Brisbane shows...and hotel(s)?
 

Ok, does anyone know where it's likely the gang will stay whilst in Brisbane? Do they even stay in the same hotel anymore or do they go to different ones? Would they stay in Brisbane at all or would they go down to the Gold Coast (where I live, heheh, an hour south of Brisbane) and stay at Palazzo Versace, the only 6 star hotel in the country (I think)?

We're staying at the Hilton for the Wednesday, 16 Dec concert...we wanted the Stamford which is gorgeous (Zitney Spears stayed there though *gag* lol)...but it was too expensive for that night. Maybe they're staying there and pushed the price up. lol

Where will the Mac stay!?!? (not that I intend to stalk them like a weirdo, but in the old days somehow people knew where bands stayed)

I stayed at the Versace for two nights for my mums 40th in the gold coast, jesus christ it was soooo nice!! But cost a freaking fortune! Wouldn't have wanted to stay for two weeks or something! But i could imagine Stevie staying their :laugh::laugh:

I don't know about John lolol

Yeah, heheh, John I can't really see caring that much if where he stays is especially gorgeous or amazing. As long as the bed's comfy and there's stuff to eat and room to practice his bass. lol.

I seem to recall that maybe Stevie stayed at Versace when she toured solo in 2006...but I'm not sure. I was so vague and overwhelmed by seeing her walk past us, wave and blow kisses, after the show, that I forgot to notice which direction her small group of cars went. lol.

I've never stayed at Versace. I'd LOVE to one day, but the really beautiful rooms are, as you say, SO expensive...I can't justify it, especially as I live 10 minutes away. lol.

I keep having little silly fantasies that we'll be eating our breakfast at the Hilton the morning after the concert and we'll see Stevie pigging out at the buffet. LMAO.

Stevie stayed at the Versace during her 06 tour for her Gold Coast concert, and Conrad during the Brisbane show Also in 04 Say you Will Tour the Mac stayed at the Conrad.

Conrad...which one is Conrad? Conrad Treasury Casino?

Yes Conrad Treasury,

http://www.conradtreasury.com.au/Acc...EXK7IK6FVNRI65

Thought it was worth letting you all know we are still alive and kicking in Brisbane.....

Around 2 hours til show time here in the Sunshine State (which was not so sunshiney today), and my very first Mac concert :blob1:

It's almost sold out according to Ticketek, so I'm stoked to see a big crowd. I will hopefully have more to tell in five hours or so!

I'm Excited for you!

I hope all of you who go take heaps of cool pics :p and enjoy yourselves! :wavey:

Brisbane 15th Dec
 

Was just at the concert and it was UNBELIEVABLE! Lindsey Buckingham is a Genius! They put on an AMAZING show and I know I will never see a better concert than that in my life. They are so authentic, so unique, so energetic and so incredible! LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM!

I'm not long back from the first Brisbane show, and I'm trying to think of a more articulate way to say it was freakin' awesome.

I should start off by saying that I had rather average tickets, some way back on the floor. Having sat up the front for previous (non-FM) concerts, I know that completely changes the concert experience. (I'll have my shot in the front row tomorrow.) Knowing that there was always tomorrow to come, I think I kind of treated this concert as a test run really, taking it all in before I rock out tomorrow night.

I have very little self-control, and so had watched a great deal of Unleashed tour videos on the internet. I was ridiculously worried that somehow my expectations wouldn't be met and I'd feel the whole thing was a bit of a let down (kind of like when you get the courage to talk to someone who's caught your eye, only to discover that they're a total goose in person). I think I was especially nervous about Stevie given some of the bad raps she'd received, in terms of being sluggish, unenthusiastic, not in great voice etc. Tonight, I thought she was everything an audience could've hoped for. From where I sat, she seemed to be warm and engaging, and after hearing the first few lines of Dreams, I thought "wow, she's gonna be great". I know from previous experiences that videos often don't replicate the actual sound at the concert very well at all, but Stevie definitely sounded much, much better than in any of the recent video clips I've seen. Gypsy in particular has occasionally appeared to be a bit of a train wreck, but when my dad -- the harshest critic in the house -- turned to me to say "she still sounds great", I couldn't have agreed more.

