Oberhausen
 

Back from Oberhausen or shall I say Upperlives like I read somewhere from one of these translation machines :laugh:
I guess it was a sellout! I did not see empty seats (except the few crap ones behind the stage) and the inner part of the arena where you can stand where you want was full also!
Finally after all this time I really got to see Fleetwood Mac with LB live and in colour :D Five meters away from the stage- on the inner side of the barrier in front of the stage! Perfect view, awesome show, perfect night. I guess we will read a lot of impressions from that show and I only start this thread by saying: I am happy now and very tired too, so good night and greetings to the rest of the world. UK ledgies, you`re going to have a great time! More later
:wavey: Stefan

I was there too and I would say that about 95% of the venue was sold out, which was great for us and for the band- they could see Europe still loves them :-) The show was great, the band really fed off the enthusiastic crowd, Stand Back was especially FIERCE!!! (If anyone has made a recording, please let me know!).

The only drawback was that even though I was one of the first there I didn't get to the front row because of a stupid entry system where they prevent fans from running towards the stage. Still, after my Berlin front row experience, I didn't mind that much, it was just a waste of those hours waiting in line.

I'm glad I have still got London to look forward to- and then hopefully the dvd which means I can fast forward through THAT solo! :laugh:

Rick

fantastic show!
 

Hey gang,

I was there too witnessing my first ever FM concert with Lindsey in the band, together with my boyfriend, cousin and his girlfriend. The first FM concert I saw was Essen 7 Sept. 1990 where Rick announced that Stevie and Christine would no longer be touring with them. Can´t believe it´s been 13 years since that concert.

The venue was not sold out, about 90% I guess. We had a great seating view left looking over the stage. They used lovely lighting and backdrops during the acoustic songs. Also a video screen was used. It seemed to me that Stevie looked a bit cross-eyed and somewhat sad and tired. She wore the usual black frock with interchangeable black, golden and pinkish scarfs. Her black boots didn´t appear but for the encores only. Before those were played she had these huge black blockish shoes on, not very glamourous! But I guess it´s hard to stand on a stage for 2,5 hours.

Lindsey was clearly the man of this concert (and probably the whole tour) with his overflowing energy, skillful guitar wizardry and funny routines. Stevie didn´t get into the show until the haunting Beautiful Child was finally played, what a gorgeous song, it was my favourite of the evening together with the lovely Silver Springs. When introducing Beautiful Child she said, "I never thought that I would get to play this song live" and stated that it was from the 1979 Tusk album (my all-time favourite album ever, shame they don´t do more songs from it!) A fan in the audience got ecstatic and screamed something like "yes finally Sara!!". Stevie chuckled and said "well gosh I´m sorry, I wish it was, but no!" Does this mean that she may be persuaded to do the song live again? Let us pray and hope so!

It was such a thrill to hear and see and experience them live! Hopefully they will return to Europe soon (Holland perhaps).

I do feel however that had they gotten a better promotion machine behind them over here, that they wouldn´t have been forced to cancel shows due to lack of sales. The absence of videos for the Say You Will album and commercial single releases may also have caused this.

Anyway, I won´t forget this concert ever, if someone has recorded it in excellent quality, please let me know!!

I wonder whether Christine will be joining them for a couple of songs in Britain?

Greetings,

Marcel.

You could go to the front row Rick, but you had to approach the stage from the side to get behind the barrier. I stood in row 5 inside of this barrier zone thanks to one of the security women who told us that we could get faster and closer to the stage from there instead of waiting on the front entrance. It was my first time in Oberhausen so I didn`t know that too.
After all these years of waiting the beginning of the show seemed nearly unreal to me. For me it was a much more impressing show than the one of the TITN tour in Dortmund where I always had kind of a revival band feeling.

Lindsey is overdoing the dramatic/theatrical gestures from time to time but on the other hand it is a show and not the TV news so that is kind of funny and doesn`t really bother. I don`t care for the romantic theatre they perform to attract certain people, I just wanted to enjoy the music and I did because the show was awesome.

