Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil
My partner surprised me with tickets for the Melbourne show on Thursday night and I reluctantly went along (I tried every trick in the book to get out of attending but I ultimately had no choice). Anyway, I was impressed by Stevie's performance - she sang extremely well, looked great and actually seemed really enthused to be on stage. However...
Stevie's rambling between songs got old real fast. I was cringing from the outset because I knew what was about to occur - various members of the audience began becoming impatient with each successive 'story' and soon erupted with shouts of "Shut the &%$* up and sing!". These demands became increasingly more aggressive, to the point where I thought a fight was going to break out. From about two thirds into Stevie's set, fans just started leaving.
To be fair, many of the complainants seemed to be drunken thugs who probably shouldn't have been there in the first place (they didn't seem to know any song other than "Seven Wonders", which they kept requesting in a none-too polite manner) but it has to be said, Stevie's anecdotal ramblings are inarticulate, often nonsensical and just plain boring.
The Pretenders, who took to the stage a little after 7:00 pm, delivered a taut set that left just about everyone in the crowd wanting more. Stevie commenced soon afterwards and by the time the concert was over (after 11:00 pm), many people seemed tired and restless. She just stretched it out way too long. People were simply annoyed and yet, Stevie seemed totally oblivious to the reaction. She also came across as extremely arrogant with the usual comments about her successful solo career, how the only Fleetwood Mac song to make number 1 in the charts was 'Dreams', how she would never break up Fleetwood Mac (as in she is holding all the cards), etc. etc.
This truly could have been a remarkable show if Stevie had just edited herself a little here and there. I'm still amazed that for the very first concert of the initial leg of the tour last year (I think in October 2016?), she barely said a word. From memory, she basically performed her set and hardly uttered a word. Then from the second show onwards, she just couldn't shut herself up. What's that all about?
I think I preferred Stevie with a little more mystery. God knows how things will go at the vineyard shows lined up for this weekend. With a potentially inebriated crowd, there's bound to be some harsh criticism of Stevie's verbal diarrhoea.
|
Hate to agree with that, but I do 100 percent. and before I go any further I also must say that without exaggeration I think if you remove all the talking this is Stevie's best solo tour of all time with exception being the wild heart, street angel and enchanted tours. The performances of moonlight and gold dust woman alone prove that point. She is singing and performing the best she has at th very least since the turn of th century. I can't emphasize enough I blessed I feel to be able to see Stevie perform at this level at 69.
But this also may be the first ever tour where I like watching g her YouTube videos more then being at the show. Because you can skip to the singing on them. And I say this as someone who typically LOVES her stories. When done sparingly and when they have a point. The 2012 in your dreams tour was the perfect amount of talking. It was the most she had talked in a show up to that point, but I found every story very enjoyable. Even her 8 minute without you and gypsy stories on the Fleetwood Mac tours were very enjoyable to me.
But the talking on this tour is borderline unbearable. Jut endless ramblings and the very worst of stevie isms. And that's from me who like I said typically loves her stories. On top of that, it's insanely incomfortable to be surrounded by so many angry fans (and yea Phil, absolutely yelling shut the f*ck up and sing a few times)
And you even missed out on what I consider the low point of her stories.
The New Orleans story was so embarrassing to here her tell. Complete with how watching the hurricane on the tv while looking at the Pacific Ocean made her so sad (or something like that) she followed it up with what I'd call the third best performance of the night but danm so many extreme conflicting feelings about this show.
In the end the joy I have for this tour greatly outweighs the negatives for me. And she's still playing more songs then any other solo tour with a great set. It would be great for her to not make us choose between a great performance and not being put to sleep in between songs but I guess if we're forced to choose one or the other I'll take this reality. On the other end of the spectrum, when I saw Lindsey and Christine in Cleveland their banter was incredibly enjoyable and their show had a much better flow but Stevie's actual performance level blows them away at this point. Even the most vocal haters who at points I feared would rush the stage and tackle stevie at some points were content with the show after gold dust woman ended. Oh and on that note she even had to talk after f**kin gold dust woman. A pointless few sentences about how she just becomes the crazy gold dust woman character. The whole point of her epic long songs is that there's no explanation to her crazy performances. Imagine if after her exorcism Rhiannon's she walked back up to the mic and said "well that silly Rhiannon character, you just never know where she's gonna take me guys!" Again a minor gripe and it doesn't take away from the performance, but those types of songs were not meant to have funny stevie commentary.