What is your favorite live version of Sara? [Archive]

UndoingTheLaces

07-25-2015, 02:57 PM

Sara is one of my favorite Stevie/Fleetwood Mac songs. My favorite all time live performance is Melbourne 1980. I love that she threw in lyrics from the infamous "Cleaning Lady" version and the way she sing the ending always gives me goosebumps. It's just so beautiful. I also like St. Louis from the Tusk tour as well because it's the unedited soundboard of the performance from the Tusk documentary.

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What is your favorite live version and why? Are there any live versions that you've heard where the lyrics were really different or sung in an exceptional way? I'm interested to hear what you all think.

Macfanforever

07-25-2015, 03:41 PM

I love that one too and also I love her HBO version too.

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SisterNightroad

07-25-2015, 03:50 PM

Richfield 1980. Because of that velvety heartfelt wail:

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UndoingTheLaces

07-25-2015, 04:39 PM

[QUOTE=SisterNightroad;1170400]Richfield 1980. Because of that velvety heartfelt wail:

I love this version so much. It's funny because there were a lot of mess ups. She misses cues, she sings parts a little slower and has to catch up. Hits a few bum notes. But that part at the end really makes up for the rest.

I had lost a friend some years ago. I didn't know him well but we were just embarking on what could have been a great friendship when he died tragically. He was in his 20's and it was all really sad. I was listening to this exact version of Sara on the way to his memorial and when she got to the part where she sings "it never really died, swallow all your pride, ooooh it was such a heartbeat". I started crying so hard I had to pull the car over and compose myself. But, because of that, this version will always have a a very special place in my heart because it will always remind me of him. He did have a strong and beautiful heart and the world should have had a chance to see more of it. I'm glad you shared this, SisterNightroad. Thank you.

sorcerer999

07-25-2015, 06:06 PM

Richfield 1980. Because of that velvety heartfelt wail:

I had lost a friend some years ago. I didn't know him well but we were just embarking on what could have been a great friendship when he died tragically. He was in his 20's and it was all really sad. I was listening to this exact version of Sara on the way to his memorial and when she got to the part where she sings "it never really died, swallow all your pride, ooooh it was such a heartbeat". I started crying so hard I had to pull the car over and compose myself. But, because of that, this version will always have a a very special place in my heart because it will always remind me of him. He did have a strong and beautiful heart and the world should have had a chance to see more of it. I'm glad you shared this, SisterNightroad. Thank you.

And now I'm sobbing just reading about your sad and heartfelt experience with this version of the song. THANK YOU for sharing your story! :xoxo:

SisterNightroad

07-26-2015, 06:02 AM

I love this version so much. It's funny because there were a lot of mess ups. She misses cues, she sings parts a little slower and has to catch up. Hits a few bum notes. But that part at the end really makes up for the rest.

I had lost a friend some years ago. I didn't know him well but we were just embarking on what could have been a great friendship when he died tragically. He was in his 20's and it was all really sad. I was listening to this exact version of Sara on the way to his memorial and when she got to the part where she sings "it never really died, swallow all your pride, ooooh it was such a heartbeat". I started crying so hard I had to pull the car over and compose myself. But, because of that, this version will always have a a very special place in my heart because it will always remind me of him. He did have a strong and beautiful heart and the world should have had a chance to see more of it. I'm glad you shared this, SisterNightroad. Thank you.

I'm sorry for your loss but thank you for sharing your story, it made me reflect on the truly important things; now this song will have an additional worth for me too.

Macfan4life

07-26-2015, 08:09 AM

Good question.
Its easier to say what is my least favorite live Sara. The Wild Heart Tour had a horrible version of Sara and is my least favorite. Vocally Stevie mailed it in and the heavy keyboard synth killed the song for me. So musically any Mac version of the song is better.
Having said that...... I always like Stevie with strong and certain vocals. Its not all that common but I don't like when she is out of sync with the music or has weak vocals. Her live Sara 1981 her vocals are so strong that its a favorite but too keyboard synth for me (although nowhere near as bad as 1983). The live versions from 1980 posted here are ok but vocally she sounds so lullaby IMHO. The live video I think from St Louis is full of too many mumbles at the end for me to like.
Long story short....once I weed out the less favorite ones......my favorite version is from the Live album. It seems the band knew it was being recorded and really nailed it. Stevie's vocals are so strong and she is focused. But you always know a good Sara from an ok one from the first line. On the live album when she says......but you never told me about the FIRE is so good in this version. She is clear, concise, and vocally so strong. She molds her voice for the sensitive parts and the bridge. This version you get the hear all the depths of her voice. She never mumbles like in other versions and is very strong vocally.
Just another reason the LIVE album is so good to display the best versions of these epic songs.

SisterNightroad

07-26-2015, 08:12 AM

The Live album Sara is the same one of the Tusk documentary just with vocals partially re-recorded in the studio.

