Sacramento July 6, 2013, Sleep Train Arena

[michelej1]

By MALCOLM X ABRAM AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article...-in-Sacramento

Published: Thursday, June 27, 2013

Fleetwood Mac formed around the rhythm section of bassist John McVie (though he didn’t perform on the band’s earliest singles and tour) and drummer Mick Fleetwood way back in 1967.

More than 45 years later, they’ve gone through several wholesale changes that produced three distinct eras: the early Peter Green British blues masters years; the mid-1970s Bob Welch rock years; and finally and most successfully, the Lindsey Buckingham-Stevie Nicks superstar years that brought chart-topping hits and arguably the best breakup rock album ever, 1977’s massive hit “Rumours.”

Since 1998, when longtime singer / songwriter / keyboardist Christine McVie retired, Fleetwood Mac has consisted of Buckingham, Nicks, John McVie, Fleetwood and a gaggle of hired musicians. The band hasn’t released a new album since 2003’s “Say You Will,” but the 2013 tour, loosely tied to the deluxe reissue of the “Rumours” album, is its first in four years.

The band has been in victory-lap mode since the last studio album, but lest fans think the four sexagenarians are simply shaking the money tree, there is new Fleetwood Mac music available, an EP imaginatively titled “Extended Play.” Released in late April, “Extended Play” features four songs, three written by Buckingham and one, the acoustic guitar-driven “Without You,” written by Nicks during her early days as a duo with Buckingham. In a bit of 21st century irony, Nicks rediscovered the song in demo form while searching videos on YouTube.

The EP’s lead single, “Sad Angel,” is a pleasantly up-tempo pop-rock song.

“I wrote this song last year for Stevie, who always had to fight for everything,” Buckingham told Rolling Stone in May.“‘Sad angel, have you come to fight the war?’ We’re all warriors with a sword of one sort or another, and she and I have known each other since high school,”he said.

Though Nicks is largely relegated to providing the girl part of the group’s patented boy / girl harmonies, the songs (“Sad Angel” and “Without You” are in the current set list) are solid and short enough to not have fans retreating to the bathrooms for their duration.

Naturally, most will be there to hear the songs with which they grew up, a sizable chunk of them from “Rumours.” At this point, the band has a few generations of fans, filling seats with grown folks who bought the band’s albums back in the proverbial day bringing their families, along with younger listeners who discovered Fleetwood Mac via parental or classic rock / pop radio osmosis. In 2011, the popular Fox musical television series “Glee” aired an entire episode centered on “Rumours,” featuring six songs from the album, which sent it back to the charts, peaking at number 11.

“We’re doing the best business we’ve done in 20 years, maybe it’s a generational thing,” Buckingham told Rolling Stone shortly after the April 4 start of the tour.

The “Rumours” 35th anniversary set comes in a three-CD “Expanded” edition and a “Super Deluxe” edition, giving fans plenty of extras over which they can obsess. Both include a dozen live tracks from 1977, 16 demos and outtakes, with the “Deluxe” also sporting another 18 outtakes and demos along with “The Rosebud Film,” a 1977 documentary, and the original album on vinyl.

For the tour, the band has put together a 23-song set list that covers the entire Buckingham-Nicks era, opening with a triple shot of songs from “Rumours” (“to get it out of the way,” Buckingham said), reaching back to 1975’s eponymous album that included the hits “Rhiannon” and the oft-covered (and occasionally butchered) “Landslide,” through “Sara” and the title track from 1979’s willfully experimental Tusk, and the ’80s MTV era with soft-rock hits such as “Gypsy.” Nicks gets a moment in the spotlight to sing “Stand Back,” and of course Mick Fleetwood retains his standard elaborately staged drum solo spot during “World Turning.”

Though Nicks and Buckingham’s romantic relationship ended decades ago, their dynamic has long been a driving creative force of the band. The two held hands at the big-tour-announcement news conference, discussed their relationship and how it still informs what they do as a group, including ending the set with Nicks and Buckingham singing a duet on “Say Goodbye.”

“For years, it was difficult to get complete closure with her, like picking a scab off a wound over and over. The song is about how all the illusions have fallen away, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t hope and belief in our future in a different context,” he told Rolling Stone.

That different context could be a new album, as Buckingham recently stated he’d be interested in recording with his bandmates.

Many legendary rock bands that hang around for a few decades become more business partners than band mates, such as the Ramones, the Rolling Stones, the Police and the Eagles, to name a few. That kind of detached organizational focus appeals to Buckingham.

