St. Louis, Scottrade Center

[michelej1]

Student Life, March 26, 2015

http://www.studlife.com/cadenza/now-...wood-mac-tour/

Revisit ‘Rumors’ one more time with Fleetwood Mac tour
Kayla Hollenbaugh | Senior Cadenza Editor March 26, 2015

One of the most influential and long-lasting bands of all time will be hitting the stage at the Scottrade Center downtown this Friday, and if you’ve got the means to get there and get a seat (tickets are close to sold out), you’d be senseless to miss out.

Yes, the full, original lineup from the glory days of Fleetwood Mac is back on tour. Its appropriately titled “On with the Show” tour has brought all the members of the oft-estranged band together again, a stunning feat considering the infamous infighting for which the band has been known.

If you’re not sure about what I’m talking about when I say Fleetwood Mac or couldn’t name more than one of its songs, then you have just enough time to cram in a vital musical education course. This one is more important than that midterm.

The beginning of the Fleetwood Mac education is always, inevitably, its most recognized and replayed 1977 album, “Rumours.” Long acknowledged as one of the most important pop albums of all time, “Rumours” remains a snapshot of the best music of the ’70s and a symbol of an iconic band at its prime.

Yet, despite the mesmerizing harmonies between the band’s vocalists Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks, all was not going smoothly behind the scenes. The band was undergoing a serious of painful breakups and conflicts, and the stress took its toll on all the members—leading to all-night drug binges and tense recording sessions. However, as members have said, this pain translated into the best music Fleetwood Mac has put to record, and its hard to deny that the passion in songs like “I Don’t Want to Know” and “The Chain” is coming from a real, dark place.

The tracks on “Rumours” may mostly be full of sunny melodies, bright guitars and inescapably catchy choruses, but one look into the lyrics and history of the album gives an incredibly different, almost voyeuristic side to the band’s history. It is this unique combination of tones, mood and simply great songwriting that has ensured the album has by now become a cultural icon.

If you need more evidence, just look at the fact that “Glee” dedicated an entire episode (and the included songs) of its second season to the album, hoping to translate “Rumours” powers across generations. One of my first introductions into music beyond *NSYNC and The Spice Girls was my mother slipping the CD into the car stereo and inducting me into our now-traditional road trip sing-along to the front half of the album; songs like “Secondhand News,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop” ripe for scream-singing and steering wheel drumming.

Surely it’s worth it to shell out the money just to witness the group that birthed “Rumours” come together again (for the first tour in almost 40 years) to perform the album. If that won’t convince you, Fleetwood Mac has a wide discography full of other celebrated songs—who hasn’t sung along loudly to “Landslide” in their car at least once in their life?

You may be one of the youngest unaccompanied audience members there—but that just means you won’t be dealing with hordes of teenage girls threatening to shatter your eardrums or a crowd of rowdy drunkards ready to jump around and press ever closer to you until you feel like you’re sharing the same oxygen molecules. Instead, Scottrade will be full of nostalgia, musical legends and some of the most timeless songs of our world’s musical lexicon. Sounds like a great Friday night to me.

[michelej1]

St. Louis Dispatch by Kevin C. Johnson, March 27, 2015

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainmen...328261190.html

Fleetwood Mac gives fans what they want at Scottrade Center concert

It only makes sense Fleetwood Mac would open its sold-out concert at Scottrade Center Friday night with "The Chain," featuring the key lyric “Chain keep us together.”

After years full of ups and downs, as singer and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham pointed out, “we’ve grown and prevailed through the good and the bad.”

And these days the band is prevailing with returning keyboardist and singer Christine McVie, making this late-career run of the band, on its “On With the Show” tour, a must-see (16,000 fans attended at Scottrade Center). She’d been out of the fold for 16 years.

McVie’s return reunited Fleetwood Mac’s most popular lineup — Mick Fleetwood, Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and herself.

McVie's presence was welcome, as evidenced by the applause she got with the opening line of “You Make Loving Fun” (missing from the band’s 2009 show at Scottrade Center), allowing songs such as that and “Everywhere” and “Little Lies” into the setlist again.

