Mick Fleetwood: "This is the best time to see Fleetwood Mac" *setlist spoiler*

[MacMan]

Musicradar.com (http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/mick-fleetwood-this-is-the-best-time-to-see-fleetwood-mac-194036)

The renowned drummer on the new tour

There's always been an elusive quality to Mick Fleetwood's drumming. One can literally hear different sounds, patterns and textures in his playing with each listen - an assessment Fleetwood himself agrees with.

"I honestly don't know how I do it," Fleetwood says, laughing. "I think it's because I'm a blues-based drummer playing rock 'n' roll and pop music. To me, I respond to a vibe, a certain musical heartbeat. Of course, it creates problems when I play something and I'm asked to repeat it. The whole thing is a mystery to me."

The Greatest Hits Tour

Fleetwood can be forgiven for name-checking one of his own albums, as he and the rest of Fleetwood Mac have been busy combing their multi-million-selling catalog in preparation for the Fleetwood Mac 'Unleashed' Greatest Hits Tour, which starts this March and runs until "the people tell us to stop."

For the first time in their 40-year career, Fleetwood Mac are touring without a new album to promote, something Fleetwood sees as a plus during these troubled economic times.

"Everybody is so frightened," he says, "and with good reason. So for us to go out and play the hits, all the songs that people know and love, it's really going to make for a great show. The fans don't have to sit through songs they don't quite know yet, and we get to really dig in and explore our catalog and shake each song for all its worth. To tell you the truth, I think it's the best time to see Fleetwood Mac - we'll transport you to better times."

Or another way of putting it is, Don't Stop Believing. "Never," says Fleetwood. "If any of us ever lost faith the power of this band or our own abilities, it would have been over years ago."

In this exclusive MusicRadar podcast, Mick Fleetwood discusses his early days playing the blues, then talks about the mercurial musical magic he creates in Fleetwood Mac. He even answers a few questions from MusicRadar readers.

Podcast Part 1 (http://mos.musicradar.com/audio/podcasts/mick-fleetwood-part-1.mp3)

Podcast Part 2 (http://mos.musicradar.com/audio/podcasts/mick-fleetwood-part-2.mp3)

[Villavic]

This is the best album ever... (SYW)
This is the best tour...

Mick always said THIS is the best one, of course it's a must to promote, but I don't think this will be their best show. Their finest hour was decades ago. I think it will be a great concert, very good performance, but the Rumours-Tusk era was the best. Unfortunately there are no time machines yet, cause I'd love to take a ride to the late 70s

[EnchantedKiwi]

OMG they're doing storms! :D

[MacMan]

Mick Confirms:

Storms
Oh Well
Go Insane (Full Band Version)
Accoustic Say You Love Me (With the band upfront)

WOW!

[AliceLover]

Full band version of Go Insane?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Thats incredible.

Oh yah, and storms...:blob2:

[Villavic]

Mick Confirms:

Storms
WOW!

STORMS ??? OH MY GOD This is a dream finally come true!! I hope Stevie sings it with all her feeling!!

(but then I insist this is not a HITS tour, it's a CLASSICS tour, and fits perfect to me!!)

[AliceLover]

"Sara" is confirmed as well!

[Villavic]

Mick Confirms:
Storms
Oh Well
Go Insane (Full Band Version)
Accoustic Say You Love Me (With the band upfront)


and Sara, Dreams, Rhiannon, GYOW, So Afraid,

[AliceLover]

Silver Springs confirmed as well.

[SteveMacD]

The fans don't have to sit through songs they don't quite know yet, and we get to really dig in and explore our catalog and milk each song for all its worth.

FIXED.




(Somebody had to say it.)

[Villavic]

Mick keeps in touch with Jeremy, Christine. And a bit with Peter

[kennation]

Did he answer any LEDGIE questions???

[hs421139]

Storms, Sara, Go Insane (full band)
I think I might just faint......:blob2:

[Street_Dreamer]

Well, my interest in the tour just went up a thousand fold with the Oh Well and a full band version of Go Insane being on the set.

Matt

[Nicks Fan]

Stoms OMG!!!! Now if only they added Seven Wonders I would be ok.

Matt

[Nicks Fan]

Stoms OMG!!!! Now if only they added Seven Wonders I would be ok.

Matt

[MiniLindsey]

Interested in hearing how full band Go Insane is going to sound with the Mac. Loved it on the GOS tour.