“Sometimes I wish we were the Eagles,” he said in winter 2012 to Rolling Stone. “That’s one thing they’ve always been able to do is want the same thing for the same reasons. They probably don’t share the same sensibilities as people and they may not spend much time together, but somehow they’re able to put that aside and get on with the business of doing business, and there’s something to be said for that.”

The members of Fleetwood Mac might not be able to gather and simply get on with business, but being a part of one of the most obsessively chronicled and detailed relationships in rock history, which produced one of rock history’s most popular albums, many hit songs and a loyal audience that spans a few generations, ain’t too bad, either.

[Macfanforever]

Well as they say.Good things got to come to a end .The first leg will be done after this show tonight. I bet Stevie and everybody will be tearing up and crying through out the show tonight. I just want to say have a great time tonight at this last show of this wonderful tour.Be safe and enjoy and send our love to Stevie and the boys.

Tomorrow It only will be a memory.

[CADreaming]

Man I can't believe it. I have loved this tour and really hate I could only make one show. I really hope they film it - the band is so tight and the vocals are awesome. There is more interaction onstage and just a sweet vibe overall. It would be a shame not to record it. It's ten times better than LIB.

Can't wait to hear about the Sept-Dec dates and see what next year brings.

[Lindsfan]

Originally Posted by CADreaming

Man I can't believe it. I have loved this tour and really hate I could only make one show. I really hope they film it - the band is so tight and the vocals are awesome. There is more interaction onstage and just a sweet vibe overall. It would be a shame not to record it. It's ten times better than LIB.

Can't wait to hear about the Sept-Dec dates and see what next year brings.

Well said, CAD.
I made a few more shows than you, but feel the same way...

[SadAngel86]

I hope everyone had an awesome time tonight, cause by my time it's all over by now. I'm sad too about only making one show but I seriously could not afford it after spending $330 for two tix to the Rosemont show; and I would have gone to both Chicago shows if I could. I'm just grateful I got to see them when I did and I do hope that someone records this concert and puts it up as a torrent cause I'd love to have it!

[michelej1]

The end of the line. It was one of those bittersweet nights when joy becomes history. But there were no tears from the band.

The show was great. I love the way you first see it's going to be most a magic and manic night during The Chain when Lindsey runs back to his mic as soon as John's solo is over and jumps up after the close.

Stevie says the've been on the road for 3 months and this is their last show in America, so they plan to have a ____ she stops herself and says, "Don't swear, Stevie. That being said, this party starts NOW."

For the NTF intro, Lindsey observes as he has in the past that 'it smells like you guys are having a good time down there.' He talks about the axiom which describes the process of identifying a formula, exploiting it, using it up and then moving on to something else.

At the beginning of Sisters of the Moon, I can hear Lindsey counting of "1, 2, 3, 4" even though he's not in front of his mic. I am happy with the way the song has ended up. Musically, it rocked harder in 1982, but I think Stevie's energy is pretty high for it and I'm somewhat surprised that she's remained so up and intense for the entire tour, when you consider that this is a song that -- if we believe Mick -- she's resisted doing for some time. I love the bite she's put into it.

For Big Love, Lindsey does play with the audience. He says it was written in 1987, "before you were born." I don't know what the people said in response to him. But he said, "hmmm" and contemplates a further response before declaring, "I could of blew the whole vibe there." He talks to them some more, but I can't hear the conversation.

For Landslide, Lindsey and Stevie don't play around. She says she dedicates it to friends and family and she does have friends and family there tonight.

To Bob Fogel whom she's known since she was a freshman in college, "if you can believe that." And to the Schneider family, the family of her best friend Robin. And mostly she dedicates it to the fans.

For Without You Stevie says that the introduction started at 3 minutes and she thinks it's lasted for up to 9 minutes since then, it won't be 9 minutes tonight -- or maybe it will. She says that when she wrote it in the early seventies she and Lindsey were "going out" [Going out?? I've never been so insulted in my entire life]. She says they were in the middle of a musical love affair in San Francisco during that exciting era.

She wrote a poem and she thinks it's the most beautiful thing she's ever written about them, not just about Lindsey but about the two of them. They made a cassette of the poem and then it disappeared for a time. They lost it [before she was saying that she and Lindsey never noticed it was gone]. She says she doesn't know if one of their sleazy friends took it or if one of their nice friends took it because he didn't think they would miss or care about it, but whatever, it disappeared. She says that this is the part of the story where Lindsey walks away [he walked over to Mick] because he is wondering what she is talking about.


Then her friends the song again on Youtube and she had them make a cd of it so she could play it for Lindsey.

She played it and asked Lindsey if he remembered it. Lindsey said that's us [which I guess means he did NOT remember the song. He just can recognize his own voice from 40 years ago.]