My expectations for Lindsey were somewhat higher, and even still he exceeded them beyond all belief. Even though I knew they'd be blown away, I was thrilled to hear my parents remark on how he was a lot more talented than they ever gave him credit for and "God, he can play that guitar". Really, he is just mesmerising and I think a lot of the more casual Mac fans must surely be astounded to see just how good he really is.

I was trying to make mental notes of things here and there as the show went on. I'm not sure if some of the things that seemed different to me are actually different, but it was nice to be surprised by things along the way :) . Other things are just my observations as a first time Mac attendee.

- John's solo in The Chain is 1000 times more intense live than on the record (I'm sure I'm not telling any of you anything new). The way it reverberated through the stadium was unbelievable.

- Stevie started her Gypsy intro speech, paused for a moment and started to fan herself. I thought she was getting a little emotional, but no. "I'm out of breath". Heh. It was cute -- she was right into IKINW just prior, so I can see how that happened.

- I thought the ending of Rhiannon sounded stronger than some I'd seen previously. Possibly stronger the whole way through actually, but the ending especially was great.

- What was that exercise regime of Stevie's we were all laughing about a few months ago? I kept thinking boxercise but I know that's not it. Arm curls? Whatever it was, it's definitely for her SHN moves.

- Tusk was a big hit. It seemed like the first song to really get people out of their seats (at the end of the song at least; we're still not big standers here in Brisbane).

- Lovely Sara hug, as always. I don't even care that it's planned; it's still so damn nice.

- Stevie dedicated Landslide to "Anne". No further explanation was forthcoming. (On a side note, she also wished someone happy birthday at some point in the night. It's my birthday on Friday -- can I get one too?) Stevie also mentioned that Landslide was a song "that just keeps coming back". Like the Terminator, I thought.

- Oooh, a song I still like to call 'Storms', whatever Stevie might want to call it. At some point (I can no longer remember the exact line), there were some very RaL (Go Ahead Lily)-esque vocals from Stevie. I had this thought independently at the time, and then remembered that Chris from Sydney had made the same comparison in his review. He was dead on. And it was super.

- GDW was awesome. Mick was damn loud on the drums in parts, which really struck me. As in Sydney, we had the prolonged, repetitive kind of wail, followed by the more standard sort of wail. The ending we got was, I think, "she dove into the shadows/she dived into the shadows", "you let her go into the shadows" and a very definite "now she's gone" to pretty much take the song to its close. I'm not even sure if I'm remembering things exactly right at the moment, but it was an ending I hadn't heard before and it was actually quite chilling. Slightly accusatory in a way, and I liked that.

- I had forgotten Oh Well was in the set, so that was a nice way to surprise myself :o. I think it was here that we got some unusual kind of dog yaps from Lindsey at the end.

- I haven't watched many videos of World Turning from the tour, but I really enjoyed it. Couldn't understand what the heck Mick was saying half the time, but the non-drum solo sections were particularly awesome. Stevie seemed to be really getting into it too, which was cool.

- Silver Springs lives! (At least for tonight.) Like Rhiannon, I thought the end especially sounded much stronger and I guess more 'convincing' than I was perhaps expecting. Fantastic to see it live, even if a good proportion of attendees had already vacated their seats (which, for the life of me, I will never understand).

No photos tonight, but hopefully tomorrow. I can see me getting all caught up in the front row excitement though, so keep your expectations low!

Oh, I'm intrigued by the new words in the GDW ending. I always like to track the evolution of those adlibs. I'll be looking for boots. As for Lindsey' yapping like a dog at the end of Oh Well, I tired of that with Holiday Road, so I'm not looking forward to hearing that. But I'm glad they all seem to be having so much fun.

Thanks for your terrific review!

Michele

:nod:

:laugh: my bro is obsessed with Terminator and doesn't get my Mac!love so this was funny as! Landslide is a staple LIVE FM song...it will never go away


WE NEED SOME STORMS AUDIO PEOPLE>>>>>>>>>> i hope someone recorded it. love me some RAL :thumbsup:

good luck with tonight
i wish i was going :(

bye bye Mac

Concert day today! *dancing* WOO!

toot toot!

HEHEHEHEH!!! Toot indeed!

