Charlotte, North Carolina June 24, 2013

[elle]

Originally Posted by michelej1

A special treat for more seasoned fans was the drop-jaw performance of their new single, “Sad Angel,” which was released a few weeks ago on their new EP, aptly titled, “Extended Play.”

ha! i'm hoping that maybe he really did spell out the full name in Charlotte and later shows?

during JB show, he did his regular spiel and said the band has new EP out. i yelled "what's the name of it?" he looked at me like a teacher would at a student who obviously didn't listen and repeated "what's the name of it? ee-pee!" i said no... so it finally occurred to him where i was going and he said "oh, Extended Play!". i nodded yes.

i hope maybe the message stayed with him that he needs to spell it out (when you put Fleewood Mac EP in amazon or itunes search you get out Rumours). although i'm not holding my breath...

[elle]

Originally Posted by michelej1

After the brief deviation from the more colossal songs, they returned to perform “Gold Dust Woman,” which now feels more like a Broadway number opposed to the gritty original with Nicks acting more like a street urchin than a noble Queen of Rock.

i feel vindicated! this reviewer put into words what i've been trying to express in the other thread for days now...

that song used to be rocking instead of over a minute of striking one pose without any music whatsoever; and it may be just me, but i'm for gritty and rocking, as opposed to street urchiny

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by elle

that song used to be rocking instead of over a minute of striking one pose without any music whatsoever; and it may be just me, but i'm for gritty and rocking, as opposed to street urchiny

To me, GDW has always been a mood song, rather than a rock song. In her solo songs, I talk about the need for rock songs and I think, "EO17 needs a companion" and I never consider that GDW is actually a rock song too.

For me, the song is about the (gold dust) woman and her hollowness and the only time I don't like it is when that mood is broken: I'm looking at you Don Henley.

Michele

[WildHearted]

I've never thought GDW was very rocking either. I've always thought it was just really atmospheric and unsettling.

[elle]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I've never thought GDW was very rocking either. I've always thought it was just really atmospheric and unsettling.

maybe i'm using the wrong expression. to me, GDW is Stevie's most rock song ever. not pop, not folk, not adult contemporary... rock. period. a single song in my mind deserving of her rock queen title. i can look over everything else i don't like because there's GDW.

i understand what you guys are saying about moody, mystic, performance artsy, etc... but that is the part of SN i personally don't care about, even though i guess it's what attracts so many of you to her writing and public persona. i care about several songs that are either beautiful ballads with universal timeless meaning, or a few songs that are rock. those are GDW and SOTM, in my book. stretching them back to moody ruins it for me. i want them to stay rock, or jazzy is fine too.

you all have all other songs of hers that you love... but she has taken away one of just a few songs that i loved with doing what she's doing on this current tour.

[louielouie2000]

Originally Posted by michelej1

After the brief deviation from the more colossal songs, they returned to perform “Gold Dust Woman,” which now feels more like a Broadway number opposed to the gritty original with Nicks acting more like a street urchin than a noble Queen of Rock…

Gold Dust Woman (and every other live Mac rendition these days) being turned into a Broadway Number has zero to do with Stevie's delivery, and everything to do with the glut of backing musicians & singers onstage. I realize the addition of the backing musicians/vocalists makes it possible for the band to take it a bit easier onstage, but as a direct result it also neuters the potency, rawness, and emotion of the performances.

While I do agree that GDW has always been more of a spooky/atmospheric piece, it definitely is a rock song too. Stevie was almost channeling Robert Plant of Led Zepplin during the second half of this version:

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by elle

maybe i'm using the wrong expression. to me, GDW is Stevie's most rock song ever. not pop, not folk, not adult contemporary... rock. period. a single song in my mind deserving of her rock queen title. i can look over everything else i don't like because there's GDW.

i understand what you guys are saying about moody, mystic, performance artsy, etc... but that is the part of SN i personally don't care about, even though i guess it's what attracts so many of you to her writing and public persona. i care about several songs that are either beautiful ballads with universal timeless meaning, or a few songs that are rock. those are GDW and SOTM, in my book. stretching them back to moody ruins it for me. i want them to stay rock, or jazzy is fine too.

you all have all other songs of hers that you love... but she has taken away one of just a few songs that i loved with doing what she's doing on this current tour.

