Lincoln cut short. Mick very sick

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by elle

how did the thread about Mick being sick and about interesting Steve Rinkov story turn into a thread about Nicks? some people just can't resist but insert her into every scenario... guess Mick was not interesting and important enough for them. kinda sad. or too funny.

So much venom from Stevie fans when we are worried about Mick..
Weird...

[jenniferuk]

Saw this on Twitter--a mention of Steve's coverage for Mick with a 2004 interview with Steve in which he describes his role and how it changed from tech to playing supporting drums (LB idea). I thought it worth a share-it's too bad the author couldn't add in a quick quote or update from Steve post his recent performance.

-------------------------------------------------------------

A little more about Steve the substitute Fleetwood Mac drummer

http://journalstar.com/blogs/ground-...9b3887b6a.html

17 hours ago • By Cory Matteson | Lincoln Journal Star
1

On Tuesday, Fleetwood Mac is scheduled to perform the band’s planned tour date in Grand Rapids or wherever. The next stop matters little to Lincoln concertgoers, who saw the show here cut somewhat short on Saturday night. But that wasn’t before the band brought out “Steve” to fill in for an unfortunately ill Mick Fleetwood on “Go Your Own Way.”

Steve performed admirably in Fleetwood’s absence, drawing a “Yay, Steve” from Stevie Nicks at the end of his “big audition,” as she called it. He also got some stray “Steve” chants at the end of the show from fans who perhaps hoped he could lead the band through the rest of the scheduled set. (You can hear concertgoers asking if he could keep playing during a fan recording of “Go Your Own Way” that has over 7,000 views on YouTube already.)

So who’s Steve? Steve is Steve Rinkov, and he’s been a drum tech with Fleetwood Mac for over a decade. He's also worked with Lenny Kravitz and Pearl Jam, to name a few. In 2004, Rinkov did an interview with Cheryl Ferguson on a public radio program about careers, “The Recruiter’s Studio” where he talked about inadvertently landing a drum tech job, and then a performing role with Fleetwood Mac. During Rinkov’s conversation with Ferguson, he also gave some insight into why he might not have been able to cruise through the band’s catalog on command this Saturday.

“You’re not there to play the instruments,” he told her, referring to band rehearsals. “Nobody wants to hear it.”

So the technicians aren’t forming Fleetwood cover bands when Mick, Christine, Lindsey, Stevie and John take tea breaks. But that doesn't mean Steve can't play some Mac. He backed Fleetwood on some songs during the show at the Pinnacle Bank Arena, as he has for years. And Rinkov told Ferguson that he was not nervous, but excited, those first times he joined the band on stage. Here's what Rinkov had to tell her about going from a drum tech to playing with the band years before he sat in for Mick at the head kit during the Lincoln show. (Here's the entire interview.)

“I was minding my business, I swear," Rinkov said. "I was just minding my business. Because you learn early on, you learn early-early on -- and if you don’t already know, someone will not be shy about telling you -- you’re not there to play. You’re not there to play the instruments. Nobody wants to hear it. Nobody wants to hear it.

"Our rehearsal days, the band would show up at, you know, noon to two o’clock in the afternoon and in some cases I’d be working with Mick, and the sound crew would have to be there until one o’clock in the morning. And the last thing anyone wants to hear is someone else banging away on a drum set or wailing away on a guitar when they’re just really not supposed to.

"In rehearsals one day, I swear I was minding my own business and we had done one small show for a group of Best Buy retail executives. And it was just 10 days into rehearsal that we’d done that show. And I think that’s when Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood heard me play drums. Because they walked in when we were soundchecking.

"About a week-and-a-half, two weeks later, they were rehearsing a song from the new album, from the 'Say You Will' album. And on that song, there are two drum parts that were recorded separately. And out of the corner of my ear, I swear I heard, what I had to question -- did I really hear it or not? -- I heard Lindsey say, ‘Well maybe Steve can just play that part.’

"And I’m typing away on my computer and I’m looking up and I’m thinking: ‘No. Back to work.’ And Mick looks over his shoulder and goes, 'Have we got any drums here?' We had every drum that Mick Fleetwood owned there. So I said, 'Yes we do, as a matter of fact.' And (I) probably was just finishing another word by the time I had the drums all set up and ready to go.

"And so that was it. That was one song. Within literally a couple of days, one song became two songs and two songs became three."

