Nobody's suggesting it as a long term solution, just a way to finish the remaining eight songs in an emergency situation. You know, on with the show.

Some people just don't like Stevie. In terms of instrumentation, Fleetwood Mac could survive her departure. Vocally, Lindsey has toys that can fill "her parts" on the songs in the studio.

Because Christine and John McVie and Lindsey Buckingham are in the band.

try booking a tour without Stevie. See how well Lindsey's "toys" could fill her vocals/charisma/stage presence

:lol: how did the thread about Mick being sick and about interesting Steve Rinkov story turn into a thread about Nicks? some people just can't resist but insert her into every scenario... guess Mick was not interesting and important enough for them. kinda sad. or too funny.

How did a thread about Mick getting sick mutate into a debate about Stevie's relevance in the band? Whatever...:shrug:

I feel bad for Mick and the fans who missed out on a big chunk of the show. But that audience can claim being at one of most notable, if unfortunate incidents to happen in the history of the band performances. Does anyone know at what point in the show Mick had to stop? Stevie certainly was the alpha dog of the group when informing the audience.

This incident has just jarred my memory of two moments I completely forgot. I attended a Maria McKee show in the early 90s. She just put out her fantastic second album and I was seeing her for the first time. She came out and immediately told the audience that she was sick and said she would perform as much as she could. She had a large band with a horn section; it seemed like it would have been a great show, but she only managed to get through about five songs before calling it quits. It was really disappointing, but what can you do, especially when you're a solo performer? Fans can only have empathy and understanding. I saw Jethro Tull once in the 80's in Boston Gardens (I went through an intense, but brief infatuation with the group). They performed for about an half hour then abruptly stopped. No explanations; no goodbyes. The bright lights of the arena came up, and everyone was shocked in a "What the hell just happened?" manner.

If Fleetwood Mac weren't so lock-step and tight-knitted, they could ad-libbed the rest of the show in some manner. But they just don't have those abilities; once they go off script they get completely lost and then grind to a halt. They could have turned this into a historic show for all the right reasons. Lindsey could have done some solo numbers. Surely they must have some songs in their wheelhouse could perform. Aside from stripping down some of their set lists songs, they could have performed unrehearsed numbers. Surely they would be expected to sound rough and unpolished, but that would be the charm about it. They could have garnered suggestions -- taking requests and questions from the audience, making them part of the show. Turn it partly into a talent show, and call out members of the audience with specific skills. Just some ideas to fill the time.

Some artists have the skills of engagement, with the confidence to be impromptu. Tom Petty and Elvis Costello come to mind, though I know there are better examples. It's an arena of entertainment just doesn't suit Stevie and Lindsey; that level of exposure and looseness makes them uncomfortable. Neither of them have that kind of showmanship in them. The only band member who does is, ironically, Mick!

THIS exactly!

So much venom from Stevie fans when we are worried about Mick.. :lol:
Weird...

Saw this on Twitter--a mention of Steve's coverage for Mick with a 2004 interview with Steve in which he describes his role and how it changed from tech to playing supporting drums (LB idea). I thought it worth a share-it's too bad the author couldn't add in a quick quote or update from Steve post his recent performance.

-------------------------------------------------------------

A little more about Steve the substitute Fleetwood Mac drummer

http://journalstar.com/blogs/ground-...9b3887b6a.html

17 hours ago • By Cory Matteson | Lincoln Journal Star
1

On Tuesday, Fleetwood Mac is scheduled to perform the band’s planned tour date in Grand Rapids or wherever. The next stop matters little to Lincoln concertgoers, who saw the show here cut somewhat short on Saturday night. But that wasn’t before the band brought out “Steve” to fill in for an unfortunately ill Mick Fleetwood on “Go Your Own Way.”