Buckingham told the crowd her return presented a “profound, prolific and new chapter in the story of this band, Fleetwood Mac,” while Nicks reveled in girl power being restored to the band.

Christine McVie did come off second fiddle to Buckingham and Nicks, undeniably and not surprisingly. But her presence was an important one and she held up her role well.

Over a lean and briskly-moving two hours-plus, the great Fleetwood Mac offered fans exactly what they wanted, which was nothing but a barrage of hits like “Go Your Own Way,” “Don’t Stop” and “Never Going Back Again” performed to perfection with perhaps a few back stories thrown in, including a lengthy one from Nicks about the day she received a call from Christine McVie saying she wanted to come back.

“Dreams,” “Second Hand News,” “Rhiannon” and “Everywhere” kept the show’s early-going moving and the pace never let up. It’s to the band’s credit it could afford to stack hits throughout the entire set without wedging in filler.

“Tusk” was the percussive delight it always is, “Big Love” was a quick reminder of the power of a solo Buckingham on guitar and Nicks brought her requisite twirl to “Gypsy.” The psychedelic finish to “Gold Dust Woman” was appropriately trippy, while Fleetwood on drums is a whole other trip. He was like a beast trying to fight its way out of its cage.

During a middle portion of the show focusing on Nicks and Buckingham, Nicks flubbed a bit of the still-exquisite “Landslide” but apologized for it.

Fleetwood addressed the crowd at the end of the night after encore songs “World Turning,” “Don’t Stop” and “Silver Springs,” telling everyone to love each other in this crazy world, and concluded with “remember, the Mac is definitely back.”

Truer words couldn’t have been spoken.

[michelej1]

The Examiner, March 29, 2015

***** 5 stars

Fleetwood Mac concert Friday Night in Saint Louis

Fleetwood Mac, one of the greatest selling acts of all time, brought their most successful lineup back to Scottrade Center for the first time in 18 years on Friday for a stop on their “On With the Show Tour” and the resulting show was a trip down memory lane.

Longtime vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie had left the band after their successful 1997/98 “The Dance Tour” (Which played at the then named Kiel Center on November 17, 1997) to retire from touring.

While there have been many incarnations of Fleetwood Mac in their 47 year history their most popular and well-known has been with the lineup that was featured Friday night of McVie along with vocalist Stevie Nicks, vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, bassist John McVie and Founding member Mick Fleetwood on drums.

Each of the band members glowed about McVie’s return and noted that it was her 70th show back with them, bringing the band back to where they are their best.

The show opened with a simple stage setup with only a backlit screen behind them for the first several songs, starting with the unmistakable beat of “The Chain” and into “You Make Loving Fun” and “Dreams.” It wasn’t until 20 minutes into the show that they really started to use their multi-layered video screens to their capacity.

The band used the screens efficiently, providing appropriate images for specific songs, including a trippy giant floating Lindsey Buckingham head during the fanciful “I Know I’m Not Wrong”, to moveable front screens which came down during certain songs to produce a nice multi-layered 3D effect.

Stevie Nicks twirled in her familiar crowd-pleasing Gypsy style and performed tantric dances on some of the more psychedelic songs.

The setlist proved strong with nary a single droop or filler needed in the non-stop two and a half hour show, showing the groups longevity and ability to produce hit after timeless hit.

Nicks provided a background story into the origins of “Gypsy” and a store called the Velvet Underground which provided some of the incentive for her.

The band has come to terms with their tumultuous past and Buckingham even made light about it, describing how they were foolish in trying to act like they thought a rock band should act in order to make good music, but looking back on it realizing now that it was all rubbish.

With that grown up attitude and new found enthusiasm the band rocked their way through one of the more solid performances seen in a while, certainly setting the bar high for the year for acts following the way.

With all the members at or beyond the normal retirement age for most Americans they certainly didn’t act or sound like it onstage. It seemed like they found the fountain of youth throughout much of the show. McVie’s vocals were strong and delightful, John McVie’s bass lines were heavy and spot on and Buckingham showed his incredibly impressive axe work on an “I’m So Afraid” solo which drew a standing ovation from the packed Scottrade Center.

