27/05/15 - The 02

[twinmatrix]

I'm SO excited to see if there are any setlist changed!

[FuzzyPlum]

I'm getting excited and I'm not going until 22nd June.
Have a good time tonight and let us know ASAP.

[wheart]

I'm SO excited to see if there are any setlist changed!

not to be a "wet blanket" but I highly doubt there will be. This is Fleetwood Mac, remember...;):lol:

[twinmatrix]

By "set list changes" I mostly mean Songbird and Seven Wonders. I think they still performed them a couple of times so maybe they're not permanently cut? Only time will tell (aka the next 2 hours) :lol:

[MikeVielhaber]

not to be a "wet blanket" but I highly doubt there will be. This is Fleetwood Mac, remember...;):lol:

Yes, hard to see how one would derive excitement in anticipation of a set list change. Very little chance of that happening.

[twinmatrix]

Well, seems like Songbird and Seven Wonders really are cut permanently... Damnit. :/ Can't they remove I Know I'm Not Wrong?

[poetinmyheart]

Well, seems like Songbird and Seven Wonders really are cut permanently... Damnit. :/ Can't they remove I Know I'm Not Wrong?

Songbird was performed tonight :nod:

Just got home from the London show. I'd avoided all videos and reviews of the previous American shows so had no real idea what to expect with the five of them being reunited again. I was certainly not disappointed. They were incredible - absolutely brought the house down. Am on such a high right now, am already plotting how I'm going to get my hands on a ticket to a later London date.

I hope everyone else who was there tonight enjoyed it as much as I did and I'm excited for everyone who has it still to come :D

[Macfan4life]

Songbird was performed tonight :nod:

Just got home from the London show. I'd avoided all videos and reviews of the previous American shows so had no real idea what to expect with the five of them being reunited again. I was certainly not disappointed. They were incredible - absolutely brought the house down. Am on such a high right now, am already plotting how I'm going to get my hands on a ticket to a later London date.

I hope everyone else who was there tonight enjoyed it as much as I did and I'm excited for everyone who has it still to come :D
I understand your "high." I had the same high after the Pittsburgh show. Please give us more details :eek:

[poetinmyheart]

I understand your "high." I had the same high after the Pittsburgh show. Please give us more details :eek:

I'll post my thoughts in a little more detail tomorrow but what I will say is the vocals, harmonies were on point. And don't get me started on L's playing. Big Love was incredible. He literally made his fingers bleed tonight - he said it's the problem with having 5-6 weeks off! Everyone was buzzing when leaving the arena, full of praise for all of them. 2.5 hours of pure magic. Simply brilliant. I was overcome with emotion at the end and I'm not ashamed to admit, I may have shed a tear or two :cool::shrug:

[poetinmyheart]

The Telegraph Review is up already - 5 stars.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/live-music-reviews/11633906/Fleetwood-Mac-O2-Arena-review-Nothing-less-than-extraordinary.html

The Chain made for a suitably dramatic opening, showing off the restored Fleetwood Mac to full effect with that fantastic bass, thunderous drums, blood quickening guitar solo and gorgeous wall of harmonies insisting the chain cannot be broken. Going straight into You Make Loving Fun drove the point home, showcasing Christine McVie's smooth vocal and funky keyboards. "I think we can safely say our girl is back" trilled Stevie Nicks.

This tour marks the full reunion of the classic line-up, with the return of Christine McVie after 16 years. The band have become almost the definition of a heritage act in her absence, regularly touring sets of their greatest hits to nostalgic audiences, so you can't really say she was missed. But there is no doubt she restores some balance, both in musical and pop cultural terms.
Musically, she takes some of the weight off virtuoso guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, her smooth, lush pop songs softening his sharper arty edges. Flowing gems as potent as Everywhere, Little Lies and Songbird were restored to their rightful place in the centre of a Fleetwood set and for that alone audiences have reason to be grateful. But there is a sense too that the dysfunctional family is back together, healing old wounds with the balm of time and music, a message that, in itself, speaks volumes to lifelong fans.

Fleetwood Mac make much of their history of "ups and downs" as Buckingham puts it. Now that Christine is back playing again with ex-husband bassist John McVie there are three former couples on stage, if you take into account that drummer Mick Fleetwood romanced singer Nicks behind the back of Buckingham. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Buckingham insisted, and seemed intent on proving it with a playful yet dramatically full blooded duet with his ex on Never Going Back Again.

The soap opera has always lent a certain depth and texture to Fleetwood Mac but, frankly, a little less chatter and a little more playing would be my only suggestion. There were speeches even after the encores. Yet it feels churlish to complain. Precious few bands have contained the range of vocal, stylistic and songwriting talent of the Mac, and even the inevitable inclusion of a new song didn't start a queue for the toilets. With that taut, explosive rhythm section, Buckingham's imaginative flair, Nicks' wildcard charisma and Christine McVie's singalong soulfulness restored to the heart of the matter, there is really no way this band could be anything less than extraordinary. A lusty mass singalong of Don't Stop spoke volumes about how their audience felt about the return of the Mac.

[tango87]

Hello all,

Just got home and am rather zonked so I shall keep it brief, but it was sensational, of course. Such a thrill to see Christine back on stage - my first time ever. She was amazing - beautiful, stunning voice, seemed so happy.

Again some lovely acoustic instrumentals from Lindsey before the show. I spotted Peacekeeper, Red Rover, Stephanie, Sisters of the Moon and Sugar Daddy! Also something I just couldn't identify but sounded like Destiny Rules.

