Manchester Arena, 1st July 2015

[Phil Lee]

I just got back from a great show tonight. The meet and greet with Mick was excellent and the show was superb. I don't think I've heard the band sounding better.

I'm working on uploading my photos to my photo website and will publish a link to them when they are available. I also shot a video during World Turning which I will upload to Youtube tomorrow.

[Phil Lee]

I've published the photos I took at the show. These can be accessed from the link in my signature. I've also published a short video on YouTube.

WORLD TURNING (EXCERPT)

https://youtu.be/83JF1VFXCZw

[elle]

I've published the photos I took at the show. These can be accessed from the link in my signature. I've also published a short video on YouTube.

WORLD TURNING (EXCERPT)

https://youtu.be/83JF1VFXCZw

great pics, thanks for sharing!!

did LB dedicate Big Love to someone again?

[michelej1]

Manchester Evening News

Fleetwood Mac at Manchester Arena: Fans' review

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/fleetwood-mac-manchester-arena-fans-9573846

13:59, 2 July 2015 By Emily Heward

Fans were delighted to see Christine McVie reunited on stage with ex-husband John McVie and bandmates Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham

Fleetwood Mac fans finally got to see the classic Rumours-era line-up reunited last night as Christine McVie joined ex-husband John McVie and bandmates Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham on stage at Manchester Arena.

The singer - who is the songwriter and voice behind some of the band's most enduring hits, including Don’t Stop, Little Lies and You Make Loving Fun - is back on the road with the band for the first time in 16 years for their On With The Show tour.

Fans were delighted to see her return - as was Stevie Nicks, who echoed the audience's excitement as she squealed: "Our girl is BACK!"

None of the group showed any sign of the mystery illness that forced them to cancel their first show in Manchester last month as they played an unrelenting two and a half hour set.

Now all in their mid to late 60s except Christine, who is 71, they worked the stage with the energy of a group half their age, particularly Lindsey, whose virtuoso guitar playing stole the show.

There was no sign either of the turbulence that nearly tore the band apart during the making of Rumours, with ex-lovers Stevie and Lindsey sweetly clasping hands before dueting on a gorgeous stripped-back version of Landslide (we think we even saw Stevie wipe away a tear), while Christine and John appeared just as happy to be sharing a stage again.

"Our Songbird, you might say, has returned," as Mick put it fondly - and there could only be one way to close the show as Christine sat down alone at a piano to sing her beautiful ballad.

The finale was the highlight of the show for many fans who had waited for years to hear her sing it again, but it was by no means the only standout moment.

From opener The Chain to the rousing singalong that accompanied Go Your Own Way and Mick's manic drum solo, it was a five-star performance from start to finish. Even the weather seemed to agree, with fans leaving the arena to a Dreams-worthy chorus of thunder and rain outside.

Here is what fans thought about last night's show:


Stephen Routledge ‎@ste_routledge

christine mcvie alone at the piano singing Songbird.. The most beautiful thing I'll see this year! #FleetwoodMac
3:46 PM - 1 Jul 2015


Dan ‎@CrispySock

I wanna go see @fleetwoodmac again second encore #songbird oh... My.... God! Perfect finish that gig. Wow! Just Wow!
2:31 AM - 2 Jul 2015


Niamh ‎@teeenageicon

Still can't believe I got to see Fleetwood Mac last night. Such a magical and beautiful performance… https://instagram.com/p/4odbGIxBgs/
4:31 AM - 2 Jul 2015


Ian Ellison ‎@MrIanEllison

On the hottest day of the year, I saw Fleetwood Mac play for two and a half hours solid. It made the day hotter and they've still got it!
1:39 AM - 2 Jul 2015


Jade Hamilton ‎@jade_hamilton91

Lindsey Buckingham put me in a trance last night with that guitar.
4:26 AM - 2 Jul 2015


Catty O'D ‎@jammycrumpet

Amazing that it was possibly thundering when Fleetwood Mac were singing 'thunder only happens when it's raining'.
11:12 PM - 1 Jul 2015


Katherine Lee ‎@KatherineLee_19

Mick Fleetwood is a nutter.
Lindsay Buckingham is a guitar god.
John McVie slayed The Chain.
Stevie Nicks was ace.
Christine was back
3:34 PM - 1 Jul 2015

[michelej1]

Wigan Today 7/2/2015 Tom McCooey

http://www.wigantoday.net/news/fleetwood-mac-bring-thunder-to-manchester-1-7339250


Fleetwood Mac bring thunder to Manchester


LIGHTS down, mobile phone cameras puncturing the black canvas, Mick Fleetwood’s right foot sets the tone.

Thud, thud, thud, thud - fans know what’s coming - and when a band can open on a monster such as ‘The Chain’, the night promises to show off some of the best songwriting to be heard.

But it would be wrong to expect the latest installment of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘On with the Show’ tour - at the Manchester Arena on Wednesday night - to be a flawless evening of note perfect music.

That’s not why fans, ranging from those who had their first dance to ‘Everywhere’ to the newly grown-up kids from those relationships, are out on a sweltering night.


Shivers as guitar interludes morph into songs which bring hibernating memories alive, knowing every word, being able to say: “I saw Fleetwood Mac,” is why most are here.

The band’s older voices sometimes crack - even with a few songs knocked down a semi-tone or two - but genuine moments of pure joy excuse imperfections.

And the inclusion of Christine McVie, on tour after a 17-year absence from the band, makes the experience more authentic - this really is the Rumours lineup - the record we’ve all bought five times and played to death four.

An energetic opening sees hits ‘You Make Loving Fun’, ‘Dreams’ and ‘Second Hand News’ chalked off before the intoxicating voice of Stevie Nicks shifts the mood with a haunting rendition of ‘Rhiannon’.

For fans with numerous live albums in the car glovebox, Lindsey Buckingham didn’t disappoint with his mesmerising solo performance of ‘Tango in the Night’ opener ‘Big Love’ - a version many fans prefer over the 1987 album offering.

Nicks had another opportunity to induce stomach butterflies in the audience with ‘Landslide’ - lyrics: “‘Cause I’ve built my life around you…. And I’m getting older too,” taking on new significance, as it becomes apparent this band is playing on a radio in the background somewhere in a staggering number of life’s flashpoints.

There were moments of self-indulgence to sit through though - the main culprit being Buckingham whose solo on ‘I’m So Afraid’ was more than a touch too long - and the camaraderie between members in between songs did at times feel forced.

But what can be expected from a band which has come through such thoroughly documented turbulence spanning more than half a lifetime?

And just when eyes were beginning to roll - the band relit the fire as ‘Go Your Own Way’ came to life, paving the way for a mammoth two-part encore, culminating in McVie and Buckingham wrapping-up with ‘Songbird’.

This was made more touching by McVie’s unpolished but heartfelt performance.

For the 98th night of a tour spanning two years and two legs - due to finish in November this year - Fleetwood Mac put on a show fans won’t forget.

The downsides (including a £15 programme with no editorial in it) were soothed with enough moments of magic to make their ticking off on the gig bucket list a satisfying one.

Fleetwood Mac continue their ‘On with the Show’ tour in Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow next week.

[FuzzyPlum]

There were moments of self-indulgence to sit through though - the main culprit being Buckingham whose solo on ‘I’m So Afraid’ was more than a touch too long - and the camaraderie between members in between songs did at times feel forced.



I'm So Afraid is definitely self-indulgent but I've never, ever felt it to be too long. It's so absorbing I'd be happy to sit through another few minutes of it each time.

[shackin'up]

I still don't understand what is selfindulgent in taking someone up to slowly catapult into stratosphere.