[Enchanted_Stevi]

OOOOOOH MYYYYYY GOOOOOD!!
SO PUMPED!
:blob2::blob1::blob2::blob1::blob2:

[Moz]

Mick said they're going to be playing more of Christine's songs. I'm assuming Storms will be acoustic, like SYLM, as Mick says he's playing "quite simply" up front on the cocktail kit. Mick said that last year he and Jeremy jammed in Hawaii. It's a shame Mick only answered a few fan questions.

[David]

Interested in hearing how full band Go Insane is going to sound with the Mac. Loved it on the GOS tour.Essentially the same people playing it, no? Lindsey, Brett, Neale, Taku/Fernando/Whatever....

We ain't talkin' vastly different, is we?

I just listened to this interview. I don't think Mick has ever gone into such technical detail about his own style, has he?

[LukeA]

Whatever. This wouldn't be the first time Mick has talked out of his ass. In fact, he may have kicked his hyperbole up a notch due to the stultifying lack of success in selling a tour where Fleetwood Mac FINALLY does its Greatest Hits!

I wouldn't be as surprised if they played these songs on March 1st, but will they be playing these songs ten dates into the tour? As recent history has shown, if you want to make sure you see all the songs the band will ever do live in concert, go to opening night, because they may never do them again!

[pattyfan]

Well, so much for not knowing the setlist. Dang! :]

OH, and just so I understand...when did Storms become a hit? I mean, I know Tusk was a long time ago, but...


Kevin

[DavidMn]

I am VERY excited to see Oh Well. I have never seen this live and for me, this is the one I will be most looking forward to.:nod:

[DavidMn]

Also, did anyone notice Mick's response about Bob Welch. curiously vague as to whether he has "contact" with him.

[jmn3]

I am VERY excited to see Oh Well. I have never seen this live and for me, this is the one I will be most looking forward to.:nod:

So far, I would say this is the best addition to the setlist (among some other great additions). I absolutely can't wait to hear this one - it was nothing short of a crime when they left this off the set in 1997 and onward. I mean, come on, Oh Well belongs in every set along with the other war horses Rhiannon, Don't Stop, and GYOW. I always wondered what the story was here - I know Lindsey always felt he had to "pay his dues" in the early days and play some of the old stuff. By the end of the Rumours Tour he was basically only doing Oh Well. Was it left off for any particular reason on the Dance tour?

[jmn3]

Stevie Nicks is "very much alive and well"....gee thanks for the update Mick!!

[Sahara]

Wonderful news :D

Any word on Europe? I won't have a chance to listen to the interview until later today!

[John Run]

I have had very little interest in seeing this tour, but some of the song choices seem interesting to me. I think people are getting a little too caught up in the definition of a hit, I think it is more like fan familiarity.

[wildheart048]

Wow! Storms....that is totally awesome! And I'm psyched about the band version of Big Love...very cool stuff!!

[TrueFaith77]

Wow! Storms....that is totally awesome! And I'm psyched about the band version of Big Love...very cool stuff!!

Don't get your hopes up. He said "Go Insane".

[jmn3]

I have had very little interest in seeing this tour, but some of the song choices seem interesting to me. I think people are getting a little too caught up in the definition of a hit, I think it is more like fan familiarity.

Agreed. I said it before, if it were strictly "hits," you can say goodbye to anything off of SYW, The Chain, I'm So Afraid, Gold Dust Woman, most of Tusk, and so on. Someone said "Classics" the other day and I think that is a much more appropriate word for what we will hear on this tour. It's going to be popular tracks both from a chart standpoint as well as fan familiarity (GDW, The Chain, etc), along with a mix of some dusted off classics and probably a couple of buried songs seeing the light of day for the first time ever (a la Silver Springs in '97, Beautiful Child in '03).

[wheart]

Whatever. This wouldn't be the first time Mick has talked out of his ass. In fact, he may have kicked his hyperbole up a notch due to the stultifying lack of success in selling a tour where Fleetwood Mac FINALLY does its Greatest Hits!

I wouldn't be as surprised if they played these songs on March 1st, but will they be playing these songs ten dates into the tour? As recent history has shown, if you want to make sure you see all the songs the band will ever do live in concert, go to opening night, because they may never do them again!