SisterNightroad

07-26-2015, 08:24 AM

Sara is one of my favorite Stevie/Fleetwood Mac songs. My favorite all time live performance is Melbourne 1980. I love that she threw in lyrics from the infamous "Cleaning Lady" version and the way she sing the ending always gives me goosebumps. It's just so beautiful. I also like St. Louis from the Tusk tour as well because it's the unedited soundboard of the performance from the Tusk documentary.

What is your favorite live version and why? Are there any live versions that you've heard where the lyrics were really different or sung in an exceptional way? I'm interested to hear what you all think.
I don't know if you already know about it but there's a blog called http://366daysofsara.tumblr.com/ that analyzed this song both by the musical and the lyrical aspect and in this tag there are the analysis of some versions of Sara from the various tours: http://366daysofsara.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/audio

Macfan4life

07-26-2015, 10:38 AM

The Live album Sara is the same one of the Tusk documentary just with vocals partially re-recorded in the studio.
I guess that is why it sounds so good :)

UndoingTheLaces

07-26-2015, 10:51 AM

I don't know if you already know about it but there's a blog called http://366daysofsara.tumblr.com/ that analyzed this song both by the musical and the lyrical aspect and in this tag there are the analysis of some versions of Sara from the various tours: http://366daysofsara.tumblr.com/archive/filter-by/audio

Oh wow, I didn't. I'll check it out. Thank you.

David

07-26-2015, 11:16 AM

I like the album track the best. It's a major orchestrative win for the band. It's like one of those giant landscape paintings from the eighteenth century that you can gaze at for hours. The abstract hum of the vocals is more important to the song's meaning than the content of the lyrics. Stevie's singing is her most mature studio vocal—it's a Thomas Hardy vocal. But of all the live performances, I like the 1979–1982 period. It's a different "Sara" in those years from Irvine, Memphis, Detroit, etc. So I'll just say the 1980 "Live" album.

UndoingTheLaces

07-26-2015, 12:40 PM

My favorite part of Sara is the ending. I find it fascinating that fans of the song all seem to really love the "All I ever wanted..." part, yet it isn't even fully in the album cut. I saw the Tusk documentary before ever even hearing the album, and it was the very reason for me to go out and buy the album. I was pretty bummed that my favorite line from the song got faded out. And then discovering the Cleaning Lady version made me understand why she sings "dreaming" for no reason before "All I ever wanted". It runs all the way through the lyrics at the end that they cut out.

With all those extra lines at the end of the demo, Stevie was always throwing them in at the end during the Tusk tour. I think that's why I love going through all the different bootlegs from that era because there's a lot of variety in what she sings and the way she sings it. But what I find interesting is that when she started doing the song in her solo concerts she kept the ending pretty standard. You would have thought she would have more control of what she was singing without having to answer to other band members (especially Lindsey).

I was thrilled that when she brought back Sara after not doing it live for many years she also brought back the line "and the wind became crazy". I always wondered if there was a specific reason for that.

michelej1

07-26-2015, 02:58 PM

I like the album track the best. It's a major orchestrative win for the band. It's like one of those giant landscape paintings from the eighteenth century that you can gaze at for hours. The abstract hum of the vocals is more important to the song's meaning than the content of the lyrics. Stevie's singing is her most mature studio vocal—it's a Thomas Hardy vocal.

LOL. I was just talking/complaining about marriage in terms of Jude the Obscure, so reading your post made me chuckle.

Michele

Musicman408

07-26-2015, 03:24 PM

James89

07-26-2015, 05:34 PM

louielouie2000

07-26-2015, 09:14 PM

I like the album track the best. It's a major orchestrative win for the band. It's like one of those giant landscape paintings from the eighteenth century that you can gaze at for hours. The abstract hum of the vocals is more important to the song's meaning than the content of the lyrics. Stevie's singing is her most mature studio vocal—it's a Thomas Hardy vocal.

I completely agree. To me, Sara is one of the songs that showcases FM's studio mastery at its finest. It's just so baroquely lush. In my opinion, Sara's transfer to stage was never particularly flattering towards this gorgeous song. There is just a dreamy atmosphere in the original that can never be duplicated onstage.

However, I do have one favorite live version of the song, and that is Stevie's Soundstage rendition. In my opinion, that version completely fixed the pacing issues the song had long suffered from in a live format. To my ear, the live versions of this song just meandered and seemed anticlimactic. Oddly enough, I think Stevie's vocal here is way better than any other live version of Sara, too. Whereas old versions of the song Stevie sounded shaky and overly billy goaty, the Soundstage version just completely nailed it. Somehow it ended up being the closest to the Tusk album version, too.

sorcerer999

07-26-2015, 10:26 PM

Stevie sounded shaky and overly billy goaty...

:lol::lol::lol:

I love it! I'm going to use "Overly Billy Goaty" as a future screen name!