I had a great floor seat 9 rows back right in front of Christine. I'm tall and stood up the whole show (sorry people behind me...) but then so did everyone, so I had a great view of expressions/interaction. I have to say I was slightly apprehensive after the recent articles, and I do think there was a fair bit of tension between S&L. Not much eye contact or touching of hands, all rather cursory. Both of them were all smiles with Christine of course, but at times it was a bit like watching the Mirage video. Now I might be reading something into nothing, but it seemed to me that there was a rather heavy moment in Gold Dust Woman. In the 'did it make you cry' harmonising bit, Lindsey was sending major sideways glances at Stevie, and pointing/gesturing at her, culminating in a proper open-handed gesture on 'now tell me is it over now?'... As I say, I might have been projecting, but it looked like he was asking her directly 'are you finished with the band?'. Anyway it certainly added spice to the mix. Maybe a video will emerge and we can examine the evidence. I don't take photos or video at concerts, I'm afraid - too busy yelping and jumping up and down.

A stunning night. My highlights were You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies, Say You Love Me - pretty much all Chris's songs. Landslide was quite fast, I thought, but gorgeous and dedicated to Adele, who presumably was in the audience. Lindsey said his finger was bleeding just before Big Love... I loved Never Going Back Again, even at a glacial pace. Um, what else? Songbird was in, and was beautiful. No Seven Wonders. Silver Springs sounded a bit off... World Turning! Wonderful.

A great crowd too. What a magnificent night.

[tango87]

From the Telegraph review above:

"even the inevitable inclusion of a new song didn't start a queue for the toilets."

Just to clarify, there was no new song. Perhaps the reviewer had never heard I Know I'm Not Wrong before...

[poetinmyheart]

From the Telegraph review above:

"even the inevitable inclusion of a new song didn't start a queue for the toilets."

Just to clarify, there was no new song. Perhaps the reviewer had never heard I Know I'm Not Wrong before...

Yeah, I meant to comment on this. New song! We should be so lucky :rolleyes:

[Macfan4life]

Were there any dancing ponies to Everywhere?
I am assuming because if its recent silver status it was received even better in London?

[poetinmyheart]

Were there any dancing ponies to Everywhere?
I am assuming because if its recent silver status it was received even better in London?

Haha. It's funny you should say that- during Everywhere, I turned to my friend and said I wish that they would acknowledge the dancing pony and play it on the screens.

The song was very well received, as expected. The majority of the arena was on their feet. Everywhere gets a fair bit of radio air time over here.

Christine really was wonderful tonight. So lovely to hear her songs added back into the setlist. She was beaming the whole night :D

[nicole21290]

http://38.media.tumblr.com/df1e7c8080ce6ce618f7d8f625765734/tumblr_np1ai8l43w1sn8si8o2_250.gif http://38.media.tumblr.com/ab3d528969e4071e720b92bd83c39925/tumblr_np1ai8l43w1sn8si8o1_250.gif

Also, Florence Welch and Adele both got pictures with Stevie backstage, with the LS dedication going to the latter. And Harry Styles going AGAIN clogged up my search. ;)

[elle]

And Harry Styles going AGAIN clogged up my search. ;)
how many times is that so far? seems like Harry should be on the ledge!

[elle]

And don't get me started on L's playing. Big Love was incredible. He literally made his fingers bleed tonight - he said it's the problem with having 5-6 weeks off!

poor baby, he seems to always completely take his time off and not play any guitar during the break so first shows back after a month+ he's bleeding all over the place. and just powers through.

[Montclare]

http://38.media.tumblr.com/df1e7c8080ce6ce618f7d8f625765734/tumblr_np1ai8l43w1sn8si8o2_250.gif http://38.media.tumblr.com/ab3d528969e4071e720b92bd83c39925/tumblr_np1ai8l43w1sn8si8o1_250.gif

Also, Florence Welch and Adele both got pictures with Stevie backstage, with the LS dedication going to the latter. And Harry Styles going AGAIN clogged up my search. ;)

I thought she was smacking him in the face at first. :lol:

[nicole21290]

how many times is that so far? seems like Harry should be on the ledge!

Seriously. Lindsey's girls may have gotten Facetime calls with him but Stevie got a CAKE. :lol:

http://40.media.tumblr.com/de690b2f74b0055767e384928c23aef1/tumblr_np1eajfcUb1sn8si8o2_500.jpg

[elle]

cute (and typical!) interaction -

https://instagram.com/p/3M-n0hHNGb/?taken-by=mthom94

[nicole21290]

I thought she was smacking him in the face at first. :lol:

It reminded me of this. Except that that was rain and this was sweat. So, yeah... Lindsey's well aware it won't help though, bless him. :D

http://33.media.tumblr.com/edc2a8cfd7eb8950244392b51eebddf6/tumblr_np1buthBS51sn8si8o1_250.gif

[elle]

also, for anyone interested, European dates have a tour book available again, same as they did the last tour.

[michelej1]

also, for anyone interested, European dates have a tour book available again, same as they did the last tour.

My goodness. That's maddening. Michele

[michelej1]

A stunning night. My highlights were You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies, Say You Love Me - pretty much all Chris's songs. Landslide was quite fast, I thought, but gorgeous and dedicated to Adele, who presumably was in the audience. Lindsey said his finger was bleeding just before Big Love... I loved Never Going Back Again, even at a glacial pace. Um, what else? Songbird was in, and was beautiful. No Seven Wonders. Silver Springs sounded a bit off... World Turning! Wonderful.


Glad you had a good time and it's wonderful that Songbird reared it's head again. I hope it stays. I like renditions of GDW when Lindsey starts kicking his boots together and she's pointing at him, "did she make you cry, make you break down ..." Sounds like you were treated to a nice take of it yourself. Michele

[Macfanforever]

I'm just checking in.

I hope you guys had a blast tonight..As its almost midnight EST DST here in Wallyworld . and almost 5 am in London as I post this message .You guys are fast asleep now and I'll wait until the morning and read the review and see the pix and vids.

Goodnight..Sweet dreams.......

[Danielle]

If anyone is interested, I've uploaded 66 HQ images from London: http://postimg.org/gallery/qtcktcrw/

You have to double click for full size.

