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-   -   London - promises, promises... (http://ledge.fleetwoodmac.net/showthread.php?t=58710)

Storms123 06-18-2019 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by button-lip (Post 1253217)
They never admitted he was fired. And they never will.

They spend every night talking and showing pics of someone that was never part of the band. :shrug:

OUCH 2 out of 5 stars---that leaves a mark!

elle 06-19-2019 08:14 PM

That “Without Lindsey they were flimsy” review title was amusing. Another 2 of 5 stars review.

Macfan4life 06-20-2019 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeInNV (Post 1253216)
I'm curious what people actually want to happen when they say this. I mean, I know they want him to have not been fired in the first place, but that's a done deal. To really pretend he never existed, you would have to cut his songs out of the set, but his contributions to the band's legacy are still represented by GYOW, SHN, etc. You can't fire someone and then spend every night talking about him. Once you've made the decision that you can't continue with someone, what more is there to do?

By pretending he did not exist by stepping into his shoes and singing his songs. It sounds so cover band. And you know what many of the attendees (notice I did not use fan) may have not even noticed it was not Lindsey up there. I don't think they should ever mention his name. I was in the minority on this board but with Lindsey's wife's feelings that its horrific to mention him from the stage after what they did to him. You don't throw someone out the window and then 5 months later pretend to care with 2 statements from the stage. Now they have 2 new members. There are all kinds of older stuff they could do. This would never happen but imagine if Stevie got fired yet the band pretended the new female singer filled her shoes as she sang Stevie's songs. It would go over like a train wreck. I am consistent on both sides of this coin. Imagine if Keith Richards got fired from the Stones. Imagine his replacement coming on state to sing Little T&A. The entire crowd would booo and throw food.
The masses are there for all the hits. Look at the set list. If not from Rumours, they are all commercially released singles. The crowd does not care or notice that Lindsey has been replaced except for a few core fans and music reviewers in Europe.

michelej1 06-20-2019 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by button-lip (Post 1253217)
They never admitted he was fired. And they never will.

They spend every night talking and showing pics of someone that was never part of the band. :shrug:

At least the press knows and is saying it: "mercilessly" fired. I laughed.

They can say whatever they want in interviews. The reporters don't buy it.

button-lip 06-21-2019 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1 (Post 1253255)
At least the press knows and is saying it: "mercilessly" fired. I laughed.

They can say whatever they want in interviews. The reporters don't buy it.

Loved every minute of those European interviews. They were undoubtedly expressing how flat the band sounded without Lindsey, and how unfair and unclear his firing was. :nod::nod:

Feather Blade 06-21-2019 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1 (Post 1253255)
At least the press knows and is saying it: "mercilessly" fired. I laughed.

They can say whatever they want in interviews. The reporters don't buy it.

Ehh, sounds like ticket sales are just fine. Doesn't seem to matter what a few reporters think.

elle 06-21-2019 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feather Blade (Post 1253266)
Ehh, sounds like ticket sales are just fine. Doesn't seem to matter what a few reporters think.

Right. Who cares about art and legacy when you can still make money.

FuzzyPlum 06-21-2019 03:02 PM

QUOTE=Feather Blade;1253266]Ehh, sounds like ticket sales are just fine. Doesn't seem to matter what a few reporters think.[/QUOTE]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Do7-2QdX0AA7wqQ.jpg

Yeah. Who gives a f**k?


many thanks to whoever posted this image on Twitter.

michelej1 06-21-2019 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feather Blade (Post 1253266)
Ehh, sounds like ticket sales are just fine. Doesn't seem to matter what a few reporters think.

You're right and I don't know why they made the Tusk album. Sales of Rumours II would have been just fine and the fact that a few reporters like Tusk is inconsequential.

g. fish 06-21-2019 08:16 PM

There was one musical genius in the band.

There was one big attraction to the band.

And there was one pop writer that really didn't make any difference.

And there were two has beens, who just hung on for the money.

They fired the musical genius.

Enough said.

Feather Blade 06-21-2019 08:16 PM

Well, based on the volume of people attending shows, it sounds like a lot of people are having a good night of fun out. Guess that was plenty of art for them. Enjoy your evening folks.

michelej1 06-21-2019 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g. fish (Post 1253271)
There was one musical genius in the band.

There was one big attraction to the band.

And there was one pop writer that really didn't make any difference.

And there were two has beens, who just hung on for the money.

They fired the musical genius.

Enough said.

The only thing is, I cannot call Christine a pop writer who didn't make any difference. She made a big difference to every album's success, starting with the White album and ending with the Tango album. I mean, I don't say the difference she made was always positive. I think a couple of her songs caused the band to be taken less seriously sometimes. They are sometimes written off as fluff. Well ... they were in the past. Now the millennials are rethinking the band and they're "in" again.

