Christine McVie pleases tiny turnout
 

Review from the Pittsburgh Press about her 05/11/1984 concert. I was there and agree with most of what he wrote but the ending sums it up perfectly. While one of the scarcest turnouts for a concert, it was no doubt one of the best concerts of the year.
At the end of 1984, this writer did not forget those words. He recapped all the shows he saw in Pittsburgh in 1984. There were huge acts like Bruce Springsteen, etc but he mentioned this concert again as being one of the best. 721 is a very dismal turnout for her star quality. But believe it or not, I would have guessed it was fewer. But right after Too Much Is Not Enough, the crowd (including me) ran and overwhelmed the orchestra pit. You really saw her and her band's faces light up. They finally got to see the people they were playing for. For about the last 4 songs, they really thrived off the audience, even though it was not many. You have to give kudos to Chris for not cancelling these gigs. It was not about the money for her. She let her band get paid and even the opening act (Baxter Robinson band). I bet she sacrificed for their cause. This review is a treasure to find online.

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/1001...estinyturnout/

That’s not how that works. The artists have a minimum that they’ll play for when they’re shopping around for shows and the promoters who take on the shows offer guarantees to the band. So, let’s say that Christine‘s people set the amount at $25K, and a promoter from a city decides to offer them $30K. The tour would get no less than that $30K. The band can make more, but there’s a set minimum they’ll make. Also, the opening act gets paid a fixed rate. The band I worked for gave the opening act $250 a show.

So, the promoter probably lost his ass on the show. Christine and the band got their guarantee. What probably hurt was not getting much merch money, but that’s not money you can bank on.

Oh please Steve OMG
Dont want to debate you on nonsense. For the love of God, please stop trying to prove everyone wrong every second of your day.
Her solo tour was not commercially successful and was not even breaking even on many nights. Tours make money Steve. Ticket sales and merchandising are huge. When you don't have crowds, you don't make money.
My point remains. Kudos for Chris not cancelling these gigs.

Thanks for this post. I saw her in Boston at a half filled Orpheum Theater. Took advantage and moved from the balcony to the third row, awesome show! Here’s a review from the Miami Herald mentioning tour attendance (archived at stevienicksinfo site).

https://stevienicks.info/1984/06/a-f...in-fine-voice/

Wasn’t trying to prove you wrong, just explaining how that works based on my experience.

I’ve been in the van for the “Only 150 tickets have been sold, but the promoter is expecting a very strong walk-up”/“Okay, we’ll do it if he’s prepared to possibly lose his ass” conversation. And, of course, the “tonight’s show is off, we’re going to New Orleans!!!” conversation.

When she comments "this tour I expected more people" is quite the understatement. Like you, I too took advantage of a mostly empty theater and left my seat for about 10 rows back during Say You Love Me.
Her iconic status of being in one of the biggest bands ever and all those hits let alone a hit record currently on the charts is a bit odd.
Lindsey pretty much had the same experience if not worse for his Out of the Cradle tour.
I just wish I had a time machine and could go back in time. I would have been a groupie and showing up in the front row every night. Tickets only about $14.00 back then.
She toured by bus in 1984 and her tour bus was named "The Challenge". It was a very colorful and professionally painted bus that had the name painted on it. Saw it parked about 2 blocks from the theater the night of the concert. Gosh why did I not bring a camera.
I felt embarrassed at the turn out. There is a recording of Ask Anybody on Youtube where she exclaims "Its so quiet here" to the audience. It was from St Louis.
But we saw history and a fantastic concert. Funny story about the show that I am surprised was not mentioned in this concert review. She came to the stage and said "How are you Detroit" After Say You Love Me she apologized over and over and made a joke of it and said "I knew I was going to get that screwed up somewhere" Pittsburgh is not Detroit :)

It’s amazing how Christine and John got back to a place where there was a sweetness between them.

Nice review. I wish I was there, truly.

Two quibbles: "Songbird" was not an "unusual" set closer. And I've heard live performances of "One In a Million"--her voice sounds great in that context.

But, hey, here's to a review that DOESN'T mention Nicks. Not once.

Too Much Is Not Enough and Guitar Bug... do we have recordings of those? First I’m hearing of them!

“Guitar Bug” was on Billy Burnette’s “Try Me” album.

ETA: It was a song he and Todd Sharp wrote.

I was at that show!! Still have my ticket stub and the review in the paper (probably The Phoenix)

I agree. One thing that made One In A Million so special and rare is Chris sung the song at center microphone. If my memory is correct she sung at least 2 maybe 3 songs there while Eddy hopped behind her keyboards. His praise of Todd Sharpe is spot on. I had equal thoughts that he was going to be a big star. I have always said this but he would have been a better pick to join Fleetwood Mac in 1987. Sadly, he was not asked.

I was in the third row at that show, on the left side. Maybe we were sitting next to each other? A memory I have of that show is a young man with a bouquet of flowers jumping up on the stage at the end of the show and handing them to Christine. She seemed startled but not frightened. Security must have escorted him off although I don't remember that detail.

