Can anyone explain this to me please?

[Wdm6789]

Does anyone know why the band, at least in the past few tours, always wears the same outfit at every show? Is it just a convenience thing?

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by Wdm6789

Does anyone know why the band, at least in the past few tours, always wears the same outfit at every show? Is it just a convenience thing?

I can think of a few bands that do this. Some train of thought is to have an outfit so as to concentrate on the music and not, "what am I going to wear tonight." I loved Christine's Dance Tour outfits, especially as her hair got longer. I loved Stevie's Tusk and Mirage outfits. Mick has always had a great outfit. John is just a regular dude. Lindsey has been hit and miss. I did love the Mirage hat he wore. Didn't like the Rumours and FM outfits he wore. Didn't like Christine's red outfit for Mirage so much.

One thing it does.. You know what era you are watching. lol

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I can think of a few bands that do this. Some train of thought is to have an outfit so as to concentrate on the music and not, "what am I going to wear tonight." I loved Christine's Dance Tour outfits, especially as her hair got longer. I loved Stevie's Tusk and Mirage outfits. Mick has always had a great outfit. John is just a regular dude. Lindsey has been hit and miss. I did love the Mirage hat he wore. Didn't like the Rumours and FM outfits he wore. Didn't like Christine's red outfit for Mirage so much.

One thing it does.. You know what era you are watching. lol

Didn't Lindsey uncharacteristically wear a formal suit jacket on the Tusk tour? That was kind of cool; something unexpected. Now it's just t-shirt and jeans. Their attire had more character/fashion circa 1975-1980. They made more of an effort back then. Stevie, in particular, would wear more colorful and varied outfits. Now it's always just one black, dour uniform worn over and over.

Look at the photo their using to promote their upcoming On With The Show tour! All of them are wearing black, with serious, unsmiling faces (except for Christine). They look like the ****ing Addams Family. or if they dressed for a funeral. On their last tour I was happy to see that they employed some technology so the stage backdrop would change in different colors, images and patterns to create different atmospheres for each song, which helped offset the lack of color inf their dress. I think their train of thought now is no thought at all. They got old. They got lazy.

It's more a rock and roll tradition to wear outfits that add to the showmanship, not usual pedestrian work /every day attire, as if they just walked off the street. David Bowie. Elton John. Kiss, and numerous other bands understand those principals. Of course those artists cited are extreme examples; Fleetwood Mac has never been that flamboyant; they are a different in that regard. Yet stage cloths don't distract from the music, the visual aesthetic enhances it. Fleetwood Mac aren't folk sings who should dress to look just like their audience.

They are rock and roll stars, and when they are on stage they could make a little effort to look like rock stars. This is is, ultimately after all, show business! As seasoned professional musicians, concentration, pacing, and professionalism is a given, not a concern that subjugates performance values.(Oh no, what should I wear?).

[AnthonyMI]

Originally Posted by PenguinHead

All of them are wearing black, with serious, unsmiling faces (except for Christine). They look like the ****ing Addams Family. or if they dressed for a funeral. [/I][/I]

I blame Botox, airbrushing, and gravity!

[Wdm6789]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

I can think of a few bands that do this. Some train of thought is to have an outfit so as to concentrate on the music and not, "what am I going to wear tonight." I loved Christine's Dance Tour outfits, especially as her hair got longer. I loved Stevie's Tusk and Mirage outfits. Mick has always had a great outfit. John is just a regular dude. Lindsey has been hit and miss. I did love the Mirage hat he wore. Didn't like the Rumours and FM outfits he wore. Didn't like Christine's red outfit for Mirage so much.

One thing it does.. You know what era you are watching. lol

I think Christine looked the best Tusk-Mirage and then Tango in the Night.

[FuzzyPlum]

I think they've gotten into a comfort zone whereby every show needs to be the same... same music, same banter between songs, same outfits. I guess they just have it in their heads that they are touring a 'show' (this is our touring show and this is what you can expect wherever you come to see us). I think it just makes life easier for them.

As far as their outfits are concerned- is it really a big deal? Mick has always taken some pride in his clothes but you always know pretty much the type of outfit he will be wearing. John has always dressed as if he's just walked in off the street- at least he doesn't still wear his cut-off jeans. Lindsey just wants to dress however he feels most comfortable I suppose- don't forget he's on the stage pretty much throughout the entire show. I quite like the jeans and white shirt look (I never got the leather jacket thing- you're gonna get far too hot playing in a leather jacket). It was Carol Ann Harris who suggested Lindsey wear a suit and black T shirt on stage for the Tusk tour. It was perfect for that time (indeed he was almost a step ahead of the new romantics of the early 1980's). Christine always looked pretty live. Stevie has always had multiple outfit changes, but don't forget though, she's 66- she cant wear some of the outfits she did 40-odd years ago and I think black is probably quite forgiving for more 'mature' people.

The likes of David Bowie and Elton John need to be more flamboyant in their outfits as they are solo artists who need to work harder to vary up their show a little. There's less of a need for that when you have a band with different personalities- especially one that has three singers. Yes Kiss were flamboyant in their dress- but that was part of the act. They were just as much about the image as they were about the music- a bit pantomime (I hope non-UK people know what I mean when I say pantomime!). I wouldn't want Fleetwood Mac to be a gimmicky pantomime band. They are musicians and the main thing is the music. When you are flying around the World from city to city do you really need to be worrying about what you are going to wear each night?