Steve performed admirably in Fleetwood’s absence, drawing a “Yay, Steve” from Stevie Nicks at the end of his “big audition,” as she called it. He also got some stray “Steve” chants at the end of the show from fans who perhaps hoped he could lead the band through the rest of the scheduled set. (You can hear concertgoers asking if he could keep playing during a fan recording of “Go Your Own Way” that has over 7,000 views on YouTube already.)

So who’s Steve? Steve is Steve Rinkov, and he’s been a drum tech with Fleetwood Mac for over a decade. He's also worked with Lenny Kravitz and Pearl Jam, to name a few. In 2004, Rinkov did an interview with Cheryl Ferguson on a public radio program about careers, “The Recruiter’s Studio” where he talked about inadvertently landing a drum tech job, and then a performing role with Fleetwood Mac. During Rinkov’s conversation with Ferguson, he also gave some insight into why he might not have been able to cruise through the band’s catalog on command this Saturday.

“You’re not there to play the instruments,” he told her, referring to band rehearsals. “Nobody wants to hear it.”

So the technicians aren’t forming Fleetwood cover bands when Mick, Christine, Lindsey, Stevie and John take tea breaks. But that doesn't mean Steve can't play some Mac. He backed Fleetwood on some songs during the show at the Pinnacle Bank Arena, as he has for years. And Rinkov told Ferguson that he was not nervous, but excited, those first times he joined the band on stage. Here's what Rinkov had to tell her about going from a drum tech to playing with the band years before he sat in for Mick at the head kit during the Lincoln show. (Here's the entire interview.)

“I was minding my business, I swear," Rinkov said. "I was just minding my business. Because you learn early on, you learn early-early on -- and if you don’t already know, someone will not be shy about telling you -- you’re not there to play. You’re not there to play the instruments. Nobody wants to hear it. Nobody wants to hear it.

"Our rehearsal days, the band would show up at, you know, noon to two o’clock in the afternoon and in some cases I’d be working with Mick, and the sound crew would have to be there until one o’clock in the morning. And the last thing anyone wants to hear is someone else banging away on a drum set or wailing away on a guitar when they’re just really not supposed to.

"In rehearsals one day, I swear I was minding my own business and we had done one small show for a group of Best Buy retail executives. And it was just 10 days into rehearsal that we’d done that show. And I think that’s when Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood heard me play drums. Because they walked in when we were soundchecking.

"About a week-and-a-half, two weeks later, they were rehearsing a song from the new album, from the 'Say You Will' album. And on that song, there are two drum parts that were recorded separately. And out of the corner of my ear, I swear I heard, what I had to question -- did I really hear it or not? -- I heard Lindsey say, ‘Well maybe Steve can just play that part.’

"And I’m typing away on my computer and I’m looking up and I’m thinking: ‘No. Back to work.’ And Mick looks over his shoulder and goes, 'Have we got any drums here?' We had every drum that Mick Fleetwood owned there. So I said, 'Yes we do, as a matter of fact.' And (I) probably was just finishing another word by the time I had the drums all set up and ready to go.

"And so that was it. That was one song. Within literally a couple of days, one song became two songs and two songs became three."

Ferguson then asked Rinkov if he was nervous about getting to play with the band as a backing drummer.

"No, no," he said. "Nervous wasn’t part of it. Excited. It’s a weird thing. Being nervous about playing drums is just something that has never happened to me. It’s never happened to me. The first show of the tour, which was Columbus, Ohio, which is where my father’s from. So my aunt is there. I have cousins there, And I’m at an arena that holds I think like 17,000 people and there isn’t an empty seat in the house. And I was excited. I wasn’t nervous at all. I couldn’t wait to do it and keep doing it. It was a blast."

Steve, if you see this, it'd be great to know how the brief starring role went for you in Lincoln.

I don't think it's ever happened before in concert. Didn't it happen to John once when Rocky Burnette filled in for him due to illness? Was that on the Tusk tour?

