1997 FM Concert Reviews

[michelej1]

[I was just looking through old reviews and saw a couple that weren't online yet, so I wanted to upload]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA), October 13, 1997

Section: Entertainment

FLEETWOOD MAC'S THRILLS DON'T STOP

GENE STOUT P-I POP MUSIC CRITIC

It was the biggest musical love fest the Tacoma Dome had seen in months.

A capacity crowd, almost giddy with anticipation, filled the Dome Saturday night for Fleetwood Mac's triumphant 2 1/2-hour concert. It was the latest stop on the group's highly publicized reunion tour, named for the new Fleetwood Mac live album ``The Dance.''

Sporting T-shirts inscribed with the slogan ``The Mac Is Back,'' fans stomped their feet and turned up their lighters when original members Mick Fleetwood (drums), Lindsey Buckingham (guitar, vocals), Stevie Nicks (vocals), Christine McVie (keyboards, vocals) and John McVie (bass) took the stage for a spirited, satisfying performance. Backing them were three musicians and two singers.

Buckingham and Fleetwood were especially animated, displaying a kind of madcap glee during turns in the spotlight. But it was Nicks, in black gown and colored shawls, who stole hearts with her bewitching performance.

Her lead vocals were stunning on such songs as ``Rhiannon,'' ``Landslide'' and ``Sweet Girl,'' which relayed the history of what Rolling Stone magazine called ``the lovingest, fightingest, druggingest band of the '70s.''

Nicks and her bandmates stirred emotions among longtime fans as well as younger followers who discovered the group through classic-rock radio and the group's recent ``plugged-in'' concert for MTV. It was a remarkable performance for a former supergroup given up for dead in the early '90s.

In 1992 the group reunited for a performance at Bill Clinton's first inaugural ball, performing its old hit ``Don't Stop'' and rekindling interest among fans. But it wasn't until Buckingham invited his former bandmates to help him with a new solo album that a Fleetwood Mac reunion got under way.

``This reconvening was kind of an accident,'' Buckingham told cheering fans at the Tacoma Dome. ``(But) one thing led to another, and here we are.''

Vocal harmonies weren't quite on track when the group opened at 8:30 p.m. with ``The Chain.'' But the performance smoothed out quickly for the melancholy ``Dreams,'' a signature song from ``Rumours,'' the phenomenal 1977 album that sold more than 25 million copies and became the third-best-selling album in rock history.

The concert was much like August's MTV concert. Christine McVie sang the dreamy ``Everywhere'' (from ``The Dance'' and previously the group's 1987 ``Tango in the Night'' album) while Buckingham offered the first of several standout guitar performances.

Nicks was the star of ``Gold Dust Woman,'' taking a bow afterward. Buckingham and Fleetwood followed with a knockout version of ``I'm So Afraid'' that received an ovation for Buckingham's guitar playing. Then Nicks sang ``Gypsy'' under a rainbow of lighting effects.

Buckingham was fantastic during a solo performance of ``Big Love,'' offering some of the most vigorous guitar work of the show. When the band returned, Nicks excelled on ``Landslide,'' whose melancholy lyrics connected with the crowd. Afterward, Nicks hugged Buckingham, her onetime lover and musical partner in the '70s duo Buckingham Nicks.

Band members, featuring Buckingham on banjo, came forward for ``Say You Love Me.'' Buckingham and Fleetwood's wacky version of ``My Little Demon.'' During a crash-and-burn solo of ``Not That Funny,'' Fleetwood resurrected an old gimmick by playing touch-sensitive drum pads sewn into his clothing.

The main set closed with ``Tusk'' and ``Go Your Own Way.'' But the show was far from over. The high-flying ``Don't Stop'' kicked off the first of several encores.

[michelej1]

[Well, this one was at the NY Times site, so it was already online, but I'm still putting it here]

New York Times (NY), September 25, 1997
Section: E

ROCK REVIEW; Still Going Their Own Way, Now, Then and Forever

BEN RATLIFF


For about five minutes before Fleetwood Mac came on stage at the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday night, the audience listened to a recording of crickets played over the speakers. The association with the outdoors must have provoked a massive sense memory, because one remembers nearly every track from the band's 1977 album ''Rumours'' heard at barbecues and swimming pools and beaches, coming out of carry-along AM radios with bulging plastic designs, back before everyone had a sleek home stereo. More Fleetwood Mac albums have been sold than the combined populations of New York, California, Florida and Texas; the band's music, for a time, was an atmospheric component everywhere, like cricket noises.

It could have been cicadas, though, not crickets. It's been nearly 17 years (15, actually) since this best-known lineup of the group has toured. But the quintet nevertheless played a tight and satisfying, if not particularly meaningful, set of its chestnuts.

As every Fleetwood Mac fan knows, each member of the band has been in a stormy relationship with at least one of the others, and the styles of the three principal songwriters can be read as reactions to romantic trouble. Lindsey Buckingham (''Go Your Own Way,'') spat out tantrums; Christine McVie ballasted her songs with hopeful, stiff-upper-lip versions of what love should be (''Songbird''); and Stevie Nicks wrote sketches of mysterious, powerful women, (''Gold Dust Woman.'') All these songs were on ''Rumours,'' and were part of Tuesday night's show; every song from the album but two made it into the set list. The trio wrote songs about one another and themselves, and with their pretty three-part harmonies throwing sunlight on recriminations and idealizations of love, the songs retain a lingering power. So did some of the band members' between-song gestures to one another -- the ''it's all water under the bridge'' looks and fond embraces exchanged by Mr. Buckingham and Ms. Nicks.

