Four highlights from Fleetwood Mac's new tour

SteveMacD · #1 12-21-2018, 11:57 PM

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Originally Posted by David

In Fleetwood Mac, they're covers, not covers with quotation marks (just as Jumping at Shadows was a cover).

Sorry, but Neil Finn singing a song he wrote isn’t a cover (or even unexpected with DDIO). And, Mike had a hand in developing “Free Fallin’” with Tom and played the iconic 12-string guitar. It would be weirder if they didn’t do at least one Tom Petty song with Mike and Stevie in the band together.

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But more important, my issue is not with covers (I often love covers) but with a core of hits and concert songs that remains static tour after tour. This current configuration of the band had every judicial opportunity—and every reason—to invent a new core and throw the stale past to the wind.

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The new stuff—Black Magic Woman, I Got You, Tell Me All the Things You Do, Don't Dream It's Over, Free Fallin', All Over Again—was mildly refreshing. But it was obviously presented as addenda to the old set, not a substitute. The 2018 set was created because it was familiar to audiences, not because it was new to them.

I don’t disagree, but going THAT rogue isn’t in their DNA, and never really was. Even during the Time band shows, they did a lot of the same core songs (The Chain, Oh Well, GDW, SYLM, YMLF, World Turning, GYOW, and Don’t Stop).

That said, not having Lindsey in the band obviously lowered the number of core songs in the set. Not nearly enough. I would be just as happy that MM and SHN get dropped (GYOW isn’t going anywhere). But the new stuff was worth it to me, especially TMATTYD, BMW, Hypnotized, AAA, and DDIO. I absolutely loved hearing Christine do some soloing and playing off Mike. Stevie was probably the most invested/engaged in the performances I saw than I’ve ever seen from her before.

And, I still got to hear Lindsey’s core songs at his show.

Nobody died and the songs still got played.

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Bands don't just exist onstage, too. What's with the latest CD anthology? Actually, Lindsey's anthology is also stale (but less so because his material is less familiar). I don't see the point in these things. They're repackagings and they serve a marketing purpose, not an aesthetic purpose. How many years does one need to rehash one's own contributions to pop culture before one is satisfied?

As long as the label thinks people will buy it, I guess. I prefer Lindsey’s because he’s never had one and there was something new. I’m very disappointed Fleetwood Mac didn’t record at least one new song for that set.

I agree that there could/should have been more reinvention, especially with the caliber of talent they brought in. However, I’m not sure it would have been that good right out of the gate. For example, Neil and Mike seemed to have developed a chemistry on the tour that wasn’t there initially. I’m still curious to see where it goes.