Charlotte, North Carolina June 24, 2013
 

Creative Loafing

http://clclt.com/charlotte/fleetwood...nt?oid=3073572

FLEETWOOD MAC Fleetwood Mac released a new EP to coincide with its current tour, but the anorexic Extended Play consists of just three Lindsey Buckingham cast-offs and Stevie Nick’s sun-dappled “Without You,” which dates back to the couple’s pre-Mac duo Buckingham Nicks. More telling, the tour supports the 35th anniversary reissue of the iconic 1977 LP Rumours. All early Mac iterations, including Peter Green’s hard blues incarnation and Bob Welch’s alchemical pop-psych machine, are ignored. Indeed, all that remains in the current repertoire of key songwriter (and hold-over from the Welch era) Christine McVie is the Bill Clinton ’92 campaign anthem “Don’t Stop.” To be fair, though songs from the 1975 self-titled LP and Buckingham’s fussy, coke-fueled masterwork Tusk make the cut, the Mac’s set list revolves around Rumours. How can it not? Produced when the group was a snake pit of jealousy and betrayal, Rumours is unparalleled pop that makes private pain both universal and anthemic. Reviews of the current tour are split between “recaptured magic” and “ghastly wax museum.” Yet, such a bipolar schism is fitting, coming from a band that crafted an enduring and gleaming pop surface over the hot mess wreckage of their lives.
— Pat Moran

Kind of regretting that I opted out of this one, but I know logically it wasn't entirely plausible anyway. Oh well.

Hope everyone who goes has a great time! Can't wait to hear how it goes.

Will be attending to tonight, havent seen them since 2004 and its the introduction of their catalog for my girlfriend who virtually knows nothing of thr band. Have fun everybody thats going!

In Charlotte now. Last show was Philadelphia, which was wonderful. Can't wait for tonight! :)

Holy crap, I just spent the night at Lindsey's feet. LITERALLY.

Unbelievable. I am exhausted but wanted to say that I have traveled over the Lindsey side. I strummed his guitar. I touched his foot, twice. He gave me smoldering looks until I had to look away. I died several times tonight.

More later.

:blob2: :blob2: :thumbsup:

So, Dragon Boy holds up his part of the show. huh? Good to know.

Michele

The show was fantastic, the band seemed 20x happier than when I saw them in 2004 and played like there was no tomorrow and like they were 20 years younger, the crowd and the energy was on fire, the birthday boy got sung to and my girlfriend is now a Mac fan and officially in awe of Lindsey's abilities and Stevie's stage presence. My work here is done.

I've had a little sleep and some time to process. This is the first FM show where I have not been totally fixated on Stevie. I couldn't always see her very well because of Lindsey's amp. And what you gain in a front row experience, you definitely lose in sound. But holy crap I was standing at Lindsey's feet all freaking night.

The audience did sing Happy Birthday to Mick, which was cute.

When they were doing GYOW, during "packing up...shacking up..." Stevie looked at Lindsey and raised one eyebrow at him. During Mick's drum solo, Lindsey sat down on the stage and watched. I was so close that I could watch him try to get something (a hair?) out of his mouth. LOL His interaction with the crowd is amazing. There were definitely people in the audience that he recognized and acknowledged. I'm serious about the smoldering looks though. I literally had to stop looking at him when he would do it! And it's not like he was only doing it to me! Loved singing "STAND BACK STAND BACK" with him.

We had 9th row and were not meant to be up front but just before the show, I recognized a Ledgie (hi M! :wavey: ) and we were chatting close to the stage. When the show started, we just ran up front and never moved. The whole thing was surreal. Two young girls next to me were at the show with their mothers (lol) and security plucked them from their seats and brought them to the front. They were definitely Stevie fans but weren't complaining. My Stevie pictures are awful, but I have some great Lindsey shots.

I switched spots with my friend for Silver Springs and Say Goodbye, so I had a really clear view of Stevie. Also, during GYOW, she came over and stood over us for a few moments, but I didn't take any pictures. I got super emotional during Say Goodbye. Like, crying emotional. At one point I was afraid I might break out into the Ugly Cry, but I held it together. Stevie sings her part so beautifully, and she looks very intensely at Lindsey when singing it.