For most of the set, Ms. McVie stood still behind keyboards, sitting down at a grand piano for ''Songbird'' and the Beach Boys's ''Farmer's Daughter,'' her voice the embodiment of a self-reliant strength with its confident low range. Mr. Buckingham, with a deeper and thicker voice than he once had, played a tortured artist and a multitalented one: he played a long, emotional guitar solo in ''I'm So Afraid,'' Spanish figures in a solo performance of ''Big Love,'' and banjo in ''Say You Love Me;'' he cathartically shrieked the crescendos of most of his songs, a little scream-therapy to enliven the soft-rock.

But it was Stevie Nicks's show. Her voice, thin, high and drawled with smoky wrinkles, was in good, strong form, and without moving much, she communicated like crazy. Dressed in constantly changed costumes of shawls and brocades and velvet, she stretched out her arms after each number, her shawl dripping from her shoulders, looking like a bedraggled cormorant. That martyred Old Mother Hubbard pose was an iconic one, and it pushed the audience's buttons.

Four new songs were played, all of them part of the band's new CD, ''The Dance,'' the live soundtrack of its August MTV special, which is near the top of the Billboard chart. The best of them was Ms. Nicks's ''Sweet Girl,'' in which she intimates -- strangely enough, considering her present circumstance -- that she wouldn't go through the experience of fame and touring again. (''Who do you love when you're not working?'' the lyrics ask of someone who could be Ms. Nicks. ''Where would you go if you had the time?'')

But the crowd couldn't muster nearly as much excitement for the unfamiliar. Since it's hard to keep identifying with a band that had its definitive moment 20 years ago, most of the members of the audience were there for a more practical purpose: to celebrate the smooth functioning of their own memories.

Photo: Twenty years after ''Rumours'': John McVie, foreground at left, on bass, with Stevie Nicks and Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac at the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday night. (G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times)

[michelej1]

Boston Globe (MA) September 20, 1997

Section: Arts and Film

FLEETWOOD MAC ELECTRIFIES GREAT WOODS

Steve Morse, Globe Staff

MANSFIELD Fleetwood Mac hasns't missed a beat. The band launched its national tour on a high note in Hartford on Wednesday. And the band even jumped it higher with last night's pure, musical celebration before the first of two 19,900-capacity full houses at Great Woods.

Fleetwood Mac's immaculate pop sheen was again on display, but this was a looser, more rock-filled evening, as the band's emotional chemistry started to catch up with its technical skills. Singer Stevie Nicks picked up her energy the most, unleashing some all-out vocal fire on "Stand Back" and "Rhiannon," igniting a reverent crowd enjoying a waxing full moon -- and the last weekend of the Great Woods season.

The Mac played the same set it played on Wednesday, except for a vital change -- substituting the uptempo "Second Hand News" for "Eyes of the World" two-thirds into the show. This fine-tuning helped erase Lindsay Buckingham's concern, expressed after Wednesday's show, that the last third of the show dipped too much for comfort.

The move worked. Funny how such a simple change can pump up a show, but the band then lifted right through Nick's cleansing "Silver Spring," the vaudevillian "Tusk" (with Christine McVie switching to accordion), and a seismic "Go Your Own Way" that ended the set.

This night had "Event" written all over it. New England Patriot quarterback Drew Bledsoe was in the audience. So was a VH1 cable TV crew. And so was the president of Fleetwood Mac's record label, Russ Thyret.

The Mac went on at 8:30 and didn't end until 11. They set the looser, more groove-oriented tone right away with "The Chain," "Dreams," and McVie's "Everywhere." You could see why the band was named for the rhythm section -- Mick Fleetwood and John McVie -- who don't get the ink of Buckingham and Nicks, but are just as crucial to the chemistry.

Last night's love-in continued with Buckingham extending himself with freer guitar soloing, and with Mick Fleetwood stepping forward for a maniacal solo on computerized drum pads tucked under his vest. Above his Falstaffian beard was a big smile that perfectly told the story of this entire, high-on-music night.

[michelej1]

[This is a CD review]

Atlanta Journal and Constitution, August 14, 1997

Russ DeVault

The one constant during Fleetwood Mac's 30-year run has been Mick Fleetwood, so it's no surprise that his powerful percussion thumps open the reunion album with Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Lindsay Buckingham. What follows on the collection, due in stores Tuesday, isn't at all surprising, either ---but that doesn't mean it's not good listening.

This lineup, last together in '87, when the 10-year sales total of "Rumours" was in the millions, always sounded sublime but was capable of bogging down with bad tunes and mood-altering substances. So the group side-stepped the lame-tune woe by slightly reworking "Rhianon," "Landslide," "Go Your Own Way," "The Chain" and so many other familiar songs that you hardly notice four new tunes: "Bleed to Love Her," "My Little Demons," "Temporary One" and "Sweet Girl." All have solid vocals and music but aren't headed for hitsville.