I'm currently in Brisbane, at a net cafe type booth in the city, hanging out waiting for my partner who's looking at DVDs nearby.

We're then going to wander down to Eagle St Pier to see what restaurant options there are for dinner...then go back to the hotel to relax briefly and get ready for the concert, then head out again for dinner and then get the train to the show...WOOO HOOO!!!

Have not seen Stevie wandering around shopping today, sadly. lol

The Mac's Back
 

December 16, 2009 - 10:20AM
JOSHUA HOEY

The BBC comedy The Mighty Boosh has a running joke about Fleetwood Mac's 1979 album Tusk.

And while the capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre crowd last night was not treated to the full length of the album "in its entirety, with the pauses, as Lindsey Buckingham intended it to be heard", they did go wild for the album's title track.

The song's strange syncopations and tribal drum rhythms produced an impassioned and enthusiastic response among the crowd that was characteristic of last night's performance.

This reviewer has never seen a more rapturous Brisbane crowd.

Each song was followed by an almost overwhelming roar of applause, shouting, and cheering, and by the end of the night standing ovations had become commonplace.

Fleetwood Mac's Unleashed tour promised a two hour celebration of all the band's greatest hits.

It was exactly what fans were hoping for, and it was exactly what they got.

The band performed some of their lesser-known tracks, but classics like The Chain, Dreams, Rhiannon, Sara, Landslide, Go Your Own Way, Don't Stop and Everywhere dominated the set list.

Mick Fleetwood's recognition of Lindsey Buckingham as the band's "maestro" was apt - the lead guitarist's solo performance of Big Love roused the entire arena, impressive considering he performed it on a classical six-string guitar.

As is to be expected from a seasoned performer, Buckingham has consummate control of his craft, easily modulating between tender, mournful picking, and unimpeded, raw aggression.

But, the true star of the night was always going to be Stevie Nicks.

The band's frontwoman, dressed in her trademark shawls and gypsy dresses, enraptured fans with her performance.

Shouts of adoration and support for Nicks could be heard throughout the show.

At times Nicks slightly adapted the melodies of some tracks, but her iconic voice, with it's dark, melancholic timbre, was as powerful and compelling as ever.

Often revival tours have a certain haggard, worn atmosphere, but there was nothing of the sort at last nights performance.

And calling the tour a "revival" isn't really accurate anyway - Fleetwood Mac have never been in the need of rejuvenation.

They are, simply put, one of the greatest rock groups performing today.

http://www.watoday.com.au/entertainm...1216-kw9n.html

Based on the name of the man who wrote this review, if he thinks the band performed Everywhere, all I've got to say is hooey.

I'm glad someone else noted the crowd response to Tusk. My position actually provided a great view of the majority of the crowd, and the response was really very noticeable from where I sat. "Impassioned and enthusiastic" is certainly accurate.

I don't think I've seen a more rapturous crowd here in Brisbane either. And still, a lot of people sat most of the way through but you knew darn well that everyone was blown away and having a great time. I think Brisbane crowds (perhaps Australian crowds more generally) have a different way of responding to artists that might appear pretty dull and unenthusiastic, but the thunderous applause and shouts of adoration throughout last night demonstrated to me that this was not at all the true feeling of the crowd.

Not sure about the 'Everywhere' reference though....


Another small review from Brisbane's Courier Mail today.

Fleetwood's wearing well

Review: Noel Mengel

Fleetwood Mac have survived bust-ups, missing band members, messy affairs and complete musical makeovers in their 40-year career.

They aren't letting a little thing like a year spent on the road slow them down either.

The band played the first of two Brisbane Entertainment Centre shows last night, playing for two and a half hours and packing the set with songs from their Fleetwood Mac, Rumours and Tusk albums.

It's an odd mix but the contrasts are what made them strong: the two veterans of the British blues boom, with Stevie Nicks's ethereal spirit contrasting with Lindsey Buckingham's intensity.

Sadly keyboard player Christine McVie has retired and her songs are missed, while Mick Fleetwood is returning in February with his blues band to play tunes from the band's pre-1975 history, mostly absent here.

The format isn't much altered from their set at the same venue five years ago, with room for solo excursions, plus loads of Buckingham's guitar solos.

