Houston/ticket drop/reviews/pics, etc.

[Livia]

3rd row on LB's side and 4th row on Stevie's side are up now! :blob1:

http://www.houstontoyotacenter.com/events/event_840.php

[rbs3676]

3rd row on LB's side and 4th row on Stevie's side are up now! :blob1:

http://www.houstontoyotacenter.com/events/event_840.php

I'm excited...so knocked out to be there! :nod:

[Steviefan49]

3rd row on LB's side and 4th row on Stevie's side are up now! :blob1:

http://www.houstontoyotacenter.com/events/event_840.php

WOOOHOOOOOO.. Thanks SOOOO much! GREAT NEWS!!! Will you be at this show Livia?? I'll definitely be there, as we have great Stevie side lower prom seats..!!

[Gazz]

Got row 6 on Stevie's side about 5 hours ago. If I'd been online in the middle of the night (here in Melbourne), may have done better, but I was grateful to finally get something decent!

Anyone know what's going on with Dallas? That's the first show on my "tour" and have been trying 3-4 time per day for the last week with no luck.

Maybe meet some of you guys next week?

cheers, Gazz

[Musicman408]

Good luck to all of you guys, and enjoy the show!!

[Livia]

Arlene - yes, I'll be in Houston with rbs3676 - 3rd row on Lindsey's side - meaning we could end up anywhere between front row and the stage, assuming security in Houston gets the memo. :)

Gazz - congrats! Check the Dallas ticket drop thread for info on Dallas - or just keep checking Sticketbastard for better seats than Row M - good luck!

[Steviefan49]

Arlene - yes, I'll be in Houston with rbs3676 - 3rd row on Lindsey's side - meaning we could end up anywhere between front row and the stage, assuming security in Houston gets the memo. :)

Gazz - congrats! Check the Dallas ticket drop thread for info on Dallas - or just keep checking Sticketbastard for better seats than Row M - good luck!

WOOHOOO.. Oh how awesome! Ok.. I'll pm you! I'd definitely love to meet ya'll at the show! :thumbsup:

[DavidMn]

Got row 6 on Stevie's side about 5 hours ago. If I'd been online in the middle of the night (here in Melbourne), may have done better, but I was grateful to finally get something decent!

Anyone know what's going on with Dallas? That's the first show on my "tour" and have been trying 3-4 time per day for the last week with no luck.

Maybe meet some of you guys next week?

cheers, GazzI have to tell you I am very impressed that youre coming all the way from Australia for all those shows! :wavey:

[Livia]

Gazz, check your PMs. :)

[Livia]

5th row center is popping up now. First time I've seen anything in Section B.
3rd row on Stevie's side, on the center aisle and 6th row on LB's side are showing up too.

[Steviefan49]

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited I can't hardly sleep! LOLOLOLOL.. Happy Fleetwood Mac "EVE" all of my fellow Houston show goers!!! :wavey:

[Nightbirdjel]

Will the security be as lax in Houston as they were in Dallas? The lady working security in Dallas told me when I got there that they were letting the first 15 rows go up front before the concert even started. Then I read here later it was because they were filming. Can anyone familiar with the Toyota Center clue me in? Are they really anal about looking for cameras? I have 12th row so I just want to know what to expect. I don't want to be uncool about trying to go up front.:o

[Livia]

They ALWAYS let at least the first 3 rows stand at the stage, it's usually the first 5. But lately (Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas and a few other cities) have been up to the first 15, whether they're filming or not.

As for security, it varies from venue to venue. Just hide your camera well and don't take pics until you see how security is reacting to others taking pics, that's what I usually do, anyway. :) They won't pat you down like you're at a Slayer concert

[Nightbirdjel]

Good info to know! My little camera fits neatly into an empty pack of Marlboro Light 100s in the box. :D Worked like a charm so far. Yeah, I always wait for someone else to take pictures first. I'm chicken. Thanks for filling me in.

[Steviefan49]

If anyone is interested, my friend Misty, who I'm going to the show with now has a extra 5th row Stevie (ish) side ticket available, as she was able to pull up 3rd row either last night or night before when the tickets were dropping! Anyone who is interested, please PM me.. and let me know.. and she's willing to sell it for what she paid for it, which was face value plus the tax and fees.



