Show openers
 

If Fleetwood Mac were to tour again, what would be a good show opener? IMO The Chain is getting a little too tired...too expected after two big tours. Here are some (all?) of their openers starting from 1975 onward:

Get Like You Used To Be
Station Man
Say You Love Me
Monday Morning
Don't Stop (one time)
Second Hand News
The Chain
In The Back Of My Mind

I always thought Blue Letter (Mirage era) would have made a great opener. Perhaps even Gold Dust Woman (a solo concert opener for many years).

I always loved Say you Love me . . . but without chris. . . no.

The Chain is a pretty kick-ass opener. It wasn't a hit, yet EVERYONE knows the song.

but just for the sake of changing it up?

From the songs they already play . . . Go Your own way (but that would leave a HUGE hole at the end of the show to fill) or Say you Will.

From the songs they should play . . . Angel or Big Love (the old way for a change{ducking})

And just in case Chris comes around Sugar Daddy or Think About Me.

I'm with Buckster...I like The Chain, but for the sake of the game:

without Chris - What's the World Coming To

with Chris - Save Me FTW!!!

Isn't it weird that the band started opening with "The Chain" on the '94 tour (preceding "Time"), a tour with only the rhythm section from the configuration that recorded the song? I always thought that was kind of bizarre.

I don't know what would make a good new opener. Maybe "Tusk" or "Crying In The Night" (since my view FM & Buckingham Nicks are now one & the same). Probably "Tusk" could be an opener. We just have to get used to thinking of it differently. Or maybe something from the last album -- "Come" with Lindsey wailing away & Stevie doing interpretive dance moves.

NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. "Station Man" was never a set opener!! :mad:

Yes, it is the first song on some recordings right after an introduction (because of fancy editing), but it never opened a show.

^ Careful, Chili, your blood pressure's rising.

Not really...its 116/67 as of 2 hrs ago.

Aw, good for you. Could have fooled me, though.

Indeed.

I dont think they would ever open without anything but "The Chain"...its the band song...and i think everyone generally loves it. I wish they would change it up a bit. Maybe play it in a different key or just do something different with it. I dunno. 2nd Hand News is a good opener. World Turning is great too, but just cut out the stupid Mick-Vest-solo.

chili... what was the opener on those recordings?

i like the chain as an opener, but I hated the earlier "slow" versions. I'm glad they mixed it up a bit, but I much prefer the version they do now. when you hear that thumping in the beginning, you know the mac has arrived :lol:


:o

My favorite opening was the Behind the Mask tour - In the Back of My Mind that morphed into The Chain.

"Get Like You Used To Be"

Ditto! As much as I liked that medley (for lack of a better term), I would've liked to have heard Rick play that end solo on "In The Back Of My Mind" live. The studio version's solo was much more adventurous than the Neil Young-esque single note monotony of "The Chain"'s end solo.

I think....
 

Seven Wonders would be a great opener. The beginning chords could get the crowd going and could be repeated a bit while the band took the stage...then Stevie could kick it in and get the show started.

Actually, I think a GREAT opening number for them to do would be:

"OH WELL"

Then, like they did with "In The Back Of My Mind" in 1990, just segue directly into "The Chain".

It would start the set with an atomic burst of energy :blob2:; and, simultaneously, get us old-timers (pre-'75ers) off their back right away about playing "the old stuff". :thumbsup:

I'd love it if they played this song AT ALL! I was hoping they might use it on the Dance, since Christine's voice was in fine form. It is in my top two or three all-time Mac songs from any incarnation of the band.

Question: I remember the Fleetwood Mac "One Night Stand" HBO special being advertised back in 1982. It was a concert where The Heroes lineup opened the show and the Rumors lineup followed. I remember snatches of it, but it's been 25 years. Didn''t "Love in Store" open that show?

At one point, HBO did show a truncated version of the Mirage concert video that had "Love In Store" as the first song...but it wasn't the opening song of the concert itself.

Thanks, ChiliD.

Could you post an Mp3 of this? I tend to avoid this era so have apparently missed out on this. :shrug:

That would be awesome! I can see it now...Mick and Lenny or whoever coming up with an interesting percussion intro, than the opening synths start blaring, probably five or six times before Stevie comes out. It would be awesome. I think Illume would also be an awesome opener.

that makes sense because i have the video where they open with GLIUTB then go into Station Man

The way it's worded, you make it sound like an actual concert event -- where the Heroes era band opened for a Mirage tour! It's my understanding that media companies often "package" shows -- assemble material from different concerts -- that have no bearing on an actual set list (that's why Love In Store opened the show you speak of). I have a radio show where the first half was from a Mirage show, the second half was from a Tango era show (with Billy and Rick).

I also thought, like some others posted-- that Tusk would make a great show opener. And Seven Wonders too! Great suggestions!

Actually, you read my wording right. It was called "Fleetwood Mac: One Night Stand." And in the commercial for it, the Rumors lineup were huddled together on a cpuc, Christine looked at the camera and said "It's one night stand you'll never forget."

It was 25 years ago, but I think I remember it being one date...wasn't it? Or am I losing my marbles?

It was an MTV contest. A couple from the Midwest or back East or something won it. He was a trucker or something. They were both limousine'd out to dinner with the band, & then afterward were "guests" of the band at its Detroit show at Joe Louis -- or maybe Minneapolis, I can't remember. I never saw anything on MTV after that with footage of the dinner or the winning pair, so I wonder how it all went.

AGREED! Bring back Oh Well for Godssake.

Thanks for clearing that up. I didn't know that!:thumbsup:

I'm still a little confused! It's quite believable that there was a broadcast that coupled footage from a Heroes show and a rumours-era show. It's quite unbelievable that there was an actual concert where the Heroes era band opened up for the Rumours band. It makes no sense in time/space. But even more perplexing....what is a cpuc? lol

cpuc! Egregious typo on my part. Couch. They were huddled together on a couch. L:lol:

I think they'd have to stick with The Chain because it's one that all audiences (both general/hardcore) know pretty well. Plus it's one that everyone sings, so everybody gets the stage time right off the bat. I don't see them ever changing it. BUT that's doesn't mean I can't throw out my own suggestions!

- "Eyes of the World" or "Second Hand News" or a ramped up "Blue Letter"
- I think "Don't Let Me Down Again" would work great, at least for the audience members that know the song.
- "World Turning" -- kinda the same build up to "Chain" with Mick on drums them guitar comes in, picks up. I think that'd get the crowd going quick. But minus the drum/Mick solo. Too much too soon. :lol: Throw that in later on to a different song if they want to include it.