Instead, what's alluring is the way the group, now claiming a settled-down maturity after more personnel changes, breakups, divorces and substance abuse problems than many major league sports teams, puts a live spin on the classics. Time has dealt fairly leniently with their voices, although the ethereal Christine McVie seems to have weathered it better than Nicks, once a supreme mesmerizer and now possessor of a pleasant voice that's lost some of the compelling urgency heard on "Rumours" and the follow-up "Tusk." Still, there are occasions ---notably on "The Chain" and "You Make Loving Fun" ---when the old magic sparks and the five musicians seem possessed by the music and united by the need to give it voice. Access code: 210

[michelej1]

Palm Beach Post, December 26, 1997

The Fleetwood phenomenon: Stevie Nicks' voice still wobbles, Mick Fleetwood is still goofy and the whole band seems lost in the soft-rock time warp of the mid '70s. But we still love Fleetwood Mac - and that love translated into huge sales for their comeback album (The Dance), TV special and tour. By the time the band came to Coral Sky in November, their Dance concert seemed a paint-by-numbers affair, with even Christine McVie's "thank you very much" sounding like it was prompted by a cue card. But I admit it: Every time I hear Silver Spring, I get a lump in my throat.

[michelej1]

Albany Times Union (NY), November 20, 1997

Section: PREVIEW

IS A $60 ARENA TICKET PRICEY OR REASONABLE?

With a top ticket price of $60 for their Pepsi Arena concert on Wednesday, the members of Fleetwood Mac know that they're running the risk of alienating a number of their fans.

Already more than 12,000 tickets -- $40 and $60 -- have been sold for Wednesday's show, according to a Pepsi Arena spokesperson.

When '70s rock veterans the Eagles reunited for their Hell Freezes Over tour a few years back, they set the high-water mark of $115 per ticket at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. And they didn't have any trouble finding fans willing to pay the price.

``Well, I don't know, really,'' said Fleetwood when asked about the ticket price, ``$60 or $65 actually sounds pretty reasonable to me.''

Reasonable?

``Yeah, it does, and I think that the show is really worth it.

``I mean, it's not like we're playing at the Fillmore West in 1968, now is it?'' -

-Greg Haymes

[michelej1]

Memphis Commercial Appeal (TN), November 15, 1997

Section: Appeal


JADED VIEW JUST CAN'T TARNISH FLEETWOOD MAC'S GEMS

Jody Callahan The Commercial Appeal

It would be very easy to be cynical. After all, the Fleetwood Mac concert at The Pyramid Friday night - before a sold-out crowd of 17,457 - was one show in a tour designed, at least in part, to pad bank accounts. (Or, as one wag dubbed it, the ``401(k) Tour.'')

The band is only nominally touring in support of its latest release, ``The Dance,'' which primarily features minimal reworkings of very familiar songs. This incarnation of Fleetwood Mac - on its first tour in 10 years - is playing live for the first time since the 1993 presidential inauguration, when it shamelessly shilled for a political party.

But no matter how easy it might be to take the jaded approach, to wonder again why musical nostalgia commands such respect, let's not, for a simple reason: the music - that instantly recognizable blend of folk, pop, rock and a hint of the blues.

Listen to the beautiful harmonies of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks - former lovers and the creative touchstones of the dysfunctional Fleetwood Mac family since they joined in 1974 - on the opening song, The Chain.

Or listen to Christine McVie's vocals and her natural gift for melody, particularly on songs like Everywhere and Temporary One, a new song from ``The Dance.'' Or listen to the mesmerizing playing from Buckingham - long an underrated guitar god - on songs Go Insane and Big Love.

Listen to Nicks's sultry voice on songs like Rhiannon and Landslide, proving that her '70s blend of fiery defiance and empathic vulnerability spawned dozens of today's female rockers.

Listen to all of that, and it's easy to understand why this band still commands such a following, 10 years since its most popular incarnation last recorded music together and 30 years since founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie first played together.

Eight or 10 of the band's songs can easily be heard on the radio most any day, spanning a variety of formats. That helps explain why a number of those in the crowd weren't even born when ``Rumours,'' the band's defining record, was released in 1977.

That said, the show still had rough spots. Feedback peppered Buckingham's Bleed To Love Her. Despite his cleanly frenetic but rhythmic playing, Buckingham has a tendency to be overdramatic, particularly with his endless chatter. And drummer Mick Fleetwood's inane ``vest of drum pads'' could've easily been missed.

[michelej1]

Dallas Morning News, November 11, 1997

Folks are still talking about how friendly Lindsey Buckingham was when members of Fleetwood Mac late-dined at Beau Nash last week. He happily chatted away with neighboring tables.

Conan O'Brien joke, November 10, 1997

``Madonna took her 1-year-old daughter to a recent Fleetwood Mac concert and had to change her diaper in Stevie Nicks' dressing room. Which is ironic, because next door they were changing Mick Fleetwood's diaper.''

Philadelphia Daily News, October 30, 1997

The rich are different Madonna took year-old daughter Lourdes to her first rock concert recently, the Fleetwood Mac reunion show at Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl. (Yes, to answer one alarmed mother's first question - Lourdes was outfitted with eentsy baby earplugs.