Some things you expect: Stevie in black, Lindsey lean in leather jacket, John McVie in his cap.

Some things are a surprise: the aggression that Buckingham brings to songs like The Chain, Nicks's exquisite delivery of Landslide. Plus, they can always kick the show into high gear anytime they want to drop the big bombs, songs like Rhiannon, Sara, and Go Your Own Way.

As Buckingham explained, there were a lot of emotional opposites in songs like Second Hand News.

The old hurts that produced songs like that might be way in the past, but the songs themselves have weathered well.

Fleetwood Mac play the Brisbane Entertainment Centre again tonight.

Well I was absolutely blown away with the whole show at the Brisbane entertainment venue last night, both Stevie & Lindsay were on fire from start to finish. I made my way to the front after Gypsy, 6 ft left of Stevie she is sooo tiny, she chose to wear the Reeboky type boots with 5 diamonds below the toe, just to jazz them up a bit, i guess??.. My favorite's were Gypsy, Rhiannon, GDW, she rocked the house down with Stand Back & showed the most passion in those songs mostly, I thought she would of interacted a little more than she did with only 10 people under & around her mic for the whole 2 1/2hrs , 1st to 5th row were invited to stand up at the stage, I was :confused:why those that chose not too.. She excepted the 12 red roses that we handed to her after Silver Springs, she smiled & said thank you:):angel:
LB interacted so well with the crowd all night, played unbelievable with so much energy & passion, I got to stroke his hand at the end of Tusk, he was pounding the strings of his guitar so hard in front of us, smooth hands.. Anyway it was a fantastic night,I loved every second of it!!!!:: I arrived home at 2.30am after staying back waiting for them to leave the building, apparently Stevie escaped into the one & only limo 10 min after Silver Springs, Mick & his 2 little girls walked past us & left in a 4wd, they were dancing behind Lori,Sharon & ? for most of the concert..

Night two complete! Which was awesome, but I just know I'm going to have withdrawal symptoms for the next few days...

I was a very bad Ledgie, and took no photos. The Entertainment Centre staff were rather frightening -- they told us repeatedly that the band had requested that people in the first two rows, as they were allowed to move forward to the stage (?), were not to take photos under any circumstances. "They will the stop performance if there are photos". Now, I don't actually believe this to be true, but I'm a very punishment-sensitive individual, so I obeyed the cranky man's directions. Besides which, I got so caught up in the moment that I'd forgotten I even brought a camera by the end of Monday Morning.

I stood right under Lindsey's mic, which was perfect. I think I focused less on the actual performance tonight, but Lord I had a rocking time. The people around us were all fantastic, and I just can't believe how close I was to the Mac!

- Lindsey appears to have a very smooth chest. Is it wrong that I was concentrating on it so hard? Probably, but it was worth it.

- Made glorious eye contact with Lindsey throughout the show. "Eeek, he's looking at me. No, wait, maybe he's looking over me. No, I think he's definitely looking at me. Should I smile? Sing louder? Tell him how smooth his chest looks? Aaah." Most of the time I probably had a completely freaked out look on my face, to the point that he might've thought there was something wrong with me. I was simply in awe.

- Stevie is beautiful. Everything about her seemed perfect. This is probably a really nothing observation for people who've been there before, but how fantastic are her clothes? Those shawls are superb, and that little jacket she wears out for Silver Springs looks so beautifully delicate.

- Kind of spoiled things there, didn't I? Silver Springs lives again! And it was a good'un.

- Rhiannon rocked. Not much more to say really.

- Aaah, Sara. Beautiful again, lovely hug. I kind of ruined the moment for myself when Stevie came over to Lindsey's mic. I realised I could see straight up her nostril and could only think "I wonder if I can see that hole?"

- Stevie does get an awful lot of love from the crowd doesn't she? You seem to be able to hear this much better down the front. Someone yelled out "You're gorgeous Stevie." Lindsey asked "Aren't I gorgeous too?" Hells yes was my answer.

- Is it possible to have a leg fetish? A lot of the females down front certainly seemed to enjoy Lindsey's. Can't say I blame them.

- Loved that I could see spittle ocasionally fly out of Lindsey's mouth. You know you're close when you're getting accidentally spat on.