[twinmatrix]

Songbird was performed tonight :nod:

Just got home from the London show. I'd avoided all videos and reviews of the previous American shows so had no real idea what to expect with the five of them being reunited again. I was certainly not disappointed. They were incredible - absolutely brought the house down. Am on such a high right now, am already plotting how I'm going to get my hands on a ticket to a later London date.

I hope everyone else who was there tonight enjoyed it as much as I did and I'm excited for everyone who has it still to come :D

OH MY GOD WHAT THEY PERFORMED SONGBIRD WHAT WAAAA

I WILL DIE

I WILL DIE ON MONDAY

That is LITERALLY one of the most beautiful songs in the world. T_____T

[LesPaulPlayer91]

Hello all,

Just got home and am rather zonked so I shall keep it brief, but it was sensational, of course. Such a thrill to see Christine back on stage - my first time ever. She was amazing - beautiful, stunning voice, seemed so happy.

Again some lovely acoustic instrumentals from Lindsey before the show. I spotted Peacekeeper, Red Rover, Stephanie, Sisters of the Moon and Sugar Daddy! Also something I just couldn't identify but sounded like Destiny Rules.

I had a great floor seat 9 rows back right in front of Christine. I'm tall and stood up the whole show (sorry people behind me...) but then so did everyone, so I had a great view of expressions/interaction. I have to say I was slightly apprehensive after the recent articles, and I do think there was a fair bit of tension between S&L. Not much eye contact or touching of hands, all rather cursory. Both of them were all smiles with Christine of course, but at times it was a bit like watching the Mirage video. Now I might be reading something into nothing, but it seemed to me that there was a rather heavy moment in Gold Dust Woman. In the 'did it make you cry' harmonising bit, Lindsey was sending major sideways glances at Stevie, and pointing/gesturing at her, culminating in a proper open-handed gesture on 'now tell me is it over now?'... As I say, I might have been projecting, but it looked like he was asking her directly 'are you finished with the band?'. Anyway it certainly added spice to the mix. Maybe a video will emerge and we can examine the evidence. I don't take photos or video at concerts, I'm afraid - too busy yelping and jumping up and down.

A stunning night. My highlights were You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies, Say You Love Me - pretty much all Chris's songs. Landslide was quite fast, I thought, but gorgeous and dedicated to Adele, who presumably was in the audience. Lindsey said his finger was bleeding just before Big Love... I loved Never Going Back Again, even at a glacial pace. Um, what else? Songbird was in, and was beautiful. No Seven Wonders. Silver Springs sounded a bit off... World Turning! Wonderful.

A great crowd too. What a magnificent night.

Going to the show tonight, does Lindsey do an instrumental solo spot before the main show? If so what time does he come on? Thanks! :)

[FuzzyPlum]

Going to the show tonight, does Lindsey do an instrumental solo spot before the main show? If so what time does he come on? Thanks! :)

Also, I recall an announcement a while back that they'd have an opening act for the UK shows. Did that happen last night?

[nicole21290]

The answer is 'no' to the previous two questions. The instrumentals which are played are just over the sound system, and there was no opening act. If there was, not a single person remarked upon it. :D

Another review, some lines of which made me laugh FAR too much...

http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/fleetwood-mac-reunion-tour-o2-arena

To begin at the very bizarre ending. Fleetwood Mac, finally reincarnated as a five-piece with Christine McVie stage right on luscious vocals and keyboard, had just thrashed out a show of great finesse for two hours. It had all gone peachily. McVie was given a last lovely encore - “Songbird” – sung solo on a grand piano. It should have been the final word. Many were already going, or gone.

But after one last bow Stevie Nicks, as ever an accident in a taffeta factory, had a rambling tale to tell about McVie’s prodigal return after 16 years. This bathetic oration lasted about three minutes. Then Mick Fleetwood, perhaps refusing to cede the last word to anyone else, came out to tell one and all to “take care of yourselves and be kind to one another”.
The warring band that launched a thousand documentaries has overdosed on the talking cure. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” said Lindsey Buckingham in one of his confessionals. And of course richer. The reincarnated Mac have been touring since September – this return to the band’s first home was their 82nd date.

The McVies have the the right idea. Christine simply said it was nice to be back, while John, got up like a London dustman after a makeover, never opened his gob. You always know he’s there, though. Fleetwood Mac takes its name from its rhythm section, and last night at the O2 they were loud in the mix from the first thuds of Fleetwood’s bass drum and McVie’s iconic running bassline in “The Chain”. Too loud sometimes: “Rhiannon” should be all about Nicks but was as much about drum and bass.

The return of Christine McVie has restored Mac to equilibrium. A mulch of British rhythm and blues and San Franciscan flower power was always held in balance by the more grounded of its two songbirds. For years there’s been nothing to bridge the gap between Fleetwood’s leaning-on-a-lamppost shtick and the larval Californian gush of moon-sister Nicks and karmic old stoner Buckingham. As the first three songs rolled out from Rumours – “The Chain”, “You Make Loving Fun” and “Dreams” - the band’s three voices were back in sync. McVie’s lovely mumsy alto is still the only known antidote to Nicks’ magnificent mystical foghorn.

Rumours was, as only right and proper, at the heart of this reunion. It still casts a hell of a spell even if no one – not even the three graces on backing vocalists – had the whoomph to hit the high harmonic line in “Second Hand News”. But the oldies don’t have to be carbon copies. In the acoustic interlude, Buckingham led a clever if slightly self-indulgent reinterpretation of “Never Going Down Again”, full of slow slide vocals and delayed entrances.

Such is the giant shadow cast by Rumours that Buckingham wasn’t entirely disingenuous to mention “an album called Tango in the Night”. “Big Love”, full of inchoate back-to-the-woods all-American yowls, was prefaced by his now usual blurb about what the song meant then and means now. There are two Buckinghams, the shaman and the showman. When he wasn’t sharing the fluff in his navel, he spent the night duck-walking in skinny jeans and wigging out like a teenager, climaxing the main set with a guitar solo in which he was, basically, beating off.

