Quote:
|
Originally Posted by SteveMacD
As for the "Time" tours/oldies thing, I guess I'd have more of an issue with it if it weren't for the simple fact that they weren't touring in support of an album.
|
That's often commented on (generally by you or Chili), & while it's true to the letter, it isn't necessarily true to the spirit. Part of the band's reason for touring to introduce new members in 1994 & 1995 was to stir audience interest in a studio album at some point -- & that point wasn't more than a few months after the tour. What month was "Time" released? The 1995 tour ran at least through October, when I saw them the 2nd time around. Certainly by that time, the album was at the mixing or mastering stage.
Even as far back on the first tour swing-through as July 1994, Mick was telling the newspapers that the band was preparing a new album. He told the Times of Northwest Indiana, right before a Fleetwood Mac show at the Star Plaza Theatre, that the band was "nurturing the creative process for a new album." He added that the tour was "partly the test of the chemistry of songs off a new album" that the reporter mentioned was as yet unnamed & that would appear the following spring.
So although strictly speaking, Fleetwood Mac wasn't supporting a new album on tour -- they really were.
To that end, they should have put the new songs front & center in the set. At both Northern CA shows I saw, the new material was not emphasized -- much of it, in fact, wasn't even played at all. But boy did we get the white album & Rumours! Say You Love Me & Go Your Own Way & Don't Stop & World Turning & Gold Dust Woman & The Chain & Blue Letter & You Make Loving Fun ... it was just ridiculous.
In May & June of 1975, Fleetwood Mac also toured before a new album was out, but at that point, according to people who saw them in Texas that month (& who posted about it to amfm), the band played most of the white album & really roared & put a lot of passion & commitment into driving the new material so that audiences would come to live it. That's a far cry from what I saw Dave Mason do with the band in 1994 & 1995: essentially just snooze through the set. Obviously, the circumstances were different in terms of respective ages & careers (they were kids in 1975 & wanted to build careers, whereas Dave was no kid in 1994 & already had a career). But that's really what makes Mick's choice of adding Dave so inane. He should have hired Dave Grohl!
I wish I could remember whether anyone onstage mentioned that some of the songs they did -- like "Blow by Blow" -- were going to be on a new album. But, alas, I can't. The prime rib was pretty good that night, however!