My neck is aching from looking up at Lindsey all night.

Let's see if we can spot Jannie
 

Go Your Own Way by Pattym902




Gold Dust Woman by Pattym902




I'm So Afraid by Pattym902

This is the show I had planned to attend originally, but I ended up going to Philadelphia first since it was during Spring Break, and I couldn't wait. Tonight, as some have already said, the band AND the crowd were on fire. Philadelphia was fun, but Charlotte has some of the sweetest people on earth, and the crowd seemed a little more lively to me. Everyone there is SO polite! From the moment Stevie came out and said, "Chaaahlotte" in a playful and lovely affected southern accent, the audience was under the band's spell. Stevie seemed a little more spontaneous during "GDW," and I was happy to see the crowd respond so positively during Lindsey's remarks about Tusk. The crowd responded well to "Sad Angel," too. Also, fewer people seemed to annoyingly/inappropriately scream out, "I love you, Stevie," during the very tender moments of "Say Goodbye," thank heavens.

I always buy my tickets at the show, and I was unable to get on the floor this time; however, I got killer seats just to the left of Lindsey,(eye-level with the stage, really), and it was so much fun to see the stage from that perspective. I'm very short, so this was the most I've been able to actually SEE on the stage ever. It was fun to watch the guitar techs switching out guitars and doing things. I think the best part of the show for me has become the moments when Lindsey starts WAILING on "So Afraid" or "NTF" or "EotW," etc., and just about the entire audience is pulled from their seats, by some seemingly invisible force--with their eyes fixated and their necks extended--trying to comprehend the otherworldly magic that this guitar god is eliciting from his instrument. My. God. If he's ever within 200 miles of me, I'm going to see him. No. Matter. What.
Like my sister said when we found ourselves captivated by him in Philadelphia, "That boy ain't nothing but the truth."

Everyone around us was pretty cool and standing almost the whole time, which was good. One guy behind us said, "Man, he is MOIST." Ha! That was very funny because Lindsey was literally glistening from putting in work. Mick seemed to be having a lot of fun. Drum solo was extra cool this time because the crowd was so into it. John was amazing as usual. And in conclusion~Lindsey is God.

PS It seems like they were switching guitars after almost every song. I don't know if maybe I've never noticed this before, or is it because it was humid? I think someone said that in another thread. Just curious. Beautiful, beautiful show from beginning to end. :)

Oh! Another thing I noticed was that instead of just showing shots of the band members on the monitors, the shots almost seemed like a Marty Callner FINISHED film. It looked really good.

Don't Stop by deadhead92582




The Chain by deadhead92582




Silver Springs by deadhead92582

Gypsy by deadhead92582




Big Love by deadhead92582




Stand Back by deadhead92582

Rhiannon by deadhead92582




Dreams by deadhead92582




Sara by deadhead92582

Sara by John Love




Sad Angel by lesleybeyersdorf




Dreams by Leah Maybry

AMAZING concert last night!!!!

I did Mick's VIP package, so I really had quite the experience! What a cool, friendly guy he is! If you have the money for a meet and greet, I highly recommend it!

I was lucky enough to get a spot right under Stevie's microphone for the whole show. It was wonderful to be so close to the action. Lindsey is beyond amazing, of course in his guitar playing, but also in how he engages with fans- SO cool.

The whole band sounded perfect- don't believe the audio on youtube videos- they were flawless. Sad Angel is so much cooler live than on the EP.

I had the same thought the whole time!

Oh you can see me. I am right night to the amp (on the right). My friend is wearing a straw hat, to the left of me. :)

Awesome Pic :cool:

Any commentary about Stevie & Lindsey calling each other George & Gracie last night? Read a few tweets about this.

yes, Lindsey always switches guitars between every song. even if it's the same type of guitar from one to the other song, it's usually different tuning.

loving this thread!! so nice to read all this out-pour of love for Lindsey, from people who are primarily fans of different people in this band. :thumbsup:

so, when did you all sing happy birthday to Mick?? before Lindsey's NTF/Tusk album intro? or?