There were several sniffs of the band as a work in progress. Fleetwood came to the front to bash a smaller kit for the fivesome’s not-that-great first ever single, “Over My Head”, affording a tantalising glimpse of what it would be like to see them play a club. “Landslide” – Nicks’s lovely lyrics about ageing now truer than ever - was a moment of peace in a stormy night. At the song’s end, she wiped a finger across Buckingham’s sopping brow. There was that much love in the room.

Rumours’ bloated successor Tusk was quoted. The title song, with its marching-band brass blasted out on synths, remains impressively weird. “Sisters of the Moon”, with a colour-boosted Celtic landscape on the back projection, felt like Nicks’s hippy-dippy signature. As the show entered its last quarter, you could be forgiven for assuming Christine McVie had left the band all over again. The set ended with “Go Your Own Way”, before the encore brought what many must have thought they’d been spared, Fleetwood’s demented-magus drum solo. “Don’t Stop” restored order, only for Nicks and Fleetwood to take the song’s message a little too literally with those closing speeches. Not that you should doubt the sentiment. This band has broken a lot of chains in its time. With the links back in place, they are a thing to behold.

[Mr Scarrott]

From the Evening Standard:

Like all the best potboilers, there’s a twist to Fleetwood Mac at every turn. This time around, their wildly successful On With The Show tour sees the return of elegant 71-year-old Christine McVie (who left in 1998) rekindling the squabbling quintet’s mega-selling Seventies/Eighties line-up.

As ever, they were four very distinct individuals, plus bassist John McVie who neither moved nor spoke. His ex-wife’s Little Lies and Everywhere were sweet-natured, concise, chorus-heavy nuggets. Mick Fleetwood’s uncalled-for drum solo during World Turning included extra grunting. Nicks struggled for mobility but remained no stranger to witchy mumbo-jumbo. Lindsey Buckingham’s playing on solo showcase Big Love was a reminder of who has the group’s outstanding talent.

However, when the individuals surrendered to the collective, the evening turned celestial. Harmonies sparked off each other on The Chain; the comforting Don’t Stop and its dark twin, Go Your Own Way, were all singalong moments of adult pop perfection. But Fleetwood Mac were always strongest at their most unhinged. The deranged, daring Tusk offered demonic cackling, accordion, a percussion earthquake and wailing capable of waking the dead.

http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/music/fleetwood-mac-tour-review-moments-of-adult-pop-perfection-10280804.html

Some reviewers just don't get John, do they? I'm off to the O2 tonight. I still can't quite believe it. This is this line-up's first tour of the UK in thirty-five years and only its third tour here ever. Happy am I to be alive on such a day. All faults forgiven.

[Phil Lee]

Did anyone do the VIP meet and greet with Mick? I'll be doing it at the first Manchester show and am curious how it was handled this tour.

[shackin'up]

Haha. Excellent review. A Shaman and a Showman. Wonderfully put. As were several of the onliners in this piece. Cool.

[twinmatrix]

BUT SERIOUSLY.

SONGBIRD.

How is no one else freaking out over its return. o__o

And also I saw a printed set list where it wasn't on there. o__O

[reebokandlace]

The show was amazing. It was well worth crossing the pond to see. They really are great players (and great actors) i was reminded that what happens during the show vs the reality of their personal interactions off stage are completely different worlds.

That being said, I would like to publically apologize for any mud I may have thrown at any member of the band, (and Karen, whom I have blamed for every single thing that has gone wrong in Stevie's life in the past 25 years, she has the toughest job and really is an amazing assistant) or any former producers. I was wrong, I was misguided by my hurt and anger and I am very sorry. I am eating crow on the Ledge.

Now ....on with the show....

Reebok

[poetinmyheart]

So I was so taken last night by the whole thing, I've decided that I want to see one more show in London - one of the late June dates. I only have experience buying tickets months in advance on ticketmaster or live nation. I saw a tweet last night where someone said that some good tickets had come up at the O2 box office a few hours before the show. Is this usual? Anyone got any advice on getting last minute tickets for London? I know some sites like stubhub have tickets up, but again, I have no experience of buying tickets last minute like this.

[jbrownsjr]

The show was amazing. It was well worth crossing the pond to see. They really are great players (and great actors) i was reminded that what happens during the show vs the reality of their personal interactions off stage are completely different worlds.

That being said, I would like to publically apologize for any mud I may have thrown at any member of the band, (and Karen, whom I have blamed for every single thing that has gone wrong in Stevie's life in the past 25 years, she has the toughest job and really is an amazing assistant) or any former producers. I was wrong, I was misguided by my hurt and anger and I am very sorry. I am eating crow on the Ledge.

Now ....on with the show....

Reebok

You're forgiven. Christine can do that to a person. :)

[Sanne2]

So no Seven Wonders? That's a shame, I was looking forward to hearing that live this sunday.

[nicole21290]

So no Seven Wonders? That's a shame, I was looking forward to hearing that live this sunday.

It's no longer on the setlist, not just crossed out either.

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[ChickenStu]

Well. I went to my second Fleetwood Mac gig last night. Whilst it was nice to see the five original members together again and to hear songs like Everywhere and Little Lies performed - the changes in key of some of the songs were really quite jarring. Plus, the staff at the 02 were being really officious and I got told off for a number of things including puffing on my e-cig and standing up whilst trying to acclimatize myself to the altitude of where my seat was in the venue.

This is in stark contrast to the gig I attended in September 2013 in which the crowd were left alone to dance and have a bit of a party. I don't know what's happened to the 02 staff since then - but this woman who kept bothering me pretty much ALMOST ruined my night. I'd make a complaint about her but it would do not good.