I thought of this, too. Remember Destiny Rules and Running Through the Garden on the last tour. If memory serves me, they were dropped after the first show. But I'm REALLY hoping this won't be the case this time around

[GypsyGirl15]

I'm still praying for Sisters, I'm really psyched about the confirmed songs though. :]

[HejiraNYC]

So considering all that we have learned about the 2009 setlist so far, as well as the songs they have already played to death in the past, I think we can be about 90% certain that this will be the setlist (sequence may vary... somewhat):

1. The Chain
2. Dreams
3. Second Hand News
4. Monday Morning
5. Rhiannon
6. Oh Well
7. Gypsy
8. Go Insane
9. Sara
10. Never Going Back Again
11. Say You Love Me
12. Big Love
13. Landslide
14. Gold Dust Woman
15. I'm So Afraid
16. Silver Springs
17. Tusk
18. Stand Back
19. Go Your Own Way
20. World Turning
21. Don't Stop
22. Storms

[AliceLover]

So considering all that we have learned about the 2009 setlist so far, as well as the songs they have already played to death in the past, I think we can be about 90% certain that this will be the setlist (sequence may vary... somewhat):

1. The Chain
2. Dreams
3. Second Hand News
4. Monday Morning
5. Rhiannon
6. Oh Well
7. Gypsy
8. Go Insane
9. Sara
10. Never Going Back Again
11. Say You Love Me
12. Big Love
13. Landslide
14. Gold Dust Woman
15. I'm So Afraid
16. Silver Springs
17. Tusk
18. Stand Back
19. Go Your Own Way
20. World Turning
21. Don't Stop
22. Storms

I think Storms is gunna be in the acoustic set after Say You Love Me. Mick talked about a "cocktail kit" he is going to be using and he said he is going to use it for Say You Love Me and Storms.

[chiliD]

Agreed. I said it before, if it were strictly "hits," you can say goodbye to anything off of SYW, The Chain, I'm So Afraid, Gold Dust Woman, most of Tusk, and so on.

Both "Peacekeeper" & the title cut got fairly significant airplay, so I'm not counting out "anything off of SYW". "The Chain" has been used as the theme for a couple of TV shows, AND it's basically the unofficial theme song of Fleetwood Mac. "Tusk", "Sara" (along with "Think About Me" & "Sisters Of The Moon") were the singles from the Tusk album. I believe "Storms" was a B-side of one of them, but I'm not 100% sure. "I'm So Afraid" & "Gold Dust Woman" WERE single B-sides, so if the single was a "hit", people would be MORE than familiar with the B-side as well. With "Silver Springs" being an obvious case-in-point. For the first couple of months after the GYOW single was released, "Silver Springs" got nearly equal airplay. It disappeared off the airwaves once Rumours was released, and fell into near obscurity until the Timespace controversy and then bloomed again for The Dance.


3. Second Hand News
4. Monday Morning


I hope somebody in the band has the good sense to not play "Second Hand News" & "Monday Morning" back-to-back.

[skcin]

Well, so much for not knowing the setlist. Dang! :]

OH, and just so I understand...when did Storms become a hit? I mean, I know Tusk was a long time ago, but...

Kevin

Couldn't resist peeking, huh? :laugh:

And as much as I would love to hear Storms, you're right. Not a "hit." Not that I only want to hear "hits," so it will be a nice surprise if it actually happens.

I thought of this, too. Remember Destiny Rules and Running Through the Garden on the last tour. If memory serves me, they were dropped after the first show. But I'm REALLY hoping this won't be the case this time around

Destiny Rules made it a few shows I think. Not many.

Both "Peacekeeper" & the title cut got fairly significant airplay, so I'm not counting out "anything off of SYW". "The Chain" has been used as the theme for a couple of TV shows, AND it's basically the unofficial theme song of Fleetwood Mac. "Tusk", "Sara" (along with "Think About Me" & "Sisters Of The Moon") were the singles from the Tusk album. I believe "Storms" was a B-side of one of them, but I'm not 100% sure. "I'm So Afraid" & "Gold Dust Woman" WERE single B-sides, so if the single was a "hit", people would be MORE than familiar with the B-side as well. With "Silver Springs" being an obvious case-in-point. For the first couple of months after the GYOW single was released, "Silver Springs" got nearly equal airplay. It disappeared off the airwaves once Rumours was released, and fell into near obscurity until the Timespace controversy and then bloomed again for The Dance.



I hope somebody in the band has the good sense to not play "Second Hand News" & "Monday Morning" back-to-back.

I truly believe they could play almost anything off Rumours & casual fans will at least be familiar with it - enough to dance & possibly sing along to & not get up and leave to pee. :D Possible exception being IDWK. So it woul;dn't have to be a single or a song that charted - The Chain is very commonly known, like you said. It does beg the question of just WTF they are doing calling this a "hits" tour - what defines a hit vs. a signature song vs. a deep cut? It's all very subjective. But to say fans won't have to sit through songs they won't recognize & then claim they'll do Storms? Hmmm.....