BUT either way her contributions were astronomical overall. First single for that line up, Over My Head was hers and it was a hit and it's still sublime today. And I won't say Little Lies was sublime, but .... First album to last album with this line up, she's anything but forgettable.

And don't forget her once beautiful voice.

Nicks Fan 06-22-2019 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macfan4life (Post 1253252)
By pretending he did not exist by stepping into his shoes and singing his songs. It sounds so cover band. And you know what many of the attendees (notice I did not use fan) may have not even noticed it was not Lindsey up there. I don't think they should ever mention his name. I was in the minority on this board but with Lindsey's wife's feelings that its horrific to mention him from the stage after what they did to him. You don't throw someone out the window and then 5 months later pretend to care with 2 statements from the stage. Now they have 2 new members. There are all kinds of older stuff they could do. This would never happen but imagine if Stevie got fired yet the band pretended the new female singer filled her shoes as she sang Stevie's songs. It would go over like a train wreck. I am consistent on both sides of this coin. Imagine if Keith Richards got fired from the Stones. Imagine his replacement coming on state to sing Little T&A. The entire crowd would booo and throw food.
The masses are there for all the hits. Look at the set list. If not from Rumours, they are all commercially released singles. The crowd does not care or notice that Lindsey has been replaced except for a few core fans and music reviewers in Europe.

That is exactly how I feel. If Stevie had been fired and they brought in a new singer fans would be in an uproar. They could have gotten one of the best singers out there (Tina Turner, Grace Slick , Cyndi Lauper etc) and they still would have bitched and bitched that no one can sing Stevie's songs etc. The same can be said for Lindsey. If her songs are so scared why aren't his? He has a voice and a guitar playing style that isn't easily replicated.

The decade he was gone produced 3 tours a platinum GH album and a new studio album that went gold, a box set that I think went platinum and then a studio album that flopped.

The Tango tour was successful because they had the strength of the hit singles behind them before they hit the road. It wasn't like they toured right after the album's release. There was enough time for multiple hit singles to hit the airwaves.

The BTM tour was successful because they had the 87-88 success not too far behind and you still had SN and CM in the lineup. The album is mostly forgotten by all but the die hard FM fans. The Time era crashed and burned and is not fondly remembered.

When Lindsey returned they had their first number 1 album in 15 years and then SYW made top 5 in first week of sales.

I don't care how many tickets they sold this tour it doesn't change the fact that since 2009 we have had 4 GH tour and no NEW album to speak of. It would be different had this tour they threw out many of the staples and focused on lesser known tracks as well as some of the hits they haven't performed either at all or in a very long time ( As Long as You Follow, Love In Store, Save Me etc)

Look at last years Journey / Def Leppard / Peter Frampton tour. Very successful but none of them had anything new to promote and in Journey's case all they played was Steve Perry's hits but with the new singer doing them. Virtually anytime a classic rock act goes on tour they sell tickets regardless of how many original members or classic lineup members are in the band.

Every allegation they made about Lindsey can be thrown right back at them from tour delays , to stale set lists to not playing pre 75 material.

Anyone who thinks this current tour is anything more then a GH cash grab is deluding themselves. There is nothing new , fresh or exciting about hearing 70 somethings play songs they have played over and over for 40 plus years in the exact same way. You may have new members but if they aren't singing new material then what you have is almost like an expensive cover band. SN had a golden opportunity to shake up her FM set for this tour by dropping 2-3 of her hits and doing songs like Angel, That's Alright, Beautiful Child etc) but instead she chose to play the same songs she has done for years and then cover Peter Green on Black Magic Woman.

On one of the FB groups there have been reports that SN will be doing a 2020 tour?. So if you didn't get your fill of Landslide, GDW, Dreams etc then you may have a chance to hear all those songs again next year.

elle 06-22-2019 11:06 PM

2nd Wembley show review
 
https://www.theguardian.com/music/20...box=1561211934

Fleetwood Mac review – all the hits, with a sour aftertaste

Kitty Empire's artist of the week
Fleetwood Mac
Wembley Stadium, London

Lindsey Buckingham’s absence casts a pall over a singalong show, despite sterling work from subs Neil Finn and Mike Campbell

Kitty Empire

@kittyempire666
Sat 22 Jun 2019 09.00 EDT

3 / 5 stars 3 out of 5 stars.

Fleetwood Mac onstage at Wembley

‘Brutal calculation’: Fleetwood Mac onstage at Wembley Stadium, and on screen (clockwise from bottom left): Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, Neil Finn, Mike Campbell and Christine McVie. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

There is no arguing with the numbers. Wembley Stadium is brimming with fans, even on a wet Tuesday. A dozen people fill the vast stage, reproducing some of the most opulent harmonies and venomous kiss-offs of the late 20th century. On Dreams, a bittersweet classic written by an enduringly swirly Stevie Nicks, a chandelier descends from the rigging. Amusingly, it goes back up afterwards, reappearing and disappearing with every one of her compositions on the final night of Fleetwood Mac’s European tour.