I did hear Lindsey call Stevie "Gracie" but had no idea what he meant and then wondered if I made it up. :o

The Happy Birthday singing happened early in the show (way before Tusk intro). Some fans tried to sing it again when Mick was saying goodnight but it didn't get enough momentum.

Also want to say that Lindsey displays such genuine joy at the crowd reaction. Smiling, stomping, fist pumping...lol. The band appears to want everyone to know how much they (the band) mean to each other and how grateful they are to us. Very sweet, actually.

I wonder if he went for the cheap line, "Say goodnight, Gracie."

Actually, he could paraphrase it to "say goodbye, Gracie."

Michele

Ohhhh- that was bad, Michele! :laugh:

But, yeah, he probably did. It was during the WY intro, so....

It makes me happy though because I've been saying that they are Burns & Allen for years. And with Stevie saying the other night when they got too old to sing they were just going to have a comedy act. Finally. Recognize!

Wait, when did she say that? :laugh: That's hilarious. And I would watch it.

Monday, June 24, 2013 Charlotte Observer

http://cltsoundbites.blogspot.com/20...twc-arena.html

Review: Fleetwood Mac at TWC Arena

Fleetwood Mac celebrated founder and drummer Mick Fleetwood’s 65th birthday Monday with several thousand fans at Time Warner Cable Arena. With no opening act, the core group - now all well into their sixties - opened the two and a half hour set with a bouncy “Second Hand News” and the harmony-driven “The Chain.”

Although 2012 marked the 35th anniversary of its seminal “Rumours” album, the group seemed at its most reinvigorated playing new material like “Sad Angel” or celebrating its 1979 album “Tusk.” After noting how unconventional and confounding to record execs the 20-track double album was for its time, guitarist Lindsay Buckingham led the charge through “Not That Funny,” “Tusk,” “Sisters of the Moon,” and “Sara.”

The sprawling “Tusk” was met with a standing ovation. Even a member of the arena staff whose parents probably weren’t even in middle school when the album was released applauded and beamed as the lights went up and the crowd roared.

Stevie Nicks’ alto, which has long lacked the range she was capable of in her twenties and thirties, fared best on songs that favored her lower register. Songs like “Sara,” “Gypsy” and “Gold Dust Woman,” for instance, were more forgiving than her opening solo on “Dreams.”

The petite singer defies nature by looking better at 65 than she did on her 2001 tour. As expected she donned shawls to depict characters like “Rhiannon.” She soared during “Stand Back” - the only hit representing any of the band members’ solo work. The `80s synthesizers brought the crowd to its feet.

The group seemed more relaxed and on its game than during its "Say You Will" Tour at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in 2004. That may have been due to the venue (it also played TWC Arena in 2009) and the scaled down production which featured a handful of projection screens, but the vibe was intimate for an arena show with the band members playing on the same level instead of having Fleetwood towering behind the rest of the group.

Buckingham was at the top of his game as well. Fleetwood called him the group’s mentor and inspiration while introducing the players during the encore. He’s right. Besides whipping out impressive classical and steel string guitar work on songs like his acoustic version of "Big Love" and scale climbing solos like "I'm So Afraid," Buckingham also oozed energy and charisma even when playing songs he's played hundreds of times. On "I'm So Afraid" - a heavier track written for Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self-titled album that's reminiscent of the bluesy work of the band under former guitarist Peter Green - Buckingham's fingers wiggled all the way up the neck to the body and still managed to sound melodic instead of screechy.

While hits like "Never Going Back Again" and "Go Your Own Way" had the crowd singing along and on its feet, more intimate moments like Buckingham and Nicks' acoustic rendition of "Landslide" and an unearthed song, "Without You," that Nicks wrote when the couple was together in the early `70s before joining Fleetwood Mac. She told of how the song was lost for 35 years before she rediscovered it on YouTube.

The group seemed happy to keep playing even after 2 hours and 19 songs. It returned twice with hits like "Don't Stop" and "Silver Spring" and the birthday boy's obligatory drum solo but there was the sense that its members could've outlasted fans long into the night.

