11/14/18 Vancouver, BC

[Ulpian]

I tried listening to Little Lies and had to switch it off.

Poor Christine was completely flat.

I hate to say this, as I love her, but her voice is done and she needs to pack this in.

[Hawkeye]

Stevie’s voice was also very noticeably not 100 percent better. Very noticeable difference in the quality of the vocals of this show compared to previous ones.

[gldstwmn]

After canceling their Alberta shows due to a voice-related illness concerning Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac landed at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena Wednesday night (Nov. 14) with a hit-packed setlist.

Right off the bat, the band opened with one of their greatest songs, “The Chain.” A song that would sum up the drama of the group’s early days, and set the tone for many, many more years of conflict, heartbreak and forgiveness.

Nicks was, in a word, enchanting. But even though she was no-doubt the most popular of the group, each member of the band got to shine in the spotlight.

The biggest news of this tour was that usual singer-songwriter and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham wouldn’t be joining the rest of the band. This is just another chapter in the long-running, career-defining drama-fest that is Fleetwood Mac. But honestly, Buckingham wasn’t missed. Instead of replacing him with session musicians and having the remaining key members of the band get all the attention, the group opted for Crowded House frontman Neil Fynn and, of course, iconic guitarist and former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers member Mike Campbell.

What a pleasure to once again see Campbell on stage. After the passing of Tom Petty last year, it was uncertain when the Heartbreakers guitar legend would shred it in front of a stadium-sized live audience again. The additions of Fynn and Campbell set the tone for ‘An Evening with Fleetwood Mac’—projecting themes of friendship, nostalgia and mastery.

Mick Fleetwood was as energetic, crazy and loud as ever, toying with the audience and bouncing around in his red shoes. Nicks had obviously recovered from her voice issues, because that voice was in fine, pristine form all throughout fan favourites “Rhiannon,” “Landslide,” “Gypsy,” and many, many more. Her biggest performance of the evening would come with “Gold Dust Woman”—for which she donned a glittering gold shawl and contorted, danced and flailed around the stage in true witchy form.

Refreshingly, Fleetwood Mac went back to the original days of the band—before Buckingham and Nicks joined—to offer up some 1960s blues courtesy of original frontman Peter Green. The audience ate it all up happily.

After a 15-year hiatus from Fleetwood Mac, Christine McVie was back on vocals and the keyboards. While it was beautiful to see her, and to hear McVie classic like “You Make Loving Fun” and “Everywhere” sung by the original voice, that voice has not quite held up. Not that that isn’t to be expected after so long away from the grind of band life.

Meanwhile, Fynn’s voice more than suited classic Buckingham-centered pieces like “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop.” If audience members were uncertain of who the he was, they sure as hell figured it out when he dove into an acoustic version of his mega 80s hit “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” Nicks eventually joined him, and it was one of the most special moments of the evening.

The first song of the encore was, fittingly, Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’.” Nicks sang the iconic song as a photo montage of Petty rolled on the big screen. Many of those photos included Campbell and Nicks at various stages of their lives. Nicks’ powerful friendship with Petty—both collaborative and personal—has been one of the most defining relationships of her career. It was extra special to see Campbell—Petty’s right-hand stage mate for so many years—playing along old friend Nicks. In a way, this homage to a classic rock n’ roll figure was one of the more impactful ones seen at Rogers Arena in recent years. There were more than a few tears, and Nicks certainly shed some.

It is lovely to see that Fleetwood Mac is by no means passé. Nicks has certainly entered a point in her career where she is revered by all ages and is very much still in fashion. In fact, just last year she performed a duet with Lana Del Rey for “Beautiful People Beautiful Problems” (on Rey’s Lust for Life album), blowing the minds of millions of ‘good witch’ super-fans all over the world

Wednesday night proved that some bands and some songs just simply last.

[editme2]

Originally Posted by Ulpian

I tried listening to Little Lies and had to switch it off.

Poor Christine was completely flat.

I hate to say this, as I love her, but her voice is done and she needs to pack this in.

I hate to say it, too, but she is really struggling. Have you listened to "Say You Love Me"? It's almost unlistenable. Her voice cracks, she's off key. I don't know how she's going to make it through the rest of the tour.

[twinmatrix]

Maybe she should stop playing the piano so much so she can focus more on her vocal delivery..? She sounds distracted.

[twinmatrix]

Oh, they didn't do All Over Again? The set list is becoming shorter and more generic over time. Can we get a few different songs from last tour? Skies The Limit, No Questions Asked, That's Alright, etc

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by twinmatrix

Oh, they didn't do All Over Again? The set list is becoming shorter and more generic over time. Can we get a few different songs from last tour? Skies The Limit, No Questions Asked, That's Alright, etc

They really should be playing those. Oh dear, I didn't even realize they didn't do All Over Again. What the hell is going on?

[Buster]

Good god, I just tried to watch Little Lies. Christine sounds AWFUL. I haven’t watched videos of the tour but this thread made me see what everyone is talking about. Just terrible. Maybe in the arena it doesn’t sound so bad?

I give them props for getting good reviews though.

[jmn3]

Originally Posted by Buster

Good god, I just tried to watch Little Lies. Christine sounds AWFUL. I haven’t watched videos of the tour but this thread made me see what everyone is talking about.

I would advise staying away from You Make Loving Fun or the second verse of Don’t Stop.

[SteveMacD]

Originally Posted by Buster

Good god, I just tried to watch Little Lies. Christine sounds AWFUL. I haven’t watched videos of the tour but this thread made me see what everyone is talking about. Just terrible. Maybe in the arena it doesn’t sound so bad?

I give them props for getting good reviews though.

TBH, “Little Lies” has been rough since Christine came back. But, expecting a 75 year old to sound like she did at 45 is pretty unrealistic. That said, I’d rather have “Think About Me” in the set.

[jmn3]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

They really should be playing those. Oh dear, I didn't even realize they didn't do All Over Again. What the hell is going on?

With four different vocalists taking turns at the mic, that their set is now down to 21 songs is just ridiculous.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by jmn3

With four different vocalists taking turns at the mic, that their set is now down to 21 songs is just ridiculous.

I agree. At least add back Hypnotized and I Got You or any of the other gazillion songs they rehearsed for this tour. C'mon Fleetwood Mac. Give it a whirl. There are 11 people on stage. If one's not feeling well or up to it let someone else pick up the slack. It doesn't have to be the exact same set every night. Take that plunge. You can do it!

[HoursAndHours]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

They really should be playing those. Oh dear, I didn't even realize they didn't do All Over Again. What the hell is going on?

I actually think something is up with Chris, like maybe she's sick too. If she knows how off she sounds (and someone in their tour camp must be listening), she may not want to close the show with such a vocally intimate and exposing song.

Little lies was really, abnormally bad, but not normal for the tour, as nearly as I can tell.

[Keith]

So I'm listening to the Free Fallin' video and at about the 35 second mark, a guy in the audience asked if Tom Petty died. You just assume everyone knows about Tom Petty but I guess not.

I really enjoy watching these videos from the shows - thanks to everyone who capture them and share.

[Ulpian]

Originally Posted by twinmatrix

Maybe she should stop playing the piano so much so she can focus more on her vocal delivery..? She sounds distracted.

Would it help? Or is it maybe to do with age?

This made me sad, but glad I’ve decided not to see them. I make no comment on the recent fallout with LB, but just from a vocal point of view I really am not enjoying the sound. I love Christine but I think she should stick to the studio now.