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Today in Calgary: Fleetwood Mac at Pengrowth Saddledome
By Erin Hershberg in Attractions
Although Calgary is a rapidly growing, newfangled metropolis, culturally it is a little lacking. I can't think of a notable musician to come out of the oil slick city; nor could I think of a notable musician who would willingly play the town. Actually, that's a lie: washed up, seventies band, Fleetwood Mac, who weren’t so good in the first place, seem real amped up to stir up Cowtown but good. But to be fair, the British/American rock band (debatable) went through a lot, leaving Mick (drummer) as the only original member, still remaining. In their height Fleetwood Mac got a lot of attention thanks to Peter Green, who knew how to produce music that worked well with the blues/soul era. The Fleetwood Mac Story is more interesting because of all the turmoil, yet even with the shifting of musicians Fleetwood Mac still makes good music and puts on lively concerts. Keep in mind this: Fleetwood Mac has been around for 39 years. Fleetwood Mac plays tonight, Tuesday, June 23, at Pengrowth Stadium– E.H and K.K 1 Reader Reviews You get paid to write dumb crap like this?Grade level at best http://www.martiniboys.com/Calgary/a...ome-12740.html |
Fleetwood Mac thrills the Dome
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...on/6-23-09.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...n/6-23-09a.jpg http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...n/6-23-09b.jpg You can view these three beautiful pics from tonights show as well as seven others if you go to this website: http://www.calgarysun.com/entertainm...3/9905931.html |
June 23rd: Calgary, Alberta
Anyone at the show last night?
------------------ Fleetwood Mac in fine form Band hints at new album coming soon By LISA WILTON Last Updated: 24th June 2009, 5:03am View larger version in photo gallery They told listeners not to look back in their 1977 hit, Don't Stop. But last night, nothing stopped Fleetwood Mac from mining their extensive catalogue for the golden tracks that made them one of the biggest bands in the world. Five years after they last graced the Saddledome stage, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood returned amidst the enthusiastic cheers of almost 12,000 adoring fans. The show was rescheduled from last month, when the original concert was cancelled only hours before the band was set to hit the stage. Not surprisingly, the near-sold-out audience was made up largely of the middle-aged set, but there was also a number of young hipsters who were equally excited to see Fleetwood Mac, despite being born about a decade after the band's chart-topping glory days. Drummer Fleetwood was first to take the stage followed by bassist McVie. And after a lengthy pause, singer Nicks and guitarist Buckingham walked hand-in-hand to the centre of the stage, warmly acknowledging the crowd before launching into the boogie-rock number, Monday Morning. It was the first of more than 20 songs. Buckingham's voice was raspy at first, but warmed up nicely as the evening progressed. Nicks, on the other hand, was singing an octave or two lower than we're used to, but was propped up by two backing singers. Buckingham and Nicks took turns introducing each tune with a story about how the song was written or gave insight into the band's history. During the 1970s, the British-American quintet (fifth member Christine McVie left the band in 1998) was entangled in affairs, break-ups and drug abuse. "We have a complex and convoluted emotional history," Buckingham explained. That's putting it mildly. But he said even though it hasn't been an easy ride, it's worked out in the long run. He also hinted at a possible new album soon. Buckingham probably knew the fans were there to hear the hits and reassured them that Fleetwood Mac were there to play them. From McVie's exciting bass line breakdown in The Chain and Nicks' nasal drawl in Gold Dust Woman to the epic chorus of Rhiannon, the crowd had much to be happy about. A lovely moment early in the show came courtesy of Nicks, who was clad in her trademark hippy goth wear, complete with sparkly scarves hanging off her microphone. She told the crowd the tale of how she met her former lover Buckingham in San Francisco and how the song Gypsy was written as a way to remember her happiest times while the band was going through turmoil. The performance of the song itself was a bit flat as were many of Nicks' numbers, but it didn't seem to matter to the devoted Stevie-ites singing along to every word. However, Nicks' voice also seemed to improve as the show went on and by the time she got to the gorgeous ballad Landslide, she was sounding like the Stevie of old. It was all about the music last night and therefore the band kept the stage setup simple. There were a few nifty lighting effects, but for the most part the stage was bare save for two blocks that changed colour every so often. Buckingham was by far the most energetic of the group. He rocked out like no time had passed and was constantly making eye contact with the front rows and giving out high fives. He even pulled out his modest 1984 solo hit, Go Insane, which sounded fantastic. It's a very '80s song, but last night it sounded modern with a theatrical twist. Fleetwood Mac may have been through hell to get where they are today. But their legion of Calgary fans are glad they made the journey. LISA.WILTON@SUNMEDIA.CA Fleetwood Mac Venue Pengrowth Saddledome Attendance 12,000 RATING: 4 OUT OF 5 Photos: http://www.calgarysun.com/entertainm...3/9905931.html http://www.calgarysun.com/entertainm...f-9908251.html |
By Heath McCoy, Calgary Herald
Call it the dilemma of the classic rocker.