Thanks SO much,

Arlene

[Steviefan49]

OMG.. It's 3:15, and I'm WAY too excited to sleep! What a incredible show!!! I'm going to give my full review tomorrow, but I can't say enough how much they ROCKED the house tonight!!! Lindsey was definitely on FIRE! And Stevie was wonderful too! WHAT a AWESOME "GDW"! WOW.. My mouth was on the floor with the way she sang that one!

Livia- I'm SOOOOOO sorry I missed you girlfriend, but for whatever reason, when people were calling me, or I was trying to make calls out, I couldn't get a signal, and those that called, ended up getting cut off, so I'll have to call them tomorrow and let them know.. That part sucked as I missed you, and another friend I was supposed to have met there. I SOOO hope you guys had a blast at the show!!! It really ROCKED!! :blob1:

Hugs,

Arlene
xoxoxo

[FMlex]

OMG.. It's 3:15, and I'm WAY too excited to sleep! What a incredible show!!! I'm going to give my full review tomorrow, but I can't say enough how much they ROCKED the house tonight!!! Lindsey was definitely on FIRE! And Stevie was wonderful too! WHAT a AWESOME "GDW"! WOW.. My mouth was on the floor with the way she sang that one!

Livia- I'm SOOOOOO sorry I missed you girlfriend, but for whatever reason, when people were calling me, or I was trying to make calls out, I couldn't get a signal, and those that called, ended up getting cut off, so I'll have to call them tomorrow and let them know.. That part sucked as I missed you, and another friend I was supposed to have met there. I SOOO hope you guys had a blast at the show!!! It really ROCKED!! :blob1:

Hugs,

Arlene
xoxoxo

So glad that you had an awesome time, Arlene!! Looking forward to reading your full review :)

Here's the review from the Houston Chronicle...
http://blogs.chron.com/intune/2009/05/music_memories_with_fleetwood.html

[michelej1]

Houston Chronicle, May 2, 2009, by Joey Guerra

http://blogs.chron.com/intune/2009/05/music_memories_with_fleetwood.html

There were no surprises, radical reworkings or new tunes to promote during Fleetwood Mac's Saturday night set at Toyota Center.

There were just music and memories -- keys to the complete Mac experience. (And Stevie Nicks in a shawl, of course, during Gold Dust Woman.)

The echoes of hope and heartache informed every lyric, and each song signaled a memory, a moment in time for someone in the crowd (and onstage).

"Fleetwood Mac, as I'm sure you know, has had a complex and emotional history," Lindsey Buckingham told the crowd.

"It's kind of worked for us. Every time we come together, there's a sense of possibility."

The band walked out onto a dark stage, Buckingham leading Nicks by the hand. They kicked off with a jangly, lighthearted Monday Morning -- but things quickly intensifed with the pounding groove of The Chain, which boasted solid harmonies (aided by a trio of background singers).

Th staging was simple but effective, a maze of shadows and light. Nicks' trademark scarves were wrapped around her microphone stand.

The gypsy woman can't quite hit the girlish high notes of enduring hit Dreams, but her voice still has a bleating allure. She introduced Gypsy as a nod to her musical history in San Francisco, which gave it a wistful sense of remembrance.

Less dynamic were a few moments when Buckingham took command (I Know I'm Not Wrong, Go Insane). The crowd thought so, too, and several folks scurried up toward the lobby. His voice-and-guitar take on Big Love, however, was a searing set highlight.

Nicks sparkled amid the rueful strains of Rhiannon, and Second Hand News (the first song recorded for the Mac's legendary Rumours album, Buckingham said) was a blaze of joyful vocals and instrumentation. Tusk boasted a blaring kick, and it's impossible to not be moved by Landslide's weary grace.

But the small details often made the biggest impact: Nicks sweetly placing her head on Buckingham's shoulder during a heartfelt Sara; Buckingham taking quick moments to soak in the cheers after every song.

Musically, the Mac is tight and together. Buckingham showcased more blazing guitar work during I'm So Afraid, and Nicks still makes Stand Back a solo synth delight (with trademark twirls, no less). Mick Fleetwood also indulged in a flashy drum solo during first encore World Turning.

Late-inning anthems Go Your Own Way and Don't Stop were expectedly triumphant. But graceful rumination Silver Springs ended things on a delicate note -- another facet of the Mac's iconic, still-inspiring legacy.

[Livia]

I am SO exhausted - just got back from Houston a couple hours ago...but had to get a few pics up to share..Arlene, sorry we missed you!

That's my hand touching Lindsey's guitar (he gave me a pick). :D

[#1LiddyBuckFan]

I am SO exhausted - just got back from Houston a couple hours ago...but had to get a few pics up to share..Arlene, sorry we missed you!