She says Mick said remember that's what attracted him to them and somewhere at the beginning of the tour, Lindsey stepped in and said, "Now hang on. That's not what attracted Mick to us. Mick puts his drum sticks over his face and Stevie chides him, "Don't hide Mick. Don't hide." She says that Lindsey reminded her that their guitar player quit and what they needed was a lead guitarist." Then she said that Lindsey didn't say it, but she herself said, "and no where in the words Lead Guitarist does it say and his hippy girlfriend."

So, she says that this is the part where she hands the story over to Lindsey. [I guess she didn't want to say that she throws "it" over to Lindsey, because he made hey with that phrasing in Los Angeles]. Lindsey takes the mic and says, "Me? Me?" He goes through his phone conversation with Mick and says that he wouldn't join unless they took his girlfriend, ending his segment by saying, "NOW THAT'S LOVE, BABY."

Stevie laughs and says that now that Mr. Buckingham has stated such a sweet sentiment, she wants to thank all of the men in the band.

She thanks John saying that he was married to the other woman in the band [what what? I'm drawing a blank here] and never said, "I don't think this is a good idea." She said that John could have trashed the whole thing, but they'll talk about THAT side of the story on the next part of the tour when they go to Australia, she bets John can't wait!

I notice that Brett and Mick point to each other at the end of ISA.

During Stand Back, I think Stevie missed the line, "one man did not fall" but it was hardly noticeable. I guess I don't look at Neale a lot, but this is the first time I noticed that he is wearing a sequins jacket. Stevie smiles broadly at him as he plays his part and during the song Lindsey cranes his neck to take a peek at Brett over there in the corner and they both have a good laugh over an inside joke, no doubt.

During GYOW, once Lindsey jumps down from the drum kit, I smile because we've talked about George and Gracie being old, but the way Stevie follows Lindsey as he circles, she is hunched over and makes me think of Groucho Marx. All she is missing is the cigar. He used to do a kind of duck walk while pacing in that rhythmic fashion.

After GYOW a lady hopped onto the stage. She'd been trying to angle her way into position to do this all night and finally succeeded. Stevie calmly told her, "You can't do that. You can't do that" and gestured to her. Later, instead of removing her from the audience, you can see Stevie mouthing a conversation with her during other songs telling her if she gets crawls back onto stage she will have security come from the back and push her off. She makes a shoving motion with her hands. I wish they'd thrown the woman out and instead of making a pushing gesture at her, I wish Stevie had pantomimed all of the other things that security might do to her: hit her with a baseball bat. Handcuff and drag her off. Taser her. A little staccato chop across the throat to signify a beheading. My imagination runs wild with all the things Stevie could have done to discourage further antics.

I hadn't noticed this before, but I like the way the lights blink bright when Mick asks the audience a question. It encourages a response back from the audience. "Are you with me?" Yes, everyone screams back.

At the end of Don't Stop I love the way the video camera is roving over all four of them. Lindsey, Mick, Stevie, John, Lindsey, Mick, Stevie, John, the movement matching the frenzied climax of the song.

The thing about Say Goodbye is that Lindsey's intro in 2003 was about peace and reconciliation. It's not about that now. He's not saying that all the drama is gone from their life or that their relationship is better than it's ever been. All he says it's that their illusions have fallen away. You need to hold on to dreams at one point in your life and then you need to discard them to grow.

At any rate, Stevie isn't shaking her head tonight. She's looking back at Lindsey somberly.

Tonight, after the group bow, John and Lindsey hug as well.

In her dreamcatcher speech Stevie says that this is the last show in America and she can't tell us how thrilled she is. She can't wait to take a break. She says they've done 48 concerts and this is probably the hardest tour they've done. It's 2 hours and 30-40 minutes long, as she's sure we know and she points out, "and we aren't young."

But they've been throwing out songs to us and we throw them back for 35 years now and it has made her fall in love with us all over again.

For his part, Mick says that this is not their last concert by far and we should remember that "The Mac will be back."

Then, it's over and I leave -- with all of my illusions still intact, actually. Thank you Fleetwood Mac. Live 2013.

[thinkaboutme90]

I just got back from this show...and all I can say is that it was amazing! So so fun! Stevie was beautiful, magical, charming and charismatic, more amazing than I imagined she would be. I remember when I first saw her on tv during their 1997 concert and I just gazed at her because she was so ethereal and mesmerizing, like no one I'd seen in my short 6 years of life... and tonight I just fell in love with her again like I did 15 years ago. She was magic. Lindsey totally blew me away! He was his usual well-spoken, articulate self, and so passionate about the music; he totally brought down the house during "So Afraid". Lindsey was on fire! Probably would have considered flashing him if I was near the stage. John McVie was his usual calm, cool self, and TOTALLY rocked the bass. During "The Chain" I just about died when I heard the bass line, it killed me. And I adored Mick Fleetwood, always such a goofy hilarious kook, and such an amazing drummer! I missed Chris, but I felt her. Her spirit was alive in all of the music I heard, that she had helped build. The lyrics she wrote, the keyboard parts that she created... she was there.

All in all, despite the fact that this was the last stop of their American tour, all four of them were as alive as ever, so fun and enthusiastic, had amazing chemistry with one another, and were full of gratitude for us fans. Buckingham and Nicks's touchy-feelyness totally made me melt, too.

I just had to rant. This was my first Fleetwood Mac concert, but definitely not my last!

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by michelej1

After GYOW a lady hopped onto the stage. She'd been trying to angle her way into position to do this all night and finally succeeded. Stevie calmly told her, "You can't do that. You can't do that" and gestured to her. Later, instead of removing her from the audience, you can see Stevie mouthing a conversation with her during other songs telling her if she gets back stage she will have security from the back come and push her off. She makes a pushing motion. I wish they'd thrown the woman out and instead of making a pushing gesture at her, I wish Stevie had pantomimed all of the other things that security might do to her, hit her with a baseball bat. Handcuff and drag her off. Taser her. Kick her. My imagination runs wild with all the things Stevie could have done to discourage further antics.

As always my favorite part of your reviews lies in your sense of humor. I'm so glad you enjoyed the show and got to see them live several times. You could rate the shows from best to good in the order you deem fit.

[michelej1]

[michelej1]

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by vivfox

As always my favorite part of your reviews lies in your sense of humor. I'm so glad you enjoyed the show and got to see them live several times.

Thanks Viv. I had quite a wonderful time. The stage jumper ended up getting all of the attention that she craved, which is a shame.

Michele

[WelshWitchPMD]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Thanks Viv. I had quite a wonderful time. The stage jumper ended up getting all of the attention that she craved, which is a shame.

Michele

Wonder if she is related to the guitar thief from the Mansfield show? She got attention from LB and SN.

[AliceLover]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Thanks Viv. I had quite a wonderful time. The stage jumper ended up getting all of the attention that she craved, which is a shame.

Michele

Michele- Love the pics of John and Lindsey hugging. They did a similar thing in Mansfield but it was more playful than anything. This looks a lot more sincere.

I can't believe Stevie made it through the 48 shows as well as she did. Her voice and energy remained strong with out; as well as all boots every night since April. I'm very impressed. Especially in comparison to the awfulness that was the 'Unleashed' tour.

[SadAngel86]

Originally Posted by michelej1

At the end of Don't Stop I love the way the video camera is roving over all four of them. Lindsey, Mick, Stevie, John, Lindsey, Mick, Stevie, John, the movement matching the frenzied climax of the song.

The thing about Say Goodbye is that Lindsey's intro in 2003 was about peace and reconciliation. It's not about that now. He's not saying that all the drama is gone from their life or that their relationship is better than it's ever been. All he says it's that their illusions have fallen away. You need to hold on to dreams at one point in your life and then you need to discard them to grow.

At any rate, Stevie isn't shaking her head tonight. She's looking back at Lindsey somberly.

Tonight, after the group bow, John and Lindsey hug as well.

In her dreamcatcher speech Stevie says that this is the last show in America and she can't tell us how thrilled she is. She can't wait to take a break. She says they've done 48 concerts and this is probably the hardest tour they've done. It's 2 hours and 30-40 minutes long, as she's sure we know and she points out, "and we aren't young."

But they've been throwing out songs to us and we throw them back for 35 years now and it has made her fall in love with us all over again.

For his part, Mick says that this is not their last concert by far and we should remember that "The Mac will be back."

Then, it's over and I leave -- with all of my illusions still intact, actually. Thank you Fleetwood Mac. Live 2013.

That's interesting Michelle. I've never noticed the camera roving over them during Don't Stop. It always seems to be well hidden.

And I just love how you express the bittersweet feelings of this show, and I can just imagine all of them on stage saying their goodbyes on a tour well done. Great job!

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by SadAngel86

That's interesting Michelle. I've never noticed the camera roving over them during Don't Stop. It always seems to be well hidden.

Oh, it was hidden, I was just talking about the shots on the screen. I didn't see the camera itself, but I saw the images rotating between the four of them (actually Stevie and Mick were in the same shot at the drum kit) speedily. It almost seemed like what you would see if you were on a merry-go-round and you saw the people on the pavement around you spinning by.

Michele