- Landslide was dedicated to doctors Peter and Sue-Ellen (?), from Italy, who they had met earlier in the year, and who Stevie thought "were angels sent here for a special reason" or something to that effect. Loved when Lindsey blew Stevie a kiss at the end. Apparently this happened last night (and it probably happens every night), but I missed it.

- GDW ending was, I think, "she dropped into the shadows" then, as last night, "you watched her go into the shadows" etc. (which is all said with a bit of venom), and then this final "and now she's gone". I'm loving that.

- When people have spoken about Lindsey mouthing the words to Stand Back, I've always imagined a kind of quiet, hidden type of mouthing. Man, does he love that song? He was revving the crowd right up and getting way into it. Loved it.

- Loved Stevie dancing with the back-up singers through GYOW -- whoever she was speaking to off to the side of the stage seemed to be enjoying it too. She poked her tongue out at them shortly after.

- Oh yeah. I got a hand on Lindsey's guitar during GYOW. Worth the price of admission itself. :D

Something occurred to me last night, and then really hit home again when Stevie did her Gypsy intro. She speaks about Fritz opening for Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin. Both dead at 27. How lucky we are to still be able to go out and watch the Mac in their sixties. Even with their faults and foibles, they are still here. And they still put on an awesome show. I feel very lucky indeed.

I wonder how they feel with fewer people right at the stage to help spur them on. It sounds like their energy levels are still high, so I guess it not affecting the show at all. That's great. Thanks for the review.

Michele

Yes, it's a small miracle that all 16 past and present members of the band are still alive and when they do go, it will likely be from natural causes and not drugs or alcohol. There are so many who didn't end up as well.

Laughed at what you said about Lindsey's chest. I never thought it was that smooth and I do understand why you looked:laugh:.

Another GDW I will have to look up on Youtube. Talking of the lyrics, I always loved Lindsey's line, "And the shadow singer will stand in linger in places no one ever goes."

Michele

WORD

this is the best aussie review i've read :laugh:

did you actually HEAR lindsey singing on SB?
u know how much he must love that song
that's his staple guitarbation song :laugh:


re the security...are they f#*king serious?
does the Mac tell them to crack down on photography?
coz i SERIOUSLY doubt it...what was the deal in Europe?
it seems the photography "laws" were pretty lax in the US too
and just my observations but it appears to me lindsey plays up more when there are cameras there...put on a better performance, daddy's being immortalized on the Ledge in pic form kinda thing. and Stevie...well she just has that no flash thing right?
if they REALLY had a problem with it dont u think THEY would just say...hey guys, no pics tonight or something
i think people would be more respectful of that than having orders come from security @ssholes no?

i just dont believe it's a MAC based order?

Great reviews for both nights... Very detailed... It amazes me how you guys can recall all the details... Michele is good at it too.

Oh dear. I'm NOT good at recalling details of events and experiences that completely blow me away, overwhelm me and leave me literally SHAKING!!!

I had SUCH a fantastic time last night at the show...we got there about 7.15pm and rudely *sheepish* didn't go in to see The Verses at all. We were too busy trying to find a bathroom that wasn't packed with a line trailing halfway out the door and into the hall...we were also buying Coke and a Mars Bar and a glass of wine and trying to see what merchandise there was (hey, did anyone ever see a program for this tour? My partner always buys a program and was disappointed to see there were none. Were they just sold out by this last show in Australia, or did they not do one for this tour?)

Anyway, so...wow. Our seats were in the third row. Excellent BUT we were RIGHT on the very end. The right side (Stevie's side, though both her and Lindsey were fairly centred we noticed).

We couldn't actually see John at all (except for the very top of his white cap) or Mick (except when he moved to a smaller different set of drums for one song. What song was it? I don't even know. I tells ya - COMPLETELY overwhelmed, I was!!! My brain fell out, lol). We had the big stage monitor in front of us, blocking our view of them, but luckily we could see Lindsey and Stevie well.

I was VERY pleased with Stevie's voice. It seemed stronger than I think it's sounded for AGES, and she looked just beautiful as always...perfect. Really perfect. I loved her Gypsy story...and Lindsey...OH MY GOD, HE HAS SO MUCH ENERGY, it's unbelievable!!! He went "crazy" numerous times on his songs...amazing. The crowd ate it up.