This is why I hate genre labeling - generally when I think rock, I think ZZ Top sort of stuff that I don't particularly care for, so my natural tendency wouldn't be to lump a majority of Stevie's stuff in with that...

So do you think Edge of Seventeen is just a pop song or what?

I just personally don't think that GDW is all THAT much different than it has been in the past. There's the extended ending, yes, but it's not as if she's stopped the wails, cut out all the guitars, and stripped it down to a piano ballad. It's still intense to me.

To each their own, and all. It blew me away when I saw it, but then again, I like the song with just an acoustic guitar too so maybe I'm just not very selective.

[elle]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

This is why I hate genre labeling -

agree re genre labeling and i cannot say that i'm very good at it either. just trying to express what i'm thinking the best way i can...

Originally Posted by WildHearted

my natural tendency wouldn't be to lump a majority of Stevie's stuff in with that...

agree, most of Stevie's stuff is not rock in my mind, whichever way i've seen rock defined.

Originally Posted by WildHearted

So do you think Edge of Seventeen is just a pop song or what?

i'd say it's a great [rocking] pop song, yes.

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I just personally don't think that GDW is all THAT much different than it has been in the past. There's the extended ending, yes, but it's not as if she's stopped the wails, cut out all the guitars, and stripped it down to a piano ballad. It's still intense to me.

i'm with you that the first part of the song is still as it was in the past (still i do miss 2009 jazzed up guitar version throughout; hoping against hope that will show up in Europe maybe?)... but the song is now >11 minutes long and by youtube vids timing the last part with no music whatsoever is about 1.5 minute. so this last part is what bothers me. by the time the song comes to a close, i have forgotten how great it was when it started over 10 minutes earlier.

Originally Posted by WildHearted

Tthen again, I like the song with just an acoustic guitar too so maybe I'm just not very selective.

i don't think i've heard that, can you link me up?

[mylittledemon]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I'm not even sure how a "rock out" would be possible. Michele

haha i think he meant "the former"...

[WildHearted]

Originally Posted by elle

i don't think i've heard that, can you link me up?

I'd forgotten - there's actually drums too (minimally).

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by elle

but she has taken away one of just a few songs that i loved with doing what she's doing on this current tour.

Oh, then I'd say her work here is done.

Michele

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I just personally don't think that GDW is all THAT much different than it has been in the past. There's the extended ending, yes, but it's not as if she's stopped the wails, cut out all the guitars, and stripped it down to a piano ballad. It's still intense to me.

I agree. I'm personally not a fan of Stevie's poses and shawls. That's why I've been known to spend vast portions of Rhiannon knitting. But to me GDW's mood and atmosphere is not based on any of her silhouette acrobats. It's based on emotion and that has not changed for me. That has not lessened. I don't think its power is that different from what it always has been, extended ending or not.

Michele

[elle]

Originally Posted by WildHearted

I'd forgotten - there's actually drums too (minimally).

thanks so much!

so yeah, this version i would never call rocking. it's way too perky for me. sounds folksy too (i don't mind perky or folksy but not for this song). always interesting to hear how a song develops. i think i eventually always have a version of a particular song as the representative of that song in my mind. like TTWLG the album version is not definitive version of that song for me, live version that i heard first will always be it.

[elle]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I agree. I'm personally not a fan of Stevie's poses and shawls. That's why I've been known to spend vast portions of Rhiannon knitting.

[michelej1]

^But I should say that I love the song Rhiannon. I have just thought that live versions became all form and no substance there for awhile: I can't do the exorcism anymore, so look at my batwing sleeves. I'm not complaining about the song so much this tour though, but there have been some dry years . . .

Michele