And when little Lourdes needed a diaper change? No standing in line for the ladies' room, the New York Post related. Madonna and child were ushered into Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie's dressing room to take care of business.

[michelej1]

Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV), October 27, 1997

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/1997/Oct-27-Mon-1997/lifestyles/6308789.html

Section: Local

Rumors of Mac

Mike Weatherford

Saturday's concert brought back all the quirky chemistry of the '70s best-loved pop act and dysfunctional family.

The first tour in more than 10 years by the five-member "Rumours" lineup suggested that even if ex-lovers have become old friends, it's commerce more than musical vision that keeps them together.

But Fleetwood Mac was always a band full of rival agendas, so it's no surprise that solo moments outweighed group cohesion at Saturday's sold-out concert at the MGM Grand Garden.

In retrospect, the "Fleetwood Mac'' album of 1975 and "Rumours" album two years later made up the one brief era when the different tastes and personalities of the band members blended into a unified whole, so it made sense that those massive-selling albums would anchor the reunion tour.

It was a pity then, that modern marketing techniques and the group's own predictability would make those songs the least exciting.

Sure it's good business to launch a tour with a TV special and live album ("The Dance"). But why then do you even have to go to the concert if you already know it will begin with "The Chain" and continue with "Dreams" and "Everywhere"?

Then again, the Mac has rarely pulled any surprises over the years, regardless of who's on board. We can pretty much guess that bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood will be wearing white shirts and black vests, and that singer Stevie Nicks will swirl around in platform shoes and veils.

Past tours have also made it very likely that at some point, Fleetwood will emerge from his drum kit to tap out a solo on electronic drum pads sewn into his vest in duet with another percussionist (Lenny Castro this time).

And that the main set will end with "Go Your Own Way," with "Don't Stop" as the first encore before Christine McVie solos at the piano for a quiet "Songbird."

The big difference this time was singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, but even his solo moments seemed plugged in. Crazed acoustic renditions of "Big Love" and a flamenco "Go Insane" were familiar to those who saw him at the Huntridge theater in 1993.

Whatever the concert lacked in originality, it balanced with polish. It's one of those concerts where you know you're in the hands of old pros, and that the sound and performances -- smoothed out by three utility musicians and a singer who stuck discreetly in the shadows -- will be immaculate.

Nicks, who's turned in some flat and froggy vocals in past Las Vegas concerts, sounded as good as she probably ever will.

Her standout moments were a new lead-in to "Rhiannon" and a touching "Landslide" accompanied only by ex-partner Buckingham on guitar.

Christine McVie always makes her warm, confident vocals seem so easy it was tempting to take songs such as a rootsy reworking of "Say You Love Me" for granted.

It was left to Buckingham to provide the manic energy and whatever sense of danger there is in the band.

Songs such as the oddball "My Little Demon" revealed a warped pop genius along the lines of Brian Wilson -- one reason why the group may have chosen the Beach Boys' "Farmer's Daughter" for a final encore.

And his interaction with Fleetwood actually suggested a band at work rather than five individuals doing their own thing.

New or less familiar songs such as "Temporary One" and "Bleed to Love Her" suggested the band -- whatever its future -- still has a way to go before it catches up to the classics, however.

[michelej1]

Washington Times (DC)September 30, 1997

Section: METROPOLITAN TIMES FEATURES MUSIC


Fleetwood Mac shows it still has a tomorrow


Joseph Szadkowski - THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Fleetwood Mac has endured numerous staff changes during the past 30 years, but its most commercially successful lineup has consisted of keyboardist Christine McVie, guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, singer Stevie Nicks, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood.

Saturday night, this incarnation drew 25,000 fans to the Nissan Pavilion for one of the most anticipated '70s-era reunion tours.

Traffic congestion rivaled that of a Redskins home game, but the band accommodated late-arriving fans by delaying its stage appearance 30 minutes before opening the show with such favorites as "The Chain," "Dreams" and "Everywhere."

The restless crowd quickly forgot the delay as Fleetwood Mac performed 26 songs for more than 2 1/2 hours.

Though the opening songs were performed with a stiff, self-aware professionalism, emotion kicked in when Mr. Buckingham threw himself into a pickless guitar lead on "I'm So Afraid."

Old songs made way for new songs from Fleetwood Mac's just-released album, "The Dance," which features "Temporary One," a new tune highlighting Miss McVie's penchant for infectious grooves.

The maniacal Mr. Fleetwood and the forceful Mr. McVie again proved themselves to be the band's rhythmic center, while Mr. Buckingham demonstrated why he is still considered one of the most versatile and talented rock guitarists around.

An incredible acoustic set found Mr. Buckingham alone on stage displaying his prowess with "Big Love," from 1987's "Tango in the Night" album, and one of his more popular solo efforts, "Go Insane."

The show's emotional pinnacle occurred when Miss Nicks joined Mr. Buckingham, her former lover, for a rendition of "Landslide" that ended with them gently touching foreheads and hugging. A bit corny for jaded critics, but it was one big warm, fuzzy moment for the audience.

Miss Nicks, the mystical siren, has found a new vocal power. Staples such as "Rhiannon" and "Gypsy" became fresh with her more mature and textured singing. She also gave the crowd a treat when she burst into an energetic version of "Stand Back," a highlight of her solo career.