Frankenstein

07-26-2015, 10:35 PM

I'd say the HBO special version from 1981 is my favorite, followed by the Soundstage performance.

stevierocks87

07-27-2015, 06:14 AM

welcomechris

07-27-2015, 06:23 AM

As Stevie has said many times, Sara doesn't transfer or sound as great on stage. It's better as an album track.

Also, did you know Stevie played piano on this song?

nicole21290

07-27-2015, 07:14 AM

Wow! Thanks for posting that. I didn't know Stevie wore red in 2004 and I also didn't know she ever wore her hair like that. She looks great!

There's a few videos of Sara from that tour online, and I hope to eventually post some more. I love the red.

May 8th, 2004 - Madison, WI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA9fT32OCpI

May 9th, 2004 - Champaign, IL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30N66WktLsA

May 12th, 2004 - Green Bay, WI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAXUrrjiKVg

June 6th, 2004 - Wantagh, NY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NngpUXNImCw

June 20th, 2004 - Irvine, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlPBrEDdnMo

June 22nd, 2004 - Chula Vista, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpli6ZVi0pI

June 26th, 2004 - Marysville, CA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8N2a2QfyEI

A few pictures (those from Sara with S AND L, not just L) are at the bottom of this page:
http://www.buckinghamnicks.info/02-04-onstage-1

And at the top of this one:
http://www.buckinghamnicks.info/02-04-onstage-2

bombaysaffires

07-27-2015, 10:49 AM

I completely agree. To me, Sara is one of the songs that showcases FM's studio mastery at its finest. It's just so baroquely lush. In my opinion, Sara's transfer to stage was never particularly flattering towards this gorgeous song. There is just a dreamy atmosphere in the original that can never be duplicated onstage.

That's Lindsey. I'm trying to recall which interview (audio) it is where he details his approach to it-- can't recall if it was that guy's podcast or ...maybe elle in her infinite wisdom can remind us which interview it is. But he talks about wanting to blur the edges of the song. And his production of the background vocals is magic... they slowly, slowly build to a big crescendo, then fall totally away, then build again to give the song an ebb and flow it doesn't have in her original. But the riff is hers.

However, I do have one favorite live version of the song, and that is Stevie's Soundstage rendition. In my opinion, that version completely fixed the pacing issues the song had long suffered from in a live format. To my ear, the live versions of this song just meandered and seemed anticlimactic. Oddly enough, I think Stevie's vocal here is way better than any other live version of Sara, too. Whereas old versions of the song Stevie sounded shaky and overly billy goaty, the Soundstage version just completely nailed it. Somehow it ended up being the closest to the Tusk album version, too.

Have to disagree re: Soundstage. Her voice on that is just too far gone for me. The Live version, and most versions from the Tusk tour are the best, for me. When they go from the acoustic piano to electronic keyboards of any kind it just totally loses its magic for me. :(

stevierocks87

07-27-2015, 11:26 AM

Have to disagree re: Soundstage. Her voice on that is just too far gone for me. The Live version, and most versions from the Tusk tour are the best, for me. When they go from the acoustic piano to electronic keyboards of any kind it just totally loses its magic for me. :(

YES to the real piano!

SpyNote

07-27-2015, 05:12 PM

Sara from the WWD tour. Great voice, great emotion, great band :woohoo:

Frankenstein

07-28-2015, 03:26 PM

rubylounge

07-30-2015, 02:46 PM

Sara is one of my favorite Stevie/Fleetwood Mac songs. My favorite all time live performance is Melbourne 1980. I love that she threw in lyrics from the infamous "Cleaning Lady" version and the way she sing the ending always gives me goosebumps. It's just so beautiful. I also like St. Louis from the Tusk tour as well because it's the unedited soundboard of the performance from the Tusk documentary.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yhau5Q4NENc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

What is your favorite live version and why? Are there any live versions that you've heard where the lyrics were really different or sung in an exceptional way? I'm interested to hear what you all think.

I always liked this one too. I love her hair and the outfit and the end with her changing the microphone.

SisterNightroad

08-07-2015, 07:21 AM

I am one of those that prefer the album version of Sara to the Live one, however since the thread asked specifically about our "favorite live version of Sara" I thought it wasn't fitting citing the album adaptation on the song.

However I just remembered how much I love the Tusk rehearsals version, so delicate and still similar to the original album version: http://www.mediafire.com/view/l87fyfdccf5lhdl/2-14%20Sara.mp3

UndoingTheLaces

08-07-2015, 08:23 AM

I am one of those that prefer the album version of Sara to the Live one, however since the thread asked specifically about our "favorite live version of Sara" I thought it wasn't fitting citing the album adaptation on the song.

However I just remembered how much I love the Tusk rehearsals version, so delicate and still similar to the original album version: http://www.mediafire.com/view/l87fyfdccf5lhdl/2-14%20Sara.mp3

It's okay, you can like whichever version you like. I should have just called this thread "your favorite version of Sara" :)