"yes, Lindsey always switches guitars between every song. even if it's the same type of guitar from one to the other song, it's usually different tuning."

Thanks, Elle. :) It was fun to see.

Yes, if I recall correctly, the George and Gracie stuff was during the "WY" intro, which was very cute this time. Lindsey went straight to his mic when it started, so he appeared to try to 'play along' a little better than the last time. tee hee. :) It was cute. And over seven minutes. :laugh:

I think it was when the guys pretended to leave the stage. Which night was that? Pretty sure she said it,right after that. "John McVie is off the stage!" Lol.

Awesome! I was concerned. People said on twitter she had shortened it. I'm relieved to know it is getting longer. :D

Guess we're not the only ones keeping an eye on how long WY intro is getting... :laugh:

From a Jones Beach review:

"The sound crew joked to me that they time Stevie’s story, which is repeated at every date on the current tour, and at over 7 minutes it fell short of the previous record in Boston the night before."

Ha! Hilarious! :laugh:

:laugh::laugh:

That's disappointing! Come on Stevie! Think of some funny BN story to go with this. I especially liked how you lived in a house with half a million cassettes all on the sofa. You should add something about how Lindsey & Waddy never noticed the sleazy friend stealing the cassette because they were too high on hash. Or how after the BN record bombed you were having to eat Hamburger Helper all the time...until Lindsey ruined the electric skillet. I mean we could get this thing up to 10 minutes!

Sister's of the Moon by kissfan4lf

Gold Dust Woman by kissfan4lf




Rhiannon by kissfan4lf




Gypsy by kissfan4lf

found it!
 

Without You introduction by KC Jones

OMG! Thank you! I love you! :xoxo::D

I feel uncultured/naive because I definitely had to google the George and Gracie reference. And I still don't really get it :lol:

They are tv characters from Stevie and Lindsey's generation. I'm 51 and I'm not familiar with them either.

Oh, geez. I feel totally old even though Gracie died a few years before I was born - I guess I caught reruns. I know Burns was on talk shows and variety shows all the time when I was growing up.

They were just very well known for their schtick - Gracie the ditzy blonde and George was her "straight" man. She got the laughs.

Here's an example:



Then at the end they would come back out and she would say something silly and he would respond with a dry, "Say goodnight, Gracie." and she'd say, "Goodnight."

Like this:

George: "Well, Gracie when you were a little girl you never thought you'd marry an author."
Gracie: "Oh! I'm glad I didn't -- I'm much happier with you."
George: "Say goodnight..."
Gracie: "Goodnight!"

Classic.

Similar to:

Stevie: "The reason I first joined Fleetwood Mac is because I thought this is big time rock and roll. And, I wanted to big in a big time rock and roll band."
Lindsey: "That...and we needed the money."
Stevie: "And we needed the money."

Stevie: "Listen, that picture's touched up."
Lindsey: "Good thing I had long hair..."
Stevie: "It's a good thing."

Has a lot to do with the delivery.

There's a channel that still shows reruns of both Burns and Allen and the Jack Benny show. I have several episodes waiting to watch on my tivo right now. Actually, I was really, really touched recently, because I caught the last "appearance" that Gracie made.

Gracie retired. She had an ongoing heart problem. So, she didn't appear publicly much anymore. But George had some failed tv show. Anyway, he guested on the Jack Benny show and he did a story where he and Benny were partners, but then Benny dumped him and George went on to get a new partner, which turned out to be Gracie. We didn't see her on camera but we heard her VOICE. Benny is listening to them do their routine backstage and they're getting all of these laughs and I think he's like, "Aw, they'll never amount to anything."

Anyway, Gracie died shortly after this and I just thought how it would have felt to be a viewer back then and realize that that Benny show would have been the last time you'd hear her. (I mean, this was before we knew they'd be in reruns for the next 50 years). I would have been beside myself. I have a great deal of affection for her.

And George outlived her by decades, but he never stopped speaking of his great love for her. Beautiful, beautiful stuff.

Michele