Personally I'm there for the music and couldn't give a stuff about what they are wearing (so long as Stevie isn't wearing granny boots!)

[The Catdancer]

As John once said:"It's not a bloody fashion show" LOL.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by The Catdancer

As John once said:"It's not a bloody fashion show" LOL.

Hahaha!!

[Josh2003]

I think part of it is what they are comfortable with, but I think a big part of it is their perception of what the fans "expect" or "want" in terms of image.

They think we expect to see Mick in knickers and vest, John in a black vest and jeans (how long has this been his "thing"? The Dance?), and Stevie looking like a witch.

[aleuzzi]

They've been pretty much wearing the same clothes for each performance since 1982 (with Tusk there was a slight rotation). But they all still look like they're dressing for a different event! That's been a band joke since 1976.

Not a huge fan of Christine's mirage outfit either, but she looked incredible on The Dance.

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by The Catdancer

As John once said:"It's not a bloody fashion show" LOL.

That is true--for 4/5 of the band. Stevie's many costume changes mid-show are legendary.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

I think they've gotten into a comfort zone whereby every show needs to be the same... same music, same banter between songs, same outfits. I guess they just have it in their heads that they are touring a 'show' (this is our touring show and this is what you can expect wherever you come to see us). I think it just makes life easier for them.

As far as their outfits are concerned- is it really a big deal? Mick has always taken some pride in his clothes but you always know pretty much the type of outfit he will be wearing. John has always dressed as if he's just walked in off the street- at least he doesn't still wear his cut-off jeans. Lindsey just wants to dress however he feels most comfortable I suppose- don't forget he's on the stage pretty much throughout the entire show. I quite like the jeans and white shirt look (I never got the leather jacket thing- you're gonna get far too hot playing in a leather jacket). It was Carol Ann Harris who suggested Lindsey wear a suit and black T shirt on stage for the Tusk tour. It was perfect for that time (indeed he was almost a step ahead of the new romantics of the early 1980's). Christine always looked pretty live. Stevie has always had multiple outfit changes, but don't forget though, she's 66- she cant wear some of the outfits she did 40-odd years ago and I think black is probably quite forgiving for more 'mature' people.

The likes of David Bowie and Elton John need to be more flamboyant in their outfits as they are solo artists who need to work harder to vary up their show a little. There's less of a need for that when you have a band with different personalities- especially one that has three singers. Yes Kiss were flamboyant in their dress- but that was part of the act. They were just as much about the image as they were about the music- a bit pantomime (I hope non-UK people know what I mean when I say pantomime!). I wouldn't want Fleetwood Mac to be a gimmicky pantomime band. They are musicians and the main thing is the music. When you are flying around the World from city to city do you really need to be worrying about what you are going to wear each night?

Personally I'm there for the music and couldn't give a stuff about what they are wearing (so long as Stevie isn't wearing granny boots!)

Fuzzy Plum. You make perfect sense. I do agree with everything you said. I admitt I was little overwrought with my little rant. I suppose I just want them to be a tad more visually vibrant in their attire, you know - "Get Like You Used to Be." But as you stated, it's more about the music. I guess I'm longing for an aesthetic of an era that doesn't exist anymore.

[LB Freakazoid]

Oh geez, gotta defend Stevie here - but in the end.. Not.

Years ago, she would say in interviews as to why she would change - shawls, etc. between songs - and i'm paraphrasing - she wanted to give a visual to the song... No one just wanted to see someone standing up there singing a song...
This was waaaay before Madonna, Janet Jackson, etc... Though, they took that to a whole new level, hence, now most concerts-shows are indeed, traveling theatrical shows.... So, good for her...
For the rock'n'roll show... Well, depends who ya see... Right now, Queen with Adam Lambert are doing the rounds.... Great concert and show - same costume changes, same banter - however, fantastic show.
I think that unless you're seeing a jam band and/or total r'n'r i.e. dave mattews band, Leogun, etc., you're going to get huge name bands with the KINDA the same thing show.
Those huge shows have so many components with lighting cues, etc... That it has to be formatted. I've worked them... Every 'moment' is cued.
I've done 40 city tours with corporate executives - same speech in every town... They got excited with a one sentence ad lib, "it mixed it up a bit".
So if they think THAT was huge, can you imagine someone who has sung a song a gazillion times feels when there is just a little banter?

This is what they love --- however, it is a job. Remember that.

[FuzzyPlum]

In terms of the overall visual I remember being a bit disappointed when I saw the Say You Will show. I think its because I was gauging it next to the Rolling Stones' Voodoo Lounge tour a few years back in the nineties. Wow, that was a spectacular show- one that perhaps hasn't been matched yet- even by the Stones themselves (the only one I can think of on this side of the pond may have been Take That's Circus tour). In retrospect there was no way FM were ever going to put on that sort of staging but it got me to realise just how much more of a massive band the Stones are.

That said, I was really impressed by the backdrop movies on the last tour. The Tusk visuals in particular were great and really added to the show.

[Danigirl]

One of the things I love about the band and Stevie in particular, was their seemingly "carelessness" in their concert attire back in the day. Stevie's outfits fascinate me, I watch youtube vids of their old performances and I am amazed at how she throws things on and looks absolutely fabulous. John was also super relaxed and just chill. Collectively, they looked awesome, if they had been solo it probably wouldn't have worked. I wish they would gravitate to showcasing more of the essence of their individuality a bit more this tour.