How did you feel the first time you saw The Dance?

[macko814]

Watching The Dance for the first time in a while, all I could think about is how all your diehard fans must have been reacting/feeling hearing these songs revamped live for the first time in forever. And the Silver Springs performance?

I'd love to know how you guys felt.

[tuigirl]

ok..well first time I saw the Dance I had at that point, only ever seen FM on the Rumours cover back in 1977!!! So, in 1997 I had NO idea who the individual members were...but I do remember thinking that I enjoyed the concert/music immensly(?)
Since then of course, I've done my homework :D and haven't looked back!!

[LilyRose]

Well, "The Dance" is what got me started on Fleetwood Mac. So, it's definately something that I hold dear to my heart. Especially that "Silver Springs" performance.
Although, I have to say that I didn't really understand what it was all about at first. It actually kind of annoyed me that MTV had these "old people" on instead of something I would have rather watched at the time (being 16 yrs old).
Stevie and Lindsey have become my favorites, but at first glance I thought Christine was the coolest. I didn't really like Stevie at all. I still someimes think that Christine is a little cooler than Stevie. :p
Shortly after that I got on the internet and looked up all sorts of info on the band, found the Ledge, and was forever entranced and fascinated by these people. People who I really don't know, but feel as though I do.

Susie
P.S. I really didn't mean to make this a history of how I started liking the Mac

[BlueGrass]

When I first saw The Dance I was like, "O I didn't know that," and "I know this song" and "Is That Really him?"

lol

[FiercestCalmSea]

Honest to god first impression:"Who the hell are these people on MTV"? LOL. I was flipping channels and stopped when i heard the piano intro to Rhiannon..cause i am a sucker for piano...and i sat there and watched these random people...and i knew alot of thier songs and it was freakin me out.I eventually found out who they were..and that this was that Stevie Nicks chic that my mom had been trying to tell me about when she told me that SP and Hole has ruined her songs,lol...and of course..the rest is history :)

[wondergirl9847]

I JUST watched The Dance this morning to get myself kinda psyched up for the concert!! :D:D

Anyways...when I FIRST saw the concert, I sat in awe of Lindsey. I mean, mouth agape, eyes bulging outta my head....stunned. :eek: The man entranced me with his guitar playing and how awesome he sounded...such raw emotion and power in his vocals!! I saw him do ISA and RIGHT THEN, it became my new favorite #1 song of all time!! Big Love and Go Insane just floored me as well...I mean...good GRAVY, how does one get their HANDS to go THAT FAST!!!!! LOL Stevie doing GDW also was just AWESOME....I saw how her sheer presense on stage was enough to make her die hard fans do what I do when I see Lindsey...she's mezmerizing!! I love that version of SYLM, it's better than the White Album version, IMO...love that banjo!!

Something that makes me REALLY smile is how Lindsey seems to REALLY be enjoying the concert and I love his interaction with Christine and Stevie....the hug after Landslide, his smiles at Christine are ALWAYS so cute and sweet too!!

[DownOnRodeo]

Yes, for me watching the Dance was like "Meet Lindsey Buckingham", for someone who ddin't know much about the band at that point.

[estranged4life]

I saw "the Dance" I was impressed with the sound of the band. The music sounded very tight and very much rehearsed...

But for some reason Stevie's vocals sounded flat to me, As did Christine's vocals. Lindsey's vocals however sounded fine but his guitar playing is what really impressed me (ie-"I'm So Afraid") the most.

Btw-I never saw it broadcast on "Empty-Vee" (aka MTV), My first viewing of it was on PBS...lol...Brian J.

[Johnny Stew]

By 1997, I had been a fan of Fleetwood Mac for about 11 years.
Well, a "die-hard, collecting everything I could afford and/or get my hands on" kinda fan for that amount of time... but I had always loved their songs as far back as I can remember.

When Lindsey left the band in '87, I had little hope of him ever returning... and then when Stevie followed in 1991, I pretty much figured the 'Rumours'-era lineup would never record together again.

Then in December of '96, i read a blurb on the Nicks Fix that Lindsey, Stevie, Christine, John and Mick, were considering reuniting for the 20th anniversary of 'Rumours.'
I figured I better not get myself too excited, as it would most likely fall apart before it even got off the ground.