The show was absolutely great and I had no idea the place was only half filled. I don't think I turned my head once to look at the crowd; I was focused on Chris. My favorite moments of the show were when she did the "Bob Welch era" songs, "Spare Me a Little" and "Just Crazy Love."

The tour was so good. I wish I could go back in time and see it~

Christine played Universal on June 15. Was that her last show? Mick traipsed in midway through and sat in the front row. I got a nice long-sleeve T-shirt with piano keys on it. Some ladies in the audience were wearing furs and cocktail party dresses. Viva l'eleganza!

Some of the best shows I've had the pleasure of attending were with smaller turnouts. One was in Columbus OH for a band that we would later see break up after the tour, and the other was a NYE beach concert where Mother Nature was just NOT cooperating. (The temperature DROPPED each 5-10 degrees each day at this location for the 3 or 4 days before.)

Kudos to Christine for going through with the show!

I saw Chris' solo tour on June 11, 1984 at The Majestic Theater in San Antonio, Texas. It was at the very end of the tour. There appeared to be about 900 people in attendance that evening. The seating capacity is 2,200.

I didn't even buy my ticket on the first day of sales and I still got front row seats. The show was phenomenal and it was a fantastic evening.

Amazing
If only we could go back in time. It truly was an incredible show.

I was just thinking that. If I could go back in time, that's the show I would go to.

Me too. I've always hated it that I'd drifted away from the FM camp during this time.

If you would have put down your Walkman and stopped twirling to Stand Back maybe just maybe you would have noticed Christine's solo career and concert
;)

I had began college (in the recording arts program) and once mentioned old Dick Fleetwood as a favorite drummer(somebody asked me to name one, and he was the only one that came to mind) and got mildly ridiculed for naming him. Lesson learned. FM WAS NOT COOL. I bought Chris's album the minute it came out, OF COURSE, but didn't mention it at school.

AND, in the pre internet age, unless I heard it announced on the radio, I was pretty unaware as to who was touring...

I gave all the cool kids the finger and went to that show!! And I saw David Gilmour (About Face Tour) (solo), Eric Clapton (Behind the Sun, Tour) , and Roger Waters (Pros and Cons) (solo) that year or near that time.

DVD and audio idea for Rhino: Reseda Country Club concert with the Switzerland film on the making of the album. (We can see Russ Titelman engage in playful shtick with Christine.)

Another DVD and audio idea for Rhino: Mick’s 1981 film on his album and the concert for the natives.

I think most of these things were only ever released on laser disc.

I have an official VHS tape of Christine's video album but you are right, the laser disc was all over the place.

You made me have a flashback. Christine's solo tour had a cool shirt and even had a black jacket with piano on the back. Gosh I wanted one but reality set in because I knew I could never wear it at school. LOL

I've got the VHS one as well. Someone here sent me a DVD rip of it a few years ago, which I've watched a hundred times.

I loved that MTV special about Christine making her solo album in Montreux. I think some of it was filmed in Great Britain and Los Angeles. Such a cool thing to watch. Mick is in it!

Haven’t seen it in years. It’s real low-key, like Chris. It has Todd and George and Steve Ferrone recording several of the tracks and riding on an aerial lift.

Does anybody here say Christine McVie, like “vie” as in “I want to vie for a spot on the swim team”? I’m just curious.

I remember Billy was in it, too. I remember Mick saying, "We'll miss you Chris." And they played bits and pieces of "Too Much is Not Enough".

Don't know about the "Vie" question. "Christy McVie" was a thing for a while, however.

No. No one does.

Christy was a thing!! :lol:

No it wasn't!:mad:

Try calling me Dave, and see what happens!:p

MTV was even saying it. It drove me insane. Like Lindsay. And back then, some people thought Stevie was a guy and Lindsey was a girl.

I got booted from one of the Lindsey FB groups for asking a woman ~if it would kill her to spell his name correctly? "It's LindsEy." They kicked me out of the group! :lol:
And I recently kicked myself out of the Real Savage Like FB group. All I said was "f*ck Mick Fleetwood". They warned me that profanity wasn't allowed. Like I'd belong to a group that doesn't allow cussing! Bye bitches! :D:wavey::D:wavey::D

Didn't they use the pic from the back of the White album, and reverse $tevie and Lindsey's names?

Stevie looks like Ozzy Osbourne in that White Album back cover. :laugh:

So the urban legend is true? She bit the head off a white winged dove at Red Rocks but it was edited out.

Thanks for the concert review links! I’m curious though- neither review mentioned Billy Burnette, yet he was prominently featured on the filmed concert on YouTube. Was his appearance purely for the taped concert? I guess I’m surprised if that’s the case- I wasn’t aware he was famous enough to be a “special guest” at that time, since that was years before he joined Fleetwood Mac. I thought Billy did a stellar job on the concert special, and his vocals on Who’s Dreaming This Dream were incredible.

Billy did not tour with Chris. From what I remember, he had previous things scheduled.

My Grandfather made me play Who's Dreaming This Dream every time I put that album on. He loved that song.