That's my hand touching Lindsey's guitar (he gave me a pick). :D

Freaking GREAT photos!!!:eek:

[Livia]

Thanks! It was definitely the Lindsey show, most of my pics are of him and it was one amazing pic after another, I didn't even have to try. Of course, it doesn't hurt being so close and having him stand right in front of you all night. :) Seriously, I kept going through the pics on my camera and saying, "Oh my God, look at that one!"

I think Stevie was having an off night...she messed up the second verse in GDW (started to sing the first verse again). Besides that, it was great. So was Storms and Silver Springs. She played around w/ the melody in Dreams, which was refreshing. But as much as I love her and wanted to pay attention to her, Lindsey stole the show.

The crowd was great (sorry to hear about the a-holes in Dallas). In Houston, there was NOBODY up front before the lights went out. Bruce and I had moved toward the middle of third row, since our seats were so far on the side, the 2nd row seemed empty. But as soon as the lights went out, we snagged our spot right at the stage, smack dab in the middle of Stevie and Lindsey. Gary was right behind us, Billo was just a few people to our left.

[SandyMac]

Wow, great reviews! I love reading everyone's review ... almost like being there.

[wondergirl9847]

Livia, your photos are awesome! Glad it was a great show and I'm sorry, but I am so happy Lindsey is stealing the show. Heh. :thumbsup:

[Nico]

Livia, your pics are absolutely wonderful. I think I'm going ot have to go to another show (or three). I miss all the excitement. And Lindsey...;) But seriously, I love reading these reviews, seeing the pics, and vids...

And I'm with you wondergirl re: LB. It's hard for some to swallow, and it's not meant disrespectfully, but Lindsey takes these show to a whole different element and pretty much OWNS. It's easy for a reviewer to say that some moments of his are "less dynamic" but for many who are just casual fans, they're hearing stuff they aren't used to/not familiar with. The reaction is typical, but if you look at the overall, general picture I can't imagine anyone coming to an FM show and not being blown away by Lindsey's performances.

This is all said, of course, in light of the fact that Stevie is forever an icon. :nod:

[MoonWaterPoet]

They ALWAYS let at least the first 3 rows stand at the stage, it's usually the first 5. But lately (Ft. Lauderdale, Dallas and a few other cities) have been up to the first 15, whether they're filming or not.

As for security, it varies from venue to venue. Just hide your camera well and don't take pics until you see how security is reacting to others taking pics, that's what I usually do, anyway. :) They won't pat you down like you're at a Slayer concert

That's what I do too, sneak my digital camera in... then wait for others to start taking pictures with flash, first... I did that in Grand Prairie/Dallas in 2005 at the Nokia Theater on Stevie's 'Gold Dust' tour... Outside and inside the venue were signs saying, "Absolutely No Camera's"... I thought, "Ha, We'll See"... Lmaooooo... Once Stevie came out and started playing, everyone was taking pictures and the security didn't say nothing... Once I saw flash from camera's and cell phones lighting up... I started clicking pictures till the end of the show... Got about 60 pics... LOL!!!
The way I feel about it is, if the venue does not allow camera's then they better make everyone check their cell phones in at the door too...

Donnie Wayne ~

[Steviefan49]

So glad that you had an awesome time, Arlene!! Looking forward to reading your full review :)

Here's the review from the Houston Chronicle...
http://blogs.chron.com/intune/2009/05/music_memories_with_fleetwood.html


Hey Thanks SOOOOO much! We had a BLAST, and am still on my "FM high" from Saturday night! It had to be one of the best show's I've seen in a VERY long time! I LOVED Stevie's version of Gold Dust Woman, which was INCREDIBLE!!!! She SOOOOO ROCKED! Even tho Lindsey was on fire, and he SOOOOOOO got into the audience and interacted, I have to give Stevie credit, where deserved! She hit her notes on every song, but the only thing we were a bit dissappointed in, was her not interacting with the audience more, like Linds did.. He also really appreciated the crowd's applause after each of his songs, and held his heart, as if to show his appreciation, and let the crowd know just how greatful he was! That was AWESOME!!! Even tho by nature, I'm a HUGE "Stevie" fan, I do have to say that Linds really shined thru more so this time then Stevie. However, she rocked on her songs! We were able to deliver my other Yahoo group's quilt to Stevie - with all of our Member's pictures on it, and we got to be good friend's with our Venue's Head Security man- Mark! LOL.. He let us know that he took our quilt back to the Tour Manager, who went nuts over it, and thought it was really cool, and then went and handed it right to Stevie! I haven't heard anything back yet, as I put my cell phone, home phone, home address, e-mail, and even had our seat numbers on there, but nothing yet. LOL.. Hopefully will hear something back, but if not, it was HUGE just knowing she got it! I'll be posting some pictures as well.. As all in all they ROCKED the house! I heard that they nearly filled the house, with 13,000 attending, so that was GREAT to know! :thumbsup:

[Steviefan49]

I am SO exhausted - just got back from Houston a couple hours ago...but had to get a few pics up to share..Arlene, sorry we missed you!

That's my hand touching Lindsey's guitar (he gave me a pick). :D

Hey Livia!!

WOW.. those pictures were AWESOME!! I'm SOOO sorry we missed you too! It was nuts that night, and for some stupid reason, I couldn't seem to get a signal on my phone. I had a couple of friend's try to call in- and got cut off after like 3 words into the conversation, and I couldn't seem to get a signal to make calls out, and that sucked! :(
How cool that Linds gave you a pick!!! That was SOOOOO cool! I thought I saw someone throw a pick out to the audience at one point, which I thought was SOOOOOO cool!
It sounds like you had a GREAT time! My friend Misty was also on the 3rd row, in between Linds and Stevie, and come time to go up front, she couldn't do it as she was "pinned in" LOL.. She also handed me her extra 5th row seat- God Bless her- and "Thank you Misty- you're a doll for always doing wonderful things for me- " But we had a "Nazi" woman security guard in our area, who wouldn't let people come or go, and before the show went up and down the aisle letting everyone know.. "NO cameras, cell phones, or videoing".. that part sucked.. At least after the lights went down, I started taking tons of pics, which I'll post, and I did manage to get a partial video clip of Rhiannon, until another Nazi guy came up to me and said.. "No videoing".. WTF? Everyone else who was standing at the stage was videoing the entire show, but yet, I couldn't get more than a minute and a half clip in??? Sheesh.. Anyway, other than that we had a BLAST, and I was SOOOOOO sorry that I didn't get to meet up with you guys.. Hopefully next time..

Hugs and love,

Arlene

[FMlex]

Here's GDW from Houston. The video sucks, but the audio is just fine!
Love how she's dragging out "up for saaaale" now (starting at 3:43)

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uxlt-GwCvBY&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uxlt-GwCvBY&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Whoever put that video up has several more from the Houston show, just look at the rest of their videos on the right. :)

[Steviefan49]

Hey everyone.. Just wanting to share some pictures with you.. Enjoy!

Hugs,

Arlene

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/Steviefan49/HoustonShow-5-2-20092.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/Steviefan49/HoustonShow-5-2-20097.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/Steviefan49/HoustonShow-5-2-20096.jpg

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc205/Steviefan49/HoustonShow-5-2-20098.jpg

[michelej1]

This is an excerpt about the Houston show that writer Gwendolyn Zepeda wrote on her blog, May 3, 2009:

http://www.gwenworld.com/labels/reminiscing.html

So... I sat in the Toyota Center with hundreds of other people -- all chilled out and seated, mercifully, because we're all getting too old to jump around -- and I thought about this stuff. And I knew that the people behind me were more likely remembering actual kissing that they themselves performed to those cassette tapes, since they were a little older. Same with the people in front of us. Lindsey sang that song, and three women near by jumped up and screamed and danced like they must have danced as teenagers, and I knew that those words about the tall grass had had a striking effect on them, too. In a way I felt embarrassed that when the band announced a song name, I usually didn't know which song they meant until they started playing, because I was so young back then and I just listened to the tapes all the way through, without picking favorites or even looking at their titles, like you do when it's an album you've always known and loved. But then I relaxed and realized it was okay not to know the song names.

I sat there looking all around at the hundreds of people, knowing that they all had special memories that went with these songs. Lindsey and Stevie stood on stage and told us their own memories, too. And it was -- you know -- magical and stuff.

[MacMan]

HoustonPress (http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2009/05/aftermath_fleetwood_mac_at_toy.php)
By Chris Gray

Every night the band goes onstage, Fleetwood Mac faces a concert onus only a handful of other groups need worry about: Are its songs too iconic? Is the rush of watching Stevie Nicks twirl out "Landslide" or "Rhiannon" live any match for the lifetime (or decades, anyway) of memories, associations and emotions those songs bring forth?