I mean OK - fair play - I probably shouldn't have been using my e-cig - but it's when she came and stood next to me for no reason as if to say "I'm watching you mate" - really kind of pissed me off.

But I'm pleased to be able to say I've seen Fleetwood Mac twice. But of the two concerts I've attended - the first one was the best. There was a magic in the air that night that seemed to sort of be missing this time around if that makes any sense.

[michelej1]

NME by Leonie Cooper May 28, 2015

http://www.nme.com/news/fleetwood-mac/85746

Adele and Florence Welch watch Fleetwood Mac kick off UK tour in London Fleetwood Mac Tickets

The band - including Christine McVie - played London's O2 last night (May 27)

Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks dedicated the song 'Landslide' to Adele on the opening night of the band's UK tour.

The group played the first of a run of shows at London's The O2 last night (May 27), with Nicks addressing the crowd mid-set to talk about her love of British singer, Adele. "She's from here - you might know her," commented Nicks. "She's a fantastic songwriter... I told her 'you're going to be me in 40 years, you're going to still be up onstage doing what you're doing because of your songwriting'." The song 'Landslide' originally featured on the band's self-titled 1975 album.

Fleetwood Mac were joined by keyboard player and songwriter Christine McVie, who is now a full-time member of the band again, after first appearing on stage with the group at the same London venue in September 2013 before officially rejoining in January 2014. McVie - who wrote some of the band's most well known songs - left the band in 1998.

The band arrived onstage at 8.15pm and played a 22 song, hit-packed set to a sold out crowd. Opening with 'The Chain', it was followed by 'You Make Loving Fun' after which Christine McVie commented: "Thanks very much London, it's great to be here." Stevie Nicks then explained that it was the 82nd show of their current tour. "And now on show 82 I think we can safely say that our girl is back!," she added, gesturing to McVie.

Following 'Rhiannon', McVie addressed the crowd once more. "I can't tell you what a thrill it is to be on the stage with these wonderful musicians who I consider my family," she said. "You don't get this chance many times in life - I got it twice." The band then started a mass sing-along with 'Everywhere'. Guitar player Lindsey Buckingham later spoke about "the return of the beautiful Christine" and called it "a karmic, circular moment".

Later, for the songs 'Over My Head' and 'Gypsy', drummer Mick Fleetwood swapped his large kit for a smaller one at the front of the stage, which Christine McVie referred to as a "cocktail kit". During 'World Turning' he embarked on an epic drum solo, much to the delight of the crowd. "****, this is a huge, massive place," he remarked towards the end.

Following the show, both Adele and Florence And The Machine's Florence Welch were pictured backstage with Stevie Nicks.

Read more at http://www.nme.com/news/fleetwood-mac/85746#tKxQ8MWAMCgr1gcG.99

[michelej1]

Telegraph Co. UK (5 stars *****) By Neil McCormick

11:00PM BST 27 May 2015

Fleetwood Mac, O2 Arena, review: 'Nothing less than extraordinary'

The soap opera of the band member's personal lives has always lent a certain depth and texture to Fleetwood Mac, says Neil McCormick


The Chain made for a suitably dramatic opening, showing off the restored Fleetwood Mac to full effect with that fantastic bass, thunderous drums, blood quickening guitar solo and gorgeous wall of harmonies insisting the chain cannot be broken. Going straight into You Make Loving Fun drove the point home, showcasing Christine McVie's smooth vocal and funky keyboards. "I think we can safely say our girl is back" trilled Stevie Nicks.

This tour marks the full reunion of the classic line-up, with the return of Christine McVie after 16 years. The band have become almost the definition of a heritage act in her absence, regularly touring sets of their greatest hits to nostalgic audiences, so you can't really say she was missed. But there is no doubt she restores some balance, both in musical and pop cultural terms.

Musically, she takes some of the weight off virtuoso guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, her smooth, lush pop songs softening his sharper arty edges. Flowing gems as potent as Everywhere, Little Lies and Songbird were restored to their rightful place in the centre of a Fleetwood set and for that alone audiences have reason to be grateful.

But there is a sense too that the dysfunctional family is back together, healing old wounds with the balm of time and music, a message that, in itself, speaks volumes to lifelong fans

Fleetwood Mac make much of their history of "ups and downs" as Buckingham puts it. Now that Christine is back playing again with ex-husband bassist John McVie there are three former couples on stage, if you take into account that drummer Mick Fleetwood romanced singer Nicks behind the back of Buckingham.

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Buckingham insisted, and seemed intent on proving it with a playful yet dramatically full blooded duet with his ex on Never Going Back Again.

The soap opera has always lent a certain depth and texture to Fleetwood Mac but, frankly, a little less chatter and a little more playing would be my only suggestion. There were speeches even after the encores. Yet it feels churlish to complain. Precious few bands have contained the range of vocal, stylistic and songwriting talent of the Mac, and even the inevitable inclusion of a new song didn't start a queue for the toilets.

With that taut, explosive rhythm section, Buckingham's imaginative flair, Nicks' wildcard charisma and Christine McVie's singalong soulfulness restored to the heart of the matter, there is really no way this band could be anything less than extraordinary. A lusty mass singalong of Don't Stop spoke volumes about how their audience felt about the return of the Mac.

[michelej1]

I don't know, Lindsey. What doesn't kill me usually just makes me weak, scared and unhappy. Not stronger.

Michele

[michelej1]

Fleetwood Mac review – back together, and just about perfect
4 / 5 stars

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/28/fleetwood-mac-on-with-the-show-tour-o2-arena-review

O2 Arena, London, The Guardian

The return of the band’s classic line-up on their On With the Show tour is cause for celebration – and fascination


“Let’s get this party started!” isn’t the introduction you expect at a Fleetwood Mac show, and especially not from Stevie Nicks, creator of the Hollywood Hills hippie-mystic archetype. But tonight is the 82nd gig of their year-long On With the Show tour and Nicks, splendid in trailing black lace, feels they’ve turned a corner in their relationship with Christine McVie. The singer-pianist’s nervousness about rejoining after a 16-year break has given way to wholehearted mucking in. Nodding towards McVie’s keyboard, behind which she is tall and commanding, Nicks roars: “Now I think we can safely say our girl is back!”