Mr. Fleetwood got his chance to shine in the solo light during "Not That Funny," from the group's "Tusk" album. It was more a lunatic anatomy lesson than a drum solo: Drum sensors in his vest and velvet trousers allowed Mr. Fleetwood to drum himself into a soaked frenzy.

Miss McVie also shined. Sporting a velvet blazer that might have been worn previously by a member of the Partridge Family, Miss McVie precisely re-created classics such as "You Make Loving Fun" and "Don't Stop," from Fleetwood Mac' 1977 megahit album "Rumours."

Her solo performance of "Songbird" during the second encore not only pleased the audience, but also prompted Mr. Fleetwood to sneak on stage and gush with admiration.

***** FOUR STARS

[michelej1]

Boston Herald (MA)September 20, 1997

Section: Arts & Lifestyle

Music review; Glory is Fleet-ing; Mac needs time to gel


Dean Johnson

Fleetwood Mac at Great Woods, Mansfield, last night and tonight.

Last night's long sold-out Fleetwood Mac concert at Great Woods (to be repeated tonight) was a triumph not so much for the music but that it was ever staged at all.

The five members of the band that recorded the now-classic "Rumours" album hadn't recorded together for a decade, and until recently they had performed together nearly as infrequently.

They once shared the kind of health, personal and bad habit problems that, in comparison, made the House of Windsor as dull and boring as a nunnery.

But time heals wounds and adds perspective, and the 20th anniversary of "Rumors" was reason enough for Christine McVie (keyboards/vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (guitars/vocals), Stevie Nicks (vocals), John McVie (bass) and Mick Fleetwood (drums) to give it one more go around.

The 2 1/2-hour concert featuring more than two dozen songs was sort of rock's equivalent to breaking in a new baseball glove. The band cleanly handled all the moves expected of it. But there were precious few moments to splice into the all-star reel.

Though for much of the audience, just the opportunity to hear Mac classics like "Dreams," "Say You Love Me," "Go Your Own Way," or "You Make Loving Fun" in a live setting was enough of a reward.

The band often looked like it was taking care of business rather than enjoying itself. Nicks thanked "New York" for the great reception, then caught herself. Buckingham began an impassioned spoken intro to a song only to be told by Christine McVie they weren't doing that one yet.

A sluggish start didn't help. Harmonies were sometimes brittle. Nick's always fragile vocals already have a distinct rasp.

But there was still magic in places, whether it was a madly guitar-driven "I'm So Afraid," a delicate "Landslide," a tough "Stand Back," or a playful "Second Hand News."

Give this band time to rediscover the alchemy. This reunion isn't just a run for the money. But the Mac still needs to gel.

[michelej1]

Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
September 20, 1997

Section: ENTERTAINMENT


MAC'S LINEUP ACT SAGS SOMEWHAT
Scott McLennan; Telegram & Gazette Reviewer

MANSFIELD MANSFIELD - Fleetwood Mac - The Classic Lineup put down the second show of its reunion tour with grand ease last night at the Great Woods Center for the Performing Arts.

Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and the venerable rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie cruised through a two-plus-hour show, ticking off 26 tunes from the Mac song book and a few odd tunes from individual band member's solo careers.

Nicks' and Buckingham's return to the fold after a decade away sparked a great amount of interest in Fleetwod Mac, which has been soldiering on in one way or another for 30 years, with only Fleetwood and John McVie left as charter members. Perhaps the only rock group in history to be named after the rhythm section, Fleetwood Mac is capitalizing on the 20th anniversary of its landmark release, "Rumours," and laid the groundwork with a reunion concert special broadcast on VH-1.

The sad thing about the band's first of two sold-out nights at Great Woods was how scripted the concert came off, based on having already seen the televised special. Between-song chatter and gestures were identical to the stuff seen and heard on "The Dance," the album taken from the televised concert.

Buckingham was the worst animatron of the group, blathering sappy lines devoid of any sincerity. That lack of sincerity, passion or any emotion altogether was the main snag of this Fleetwood Mac extravaganza. One needs to remember that the music made by Mac - The Classic Lineup was fed by bizarre, drug-fueled, sex-enmeshed personal crises running through the relationships between the band members. While songs such as "Oh Daddy" and "The Chain" and "Landslide" are masterfully crafted pop tunes, their force rests in the impassioned way they were originally rendered. The tensions of old have been eased in this good time reunion, and that's not necessarily best for the music.

While the playing of the Mac members and their backing ensemble of keyboardist, guitarist, percussionist and singers was impeccable throughout, the overall sound was antiseptic. There was a lack of energy, most apparent in the sagging middle portion of the show.

Sure there were soaring moments. The opening selection of songs - "The Chain," "Dreams," "Everywhere" and "Gold Dust Woman" - immediately won over the crowd.

Each member of the band was given opportunities to step up and strut their stuff. The oddly charming Fleetwood turned in the night's most theatric moment, stepping out from behind his drum kit to do an extended bit on electronic percussion pads attached to his vest.

Christine McVie sang and played piano beautifully, while John McVie's rock solid bass lines made every song stay tight in its groove.

Buckingham and Nicks came through with the pop personas that wooed millions of record buyers for 13 years before leaving the Mac.