Ferguson then asked Rinkov if he was nervous about getting to play with the band as a backing drummer.

"No, no," he said. "Nervous wasn’t part of it. Excited. It’s a weird thing. Being nervous about playing drums is just something that has never happened to me. It’s never happened to me. The first show of the tour, which was Columbus, Ohio, which is where my father’s from. So my aunt is there. I have cousins there, And I’m at an arena that holds I think like 17,000 people and there isn’t an empty seat in the house. And I was excited. I wasn’t nervous at all. I couldn’t wait to do it and keep doing it. It was a blast."

Steve, if you see this, it'd be great to know how the brief starring role went for you in Lincoln.

[Mr Scarrott]

Originally Posted by nicepace

Is Steve's brief appearance on drums the first time ever that someone other than Mick Fleetwood played drums with Fleetwood Mac? (I mean, other than the backing drummers and percussionists they've been using for years.)

If so, this was truly a historic occasion, since Mick is the only band member who has been in the band from the very beginning and has played every gig.

I don't think it's ever happened before in concert. Didn't it happen to John once when Rocky Burnette filled in for him due to illness? Was that on the Tusk tour?

Thinking off the top of my head, there have been occasions when Mick didn't play drums on FM records. I seem to recall that Lindsey said Mick (and John) "weren't really on" Without you. Then there's probably the odd track on Tusk and maybe even TITN on which Lindsey did everything. Going further back S P Leary played drums on some tracks on the Blues Jam at Chess Album including World's in a tangle. Technically, although FM got top billing, I think that album was credited to Various Artists (it is on the verson I've got, anyway) so maybe that doesn't count.

[nicepace]

A factor to keep in mind in this whole discussion is that drumming is hard work. It is really good exercise, and very demanding physically. This would explain why Mick has sometimes received oxygen during a show; it's like a football player getting oxygen on the sidelines after an exhausting series of plays.

Playing an electric guitar or a heavy bass guitar is demanding too, but not as much as drumming.

The only musician in the band who gets off relatively easy in terms of the physical stress of playing her instrument is Christine. She doesn't have to lift her instrument. (Well, except the accordion, but that's just one song.) She has always had a delicate touch on the keyboard, too, so hopefully her hands aren't getting sore from all this performing. Good thing she's not a "basher"!

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by nicepace

A factor to keep in mind in this whole discussion is that drumming is hard work. It is really good exercise, and very demanding physically. This would explain why Mick has sometimes received oxygen during a show; it's like a football player getting oxygen on the sidelines after an exhausting series of plays.

Playing an electric guitar or a heavy bass guitar is demanding too, but not as much as drumming.

The only musician in the band who gets off relatively easy in terms of the physical stress of playing her instrument is Christine. She doesn't have to lift her instrument. (Well, except the accordion, but that's just one song.) She has always had a delicate touch on the keyboard, too, so hopefully her hands aren't getting sore from all this performing. Good thing she's not a "basher"!

true, although some songs can be really demanding. she commented during the Tusk tour that playing What Makes You Think You're The One (Lindsey's song) has a very bash-y style (I'm not sure, Lindsey may in fact have played the piano himself on the recording, he did much of that on that album) and she said she needed a break after that song because it killed her wrists.

I would think Sara when she played it on the upright (acoustic) piano would have been a tiring one also. (and now it's all on electronic keyboards).

But you're right, her own style on her own songs is definitely not a hard hammering style. Still, she's 70. I'm not sure what shape she'd be in after a show these days if they didn't have a supporting keyboard player along.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by johnnystorms

try booking a tour without Stevie. See how well Lindsey's "toys" could fill her vocals/charisma/stage presence

Originally Posted by AncientQueen

THIS exactly!

Susanna Hoffs or Cyndi Lauper could easily fill in for Stevie, and would probably put on a better show. Stevie is NOT bigger than Fleetwood Mac (if she was, she'd be bigger than Rod Stewart),a fact some of her fans refuse to acknowledge. The ONLY time the band ever tried since 1975 was when Lindsey and Christine weren't either in the band or touring with them. They could probably get away being a quartet without her.

[James89]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Susanna Hoffs or Cyndi Lauper could easily fill in for Stevie, and would probably put on a better show. Stevie is NOT bigger than Fleetwood Mac (if she was, she'd be bigger than Rod Stewart),a fact some of her fans refuse to acknowledge. The ONLY time the band ever tried since 1975 was when Lindsey and Christine weren't either in the band or touring with them. They could probably get away being a quartet without her.