Thinking off the top of my head, there have been occasions when Mick didn't play drums on FM records. I seem to recall that Lindsey said Mick (and John) "weren't really on" Without you. Then there's probably the odd track on Tusk and maybe even TITN on which Lindsey did everything. Going further back S P Leary played drums on some tracks on the Blues Jam at Chess Album including World's in a tangle. Technically, although FM got top billing, I think that album was credited to Various Artists (it is on the verson I've got, anyway) so maybe that doesn't count.

A factor to keep in mind in this whole discussion is that drumming is hard work. It is really good exercise, and very demanding physically. This would explain why Mick has sometimes received oxygen during a show; it's like a football player getting oxygen on the sidelines after an exhausting series of plays.

Playing an electric guitar or a heavy bass guitar is demanding too, but not as much as drumming.

The only musician in the band who gets off relatively easy in terms of the physical stress of playing her instrument is Christine. She doesn't have to lift her instrument. (Well, except the accordion, but that's just one song.) She has always had a delicate touch on the keyboard, too, so hopefully her hands aren't getting sore from all this performing. Good thing she's not a "basher"!

true, although some songs can be really demanding. she commented during the Tusk tour that playing What Makes You Think You're The One (Lindsey's song) has a very bash-y style (I'm not sure, Lindsey may in fact have played the piano himself on the recording, he did much of that on that album) and she said she needed a break after that song because it killed her wrists.

I would think Sara when she played it on the upright (acoustic) piano would have been a tiring one also. (and now it's all on electronic keyboards).

But you're right, her own style on her own songs is definitely not a hard hammering style. Still, she's 70. I'm not sure what shape she'd be in after a show these days if they didn't have a supporting keyboard player along. :shrug:

Susanna Hoffs or Cyndi Lauper could easily fill in for Stevie, and would probably put on a better show. Stevie is NOT bigger than Fleetwood Mac (if she was, she'd be bigger than Rod Stewart),a fact some of her fans refuse to acknowledge. The ONLY time the band ever tried since 1975 was when Lindsey and Christine weren't either in the band or touring with them. They could probably get away being a quartet without her.

This is just plain rubbish. Do you seriously think that they would still be packing out arenas without Stevie?! That's hilarious. :lol:

I think it's worth pointing out also that she's standing for the entire show.
And pretty much rocking out too, right? . . . . :thumbsup:

I'm wondering if there have been any reports from the Grand Rapids show the other night, and how Mick might be doing.

How was his energy during the show? (etc.)

Stevie can't pack in areas without Fleetwood Mac. Without the band, she's opening for Rod or playing for Tom or Don. Fleetwood Mac is bigger than Stevie. With Christine and Lindsey, Fleetwood Mac is pretty unstoppable on their own. Add somebody like Hoffs or Lauper, who have sold millions on their own, and it almost becomes "Stevie who?"

http://i1361.photobucket.com/albums/...psdaa18e2a.png

On this site she is :nod:

While the band could continue musically the tours would financially be a serious downgrade from what they are used to.

Hoffs? What are they going to play Bangles tunes? I hope someone gets LB's reaction on video when he's told he has to play "Bangles" songs at a FM show :lol:

Not one of the parts is greater than the whole of Fleetwood Mac. Some of the parts are greater than the other parts depending on who is your favorite and apparently people on this board are willing to get down and dirty about it. However, substituting Cyndi Lauper or Susanna Hoffs for Stevie or Sheryl Crow for Christine, no longer equals Fleetwood Mac. It equals fan fiction and it just won't happen. So why fight about it?

Uhmmm, Cyndi Lauper may have leagues of talent, but she is *NOT* considered a big star any more. As for "Hoffs," I literally have no idea who you're talking about.

So uhmmm . . . yeah.:blob2:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bangles

http://www.thebangles.com/
"As the first all-female band to top Billboard’s #1 for four weeks in a row, platinum-selling icons the Bangles dominated the ‘80s with memorable hits including Walk Like an Egyptian, Eternal Flame, Manic Monday, and Hazy Shade of Winter."