What else can you call it when an announcement from Lindsey Buckingham that his legendary band Fleetwood Mac will not be playing any new songs during the group’s Tuesday night concert at the ‘Dome draws hearty cheers throughout a crowd of 11,000 fans? As the 59-year-old singer/guitarist told the audience early, this "Unleashed Tour" of the Mac’s is all about "having fun" with none of the pressures of selling their fans on new material. This tour is about the hits. Which is all that classic rock fans really seem to want, for the most part — to the chagrin of many a classic rock artist, some of whom still have something to offer artistically. Based on some of their more recent work, I’d say Fleetwood Mac fits into that category. But like the Stones, The Who, Elton, you name it, few seem to care when they work the new stuff. That’s drink time, bathroom time, talk amongst yourselves time — no matter the quality of the fresh tunes. It has to be frustrating for the artists. To their credit though, Fleetwood Mac sidestepped the issue gracefully in Calgary, playing a set finely jammed with crowd faves. They kicked off the show with Monday Morning, which immediately showcased the band’s great strength — that sunny California folk-pop filtered through the English blues-rock base of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie. This was followed up by a fantastic version of The Chain, which still stands as one of the Mac’s great masterpieces, Fleetwood, 62, every bit the mad pirate drummer on that one, hammering his giant gong. One of the criticisms Fleetwood Mac often draws these days is the charge that singer and resident diva Stevie Nicks, 61, can’t deliver like she used to. It’s a valid point and that was evident enough at times, as in the rather limp version of Dreams, one of her signature tunes. Actually, it sounded as if both Nicks and Buckingham were being carried by their backup singers at certain points in the concert. But Nicks also proved that her sultry rasp still has some life in it, most notably on beautiful versions of the acoustic ballad Landslide and her pseudo-mystical hit Gold Dust Woman. As far as impassioned deliveries went, however, Buckingham stole the show. On his acoustic showpiece Big Love there was no doubt as to what a fiery and incredibly underrated guitarist the man is and his vocal performance was so fevered, almost maniacally so, that you’d have thought the guy was about to explode. Even though the Mac limited themselves to the all-classics format on this tour, it was also commendable the way the band found ways of maintaining a vibrant and fresh approach. Dusting off hidden gems like Storms off Tusk was one means of achieving that. So too was the band’s storming version of the heavy rocker Oh Well, which goes back to Fleetwood Mac’s pre-Lindsey and Stevie days in the ‘60s when the band’s star was blues guitarist Peter Green. On this tune Buckingham again shined, his chops on the six-string absolutely fierce. In the end, Fleetwood Mac’s Tuesday show at the ‘Dome was one with far more highs than lows, even if the sweet harmonies of departed member Christine McVie were missed throughout the evening, and certainly when the band encored with one of her tunes, Don’t Stop. By that point though, the only thing that wasn’t stopping was the adulation, and that’s something Fleetwood Mac had earned on this night. hmccoy@theherald.canwest.com © Copyright (c) The Calgary Herald http://www.montrealgazette.com/Enter...857/story.html |
I was at the show last night, It just may have been the best night of my life.
My girlfriend surprised me with Row 2 Tickets for the previous show. I have never sat that close, and when your right at the stage standing the concert is a completely different experience. You completely forget that there is anyone behind you and you really feel that they are playing to the front 4 rows. Me and my girlfriend got tonnes of attention from Lindsey, including at one time he kind of gave her a "sly" look and then looked at me with a funny face (trying to get my riled up, obviously knowing that he is still a damn good looking 60 year old). Honestly, this guy has aged well and is still a charmer without a doubt. He had some funny facial expressions when the two people in front of us "lit up", almost trying to inhale and then laughing! I sometimes get a little bored when I am at concerts, even of bands I am a huge fan of if I am far away. If the seats aren't great, sometimes its just like your watching them on a DVD. I am sure others don't feel the same, but for me at least this was true. For this concert is absolutely flew by, it felt literally like 45 minutes, when GYOW started playing I was shocked that it had already been that soon! The Lindsey attention we got was just amazing and was a total highlight, he came over to us about 6-7 times and was frequently mouthing things to us. I tried yelling Gift of Screws, but I don't think he heard me. I think it was refreshing for him to have young people in the crowd (maybe reaffirms the timelessness of their music). At the end when he gave away the picks he came straight to me for the first one. Oh yeah, Stevie has aged amazing, I think she is actually really hot! lol, She plays more for the entire audience rather than the first couple of rows. Unreal night, just surreal. Hope everyone else had similar experiences. |
Did they do Silver Springs? I doubt it, but just wondering.
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I WAS THERE! I WAS THERE!
The Sun was much kinder than they were in '04. Pretty much spot on. The night belonged to Lindsey. Stevie was awesome of course, but down an octave, a little less active at points, just like I've read has been happening throughout the tour. But I was thinking last night, it's cool that Lindsey kind of gets his moment to really shine. The cheers were just as loud for him and they were for her, and he looked thrilled. I'm sure all of this has been discussed ad naseum since March, but I didn't want to know the setlist, so I avoided all those posts. Now I have to go back and read them. I think it was a pretty typical show in terms of setlist, 1 encour, etc. One interesting thing to note...Stevie dedicated Landslide to the doctor who treated her in May. I'm paraphrasing, but she said something like... "We were here in May and I got very sick. And he was by my side and stayed by my side for days." I'm kicking myself for not remembering his name. I didn't realize she actually got sick in Calgary. I just assumed she was home and never made it here. With the "days" comment, I wonder if she was in a hospital here or something for a while. Jeez...I would have sent flowers. Anyway...I guess the "cancellation due to illness" is a little less vague now. I dropped $140 on the black hoodie, brown t-shirt and a penguin. And now I'm off to Edmonton to do it all again! Wooo! |
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But for me, to get to see Gypsy and Sara at the same show was wonderful. In '04 they cut one for the other. Silver Springs just would have been icing on the cake. |
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I really love SP, hope they play it on the European leg of the tour!!
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Michele |
Aside from acknowledging how sick she was... I think I'm more impressed that you managed to steer clear of threads and the web and everything to do with the setlist!
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