Now...those security guards I was NOT happy with. I'd heard varying stories of people being able to go and stand at the stage from rows 1-10 or so...I thought, being in row 3, we'd have no trouble. We didn't ever intend to stand at the stage the whole show though (my back gives me major trouble if I stand for too long), but intended to go down there about halfway through...but no. Nope. Not allowed apparently. Only the first TWO rows. I think this SUCKED, frankly. I was p!ssed off. Still obviously thoroughly enjoyed the show and found myself in tears and trying very hard not to turn into a crying mess towards the end of Sara when Stevie and Lindsey hugged, and also during Silver Springs...the final song (2nd encore)...I REALLY wanted to go to the stage then...where I'd no doubt have been a blubbering mess standing beneath the gorgeous Stevie...but no. Still not allowed. EVEN THOUGH several people who had been standing at the stage actually left before Silver Springs (WHY!? WHY, PEOPLE!?)...but no. And yeah, the camera thing. Total camera nazis. When we entered the main area outside the doors to the stage/hall etc, there were signs around saying no cameras with "detachable lenses" or "telephoto lenses" would be allowed in. And I was like YAY! My camera doesn't have either of those, so it's fine. WOO! But nooooo! I didn't get mine out till...I don't remember when. Maybe a third of the way in? But the guy next to me got his out right away and then took a few photos (no flash. I also didn't use my flash when I later took some pics. A LOT of people scattered around were using their flashes though), and one of the guards came up and said to stop, so he did, but then got out some kind of iPod type device and was audio-taping the show with it sitting in his pocket. lol. He later took more photos. I myself tried to hide my camera behind my enormous thing of Coke, as well as behind my head and behind that guy's head and his own camera/hand. LOL. I took about 7 photos at different times (3 are really blurry, DAMMIT!!!! Too much zoom and too dark makes the camera go blur), and didn't get in trouble. Heheh. I wanted to do a small video tape footage thing, but was scared it'd be too obvious.

Anyway, at some stage (again, I don't know what song!! I DO know all the songs, and all the words to the songs, ok? I'm not a "phony" fan! I just lost my brain, that's all! lol) I was shaking and feeling quite overwhelmed, but just had the BEST time.

*sigh of deflation and depression that it's all over* Last night, staying in our hotel room (the Hilton, which was very nice), it felt comforting and nice to know that Stevie and the gang were also staying in hotel rooms nearby...just blocks away. If Stevie was at the Treasury, she'd only have been 2 blocks or so away...*sigh again* What a beautiful night. Even though we had to wait around for quite some time at Boondall Station for the last train back to the city and were eaten by rabid mosquitos. lol. (I'm also sort of relieved to hear that Stevie left 10 mins after Silver Springs...we couldn't have gotten to the back door by then anyway, even if we thought we had a chance...too slow to get out of the auditorium...we carried around 2 CDs all day though and to the concert, just in case we bumped into anyone and could get signatures! lol. Didn't happen, needless to say.)

Oh, and anyone who's from here who was there and saw a 5'7" girl with long brown hair wearing a halterneck clingy deep blue long dress wandering around with a huge drink of Coke in her hand, and a brown handbag, that was me. lol

Here are my blurry, rushed photos...(some are good. The clear one of Lindsey I cropped to hopefully make it clearer, and also attached the original wider shot too)

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...lurlindsey.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...indseyblur.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...t/Lindsey2.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...et/Stevie2.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...t/Lindsey1.jpg

http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z...et/Stevie1.jpg

I enjoyed your review and am glad you had a real good time. Toot, toot! I love this picture! Too bad the camera nazi's were so rude. In England they were like, "snap away people!" Everywhere else FM acted like it was a crime getting their picture taken.:lol: Also you are very good at recalling details of events!:thumbsup:

I've been asked a few times what I thought of Tuesday's concert. Every time I gave a reply (usually "unbelievable", "wonderful", or "fantastic"), the first thought that ran through my mind was "I don't know". Fortunately for me, computers and forums exist, so I now have a much better way of expressing how I felt about it...
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that sums it up nicely. :lol: That said...
A good synopsis indeed!
I loved my seats, much to my surprise (I expected they'd be pretty bad, being somewhat close to the back, but they were raised very high).
As a side, my apologies to anyone who was scared by my "CHAMPION LINDSEY" when the crowd went silent after Go Insane. :laugh: I felt compelled to take the opportunity...
On a slightly less happy note (:sorry:), I'll confess that when Stevie sang "Say You Love Me" I felt a bit sombre. Don't get me wrong - she was absolutely gorgeous singing it! It just reminded me of Christine, and how much I would've liked her to be there. (Are these tears in my eyes right now? Geez... I never knew just how much I loved her!) I personally think "Seven Wonders" should've been there instead, in part because TITN is my favourite album after Tusk.
As if to make everyone think I didn't enjoy it (I did, btw, as accurately explained above if you need reminding), I'll also confess that I felt almost as if I didn't fully realise it was Fleetwood Mac on stage. The significance of what I saw on Tuesday has yet to dawn on me, which is simply weird, seeing as they're the band I desperately obsess over! :laugh: Incidentally, the only times I really felt connected to the band was when Lindsey sang "Go Insane", and Stevie sang "Stand Back". Note that they're solo songs of Lindsey's and Stevie's. Ultimately, I think this indicates that it's because I was subconsciously expecting Christine to come out on stage and finish the line up, which (of course!) never happened. (Watery eyes again.)
Having said all this, I'll finish by saying that this was, by far and away, the best concert I've ever been to!! :blob1: :D :blob1: I very much doubt that I'll ever have another experience like this again until they tour Australia again in the (hopefully not too distant) future!!
As usual for me, a long post. :sorry:

Thanks Grace for your review on the Mac's 2nd show in Brisbane, Great photo's too!!! Sorry to read that their security guards were in full force & being the final show in Australia, I would of thought & really surprised that they/the band would not want to encouraged more people up the front after the previous nights poor attendance in the standing area :confused: I moved from my 3rd row seat 14, just after the band walked on stage, music started so most of 1st & 2nd row people went to LB side of the stage, I thought here is my big chance for a better & closer view of the band / I really do mean Stevie!! :D I had best of both with a great seat or to stand up front just left of SN, it was absolutely awesome, the only downer was that I went by myself , my friends/family are not mac fans & couldn't justify the high priced tickets, anyway I had a great time.........

We were told by Mac security that photos were ok.. but no flash and no video

To me, it's more frustrating when they allow cameras but then arbitrarily decide that they aren't going to allow YOUR camera, than when they ban cameras altogether. That happened to me and it's very confusing and unfair.

But you were able to get some good pictures and thanks for sharing them.

Michele

Oh, that's great. Thanks to you, Lindsey was not left in complete silence!

I feel the same way about SYLM. I loved singing to that chorus. It gave me chills (or as Chris would say "gooseflesh") but it made me teary as well. Makes me think of her much more than Don't Stop does.

Michele

Shes looks Beautiful here!! Gahh im excited for New Plymouth!!

Yeah, when Don't Stop came on, Christine was on my mind for a fleeting moment, most likely because it's only recently that I realised it was her and not Lindsey that sings it on Rumours! :laugh: I used to be hopeless at telling them apart... and still am sometimes! :rolleyes: I mean, it was only on Wednesday, during my second thrashing of TVBOFM, that I realised Christine had some vocals for World Turning! :laugh: At least when they're talking in interviews they're easy for me to distinguish...

That's SO cool. I always love how great Lindsey is with the crowds :thumbsup: ...sounds like a great time!!

Hey AussieWHeart, your seats were really close to mine but I COULDN'T GET TO THE STAGE, DAMMIT ALL!!! lol I still had a fantastic time though.