Manic Monday was written by Prince. Hazy Shade of Winter was written by Simon & Garfunkel. Walk Like An Egyptian was written by Liam Sternberg. Eternal Flame has a cowrite by Hoffs. At best, they were a VERY talented all-girl cover band, but to compare them to anything related to Fleetwood Mac, Stevie, Christine, Lindsey, Mick, John or any past players of the band is incongruous. The Bangles have a Cyndi Lauper connection through the Goonies and some back up vocals. Again, comparing Cyndi to anything Mac related is apples to oranges.

NO! Really? On a fan site dedicated to a band she's been in off and on for 40 years? Really? You have to be $h*ttng me.

Ditto, if not more so for Stevie. Going from stadium tours to opening for Rod Stewart can't be fun.

What's wrong with Bangles songs? Catchy hooks, lush harmonies. Somebody willing to make a record. All things Lindsey and the others seem to value. AND, she's recorded with Mick and Lindsey. Oh, and she can still do this...

exactly. for example, if we are talking about popularity contests and awards, Cyndi has 2 grammys and 2 AMAs, a Tony and an Emmy. FM have 1 grammy and 1 AMA. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...y_Cyndi_Lauper

She sells out arenas on her own, which is more than Stevie can say (outside of Fleetwood Mac, of course).

BTW, Stevie's a big star the same way Dolly Parton is a star.

She was in a band that's sold 23 million albums and sang lead vocals on seven Top 40 singles. Also, she's recorded with Mick and Lindsey. And, she plays songs by Big Star.

except Dolly Parton sells arenas on her own. and headlines Glastonbury.

One that topped the charts at that!

Except they wrote most of the songs on their albums.

Not that it matters, but how so? They sold 23 million albums and had seven Top 40 singles, almost all of which featured Susanna on lead vocals. I'm sure most members of Fleetwood Mac, and even the core members on their projects outside of Fleetwood Mac, would LOVE those numbers.

exactly - just another proof that majority opinions on this site are not very reflective of the band's vs individual members' popularity or general opinions out there.

cool - good point!

cool info! so it seems that live, this still may be the only occasion someone had to fill in for / instead of Mick! :thumbsup:

yes! all great points and interesting suggestions! :thumbsup:

confidence plus the balance of roles in FM may be a a big part of what's holding them back. another reason why i prefer LB solo shows where he can go off script. plus i immensely enjoy pushing him in that direction much more than he seems to be comfortable with - because when it does happen it can be pretty spectacular. when we were at his 92Y q&a and he did Rock Away Blind live for the first time ever - after he had to re-tune his own guitar right in front of the whole audience - everyone there felt like we just witnessed something truly amazing. unfortunately it's so rare.

On a fan-site, of course she's more popular, but she's still not bigger than the band. Stevie the person is more extroverted and puts herself out there more as a person. Of course people are going to be drawn to that. She purposefully gives people something to talk about in order to stay relevant. Marketing 101. However, that doesn't necessarily say anything about her status among the general public, or her stature as an artist. Several people that I don't find particularly talented musically happen to be the most popular artists. I think Stevie is talented, but popularity doesn't necessarily reflect merit or artistry. Nonetheless, no matter which way you cut it, what the casual populace thinks still matters more. As a relatively young person, more people know of Fleetwood Mac than they know of Stevie Nicks. Besides Mick, she's probably the only member they'd recognize, but they know her as part of a band called Fleetwood Mac...and I don't see people attributing songs like Don't Stop or GYOW to her. They know there are other members.

I didn't know who she was until I actually got into the band, and I say that as someone who only listened to oldies music as a child. The only solo song I was familiar with was Stop Dragging My Heart Around, and I only knew that because I recognized Tom Petty in the video. But the oldies stations in my area didn't play 80s music, and only played Fleetwood Mac songs (and while I knew several of their songs, I only knew GYOW, Rhiannon, and Don't Stop were by FM). Similarly, my nieces and nephews really only know Go Your Own Way and Don't Stop, but they only know of Fleetwood Mac because of Rock Band.