ITA about MM & SHN. They're too similar to my ears. As much as I enjoy both tunes, they're practically interchangeable in a set. I feel they shuold do 1 or the other, but not both - and definitely NOT back to back.

[David]

It does beg the question of just WTF they are doing calling this a "hits" tour - what defines a hit vs. a signature song vs. a deep cut?It's the Hits 'n' Staples Tour. It doesn't have to have been on a Billboard chart -- if the band's been playing it live for thirty years, they're going to play it again! The idea of the tour (if you can call it an idea) is to play stuff that people recognize. Stevie doesn't want to play stuff that's on a new album. That's all they mean by "hits." We're being too literal-minded.

The other thing I wanted to say: How would you guys feel if they played "Sister Golden Hair" instead of "Sister of the Moon"?

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[kennation]

I said they should call it, "You may remember this one," Tour... So many people that I have talked with think it will be a lot like the Dance Tour

[bucklind17]

I was at MSG for a different show last night and they had these little magazines on all the seats. The FM mention in that magazine was definitely using the word "classic" and not the word "hit".

[Phil]

I'm very excited by the inclusion of Storms - that's if it actually makes it out of rehearsal - but I can't believe people want to hear World Turning, Oh Well, Go Insane and Stand Back.
World Turning has always been boring and is stretched out to interminable length in concert, "climaxing" in Mick's tossing-off session. Such a dull song on record and even more mind-numbing live. Bury it.
Oh Well belongs to another incarnation of the band and should remain there. If they really feel the need to resurrect a classic from that early period, why not go for something truly wonderful like Love The Burns, Man Of The World (with a Stevie lead vocal!) or I Loved Another Woman?
As for Go Insane and Stand Back, these are not Mac songs/hits. No matter how much anyone might enjoy these songs, they are inappropriate at a Mac show - particularly at the exclusion of genuine Mac hits/classics like Angel, Sisters Of The Moon, Hold Me and Seven Wonders. (If Lindsey really feels the need to perform one of his solo "hits" at a Mac show, then surely Trouble would be the better choice - this always sounded more Fleetwood Mac than solo to these ears.)
I'm really counting on a full band version of Big Love and Stevie taking the lead on Oh Daddy - if these occur, along with Storms, it really could be a classic show.
PS If I had my way, I'd drop all the old warhorses (Go Your Own Way, Rhiannon, Don't Stop etc) but I realise this would be unrealistic. What I would like to see is for the songs to be played at similar length to their original studio versions - I don't need to hear a three minute intro to Go Your Own Way or a five minute outro on I'm So Afraid - boring old bastards.

[Peestie]

The most outlandish thing they're playing is Go Insane with the full band and that is neither a Fleetwood Mac song nor the first time it has been played with that arrangement. It worked fine on Lindsey's solo tour but adding the "Fleetwood Mac orchestra" to it can only make it too cluttered. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong but since they're going to drop it after a night or two it hardly matters.

[David]

World Turning has always been boring and is stretched out to interminable length in concert, "climaxing" in Mick's tossing-off session.It's been boring only since 1987. From 1980 & earlier, it was hot. You got to hear the actual members of Fleetwood Mac playing their instruments in a really pumping way. They pumped, man, they pumped.

Oh Well belongs to another incarnation of the band and should remain there. If they really feel the need to resurrect a classic from that early period, why not go for something truly wonderful like Love The Burns, Man Of The World (with a Stevie lead vocal!) or I Loved Another Woman?I'd like to hear "Before the Beginning," my favorite.

PS If I had my way, I'd drop all the old warhorses (Go Your Own Way, Rhiannon, Don't Stop etc)Yeah, I would too.

[kennation]

Imagine this: I love the set list and I am totally psyched about world turning!!! It is one of my favorites live, and I prefer the newer performances.

[SteveMacD]

The other thing I wanted to say: How would you guys feel if they played "Sister Golden Hair" instead of "Sister of the Moon"?

I'd laugh my ass off with that!

I said they should call it, "You may remember this one," Tour... So many people that I have talked with think it will be a lot like the Dance Tour

They should call it the We're In It For The Money Tour (though I think some band already did that). Actually, The Dance is why this tour is a harder sell for the band with a lot of longtime fans. Been there, done that.

[Phil]

Well if World Turning must be played, why not edit it down to the length of the studio version? For those who enjoy it, it would be concise and tight but for those who can't stomach it, it would be over in a few minutes.
If they could finally surrender the guitar and drum solos, maybe there would be room for the likes of Think About Me, Angel, The Farmer's Daughter and Seven Wonders? Just a thought...