Superfan Harry Styles has brought his mum, Nicks reveals, complimenting her on what a well-brought-up young man he is. Super-producer Jimmy Iovine (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Nicks’s 1981 solo album Bella Donna) has flown over from the States, she says. The Fleetwood Mac setlist – barely varying from Berlin to London – is replete with peak-period hits and refreshed by a couple of deeper cuts. One, the Peter Green-era blues Black Magic Woman, made famous by Carlos Santana, finds Nicks vamping her way through a female reading of the tune as the chandelier glitters darkly.

You can’t help but wonder, though, what constitutes a quorum in Macworld – a notoriously fickle place, which has seen a number of key personnel go missing. The reunited classic 70s lineup of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie (back in the fold since 2013) has been touring for a year without guitarist and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham. Fleetwood asked Buckingham to join his band in 1974. Buckingham assented, but only if he could bring Nicks. The results were immediate: two of the biggest albums in rock history, sacks of cash, dangerous liaisons, mucous membranes caked in “booger sugar”.

The Chain is pretty much the only song this schism-prone outfit ever wrote together. As its bass riff booms out across the stadium, keeping the rain at bay, two new links join this fraught concatenation. Loudest to look at is lead guitarist Mike Campbell, a man whose big-hat-and-shades combo nods to Slash from Guns N’ Roses even as his bright yellow raincoat channels Paddington Bear. He is an old friend. Campbell was the late Tom Petty’s guitarist in the Heartbreakers, played on Nicks’s Bella Donna, and, incidentally, also co-wrote Don Henley’s fantastic non-Eagles 80s hit, The Boys of Summer. (Henley and Nicks had a Rumours-era relationship.)

Campbell’s role is to play “maverick lead guitarist” in someone else’s band, unspooling solos and abetting a cover of Petty’s Free Fallin’, sung by Nicks, in the encore. The brightly attired American also provides something for the eye to follow in what is largely a static band. The exception is Fleetwood, the 6ft 5in court jester of British blues-rock, whose open-mouthed “drum-face” is plastered all over the giant screens as he solos at length in the middle of World Turning, the kind of carry-on punk was invented to destroy. For the latter half of the solo, Fleetwood straps on an African talking drum and faces off against percussionist Taku Hirano, prompting a mass exodus to the bar, and air punching in roughly equal measure.

Then there’s Neil Finn of Crowded House, tasked with rhythm guitar and vocals. He sings lead on his own composition, Don’t Dream It’s Over (“this is a song of unity, without a trace of irony”), which gets one of the biggest singalongs of the night, and all of Buckingham’s songs, starting with Second Hand News. “I know there’s nothing to say,” the song goes, resignedly, “Someone has taken my place.”

Last year, just when it seemed the sordid telenovela of Fleetwood Mac could provide no further twists, the band kicked Buckingham out, reportedly at the behest of Nicks. Flashpoints reportedly included Buckingham’s desire to tour his own solo album around the Fleetwood Mac world tour dates, and that he “smirked” behind Nicks as she gave an acceptance speech at a gala performance.

Nicks announced, via the band’s manager, Irving Azoff, that she never wanted to share a stage with Buckingham again, and issued Fleetwood Mac with an ultimatum: him or her. Buckingham sued the band and the spat was settled out of court in December for an undisclosed sum.

Who knows what else lies beneath this drama, but the band’s latterday tensions predate 2018. In 2013, the long-absent Christine McVie began performing with the band again, prompting an EP of new songs. Tonight, she shakes a tasselled maraca, or sits regally behind her massive keyboard, no shirker in the hits department. Her song Everywhere provided this 70s band with one of its most enduring 80s moments, and it remains one of the standing-up moments of tonight’s often sit-down set.

But even with McVie back in the fold, no new Fleetwood Mac album appeared in 2014, or 2015, or 2016. Instead there was a 2017 Buckingham/McVie offshoot record on which all band members appeared except Nicks: something in the reunion had soured even then. Events took a yet more dramatic turn in February, when Buckingham had open-heart surgery. He’s back on his feet, but question marks hang over his voice, potentially damaged by a tube inserted into his throat.

Even by the standards of a band notorious for infighting, Buckingham’s excommunication feels cold. The crowd, though, are perfectly happy to sing along with Finn, the affable New Zealander, rather than fold their arms in protest at the nixing of the prickly Californian author of Go Your Own Way, perhaps Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hit. Coming at the end of the set, it’s one of the songs everyone came to slosh beer to. Yet even though it’s delivered note-perfect, with two incandescent performances on guitar from Campbell and Finn, you can’t help but conclude that Fleetwood Mac have made a brutal if essential calculation in going their own way. The squad could tour the world without Buckingham, but not without Nicks, the face of the band, the one with the most successful solo career, and their most valuable player. This is a band who, after all, never stop thinking about tomorrow.


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