But, as we all know, it DID happen.
And in early '97 the original Ledge was born, and many of us enthusiastically chattered back and forth about the band's history, etc., and about our excitement for the upcoming reunion.

So when MTV finally debuted 'The Dance,' I was more than primed for the Return Of The Mac... and the concert itself was nothing short of magical for me.

Everything I loved about Fleetwood Mac was all present and accounted for... those sublime harmonies... the passionate and intense performances... the onstage drama and chemistry.
I loved every minute of it, and I couldn't believe I was actually watching something I had all but given up hope of ever seeing, just a couple years prior.

'The Dance' was everything I could have hoped for (and more), and to this day, I never get tired of watching that concert.

[EnchantedStorms]

I had always liked FM/Stevie...grew up listening to them. But didn't start becoming a fanatic until about a year before the Dance. I remember when I heard they were reuniting...I was freaking out. And then when the Dance aired, I started out laying in the floor watching it, but when the Chain started, I sat up, goose bumps running up and down my arms. I was just awestruck. And Silver Springs...wow...just blew my away. I remember my husband, who liked *some* of their music but knew none of the history, was watching it with me and when Stevie turned to Lindsey and gripped that microphone, lol, he goes, "Damn, those two got something going on."

I think I'm gonna watch it tonight, lol. It's been awhile. :D


~Angela~:wavey:

[gldstwmn]

Seeing the Dance gave me hope...hope that had been lacking in my life for a while. I almost fell out of the chair when I heard the opening notes to Silver Springs. I thought if these people can get it together and do this, then certainly a mere mortal like yourself can get your **** together and go on. That whole time was a huge turning point in my life.

[bucklind17]

The Dance was what got me started on the band. They were VH1 Artist's of the Month and VH1 was constantly airing all of these video clips and the specials and The Dance. I remember falling in love with "Bleed to Love Her" first. I bought the CD hoping this song would be included, and then realized that I knew almost every other song on there from growing up with the radio on. I told myself I only would need this CD, since it was a nice mix of older hits and new tunes. Little did I know how much I would later acquire!

So The Dance is special for me for letting me see how great this band is and giving me some great music to love. I was also an angsty high schooler at the time, so it also gave me some inspirational words to relate to and scribble all over my notebooks. Discovering The Dance meant discovering the band, and they soon became the best thing in a pretty crazy and messy time in my life. :)

[darklinensuit]

I had been a fan for years & was living in Austin at the time. The night TD premiered on MTV a radio station was giving tickets to the concert anywhere in the country, to be preceded by the premiere of the boadcast, all at a bar downtown. THe place was packed & I got one of the few tables. (Annoyed that my two friends arrived late, so I almost lost the table.) Of course I had goosebumps during the broadcast & loved the new songs. Silver Springs was quite anticipated. People around me were NOT diehard fans. They were saying things like "Stevie looks so good. She must be FORTY by now" and "I wonder if they'll tour?" Applause broke out at the end, & the DJs took the mike to give away Tshirts and the tickets. They said they'd ask trivia questions & thequickest hands up would win the tickets. My friends were patting me on the back. However, the fates were not smiling at me. The questions were so EASY: What year did the band release their first album w/Stevie & Lindsey? Who in the band was John McVie married to? Believe it or not, some people were called on & didn't have a clue. Some were given time to think, then guessed, and then were given the prizewhen they guessed right. It was a painful experience for any true fan, as you can imagine. So to sum up, loved the concert, hated part of the night.
- Jake

[macmar71]

I was happy to see the united Fleetwood Mac since I fell in love with their music back in Mirage times but never did get to see them (the original Rumours line-up) until the Dance.
The one thing that kind of shadowed my moment and kept me from really 100% enjoying it was that my grandmother passed away the day that MTV aired the special and tickets for the show went on sale that weekend and the show was a month later so it all happened so quickly and I was not in the greatest of moods. I am in a better frame of mind and know that I will be relishing every moment of this Mac fest! ;)

[Sorcerer386]

I'm yet another child of The Dance experience. Until The Dance, I was kind of in limbo with the music world. I didn't really care about it because I thought a lot of it was garbage (as I STILL do, but I've found there are better things too). Grunge completely ruined any joy I had in music. When I saw the show, or parts as my parents were watching and I think I was doing homework and would stop here and there to listen, I thought they're good. Then my friend's parents BOUGHT the video, and I watched it there a few times, and it was there I learned that Dreams and Gypsy were NOT Stevie solo songs, lol. Then it was around Christmas and my mom was CONSTANTLY playing The Dance cd, and one by one the songs sucked me in. I still remember that I could never remember what the title to Dreams was...I'd always have to look. Then I got GH for Christmas, and that was it. I too liked Christine most when The Dance was fresh and new to me, but then Stevie's bewitching ways pulled me in. Definitely a defining time for my life.