Of course not. It's a trick question anyway.

For one thing, only a fraction of Saturday night's nearly sold-out Toyota Center crowd - twenty- to sixtysomething, white as a glass of milk, at least 60 percent female and not nearly as many Nicks dressalikes as Aftermath expected - actually watched those songs. As in, had their eyes open and trained on either the stage or the two flanking video screens.

To this crowd, the opening notes to those songs hardly even qualify as music anymore. They're more like auditory passwords, and the files they unlock in the audience's memory bank caused their eyes to glaze over or close altogether, their lips to involuntarily mouth the words and their bodies to sway back and forth, whether alone or arm-in-arm with their neighbors.
What images hearing "Dreams" or "Gypsy" may cause them to see on the inside of their eyelids is a mystery, but watching it happen to thousands of people at once is both humbling and unnerving. It's like going to a different church, or a sporting event between two teams you don't particularly root for - you're obviously not having the same sort of spiritual experience as the people around you, but you're not entirely immune, either.

Personally, Aftermath likes those songs just fine, but they've never been the ones to soothe a freshly broken heart, never been irrevocably linked to a lost loved one, never been playing at the precise moment he's fallen in love. He supposes they could have been, somewhere in the course of his 34-plus years on this planet, they just weren't.

Luckily, Fleetwood Mac brings a little bit more to the table than that. For one thing, Nicks' status as one of rock's top-tier icons, both musically and visually, tends to divert attention away from the fact that her three bandmates are all monsters on their respective instruments, which was nevertheless plain as day watching them pound out "The Chain," "Tusk" or "Go Your Own Way."

And maybe it's because the band has had such great pop success, but Lindsey Buckingham's name hardly ever comes up whenever there's another list of rock's greatest or most influential guitarists. Or maybe it's because the people who make those lists have never seen him live and assume his sound is some sort of studio creation. It's not.

Buckingham is as technically skilled as any front-rank classical or jazz guitarist you can name, such as Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin or Al di Meola. His blues chops are every bit the equal of Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page, which he proved beyond the shadow of a doubt on the jolting "Oh Well" and trance-like "I'm So Afraid," featuring a solo that was about as close to a musician bringing himself (and the crowd) to orgasm as Aftermath has ever seen. Finally, he is also an excellent folk musician, whether chiming out the minstrel-like melody of "Landslide" or the shardlike strumming of much spookier and more harrowing solo turn "Big Love."

As for the rhythm section and sole remaining founding members, John McVie's simple, understated bass lines are as fundamental to the appeal of "Dreams," "Gypsy" and "Rhiannon" as Nicks' crystal-vision lyrics, and he switches roles with Buckingham on "The Chain" and "Tusk," his springy notes acting as lead and leaving texture and rhythm to the guitarist. Drummer Mick Fleetwood, meanwhile, is both gentle giant and pillaging Viking, wispy and ethereal on the ballads, thundering and mighty on "The Chain" and stout Tusk folk-rocker "I Know I'm Not Wrong." His extended solo on "World Turning" should have come with a warning to pregnant women and children under five years of age.

Saturday also saw a visibly moved Nicks walking over to embrace Buckingham during heart-stripping Tusk ballad "Sara," an exotic "Gold Dust Woman" become equal parts dance of the seven veils and narcotic nightmare, and the late synthesizer onslaught of "Stand Back," a breezy, shawl-friendly palate-cleanser after the preceding guitar pyrotechnics of "Oh Well" and "I'm So Afraid."
Furthermore, several songs - "Monday Morning," "Second Hand News" and "Never Going Back Again" chief among them - showed how deep the band has sown its seeds on contemporary country radio. (And it would be that much deeper if the Dixie Chicks were still on there.) There have been rumours (sorry) of a new album in the works, and considering the debt owed by stars from Keith Urban to Taylor Swift, Fleetwood Mac going the Eagles/Bon Jovi Nashville route seems like a no-brainer.