[michelej1]

The most outlandish thing they're playing is Go Insane with the full band and that is neither a Fleetwood Mac song nor the first time it has been played with that arrangement. It worked fine on Lindsey's solo tour but adding the "Fleetwood Mac orchestra" to it can only make it too cluttered. Hopefully I'll be proved wrong but since they're going to drop it after a night or two it hardly matters.

Since it did go over well solo and people know the song already from The Dance, I don't think it will be dropped. Storms? Yes. That could fall like a load of bricks.

Michele

[DavidMn]

Since it did go over well solo and people know the song already from The Dance, I don't think it will be dropped. Storms? Yes. That could fall like a load of bricks.

MicheleWhich makes it all the more important that you get your ass to Pittsburgh!:laugh::xoxo:

[belladonnadream]

"Sara" is confirmed as well! I am sooooo happy about Sara and Storms... I looove Stevie's Tusk songs and hate when they're overlooked... I am soo glad that she has recently been willing to pull these from the vault and do them live for us... I am a very happy person right now! :nod:

[TrueFaith77]

Which makes it all the more important that you get your ass to Pittsburgh!:laugh::xoxo:

That's the first thing I thought: thank god I got pitts tix!

[belladonnadream]

That's the first thing I thought: thank god I got pitts tix!
I might need to get there myself!:laugh:

[TrueFaith77]

Mick Confirms:

Storms
Oh Well
Go Insane (Full Band Version)
Accoustic Say You Love Me (With the band upfront)

WOW!

Isn't that how it was done on The Dance?

[Nicks Fan]

Isn't that how it was done on The Dance?

Yes it was. John was apparantly singing,but don't ask me what.

Matt

[Ulpian]

Yes it was. John was apparantly singing,but don't ask me what.

Matt

He wasn't so much singing as humming the base-line in the song. He answered that question in his Q&A on here.

If they're doing SYLM they'd better do YMLF as well.

[TrueFaith77]

Maybe someone has brought this up, but I find it interesting that "Storms" is being added to the set in the first tour since a certain book came out. . . ;)

[David]

Isn't that how it was done on The Dance?Exactly. I guess they think that nobody owns a DVD of it.
Lindsey on banjo, Mick on brushes, John on bass, Christine on maracas. Hand the maracas to your percussionist. I imagine they'll do it exactly the same way.

[Ulpian]

Exactly. I guess they think that nobody owns a DVD of it.
Lindsey on banjo, Mick on brushes, John on bass, Christine on maracas. Hand the maracas to your percussionist. I imagine they'll do it exactly the same way.

Yep, and much like the Burnett/Vito version of GYOW it'll sound hollow and forced. :distress:

[SteveMacD]

Yep, and much like the Burnett/Vito version of GYOW it'll sound hollow and forced. :distress:

At least they had the excuse of "hey, it wasn't our song."

[michelej1]

Which makes it all the more important that you get your ass to Pittsburgh!:laugh::xoxo:

I am, but it is annoying to me that they don't have non-stop flights on the weekends. I have to lay over to get there and that's really the pits.



Michele

[LukeA]

I am, but it is annoying to me that they don't have non-stop flights on the weekends. I have to lay over to get there and that's really the pits.



Same reason why I haven't been there since I moved west. Its a shame- I love Pittsburgh.

[Fallfromgrace84]

Yes it was. John was apparantly singing,but don't ask me what.

Matt
John was merely "singing" the bass line. It was very unnoticble but if you watch it closely you can see.... his lips moving LOL

[StreetAngel86]

Full band version of Go Insane?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Thats incredible.

Oh yah, and storms...:blob2:

sorry if this is a stupid Q
but would Stevie be singing on this?
like she did on the dance with ISA?
or does full band just mean full band *instrumentally wise*?


coz gaaawd i love me some Go Insane :nod:


and ditto wot Nicks_Fan said
if they add 7 Wonders
this may be the greatest show of all time

*dies hoping and praying*

[BellaDonna93]

OMG!!!!!!! Storms!!!!!!! That's awesome! I hope they'll come to Europe, Scandinavia!

[michelej1]

sorry if this is a stupid Q
but would Stevie be singing on this?
like she did on the dance with ISA?
or does full band just mean full band *instrumentally wise*?



My guess is no Stevie on this one. Although if he does some nutty song that is going to tank live, I think she'll stay out and sing with him on that, as she did on Red Rover for support. I was grateful to her for that.

Michele