[jwd]

I was knocked out. Totally blown away by the performance. Couldn't believe that the old gang could pull it back together like that...like they never went away. It was easy to see how they captured so many new fans.



Joe

[ERigby818]

I was just starting to get into the Mac in 1996 because my best friend had the Greatest Hits. I was listening to that a lot and became fascinated with Stevie (the GH album doesn't do Lindsey justice, IMO, and I'm not surprised, since he wasn't even part of the band when they released that). I just fell in love with her voice and her image. Also at the time I had another friend who was really into Courney Love (who was really popular at the time) who also has a fascination with Stevie so that definitely made her more interesting. So I ran out and got Timespace and was actually a bit disappointed. I loved some of the songs (like EO17 since I was right on the EO17 at the time) but realized I liked Gypsy, Rhiannon and Sara better because they were Mac songs.

Then, BAM! The Dance came out and I fell madly in love with Lindsey and read the infamous Rolling Stone article and learned all about their relationship. My friend put the headphones on my head and made me listen to Silver Springs and Bleed To Love Her while we were riding the NYC subway to school our senior year of HS, and my jaw dropped. I haven't recovered since. It blew my mind and I proceeded to buy The Dance on CD and video.... I saw Big Love and Go Insane and Landslide and I almost died. I quickly snatched up Tango, Rumours, Mirage, Tusk, Go Insane, Law and Order, OOTC, and then Enchanted when it came out. I didn't really appreciate Stevie's solo music as much as I do now until like 1999 when I learned more about her and heard bootlegs and saw videos, thanks to the internet.

So anyhoo, it really was perfect timing for my evolution of FM fandom when the Dance came out because everything just fell into place and I haven't been the same since.
-Sonia

[dissention]

The first time I saw The Dance, my jaw was on the floor. That is a performance! When Stevie sang GDW, shivers went down my spine. I thought to myself, what a sexy, bewitching, magical woman. That was the Stevie I had missed from earlier years! And let's face it, that reunion was ALL about Stevie!! Lindsey was amazing, he had a newfound freshness to him. Christine was the cool, non-chalant, easy-going chick in the band who knew how to get down like the boys without getting dirty. I just loved it. And Silver Springs!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

[strandinthewind]

I was so looking forward to it and a little nervous as ther live performances in the past could be not that 100 percent non-fan friendly. Then, when I saw it, I was so "relieved" Stevie was much thinner and hitting high notes I thought were gone forever. Also, they were all clearly not glossy-eyed and wasted. I was floored by all of Stevie and CM's performances. Same goes for LB's playing. I did think, however, "boy has his voice changed!" (note: I love LB - I was just shocked at the change). I think that compilation of those three performances will perhaps always be their benchmark. As an aside, does the horrible editing get anyone else's nerves, e.g., during the same song, Stevie's tambourine ribbons change colors more than once indicating it was a different performace spliced together - picky picky picky :).

[seteca]

First time I saw The Dance, I was just completely blown away...it was one of the best concerts I'd ever seen, just going from hit to hit, and of course it was the first time I saw the new versions of Big Love and Go Insane, and fell in love with those versions instantly! I was familiar with Lindsey Buckingham since 1987 but 1997 just put him into a completely new light for me. Although I'd been a fingerpicker for 10 years before that, my guitar playing style took a huge turn at that point. It wasn't so much his acoustic finger picking that I was impressed with (even though that's damn good too!), but actually his truly unique electric picking style and the tone he was achieving with it. Watching ISA, and in particular the solo, was hair-raising......still is!:cool:

:wavey: :wavey: :wavey:

[Mad4stevie]

As with alot of you, The Dance opened up me to the wonderful and fascinating world of the Mac. I saw Silver Springs on MTV and then I watched the Behind the Music on VH1 and I was hooked! My parents bought me The Dance video for Christmas that year.