[Villavic]

I got this issue in 1997. Sure many ledgies did too.

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSXU9bxeqqArdM60R5kzIRDI8gTjhrWXU6H8w&s

But I don't remember this one, does anybody get it? What was the Fleetwood Mac article about? Since the cover is about Hutchence death, the edition must be from late nov or dec 1997. So the Reunion tour was over. Was it a tour review?

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/22/f2/25/22f22507ae205d42384ab8e34ac31123.jpg

[Macfan4life]

Palm Beach Post, December 26, 1997

The Fleetwood phenomenon: Stevie Nicks' voice still wobbles, Mick Fleetwood is still goofy and the whole band seems lost in the soft-rock time warp of the mid '70s. But we still love Fleetwood Mac - and that love translated into huge sales for their comeback album (The Dance), TV special and tour. By the time the band came to Coral Sky in November, their Dance concert seemed a paint-by-numbers affair, with even Christine McVie's "thank you very much" sounding like it was prompted by a cue card. But I admit it: Every time I hear Silver Spring, I get a lump in my throat.
I was at this show. The Palm Beach Post called Stevie "fat and flat." I do agree the show was very robotic. I had watched it on TV a million of times and every time Lindsey spoke to the audience it was the exact words from the recorded special. But it was great to see everyone on stage again. Lindsey's guitar string broke during GYOW and he was taken to the hospital right after the show. He got 7 stitches from where the guitar string cut his hand.
Chris just was not into these shows but was a reluctant participant. Donald Trump was in the second row for the concert.

[Villavic]

I had watched it on TV a million of times and every time Lindsey spoke to the audience it was the exact words from the recorded special.

Oh yes, same as the NYC concert, including the "if my mom could see me now". Fortunately John was wearing a hawaiian shirt so I could realize I was at a different show. :lol:

[soul_drifter333]

By this point FM was a scripted affair. It was a multi-million gamble and they weren't going to take any chances. By gamble I mean they stood to make a lot of money and didn't want to take chances. I have to say Lindsey is the worse with the scripted dialog at the shows and interviews. I get they didn't want anyone to say anything embarrassing like "I'm not the boss", but it can be really boring for a rock show. That's one of the reasons I didn't like that version of Silver Springs. It in the wrong key causing her to strain and the ending is so planned out that I don't find it believable.

I only got to see one show. The Charlotte show got cancelled the day of the ticket on sale. By the time I bought a ticket to Atlanta I was left with a lawn (no) seat. They booked an outside show in Nov and it was ridiculously freezing outside, but there were a still few nice moments. Stevie wore a big coat through the whole show and it started late because the heaters on stage caused power issues. Who booked an outdoor concert in Nov? :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Penguin Emeritus]

"Miss McVie also shined. Sporting a velvet blazer that might have been worn previously by a member of the Partridge Family, Miss McVie precisely re-created classics such as "You Make Loving Fun" and "Don't Stop," from Fleetwood Mac' 1977 megahit album "Rumours."---

yeesh. ouch lol. i thought her blazers were cute. And why did they call these women 'Miss', are they 16? 'Ms.' should be a given for all women at this point, just as Mr. is for men. and so many of the articles spelled lindsey's name wrong, and i think i saw Rumours misspelled as well.

i do nitpick haha. interesting reviews though.

-Lis

[Macfan4life]

Oh yes, same as the NYC concert, including the "if my mom could see me now". Fortunately John was wearing a hawaiian shirt so I could realize I was at a different show. :lol:
So true. I never dreamed I would see those 5 together again. Perhaps I had played The Dance too many times before going but I remember feeling guilty walking away that I enjoyed the 1990 Farewell/BTM tour more. It had far more energy and fun than The Dance and it was real arena rock klonopin and all!

[Villavic]

So true. I never dreamed I would see those 5 together again. Perhaps I had played The Dance too many times before going but I remember feeling guilty walking away that I enjoyed the 1990 Farewell/BTM tour more. It had far more energy and fun than The Dance and it was real arena rock klonopin and all!

But I remember they mentioned Lindsey's family in the audience and said hello to them, and were so glad they came to see their father and the band on Thanksgiving day. That was a nice gesture. It was nov 27 in NYC.

[HomerMcvie]

so many of the articles spelled lindsey's name wrong, and i think i saw Rumours misspelled as well.

i do nitpick haha. interesting reviews though.

-Lis

People who can't spell should immediately accept their status as third class citizens.

Joking? Meh...:D

[Villavic]

People who can't spell should immediately accept their status as third class citizens.

Partially agree. Common people who are not constantly reading articles about an artist (like we do about the Mac members), may mispell a name because they don't remember it correctly. There are surnames that I sometimes doubt—do they have a double t, a double n, an s or z, etc. And they aren't names as complicated as Schwarzenegger. :)

But a journalist? That is unforgivable.

[anusha]

I was at the show at Great Woods outside of Boston -- it was a fun show, and to me they sounded pretty good. I had watched The Dance a gazillion times, and people did hang on the S/L interactions back in those days -- there were a ton of fan reviews as well on this site as well as the Nicksfix, I think.