So even if, for some unfathomable reason, someone walked into Toyota Center Saturday night free of any preexisting Fleetwood Mac prejudices or connotations, after those two and a half hours it's downright impossible to imagine they walked out that way.

http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv253/FMNewsAndReviews/Houston%20May%202%202009/mac5.jpg http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv253/FMNewsAndReviews/Houston%20May%202%202009/mac6.jpg http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv253/FMNewsAndReviews/Houston%20May%202%202009/mac4.jpg http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv253/FMNewsAndReviews/Houston%20May%202%202009/mac3.jpg http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv253/FMNewsAndReviews/Houston%20May%202%202009/mac2.jpg http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/vv253/FMNewsAndReviews/Houston%20May%202%202009/mac1.jpg

[MacMan]

I am SO exhausted - just got back from Houston a couple hours ago...but had to get a few pics up to share..Arlene, sorry we missed you!

That's my hand touching Lindsey's guitar (he gave me a pick). :D

Photo 3 is killer!!!! and I laughed at your touching THE guitar... Cool shot!

[michelej1]

Very great review and excellent photos too. Thanks for posting.

Michele

[Livia]

I know the dude who wrote that review, he used to live in Austin and wrote for the Chronicle - he's a cool guy. :)

[Livia]

Photo 3 is killer!!!! and I laughed at your touching THE guitar... Cool shot!

I know, THE guitar. Like it's Excalibur. :thumbsup:

[michelej1]

[Comment in the Houston Press about the Toyota Center]
http://www.houstonpress.com/locations/toyota-center-11482/?src=likeme



OnyxAngie :I went to see Fleetwood Mac in concert this Saturday, May 2, 2009. The seats were a little too close together but overall I had a great time. The band was awesome as expected. True classic. I bought my tickets thru FlashSeats and got a big cut in front of the crowded lines. The beer was $8.00 dollars each but it is a large venue so you would expect high concession prices. I parked two blocks away for $5.00 bucks. Park closer and it's almost $20.00 unless you prepay for parking w you purchase the tickets. Well great performance. Stephanie "Stevie" Knicks you are amazing and you know it. Lindsey you rock that guitar.

[michelej1]

[This is old, but I don't think it was posted here before]


http://www.examiner.com/x-3086-Houston-Music-Examiner~y2009m5d12-Fleetwood-Mac-in-Houston

Fleetwood Mac in Houston
May 12, 4:32 PMHouston Music Examiner Rene Cantu

It was a warm, wet day in Houston when Stevie Nicks came to town. Fleetwood Mac, the legends, had graced Space City with their presence and it was worth the wait.

Every night the band goes onstage, Fleetwood Mac faces a concert onus only a handful of other groups need worry about: Are its songs too iconic? Is the rush of watching Stevie Nicks twirl out "Landslide" or "Rhiannon" live any match for the lifetime (or decades, anyway) of memories, associations and emotions those songs bring forth?

Of course not. It's a trick question anyway.
For one thing, only a fraction of Saturday night's nearly sold-out Toyota Center crowd - twenty- to sixtysomething, white as a glass of milk, at least 60 percent female and not nearly as many Nicks dressalikes as Aftermath expected - actually watched those songs. As in, had their eyes open and trained on either the stage or the two flanking video screens.

To this crowd, the opening notes to those songs hardly even qualify as music anymore. They're more like auditory passwords, and the files they unlock in the audience's memory bank caused their eyes to glaze over or close altogether, their lips to involuntarily mouth the words and their bodies to sway back and forth, whether alone or arm-in-arm with their neighbors.

What images hearing "Dreams" or "Gypsy" may cause them to see on the inside of their eyelids is a mystery, but watching it happen to thousands of people at once is both humbling and unnerving. It's like going to a different church, or a sporting event between two teams you don't particularly root for - you're obviously not having the same sort of spiritual experience as the people around you, but you're not entirely immune, either.
Buckingham is as technically skilled as any front-rank classical or jazz guitarist you can name, such as Paco de Lucia, John McLaughlin or Al di Meola. His blues chops are every bit the equal of Eric Clapton or Jimmy Page, which he proved beyond the shadow of a doubt on the jolting "Oh Well" and trance-like "I'm So Afraid," featuring a solo that was about as close to a musician bringing himself (and the crowd) to orgasm as Aftermath has ever seen. Finally, he is also an excellent folk musician, whether chiming out the minstrel-like melody of "Landslide" or the shardlike strumming of much spookier and more harrowing solo turn "Big Love."

All in all, the Mac was back in a big way, at a time when the pop world needs a lift, there's no voice as lingering, no lyricist as poetic, and no artist as beautiful as Stevie Nicks' to give it that much needed face lift.

[Livia]

Ummm...they just plagiarized the Chris Gray review posted above. :rolleyes:

But thanks for the trip down memory lane. :thumbsup: