[juniper]

Great posts all- Tunes still swirling in my head after the Philly show. We were 16th row center floor. Others have detailed reviews, so I’ll just leave my general impressions – of which the overall one is huge thumbs up-
First, the good stuff:
1. Sound was great
2. Lots of smiling smiling from band members (at least the 3 –McVie in shadows most of night!) They seemed genuinely tickled to be playing these songs, still, to screaming fans.
3. They individually and collectively gave off a really positive vibe.
4. Lindsey’s energy! The man does not let up; he’s a performance animal.
5. Mick seemed so happy to have his little family on stage again – also – he must have the heart and arms of a lion to drum like that at his age – yowsa! Impressive.
6. The crowd, the crowd loved them. After all of our contemplations on the right- or wrongness of the ‘safe’ setlist, for me that was all forgotten when I heard the crowd roar for all these favorites – you realize that there are still the majority who have maybe not seen them before, or not seen them in years. How that must feel for the band members after more than 30 years, I can’t imagine. Instead of feeling retread, it really does honor these songs. It felt like a mass group celebration and validation of those times for all of us, band and crowd alike. I loved it.
7. I never never get tired of the standing o’s and long hoots and applause after both Big Love and I’m So Afraid.
8. Giant vertical screen was cool (but wish they had one for each of them, or that it was wider – it could only show one performer – on Landslide, could only see Stevie – would have been nice to see LB standing just one foot away…)
9. I liked the talking (with the exception of the LB “run it into the ground…” thing – give it a rest – I hate that bit – it’s a disservice to how good Rumours was). As others have said, what they said seemed more genuine, and these songs for the most part are very personal and meaningful for both, so it’s great to hear them acknowledge and talk about it.
10. Nice camaraderie between L & S – probably less interaction than I expected, but some nice moments and smiles, as others have noted. I thought Lindsey’s voice was cracking a little near the end of Say Goodbye, and he also looked up twice, in the way people do to keep back tears. When the song ended, he quickly ran a hand over his face, seeming in a way to clear his eyes..did others notice this?

If I have to nitpick….

1. Even though nice camaraderie, overall there was not as much interaction as I thought there might be, and not too much crossing into each other’s physical space. Sometimes, they seemed deliberately NOT to be looking at each other. However, it is 2013, and perhaps this is a more honest expression of their current relationship. I think I was just a little surprised after the hand-holding interviews and Mick saying something about their chemistry (jeez, at least I thought a little nostalgic BN material from the album???)
2. Background video screens were ok, but I thought much of the graphic stuff was not super compelling or original – just trees and swirling geometric patterns…whatever…it could have been better.
3. McVie completely lost in shadows…maybe he prefers it that way, but it would have been nice to see both Lindsey and John interact a little.
4. With regard to Without You, I liked the song, but what I really loved was the ‘sound’ of it in general – Lindsey’s guitar, the voices, - it did sound so BN-era, so that was cool. But I don’t understand that Stevie says ‘this was the music Mick first heard when he asked us to join the band…’ If that is such a milestone sound that they want to share, why not do a song that actually made it onto the album? I don’t understand how ‘finding’ their demo of Without You on youtube suddenly made them want to record it…..What about ‘finding’ out that people are still discovering and enjoying the BN album??? Why doesn’t that make them want to share those songs live with us?? Note I am not bashing that they brought back an old tune – I loved that, but would have liked more if they had given a nod to their album – I would have loved to hear the audience reaction. Does anyone think it was deliberate not to touch BN, due to a possible re-release (mini-tour???) in the future? This is from Wikipedia: “In December 2012, Nicks was hopeful that a 40th anniversary edition of Buckingham-Nicks would be released in 2013, claiming that at least one unreleased song from the sessions could be included on the release.” That song could be Without You?? But I digress…maybe time to jump threads…
Overall, a great show, and I’m going to see the MSG show, so it will be interesting to see if any changes!!