It was a good show, but yes, very scripted and sort of cheesy because of how scripted even the "moments" between Stevie and Lindsey were. On the one hand, they were kind of stuck because people saw the TV version which seems to have been genuine when it was recorded, and now they had to play that out because that was one of the things that made The Dance go viral (before we called it viral). I think some folks were naive/willfully blind about the fact that S/L were playing it up for the show, but many others were happy with it.

I never got to see FM live before The Dance, so for that I'm grateful that I got to see that tour with all of them, and the one they did after Chris came back. Of the 1997-present tours, I think SYW might have been the best show, even though I didn't love some of the songs. Stevie and Lindsey both sounded very good, and some of the album tracks that they brought out from Tusk were a real treat.

[Villavic]

It was a good show, but yes, very scripted and sort of cheesy because of how scripted even the "moments" between Stevie and Lindsey were.

Yes. It was my first time to see them live, too. So the "scripted" didn't bother me nor diminish my excitement. But yes I do remember thinking... is it usual for bands to always say the same thing at all their shows on a tour? Anyway what did bother me was the MSG staff that didn't allow us to dance, they wanted to see the whole show sitting down, so ridiculous.

However, I remember some ledgies comments that year. Can't remember who or at what show, somebody told that the last verse You could be my... silver spring... Blue green... colors flaaashin', was sung by Lindsey instead of Stevie. And another comment about Stevie put her head on Lindsey's shoulder while singing some lines of SS. So there were some variations.

[Macfan4life]

Stevie, Lindsey, and Mick were really happy but it was so obvious that Chris was not enjoying herself. Its the only time in her life she has told Mick NO. Her marriage was on the rocks, the 1994 earthquake happened, and she was still mourning her father's passing while her estate was being finished.
If I could rearrange a page or two in time, I wish they would have recorded a studio album before hitting the road. 1996 was a sleepy year for all of them. It would have been something.

[David]

I was at the show at Great Woods outside of Boston -- it was a fun show, and to me they sounded pretty good. I had watched The Dance a gazillion times, and people did hang on the S/L interactions back in those days -- there were a ton of fan reviews as well on this site as well as the Nicksfix, I think.
We had such fun on the Penguin that year, anusha. Remember how we talked about the mysterious green drink on Christine’s keyboard rig? We had all sorts of conspiracy theories about that.

The Mac was on top of the world (more or less) and it felt good to be a follower — for the first time in about ten years. The years leading up to it, when we assumed that the dive in stature and fortune was permanent, were dry years indeed. It was incredibly embarrassing to tell anyone (for example, at the newspaper where I worked from 1990 to 1996) that I loved this band. Sometimes, I even wondered whether I did or not. But the 1997 reunion cleared out all that stale air, the putrid fumes of has-beens. If I ever write a book about the 1988 to 1995 years, that’s what I’ll call it: The Putrid Fumes of Has-Been

It was a good show, but yes, very scripted and sort of cheesy because of how scripted even the "moments" between Stevie and Lindsey were. On the one hand, they were kind of stuck because people saw the TV version which seems to have been genuine when it was recorded, and now they had to play that out because that was one of the things that made The Dance go viral (before we called it viral). I think some folks were naive/willfully blind about the fact that S/L were playing it up for the show, but many others were happy with it. I think that concerts and audiences were changing by then, too. Technology and the general way of performing were formulas by then. Too much money was involved for a 1970s spirit to prevail. Bands and managers and booking agents wanted the look of spontaneity without actual spontaneity. In the old days, if you saw Mac play a multi-night run somewhere (like the Forum or the Hollywood Bowl), you would immediately compute all the subtle and not-so-subtle differences between the nightly shows.

But by 1997 (really, by 1987, when I saw two nights in a row somewhere-or-other), one performance of “Say You Love Me” or “Dreams” sounded pretty much like another, including the pitter-patter before and after. Occasionally you got lucky and saw something distinct and sort of funny, like when Stevie was robotically introducing Billy and Rick in 1987 — “I would like to . . .” — but the little flap on her skirt was misbehaving and she abruptly said, “I would like to fix THAT.”

I never got to see FM live before The Dance, so for that I'm grateful that I got to see that tour with all of them, and the one they did after Chris came back. Of the 1997-present tours, I think SYW might have been the best show, even though I didn't love some of the songs. Stevie and Lindsey both sounded very good, and some of the album tracks that they brought out from Tusk were a real treat.
Say You Will was a great tour, for the time, probably the most energetic and even a little reckless. But the 1997 tour at least gave us some unusual moments: “Not That Funny” with extended jam, “Oh Daddy” with Christine on piano, “Farmer’s Daughter” with all three on vocals. I mean, the night wasn’t entirely predictable (even though the smell of Big Money was everywhere).

[Mr Scarrott]

I remember feeling crestfallen that the Mac never really extended their tour to the UK in 1997/98. It was a long wait to 2015 but that final tour of the five certainly felt more joyous, despite it's scripted moments, from my experience and from what I have read of the former.