Nicks displayed her powerful chops throughout the night, especially on “Landslide” when it was just her and Buckingham in the spotlight.

Mick Fleetwood’s drum solo in the middle of “World Turning” was a 7 minute extravaganza that featured a Marco Polo-ish routine with the crowd while he performed most of the solo with his eyes closed. It is always a treat to watch his solos.

The key thing here is that every band member sincerely seemed to have fun and enjoy the stage with their fellow band members, something that hasn’t happened completely in a long time. Their enthusiasm showed and was shared with the crowd who was mesmerized with the performance.

It’s amazing what chemistry can do and for Fleetwood Mac the right chemistry was onstage Friday night.

[michelej1]

The Examiner, March 29, 2015

http://www.examiner.com/review/reuni...-center-friday

5 *****

Reunited Fleetwood Mac put on exquisite show at Scottrade Center Friday


Fleetwood Mac, one of the greatest selling acts of all time, brought their most successful lineup back to Scottrade Center for the first time in 18 years on Friday for a stop on their “On With the Show Tour” and the resulting show was a trip down memory lane.

Longtime vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie had left the band after their successful 1997/98 “The Dance Tour” (Which played at the then named Kiel Center on November 17, 1997) to retire from touring.

While there have been many incarnations of Fleetwood Mac in their 47 year history their most popular and well-known has been with the lineup that was featured Friday night of McVie along with vocalist Stevie Nicks, vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, bassist John McVie and Founding member Mick Fleetwood on drums.

Each of the band members glowed about McVie’s return and noted that it was her 70th show back with them, bringing the band back to where they are their best.

The show opened with a simple stage setup with only a backlit screen behind them for the first several songs, starting with the unmistakable beat of “The Chain” and into “You Make Loving Fun” and “Dreams.” It wasn’t until 20 minutes into the show that they really started to use their multi-layered video screens to their capacity.

The band used the screens efficiently, providing appropriate images for specific songs, including a trippy giant floating Lindsey Buckingham head during the fanciful “I Know I’m Not Wrong”, to moveable front screens which came down during certain songs to produce a nice multi-layered 3D effect.

Stevie Nicks twirled in her familiar crowd-pleasing Gypsy style and performed tantric dances on some of the more psychedelic songs.

The setlist proved strong with nary a single droop or filler needed in the non-stop two and a half hour show, showing the groups longevity and ability to produce hit after timeless hit.

Nicks provided a background story into the origins of “Gypsy” and a store called the Velvet Underground which provided some of the incentive for her.

The band has come to terms with their tumultuous past and Buckingham even made light about it, describing how they were foolish in trying to act like they thought a rock band should act in order to make good music, but looking back on it realizing now that it was all rubbish.

With that grown up attitude and new found enthusiasm the band rocked their way through one of the more solid performances seen in a while, certainly setting the bar high for the year for acts following the way.

With all the members at or beyond the normal retirement age for most Americans they certainly didn’t act or sound like it onstage. It seemed like they found the fountain of youth throughout much of the show. McVie’s vocals were strong and delightful, John McVie’s bass lines were heavy and spot on and Buckingham showed his incredibly impressive axe work on an “I’m So Afraid” solo which drew a standing ovation from the packed Scottrade Center.

Nicks displayed her powerful chops throughout the night, especially on “Landslide” when it was just her and Buckingham in the spotlight.

Mick Fleetwood’s drum solo in the middle of “World Turning” was a 7 minute extravaganza that featured a Marco Polo-ish routine with the crowd while he performed most of the solo with his eyes closed. It is always a treat to watch his solos.

The key thing here is that every band member sincerely seemed to have fun and enjoy the stage with their fellow band members, something that hasn’t happened completely in a long time. Their enthusiasm showed and was shared with the crowd who was mesmerized with the performance.

It’s amazing what chemistry can do and for Fleetwood Mac the right chemistry was onstage Friday night.