Originally Posted by Matt Lucas
Hello all---
When the split with Lindsey was announced, I couldn’t believe it. How could they do it? How could they destroy the chemistry of the band? I like Lindsey’s music and Christine’s music and, to a lesser degree, Stevie’s music (I think “Thrown Down” is one of the best songs on SAY YOU WILL, and I love the title track, too). But the point is that they all sound better when they’re together. I own all of Lindsey’s solo records, but I would pick him with FM over his solo work any day of the week, because those five people just work better together.
And if they couldn’t swallow their pride and just get along for 18 more months to do one last tour, then they should have called it quits.
Okay, now that I got that off my chest, I can say this---it’s done. Regardless of what I think or what any of us feel, they kicked Lindsey out, and they added Campbell and Finn. This is Fleetwood Mac now, and the reality is that most people at the shows probably have no idea the change was made.
I love Fleetwood Mac, and I love Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. They’re both among my all-time top 10 favorite acts. Crowded House is my favorite band ever. I’m saying all this to simply note that I’m pulling for this experiment to work.
I saw the clips from the Ellen show. Mick and John sounded great. Campbell was actually pretty good. It was hard to tell with Christine, and Neil sounded like he was stretching for the high notes a bit, but was otherwise okay. But Stevie sounded horrible.
Then I heard some clips from the festival show they did. The music sounded surprisingly good. But the vocals weren't great. And it hurt my heart to hear "Second Hand News." It hurt because, honestly, it didn't sound bad, and I thought it fit Neil pretty well.
But today, a friend of mine sent me a link to "Free Fallin'" from the Tulsa show and compared it with sharing crime scene photos. He's not exactly wrong about that.
I have withheld my views on this line-up change debacle, because I wanted to stay positive. I wanted to believe that these exceptionally-talented people would be re-energized by the change and find a way to make it work in amazing and surprising ways.
But this is just sad. Truly sad. Sad for a legendary band that is now tarnishing its legacy. Sad for Campbell and Finn, who are mighty artists themselves and will now be associated with FM’s fall. (For the record, I don’t blame Campbell or Finn at all. They’re just the guys who said “yes” to what probably sounded like a rare opportunity.)
And on a related note…
I’ve always been a FM purist. I never liked it when they did Stevie or Lindsey solo songs. Why would they do that when the band has such a deep and great catalog of songs? If you want to hear the solo stuff, go to the solo show. The band shows should be reserved for band songs.
If you’re doing Crowded House songs or Tom Petty songs, then you’re no longer Fleetwood Mac. You’re the Fleetwood Mac All-Star Revue. Change the name, Mick. It fits.
Okay, having said all that, I get it. They’re doing a little tribute to Tom. There’s a slideshow.
But she can't even get the words right. What kind of tribute is it when you get the words wrong? A sad one, really. It offends me as a Tom Petty fan, and it offends me as a Fleetwood Mac fan. And I’m sure she couldn’t care less, because they continue to make money off the band’s reputation.
I can't end on a negative note, so I will just close by saying that my final hope for this band is that they gain some level of comfort in a month or so, and that will lead to better chemistry. It could happen.
matt
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