What I'm trying to get across is that just as much as the band needs her to fill out arenas, Stevie needs the band to continue to remain relevant, especially when her solo career needs a boost. When she's among legendary bands, I guarantee you, she's probably talking more about the band than her solo career, because she knows she is in "a band just as famous as theirs." Heck, even her friend Tom Petty said that as excellent as SN and LB's solo work has been, the band is still more exciting. As I've said before, Stevie is a great solo artist, but Fleetwood Mac has almost reached (or perhaps has reached) immortal status in terms of greatest bands of all-time. That's not something to belittle or scoff at.

They both need each other for different reasons...and Stevie knows this. She's a smart woman, and knows that associating with Fleetwood Mac is still a good move for herself and her image (not that's the only or main reason she's still in the band. I'm positive she's emotionally dedicated to them as well.) If she really wanted to, she could leave the band, but this idea that the band would suddenly start playing casinos and fairs is unfair to the brand and fans of the band. Would they be selling out arenas, no, but they'd still have relevancy and stature among fans, peers, and critics. Don't discredit the talents and respect that the four remaining members do have. They are highly respected artists, and Stevie's presence or absence doesn't take that away.

Which of course raises the question, "Who's 'Big Star?'" ;)

You know, everybody keeps talking about what they could have done.
But nobody seems to want to focus on what they should have done.
The name of the band is "Fleetwood Mac."

They're named after their bass guitar player, John McVie, and their drummer, Mick Fleetwood. Their leaders. Their friends. The ones who formed the band more than 47 years ago.

Like they said in "Jurassic Park," "Just because we CAN do a thing, does not mean that we MUST do a thing."

Just because they could have continued while their best friend, their leader, the founder of the band, was, at age 67, suddenly puking his guts up for unknown reasons, unable to perform for the first time ever in 48 years, about to be rushed to the hospital with symptoms which could potentially have been those of a heart attack, does not mean that they should have continued. And no offense but I bet you that any comments addressing this question from the other Four Fireflies would not be as lengthy, but would simply boil down to just two words.

Something to think about, z'all's I'm sayin'.

Dolly Parton's net worth is greater than that of every member of Fleetwood Mac combined. Yup, more than 7x greater than Stevie's. Not that that necessarily indicates current stardom...Dolly's pretty much the richest woman in the music industry apart from Madonna, except she can claim being a great songwriter too.

I say ask the people who paid hundreds of dollars what they want.

Wow. Just wow. That's something I'd have Googled before asking.

Hey my name is on the CMcVie thread!! yay!!!

I'd say they probably want Fleetwood Mac to return and give another show, which is what Stevie said was going to be the case.

I don't know why people are automatically assuming that that's not going to happen.

People get sick sometimes. Mick's not a robot.

Well the streets are going to the kids. Obviously.

(*cue bad music.*) :thumbsup:


:angel:

Nobody said it was long term. Just eight songs. It's not like Steve wasn't already playing drums. People don't believe Stevie because she constantly contradicts herself, and thus lacks credibility.

for free? like Pearl Jam did when they did 3/4 of the show and couldn't finish so they added another one and didn't charge?

don't see that happening with Fleetwood Mac but i would love to be proven wrong.

They did just that during the BTM tour. They were opening the European tour in Belgium and quit playing after Rhiannon because John had fractured his finger and couldn't play anymore. They told us to hang on to our ticket stubs, came back a month later and gave us an awesome show and didn't charge us one dime extra. So it could happen.

:thumbsup: thanks for the info.

so in their 40 years that did happen, that they had to stop the show because one of the essential players was sick/injured and they handled it. :nod:

seems John had problems several times from all the posts - including the time someone else described when they had another guitar player replace him for the rest of the show.