This is just plain rubbish. Do you seriously think that they would still be packing out arenas without Stevie?! That's hilarious.

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Still, she's 70. I'm not sure what shape she'd be in after a show these days if they didn't have a supporting keyboard player along.

I think it's worth pointing out also that she's standing for the entire show.
And pretty much rocking out too, right? . . . .

[Ghost_Tracker]

I'm wondering if there have been any reports from the Grand Rapids show the other night, and how Mick might be doing.

How was his energy during the show? (etc.)

[SteveMacD]

Stevie can't pack in areas without Fleetwood Mac. Without the band, she's opening for Rod or playing for Tom or Don. Fleetwood Mac is bigger than Stevie. With Christine and Lindsey, Fleetwood Mac is pretty unstoppable on their own. Add somebody like Hoffs or Lauper, who have sold millions on their own, and it almost becomes "Stevie who?"

[BlueDenimLamp]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Susanna Hoffs or Cyndi Lauper could easily fill in for Stevie, and would probably put on a better show. Stevie is NOT bigger than Fleetwood Mac (if she was, she'd be bigger than Rod Stewart),a fact some of her fans refuse to acknowledge. The ONLY time the band ever tried since 1975 was when Lindsey and Christine weren't either in the band or touring with them. They could probably get away being a quartet without her.

On this site she is

While the band could continue musically the tours would financially be a serious downgrade from what they are used to.

Hoffs? What are they going to play Bangles tunes? I hope someone gets LB's reaction on video when he's told he has to play "Bangles" songs at a FM show

[annabellee]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Stevie can't pack in areas without Fleetwood Mac. Without the band, she's opening for Rod or playing for Tom or Don. Fleetwood Mac is bigger than Stevie. With Christine and Lindsey, Fleetwood Mac is pretty unstoppable on their own. Add somebody like Hoffs or Lauper, who have sold millions on their own, and it almost becomes "Stevie who?"

Not one of the parts is greater than the whole of Fleetwood Mac. Some of the parts are greater than the other parts depending on who is your favorite and apparently people on this board are willing to get down and dirty about it. However, substituting Cyndi Lauper or Susanna Hoffs for Stevie or Sheryl Crow for Christine, no longer equals Fleetwood Mac. It equals fan fiction and it just won't happen. So why fight about it?

[Ghost_Tracker]

Originally Posted by SteveMacD

Stevie can't pack in areas without Fleetwood Mac. Without the band, she's opening for Rod or playing for Tom or Don. Fleetwood Mac is bigger than Stevie. With Christine and Lindsey, Fleetwood Mac is pretty unstoppable on their own. Add somebody like Hoffs or Lauper, who have sold millions on their own, and it almost becomes "Stevie who?"

Uhmmm, Cyndi Lauper may have leagues of talent, but she is *NOT* considered a big star any more. As for "Hoffs," I literally have no idea who you're talking about.

So uhmmm . . . yeah.

[elle]

Originally Posted by Ghost_Tracker

As for "Hoffs," I literally have no idea who you're talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bangles

http://www.thebangles.com/
"As the first all-female band to top Billboard’s #1 for four weeks in a row, platinum-selling icons the Bangles dominated the ‘80s with memorable hits including Walk Like an Egyptian, Eternal Flame, Manic Monday, and Hazy Shade of Winter."

[annabellee]

Originally Posted by elle

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bangles

http://www.thebangles.com/
"As the first all-female band to top Billboard’s #1 for four weeks in a row, platinum-selling icons the Bangles dominated the ‘80s with memorable hits including Walk Like an Egyptian, Eternal Flame, Manic Monday, and Hazy Shade of Winter."

Manic Monday was written by Prince. Hazy Shade of Winter was written by Simon & Garfunkel. Walk Like An Egyptian was written by Liam Sternberg. Eternal Flame has a cowrite by Hoffs. At best, they were a VERY talented all-girl cover band, but to compare them to anything related to Fleetwood Mac, Stevie, Christine, Lindsey, Mick, John or any past players of the band is incongruous. The Bangles have a Cyndi Lauper connection through the Goonies and some back up vocals. Again, comparing Cyndi to anything Mac related is apples to oranges.