[thepoetinmyhear]

This show was great. I had managed for the most part to stay away from video/audio recordings this tour so while I knew they were going to do Sisters, I didn't know the arrangement and loved it and like a few others I hated the new Never Going Back Again - completely drains the life out of that song. Favorites for me from the show were Sara, Sisters, Tusk, and Say Goodbye (which was the best version of that song I've seen).

I did the Mick VIP package for this event and since others have well covered the concert - figured I'd talk about that. It was incredibly well done and for me, it was well worth the money. They told us to get there at 4:30 PM and right about that time someone from ground control came over and told everyone who was VIP to come check in and get their badge (a somewhat holographic badge that says Mick Fleetwood VIP and has the photo from his website). We were told after the soundcheck we would go into the audience and fill in the seats in the front where Mick would talk to us for a bit from the stage, then in our small group we'd go up to the stage, get our picture taken and then return to our seat. Then they would do the Q&A (during which Mick would sign things for us - we were to hand them all to our guide and he would take them up there to get them signed). Almost none of that happened. We waited for about an hour and they told us that the bowl has very strict rules about who can be on stage or even in the house when the doors open so we might be cut a little short and that we would have to exit and re-enter the venue when the doors officially open.

We walked in after the soundcheck and Mick greeted us with a Mic in hand - he had bronchitis so he told them he wanted all of us up on the stage for this one. We went up there and he spoke to us about how great this tour has been and the old days versus the new days (basically get more sleep and eat better) and how proud he is that the band has stayed together. Then they did photos - they were incredibly accommodating letting people do groups and singles and BOTH. Then they took all of our badges to get them all signed which I thought was a nice touch for folks who maybe didn't bring anything.

Once the photos were done he walked over to the side that those of us who had wrapped the photo session were standing at and began signing the badges. The folks running it were clearly worried about time but also great about making sure everyone got the photos they wanted and a signed badge. I decided to just ask my question and start off the Q&A and I'll get to the questions and what his answers were at the end. About halfway through signing the badges they said we had to be off the stage as they were about to open the doors. Mick suggested they take us to the back since only about three questions had been asked. We went behind the stage and hung out for 10 minutes more as he signed more badges and answered more questions when we were told that technically we still were considered on the stage by the Bowl so we had to leave. Mick again suggested moving the group so we went to where all the band cars drive up to backstage right as Kristen showed up who was surprised that Mick had such a fan entourage - he told her he does it every night and she again expressed her surprise. Finally he finished signing the badges, I gave him my Rumours 35th anniversary vinyl cover to sign which he did and others started handing him a bunch of stuff to sign. I asked my last question and moved on. Once it was done they took us to the gate to get our tickets taken for entry by which point the venue was mostly open.

Onto the Q&A, I asked the following (I asked one question each time we moved and then moved to the back of the pack to give others an opportunity - as a result I didn't hear too many of the other questions but thought it only fair):

1. Are there any songs they aren't performing that Mick wishes they were performing - anything he loves to play that they aren't doing? His answer was not really. He loves everything they play - at the end he added, maybe some of the blues stuff.

2. Any plans to remaster Mirage or Tango or release the 5.1 mix of Tusk? He thought THEY would do that before too long. The way he said it made it sound like he meant Warner Brothers would do that and not the band but that is completely just the way I am reading into his intonations.

3. Did they rehearse Frozen Love for this tour? He said they had not, but it probably would have been a good idea since that is what started it all and that was some of the stuff he heard all those years ago.

Some questions other folks asked:

1. Were there any hits that surprised them? Mick was very surprised when Albatross became a hit and felt it turned their blues audience upside down when it first came out.

2. Did he see the finished Sound City Documentary? He had and he enjoyed it.

3. Is Christine going to play with them in London? He said absolutely yes but not sure which show.

4. What was he proudest of in his career? Keeping the band together.

Haven't seen the pictures yet but it was a great show (GREAT show) and the VIP experience was awesome (edited to add the GroundCTRL people were great - despite it not going as they had planned due to the venue and Mick's illness, they still kept things very organized and tried to make sure everyone got their time and enjoyed the experience - I think our VIP guy was Neil or Nick (can't remember) but he was excellent).