Mac returning to their classic configuration is cause for celebration, and not just because it lets us hear one of pop’s great songbooks performed by the five people who wrote it. There’s also the fascination of seeing them accommodate each other: Lindsey Buckingham, Nicks and McVie get equal front-time, and use it in ways that make you wonder how such disparate personalities functioned in the same group.

Nicks is the spell-casting sensualist, reedily fronting Dreams, Rhiannon and Landslide (dedicating the last to her father and singer Adele); Buckingham’s emotional collapse after years of “leading the lifestyle” is re-created in the angular battering he gives Tusk and Big Love. And McVie is somehow veiled and private, even when singing about bliss and its turbulent aftermath on Everywhere and Little Lies. Mick Fleetwood also gets his eventual moment, with a drum solo on World Turning, but he and John McVie are the perfect rhythm section – there without being too there.

There’s nothing to fault except Nicks’s getting so lost in her cocaine-warning song, Gold Dust Woman, that it goes on for a week – time that could have been better spent hearing the blaring Tusk again. Apart from that, it’s just about perfect.

[michelej1]

[Some say Lindsey's parents used the British spelling, but they don't spell it right in the UK either. Basically, you've ruined his life, Rutheda]

Fleetwood Mac Reviews: Critics Hail Band's London O2 Gig Reuniting Stevie Nicks, Lyndsey Buckingham, Christine McVie, Mick Fleetwood And John McVie


The Huffington Post UK | By Ashley Percival [click for slide show] 5/28/15

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/05/28/fleetwood-mac-reviews-london-o2-gig_n_7459456.html

It was the gig British Fleetwood Mac fans have been waiting years for - the original line-up back on-stage on UK soil.

So it’s fair to say that expectations were high as the band took to the stage at London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday night (27 May) as part of their ‘On With the Show’ tour.

Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were reunited with keyboard player Christine McVie after sixteen years, and it seems the critics absolutely loved it.

Here’s what they had to say…

The Guardian (4 stars)

“There’s nothing to fault except Nicks’s getting so lost in her cocaine-warning song, 'Gold Dust Woman', that it goes on for a week – time that could have been better spent hearing the blaring 'Tusk' again. Apart from that, it’s just about perfect.”

The Telegraph (5 stars)

“With that taut, explosive rhythm section, Buckingham's imaginative flair, Nicks' wildcard charisma and Christine McVie's singalong soulfulness restored to the heart of the matter, there is really no way this band could be anything less than extraordinary.”

Daily Star

“With the crowd featuring die-hard fans, teenagers and even Harry Styles, we can't see Fleetwood Mac ever losing their appeal – especially considering how incredible their live act is.”

Evening Standard (4 stars)

“When the individuals surrendered to the collective, the evening turned celestial. Harmonies sparked off each other on The Chain; the comforting 'Don’t Stop' and its dark twin, 'Go Your Own Way', were all singalong moments of adult pop perfection.”

[michelej1]

Look by Robyn Munson May 28, 2015

http://www.look.co.uk/fashion/adele-gets-glammed-up-for-a-gig-night-with-stevie-nicks

Adele Gets Glammed Up For A Gig Night With Stevie NIcks


Adele looked gorgeous at London's Fleetwood Mac concert last night as she posed for a selfie with Stevie and mingled with Harry Styles

Adele doesn't flaunt her antics on Twitter much, but when she does, they're always pretty epic.

Last night, the 27-year-old singer spent a night out watching Fleetwood Mac at London's O2 (along with the rest of the world), and couldn't hide her excitement when she got to pap a selfie with none other than Stevie Nicks herself.

Adele looked gorgeous in her star-struck selfie, working her signature uniform of black, black and more black but upping the glam factor with a gorgeous side-swept lob, fierce feline flicks and a glossy red lip.

Read more at http://www.look.co.uk/fashion/adele-gets-glammed-up-for-a-gig-night-with-stevie-nicks#xe1Z7fC6pWrqYu4F.99

'So...tonight was THE best night of my life. I love you Stevie Nicks!! The queen of melodies! Thanks for everything x,' she captioned the image of her and the legendary crooner.

It's not the first time she's been caught gushing over her showbiz icons – as well as papping a selfie with Lady Gaga earlier this year, the Skyfall singer also channelled her all-time idol, George Michael, on her 27th birthday this month when she underwent one almighty transformation to become George himself.

Taking to Twitter to post a photo booth snap of herself at the bash working George's trademark 80s aviators and a beard, she wrote: 'Thank you for the birthday wishes I had a wonderful time! I was my hero x #gottahavefaith.'

How we love you, Adele.

Also joining the British songstress at the gig last night was One Direction's Harry Styles, who was working his trusty man bun once again as he mingled with Lisa Snowden pulling peace signs backstage.

The Capital FM radio presenter shared a snap of herself with the floppy-haired boybander and her dad after bumping into him and wrote: 'This happened last night- Mr S met Mr S! @LiveNation epic night.'

Harry was also seen hanging out with his sister Gemma where he looked cool in an open black shirt to show off his man jewellery.

We wonder if Adele and Harry were hanging out too? With her dirty laugh and his cheeky chat, we can totally imagine those two getting on...

Read more at http://www.look.co.uk/fashion/adele-gets-glammed-up-for-a-gig-night-with-stevie-nicks#xe1Z7fC6pWrqYu4F.99

[Montclare]

If anyone is interested, I've uploaded 66 HQ images from London: http://postimg.org/gallery/qtcktcrw/

You have to double click for full size.