[Penguin Emeritus]

The Mac was on top of the world (more or less) and it felt good to be a follower — for the first time in about ten years. The years leading up to it, when we assumed that the dive in stature and fortune was permanent, were dry years indeed. It was incredibly embarrassing to tell anyone (for example, at the newspaper where I worked from 1990 to 1996) that I loved this band. Sometimes, I even wondered whether I did or not. But the 1997 reunion cleared out all that stale air, the putrid fumes of has-beens. If I ever write a book about the 1988 to 1995 years, that’s what I’ll call it: The Putrid Fumes of Has-Been.

i love that book title! :lol: anyway, yes to all the above, it's hard to believe how the mac had sort of just 'drifted away' in those sad years before the dance reunion. I really thought they'd had their day and were perhaps headed towards irrelevance. so glad they came back to us.

--Lis

[soul_drifter333]

The marching band at the end was quite a moment and it still puts a big smile on my face. The rest of The Dance is pretty meh. Wouldn't that have been wild if they would have had a marching band on every show of the Tusk tour. It proves that were on some pretty powerful stuff to think they could pull that off in every town. :lol::lol:

[Villavic]

It was a long wait to 2015 but that final tour of the five certainly felt more joyous, despite it's scripted moments, from my experience and from what I have read of the former.

I agree I saw them happier in 2014 than in 1997, specially and definitely Christine. I saw Lindsey at his peak of happiness and energy in 2009. Stevie's excessive prominence was in 2014, not in the two previous shows I saw. She did well in 2009, but I thought she looked a bit tired.

I loved the 1997 show because it was my first opportunity to watch them live. But I was at "210" seat segment at MSG. It's in the upper level and not close to the stage. There were no big screens so I couldn't see their face expressions. Their cloned phrases from the Dance video didn't bother me, but it did pique my curiosity.

Stevie was good in all three shows I've been, I'd say an average level, I mean singing. But too much speech in 2014. At the end of that show (after Songbird), she stayed on the stage and talked for quite a while. The audio wasn't very good, and I honestly couldn't understand much; remember, english isn't my native language. She was talking happily, but since I couldn't understand well, I took the opportunity to leave the venue before she said goodbye, trying to avoid the crowd.

Lindsey was great in 2009, his best performance I've watched. And Christine, 2014 was her year. Again, that's my perception about the only three concerts I went to.

[anusha]

We had such fun on the Penguin that year, anusha. Remember how we talked about the mysterious green drink on Christine’s keyboard rig? We had all sorts of conspiracy theories about that.

The Mac was on top of the world (more or less) and it felt good to be a follower — for the first time in about ten years. The years leading up to it, when we assumed that the dive in stature and fortune was permanent, were dry years indeed. It was incredibly embarrassing to tell anyone (for example, at the newspaper where I worked from 1990 to 1996) that I loved this band. Sometimes, I even wondered whether I did or not. But the 1997 reunion cleared out all that stale air, the putrid fumes of has-beens. If I ever write a book about the 1988 to 1995 years, that’s what I’ll call it: The Putrid Fumes of Has-Been



It really was a fun time! I had been a fan through Tango, and I just couldn't get into Behind the Mask. I had liked some of the Stevie solo hits, but what really brought me back into the fold was Out of the Cradle. I saw his PBS special, including the acoustic Big Love, and I was sold. To see that live during The Dance was incredible. I know it's become old hat by now, but I still enjoy seeing it in his solo shows.

After seeing the unseemly way it all splintered, it's easy for me to look back and be jaded, but at the time it was a lot of fun, though more manufactured to capitalize on the Stevie/Lindsey lore than I would have liked in retrospect. But that is, in some ways, what keeps younger people still fascinated -- any number of tiktoks are devoted to it, Daisy Jones and the Six and the play Stereophonic are poorly disguised copies of their story.

I think many bands played more or less the same show with similar banter every night, but the main thing that I see changing was the ability of fans to share recaps almost instantaneously on the internet (and later video) made the repetition more evident to the average fan who might have read or seen prior versions of a show.

[Villavic]

I think many bands played more or less the same show with similar banter every night, but the main thing that I see changing was the ability of fans to share recaps almost instantaneously on the internet (and later video) made the repetition more evident to the average fan who might have read or seen prior versions of a show.

Yes. I don't know if in the 80s concerts the bands used to repeat the same speech, only those who attended several nights during a tour know. In this case we didn't have internet and social media, but there was The Dance video, so we knew they were repeating the script.

I wonder if it was the same case as in Hell Freezes Over. Did Glenn repeated "For the record, we never broke up; we just took a fourteen-year vacation" every night? Or "We didn't think getting back together was quite as legitimate unless we had some new material..." or Don about one of the new songs "The third verses are kind of multiple choice kind of thing, and I probably won't remember any of them, so..."

[Macfan4life]

Yes. I don't know if in the 80s concerts the bands used to repeat the same speech, only those who attended several nights during a tour know. In this case we didn't have internet and social media, but there was The Dance video, so we knew they were repeating the script.

I wonder if it was the same case as in Hell Freezes Over. Did Glenn repeated "For the record, we never broke up; we just took a fourteen-year vacation" every night? Or "We didn't think getting back together was quite as legitimate unless we had some new material..." or Don about one of the new songs "The third verses are kind of multiple choice kind of thing, and I probably won't remember any of them, so..."
See this was never an issue with any of Stevie's 1980s solo concerts. Each night was a completely different show. Will she remember to introduce all of her band members? Will she know what city she is playing and if so will she say it? How many times will she flub lyrics or choruses. It was an edge of your seat night to see if she was going to survive the night.