I've remembered slightly more things. When the "Christine"-included songs came on, it felt odd to hear Stevie and Lindsey's voices singing Christine's lines. Sort of...I mean, it sounded GREAT but it felt wrong. LOL. In the best way possible of course. (nothing S & L do is WRONG. Ever. lol)

Ohhh, did anyone notice what Lindsey said before...um...what was it...either Big Love or Go Insane...or...was it So Afraid...(see? My mind is a sieve I tells ye)...anyway, how he talked about how he was at the time of writing that song? And how time has changed and stuff? (I remembered the book written by Carol, who he was with I think at this time, and how she described their time together and his problems and stuff...) I found what he said excellent with regard to that. (I hope this makes sense to anyone!) lol

I'm still annoyed at the security people with the cameras the stage-access. I understand they don't want everyone crowding the stage. Of course not. But come ON. 3 rows isn't over the top! And I also noticed MANY people dancing near the stage just behind the initial first 2 row people...and they'd come up from way back, behind us, sooo...I was like WHY CAN'T WE GO TO THE STAGE THEN!?

Oh, and I can't remember who went to the show alone, but GOOD FOR YOU! I'd go alone if nobody wanted to go with me. My partner is even more of a FM nut than I am (she feels they're like old friends since she's met them all and has a soft spot for Stevie), so obviously we went together. But if she didn't want to go, I'd go by myself DEFINITELY. You don't talk to whoever you're with much anyway, do you? You can't HEAR enough to! And it's better, in my opinion, to go alone and thoroughly enjoy it, than to go with someone and be worrying the whole night that they're bored or having a bad time or something.

Lindsey's words before Big Love - Brisbane Tuesday 15 December. "This next song is one thats particularly important to me for a couple of reasons. One reason is the way it transforms from one thing to another. It began as an ensemble piece that was the first single from our album Tango In The Night....but eventually it became a starting point for a certain way of thinking about approaching some songs and thats one reason its quite important. Another reason which is probably actually more profound that if you examine the lyric of this song at the time it was written, and i guess this song was written back in 1987, it pretty accurately describes the person that I was at that time and happily over the passage of time that description has become just an echoe hh, and so where this song perhaps this song was once a contemplation on alienation, it has now become a contemplation on the importance and the power of change"

I absolutely loved that concert and it was so much better than I had even expected. And being such a huge fan of Lindsey Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac my expectations were high. Having gone to the Say You Will Tour in 2004 I was younger then and really only saw the music as a whole Fleetwood Mac. However since that time my interest in the band and Lindsey has gone so much deeper and I was so surprised and satisfied when he played songs like I Know I'm Not Wrong from the Tusk album and Go Insane of his solo album Go Insane, and Peter Green's Oh Well which was my favorite song of the night. A lot of people I have talked to about the concerts said there were a lot of songs they didn't know, and I suppose thats the difference between a serious Fleetwood and Lindsey follower and a standard fan.

They couldn't have done a better show and it seems that they have really came together as one to celebrate, look back on and appreciate their collective genius, creativity and individualism by performing their most incredible songs in an awesome setlist. I think that not only has their tour reinforced the outright excellence and perfection of their music to existing fans, but they have given the younger generations and soon to be fans a fresh snapshot of real genuine music, something that is scarce these days. Their music is full of emotion, pure passion, and drive.

In Lindsey's words "The point is, to do something that means something."

The one thing I loved about the performance is that Lindsey and the entire band have in some respect intensified and enhanced many of their songs which is in true Lindsey Buckingham form. Always evolving, challenging and improving. Gold Dust Woman, Oh Well.. OMG I love them all and I love the morals and message that Fleetwood Mac stand for! They were AMAZING and I truly miss them!

On the Tuesday night concert I was the one who yelled out "LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM" in the dead silence prior to him performing Never Going Back Again. I love that man.

Dom.

Oh my god, I HEARD THAT! That was you! How cool. LOL. Did you hear the guy yell out something about Lindsey soudning like Mark Knoffler? Or something? Meh.

Anyway...I knew ALL the songs! I must be a true FM fan! WOO! lol. I'd only heard Oh Well a few times as I'm much more into the Stevie & Lindsey FM songs and time period, but I LOVED how they did it in the show.

Oh my god, I just re-read your post and you were at TUESDAY'S show when you yelled out! So I couldn't have heard it. It must've been some other "loon" who called out Lindsey's name at my show on Wednesday. LOL.

And HOW THE HELL did you remember word-for-word Lindsey's speech/comments about Big Love???

Thanks for all these awesome reviews! I really wish I could see them again soon..I already miss seeing Lindsey live again.