I love your pictures of Mick!

[bombaysaffires]

wow Chris's eye makeup looks like it was done by Stevie's makeup person! And her hair is looking much softer and sleeker than previous. ;)

[Danielle]

I love your pictures of Mick!
I should have said it when I posted it; these are not mine, they are professional pictures.
:)

[michelej1]

wow Chris's eye makeup looks like it was done by Stevie's makeup person! And her hair is looking much softer and sleeker than previous. ;)

Christine's hair did look a little brittle at the start of the tour. Michele

[michelej1]

Independent Co. UK, four stars **** May 31, 2015 by Andy Gill

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/fleetwood-mac-o2-arena-gig-review-theres-no-stopping-these-sublime-rockers-10287543.html#

Fleetwood Mac, O2 Arena, gig review: There's no stopping these sublime rockers

The internal dynamic of the Fleetwood Mac soap opera has always lent an additional frisson of interest to their performances, so the return of Christine McVie after an absence of 16 years made the band’s current show especially intriguing.

No surprise, then, that they should open with “The Chain”. Even without its obvious message that “the chain keeps us together”, it serves to reintroduce all the elements that make the band special: Mick Fleetwood’s earth-shaking bass-drum pulse heralding the re-constitution of those sylvan three-part harmonies, and John McVie’s massive bass bridge leading into the first of a series of dazzling guitar solos from Lindsey Buckingham. If only, in retrospect, they had stayed true to the show’s natural arc and eventually closed with the obvious money-shot encore, “Don’t Stop”, rather than deflating its impact by tacking on several more songs to an already overlong show.

But for a while, there’s no faulting this reunion, which of course relied heavily on “Rumours”, their defining epic of Californication. Even the weaker numbers, like “Second Hand News” and “Gold Dust Woman”, get an airing, the latter inflated into an interminable bout of melodrama.But once things settle down, there are some sublime performances tonight, several of them from Buckingham, a seriously underrated guitarist. His solo presentation of “Big Love”, a whirligig flurry of acoustic arpeggios and hammered notes, is extraordinary; though I could have done without the preceding lecture on the production of Tango in the Night and how it represented a “meditation on the power and importance of change”, or whatever. It’s almost as if he’s trying to epitomise the West Coast new-age weirdo – and that’s Stevie Nicks’ job, surely?

For her part, Nicks seems delighted to be back front and centre, wafting her witchy black silks and ribbons around and tottering about on spike-heeled platforms like a glam-rock version of the prologue to Macbeth during “Rhiannon”. By contrast, Christine McVie has a more refined deportment, even when hefting an accordion through a set-stopping version of the mighty “Tusk” which, in lieu of an actual horn section, climaxes with a back-projection of the USC Trojans marching-band that played on the original recording. It’s a euphoric, triumphant moment.

For all their claims of friendship, however, there’s something lacking in the onstage dynamic, which fails to shrink the massive space in the way that, say, the Stones do, when Keith and Ronnie lean upon each other like old chums. The three singers seem miles apart, as if reluctant to intrude on one another’s personal space. But whatever their relations, it seems to work for the music, which is uplifting and joyous for the most part. And the most welcome parts of it come from Christine McVie’s return: with songs as potent and engaging as “Little Lies”, “Everywhere”, “Say That You Love Me” and, of course, “Don’t Stop”, she’s always been the warm, welcoming heart of Fleetwood Mac, and it’s wonderful to see her back.

[michelej1]

Financial Times May 29, 2015 5:41 pm

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/de54fe4c-051d-11e5-8612-00144feabdc0.html


Fleetwood Mac, O2 Arena, London — review Peter Aspden

The band managed, in the way of sexagenarian rock ensembles, to sound both urgent and relaxed

It was the completion of a karmic cycle. The beginning of a new chapter. The flight back of a much-missed songbird, after an absence of 16 years. The return of Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie to live performance at London’s O2 Arena on Wednesday prompted a flow of tributes from her fellow band members, all of which she acknowledged with a winning air of modesty.

McVie was always one of the more stable components of a group that was notoriously prone to explosive internal chemical reactions, and her presence here seemed restorative. Her sensible coiffure and on-stage stillness acted, again, as an important counterpoint to the more pyrotechnical stagecraft of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.

Her songs, melodically simple and charmingly optimistic, cooled things down when melodrama threatened to take over. It felt authentically retro. Close your eyes and it was the year of the Queen’s silver jubilee all over again.

The band managed, in the way of sexagenarian rock ensembles, to sound both urgent and relaxed. They front-loaded the set with classics: “The Chain”, “You Make Loving Fun”, “Rhiannon”. It was not without its absurd moments. “Let’s get this party started!” exhorted Nicks, segueing straight into “Dreams”, seen as a rebuke to former boyfriend Buckingham: “Now here you go again, you say, You want your freedom, Well who am I to keep you down?”

But that was long ago, and nobody was keeping Buckingham down tonight. Drive and energy undiminished, his guitar-playing was well judged, his therapy-speak asides generally wise. “Big Love”, played solo, had turned, he said, from a “contemplation on alienation” to a “meditation on the power and importance of change”. Whatever; it was beautifully performed.

There was a lull halfway through; a reminder, for those of us who remember it first time around, that this was the mid-tempo, well-crafted, soft-rock balladry that punk was supposed to kill forever. It didn’t turn out that way. The songs are resonant and resurgent. “Go Your Own Way” (Buckingham’s own version of his troubles with Nicks), a song which only just penetrated the top 40, was a triumphant crowd-pleaser.

