Ol-I5m0gBq8

GYOW:
https://youtu.be/_ItHipB9YLo

Don't Stop:
https://youtu.be/nuIYtYYLfgo

Rhiannon:
https://youtu.be/0RVPieq71X0

Say You Love Me"
https://youtu.be/PAUmXmU0Xzs

You Make Loving Fun:
https://youtu.be/34r-If-HhTs

DDIO:
https://youtu.be/SzRFdvvCsJY

To be fair, Fleetwood Mac has played “Hold Me” less than “Isn’t It Midnight” in the past 36 years.

What I wonder is if the piano and backing vocals are pre-records, like on the LBCM tour.

Really. You really want to debate which is a deep track or which one the audience knows and does not know. Here is a hint. One song 98% of the arena knows and has heard before. You love to dissect everyone's comments and then spin them another way. I know, its your shdick.
Give it a rest ;)

Sorry dude...don't understand where on Earth you are coming from here. :shrug:

It was a fair comment. I'd personally prefer to hear Isn't It Midnight as I've never been a massive fan of Hold Me. However, I appreciate a lot of people like that song and are excited to hear it as it has not been played live for a long time by Fleetwood Mac. No need for vitriol.

Regardless of how often Hold Me has been played before, the band has slowly been deleting/replacing songs that made it a ballsy setlist in favor of safer.

Well, this is the first video I've watched in months of the present band on tour, and low and behold.............THERE'S THE TINY TOY PIANO......Mike is playing the tiny toy piano.

Maybe I'm not following what this is all about, could someone let me know if this is real instrument?

And Chris is not playing this part.....why?

Thanks.

She never used to, but she certainly could now. I guess she just doesn't want to? It's rather odd. But then, it's been an odd few years for the band.

Ridiculous comment
Hold Me is one of the Mac's biggest hits besides Dreams. While never making it to #1 it was deadlocked by huge hits taking up the #1 and #2 spots. It was one of the biggest hits in the USA in 1982.
As another poster pointed out, the set list keeps changing with a much safer hit orientated set list. Facts are facts. All the deep tracks are being eliminated. Hint: There were never that many deep tracks to begin with.
Its a very sorry dissection and distortion of comments to say a ridiculous comment "to be fair, Isn't It Midnight was played more in concert than Hold me" HELLO! That was not my point nor anyone else's. Hit VS Deep track. That was the point. I would love to hear Isn't It Midnight as well. That again is NOT THE POINT.

I simply said the setlist was dropping deep tracks for more "hits" It was a ridiculous comment that Steve said that had no relevance to what I said.

There are some on every message board who only comment on other people's comments. They never start threads or dare start a conversation. They only live to comment on other's comments. I find it annoying for someone to comment on my comment and pivot to something that was not the original intent. Its dumb, its stupid, and very annoying.

Brown Eyes was played more in concert than Hold Me by the Mac. If Brown Eyes was played during the current tour, its laughable to respond to a statement that deep tracks are being dropped for hits to say "to be fair, Brown Eyes was played more in concert than Hold Me"

Yeah ok, give me a break!

It’s not a tiny piano, it’s a Marxophone. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marxophone

Here’s a demo: https://youtu.be/tyL5kRefsz0

Christine never played that part. Lindsey did it on guitar, live. It’s just something different.

“Hold Me” hasn’t been played by Fleetwood Mac in concert since 1982 and is the only Fleetwood Mac hit single that has never had an official live version commercially released. “Isn’t It Midnight” was on the TITN concert video. And, Tango sold like three to five times as many copies as Mirage and is their second highest selling album, so “Isn’t It Midnight” isn’t exactly an obscure Fleetwood Mac song.

Heaven forbid someone actually engages in discussions on a discussion board. And, I have started threads, so I don’t know (or care) where the hell that came from.

I guess people who aren’t incessantly pissing and moaning about every little thing Fleetwood Mac does these days have no place on a Fleetwood Mac message board anymore. There’s apparently no place for a positive viewpoint.

I suspect the reason for this particular change was less about replacing an “obscure” song with a “safe” song as it was changing to an easier to sing song.