I never tire of watching Stevie and Lindsey during Silver Springs and Landslide. The emotion, the connection, the passion, and the tragedy just draws you in to their world. For anyone who has experienced an intense love affair gone bad - that song is so right on.

The funny thing is that one of the first tapes I ever bought was Tango and I never realized any of the history or that it was the same band until I watched The Dance and saw them perform "Everywhere". :rolleyes:

[Vianna]

How did I feel? Totally psyched! Like Johnny Stew I'd about given up hope that the Rumours line-up would ever get together again-could they even be in the same room together was the big question? hehe

So when I heard about the MTV special I was so excited. I got the VCR all primed and new tape to record on and I just couldn't wait. At that point in time I had never seen Fleetwood Mac perform with Lindsey in the band-heard them, yes, but not seen them. My first FM concert was TITN, and Lindsey was gone by then.

Well the Dance blew me away. Lindsey does something for that band that's just unexplained I guess. They are a different group when he's there. There's a chemistry between them that just isn't there when he's absent.

We didn't know there'd be a tour at first. Then we heard there was going to be one. I was beside myself-I was going to see Lindsey live!

It had to be one of the high points of my life to see that concert=:-)I was there so early I heard the sound check and Stevie practicing Dreams. It was so awesome. I will never forget it.

[WindingRoad]

I first saw The Dance on PBS. Actually, my hubby was watching it. I was kinda annoyed because there was something else on tv that I had wanted to watch.

So anyway, hubby says, "why don't you want to watch this? You loved Stevie when we saw her in concert."

I said "Who?" He says, "Fleetwood Mac. We saw them in concert when we were dating." This was like 20 years ago at the time.

I didn't remember and went about my business in the house. But everytime I walked by the tv, I had to stop and listen. It was just pulling me in.

Finally, after blocking his view of the tv about 5 times, :laugh: hubby says, "Will you just SIT DOWN and watch !!!"

So I did, and Rhiannon came on and I was transported back to the 70's watching spellbound as Stevie twirled.

:] :] :]

So I have hubby to thank for bringing me back to FM. :xoxo:

So, I am a Stevie fan first. But after watching The Dance the FIRST dozen times :laugh: I've really come to appreciate Lindsey's talents.

I will be forever grateful to The Dance for bringing me back into the fold.

susieq :wavey:

[chiliD]

I was weirded out. Here I was actually watching Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks on stage TOGETHER again...never thought it would happen. Even after reading all the on-line accounts from "imbedded reporters" (members of the USC marching band who posted their experiences on the alt.music.fleetwood-mac newsgroup in the days after the taping of the shows), I was skeptical it would ever come off.

And:

1) That it would be anything other than a one-off performance; the subsequent tour surprised the hell out of me.

2) That Mick & John REALLY took a giant leap BACKWARDS by reforming a previous incarnation.

[BBALLGYPSY17]

The Chemistry was indescribable:eek: Just by looking at them you can tell that they've been through hell and back and that they had a LOT to tell....a lot of wisdom. It was really my First Experience of them as a BAND because Stevie what was intrigued me,caught her BTM (yeah, 97-98 they replayed her BTM,MAC BTM, and that CONCERT acouple hundred times soooo...);) Then I saw SnL vibing and got more and MORE curious thinking like 'do those two still have a thing after ALL that mellowdrama they'd previously experienced?' Then I did loads and loads of research,finding out the ENTIRE band was dysfunctional and I'm like....SWEEEEEEEEETTTTT! Look at what they've been through:rolleyes: There STILL THERE TOGETHER If *they* survived I sure as hell can:laugh:

LOL:lol:
~alex~*....Still the hopeless romantic,just not the straight one...

[Villavic]

The complete DANCE show was aired months later in Peru, I already had gotten the video, but before that I saw the CHAIN video on MTV. IT was a sunday morning (late august?), I was still in bed, and surfing channels I stopped at MTV and saw it! I GOT CRAZY!!

Though I already knew all about the mac status by that time, I woke up screaming.. THEY REUNITED!! THEY REUNITED!! Of course I already knew, but I just wanted to tell all my family about this sublime new.