There was time for a demented drum solo from a dementedly happy Mick Fleetwood, and McVie’s slightly tentative rendition of “Songbird”. Can there really have been first-night nerves? If nothing else, it proved she cares. Writing new chapters after 40 years in this exhausting business can do that to you.


four out of five stars ****

[michelej1]

Spectator Co. UK by Melissa Kite, June 6, 2015

http://www.spectator.co.uk/arts/music/9547132/unutterably-thrilling-fleetwood-mac-at-the-o2-reviewed/


Unutterably thrilling: Fleetwood Mac at the O2 reviewed

When they spoke, they made little to no sense, but when they sang and played they came close to perfection, says Melissa Kite

‘I can’t tell you what a thrill it is to get this chance in life,’ said Christine McVie, as the opening jangle to ‘Everywhere’ rang out. Judging by their ecstatic reaction, the audience felt much the same way.

Look, I’ll be honest. I’m not going to give you a dispassionately critical review of Fleetwood Mac, together again in their classic line-up — Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and, for the first time in 16 years, Christine McVie. But then, who would give you that? A puritan arrived on a time machine from the 16th century? A shadow minister for work and pensions? Who could possibly be so joyless as to not enjoy the Mac being well and truly back?

From the minute the fab five wafted on stage and began thumping out ‘The Chain’ in glorious abandon, this was a show that was as near perfection as it is possible to calibrate. It wasn’t just good. It was so good I was jealous of myself for being there.

This was the 82nd gig of Fleetwood Mac’s On With the Show tour, and they delivered an impeccable showcasing of non-stop hits. For such diverse, eccentric talents to come together and gel at all is a miracle. To gel for so long, how does that work? But perhaps that’s the point. The band makes a wonderful sound in the way that only musicians who have been together a long time, gone through fire, and learnt to accommodate each other, can.

I was on my feet a few numbers in, unable to stay seated for the songs from Tango in the Night, the soundtrack of my youth. But no matter which was your own particular favourite era or album, there wasn’t a number in this show that wasn’t a crowd-pleaser. If you’d wanted a drink, or a trip to the loo, you would have been hard pressed. There just wasn’t a second you could allow yourself to miss.



Stevie Nicks, like an exquisite moth in her winged clothes, the mystic muse, ‘our poet’, as Fleetwood called her, was by turns raunchy and raucous, wounded and delicate. On ‘Rhiannon’ she was every inch the old witch of the song, on ‘Gypsy’ she was knowing, yet vulnerable.




Buckingham played unfeasible guitar solos, yelping and howling like a demented coyote in an acoustic version of ‘Big Love’ that was half rock’n’roll, half flamenco. Standing in a spotlight alone, screeching as his fingers plucked lightning fast arpeggios, the effect he produced was as if Jimi Hendrix had swallowed Joaquin Rodrigo. It was unutterably thrilling, and worked on a deep level, by which I mean that as well as making a fantastic noise, it did things to you that you weren’t exactly sure you wanted doing, as they might dislodge something awkward, emotionally speaking. He tried to explain the song before playing it, referring back to his personal struggles with the lifestyle the band led in their heyday.

‘Tango was a very difficult album to complete,’ he told the audience. ‘We were probably living that lifestyle out to its ultimate conclusion. If I look back on how I was then …this is about the power and importance of change.’ Even though he didn’t make total sense, I understood what he meant.

Effusive about McVie’s return, as they all were, he said: ‘We’ve seen our fair share of ups and downs but it’s made us what we are. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. We’ve been able to grow and evolve but also to prevail. And in this karmic, circular moment, with the return of the beautiful Christine, we’ve begun a prolific, profound new chapter in the history of this band.’ I’m allowing it, I thought, as he rambled on, because the man is a genius.

In one of several meandering excursions of her own between songs, Nicks gave a Reith-style lecture on the subject of longevity, but I guess she has earned the right. They had honed their craft properly, she said, supporting Hendrix and other giants in big stadiums before they headlined themselves. They had only survived 40 years because they were ‘proper songwriters’. Then she launched into a ‘we may be old but we’re still down with the kids’ type tribute to Adele, who was in the audience. She dedicated ‘Landslide’ to her, and sang it like she was only a slip of a girl herself.

How can Nicks be 67? Is this possible, or has Wikipedia made a mistake? She looked incredible cavorting around the stage, shaking her long blonde hair, dancing with legs planted wide, frenziedly tipping herself upside down and gyrating like a shaman in a trance. Her voice was as strong as ever. ‘Back to the gypsy that I was,’ she sang, in that world-weary drawl, and you believed her. ‘We love you, Stevie!’ people shouted from the back seats.

She possibly didn’t need to come back to the mike at the end of the encore and start telling us the exact details of how Christine had rung up and told them she was coming back to the band, especially after McVie herself had more than adequately brought proceedings to a close with ‘Songbird’, seated alone at a grand piano, landing us in a sweet, serene place.

Still, I sat listening to Stevie chatting about life, and how it had ‘all worked out beautifully’, long after the rest of the band had gone off stage, and with no hope of another song coming, because, well, she was right, wasn’t she? It had all worked out beautifully.

This article first appeared in the print edition of The Spectator magazine, dated 6 June 2015

[WayOfTheDragon]

Buckingham played unfeasible guitar solos, yelping and howling like a demented coyote in an acoustic version of ‘Big Love’ that was half rock’n’roll, half flamenco.

"demented coyote"... LOL

[michelej1]

"demented coyote"... LOL

I remember one old review that said he yowled like a woof, contrasting his vocals to Christine's.

Michele

[PenguinHead]

Yeah, I meant to comment on this. New song! We should be so lucky :rolleyes:

If they performed a new or less traveled song I would be so riveted to stage, even if it meant peeing in my pants. Why is it always assumed that unknown songs are so alienating that it signals people to head to the bathroom. I don't get it.

I'm always appalled at shows when people starting leaving before the show was over (presumably to beat the traffic). It seemed so careless and rude. A genuine fan would never sacrifice missing the last two songs.

[Rubyking]

Hi
Does anyone know why the Manchester show was cancelled ?
Many Thanks.