I often read that Stevie needs to warm up first and gets into the show later on. Even though I`m a diehard LB fan I must say that this judgement doesn't do her justice imo. You certainly realize that she can`t move like she would without these hip problems and her dancing and movements appear to be static/awkward because of that. But the main reason for me to be there is to listen to their songs and to enjoy their stage presence. Her performance was very good, she still is a great live singer. Even though I am one of those who prefer new songs instead of the Oldie Revival festival again and again I must say that Dreams and all the other "Greatest Hits" were good. No "being not warm or not into it" or whatever. After the video clips I had seen from the Today show or whatever it was (this summer concert series thing) I was not too sure about the live singing qualities I had to expect from both of them. But we can easily forget about that. The crap internet quality or whatever it was- everyone going to a show can look forward to see/hear them in a very good shape!
Lindseys show was great, I loved the guitar moments and his voice. The standout on the entire show for me was his performance of "Come". He put a lot of energy and feeling into that one, a truly unforgettable moment. My highlights of the show were:
Never going back again
Come
Big love
I`m so afraid
and Beautiful Child which was an excellence performance by Stevie.

Once again I must say, that I am glad that Christine wasn't on board yesterday. I am simply not into her kind of music and the thought of the band letting out Come or another show highlight in favor of YMLF or SYLM or something like that makes me shiver.

From the new songs imo Come, WTWCT and Say goodbye translated the best on stage. Peacekeeper and SYW are the singles, so they need to play them- and they were alright but not sensational. It`s hard to perform en detail- produced midtempo popsongs like that live. F.e they didn't perform Little lies back then although it was the most successful single from the TITN CD (in Germany) Goodbye baby is a good closer. Imo WTWCT is live even better than on the album- it got the crowd going as it was gaining speed after the first verse.

For me the show was an extraordinary experience, that I'll never forget. Me seeing "I'm so afraid" live- who had thought, that would ever happen! Great that all the other UK ledgies and the Aussies can enjoy them soon too, because I doubt they'll do another world tour in this life.

:wavey: Stefan

Okay then, here is my review which i wrote this afternoon and posted it on several boards I try to keep up with:

Yesterday-evening (13 november) I found myself in Mac-heaven. After 13 long years, my favourite singer and her band, showed up on a stage in this part of the world. Fleetwood mac in Oberhausen. I travelld from Holland to Germany to see them, since FM only plays Germany and UK/Ireland this short European tour. Anyways, the sound in the Koenig-Pilsner-Arena was 'wunderbar' , absolutely perfect ! They openend with The Chain (of coure) and I felt gooseflesh all over when I heard Stevie's voice and John's pumping bass. I had a clear view on the stage and with my binoculars I could get quite some close-ups of Stevie and the rest.

The setlist was the standard setlist. No surprises (as in new songs). The arrangements of the songs however, were great ! I loved the four of them together on 'Never Going Back Again' and just Buckingham Nicks on Say Goodbey and of course Landslide. Lindsey (first time I saw him live) really amazed me with his powerfull guitarplaying, during So Afraid and Come he threw with his guitar, smashed it to the ground and kept playing like a mad-man ! Great !

Stevie was haunting as ever. Simple black dress, few shawl-changes but in good shape. She danced and moved a lot on stage and was on stage almost all the time. Sometimes I noticed that she didn't got all the highnotes and was a little late with her lines in some songs. But she obviuosly really had some fun on stage, they all had !
Cool to hear 'Beautiful Child' and 'Silver Springs' as well as the harmonies of 'Say you Will'.

Stand Back really rocked. Although the people in my block were glued to their chairs and din't seem to recognize the song. During 'Eyes of the World' my neighbour asked her husband if that was a new song, cause she didn't knew it.

When Stevie introduced that she was about to sing a song of Tusk, she never even would have thought of doing that live someome at the audience suggested a song (which I couldn't hear) but Stevie replied with 'I wjust wish that was true', so the question is....what song was meant.

I also liked the video-footages during the songs. The nightclubdancing-scene of Gypsy and the USC Trojans during Tusk.

GOYW, Don't Stop, So Afraid and other songs rocked the house and at last a lots of people were dancing in my block !

Overall, I must say that this band really know who to make some quality music and they really seem to enjoy themselves on stage. Mick and John as solid as ever, Stevie smiling and dancing and Lindsey seemed that I coulcn't get enough of the cheering audience, he took the time to sign some stuff for people on first row.

Finally after 'Goodbey Baby' (some people already left after Don't Stop) the houselights went on and Albatross came thru the speakers. I was emotionally thrilled, that I had finally saw my fav. band again in concert. I doubt that they'll be around another time so I'll cherish this moment and hope that a DVD will be out soon.

Jeroen aka JP from the Netherlands

Okay here are my two cents.

After spending the morning eating aspirin to get my fever down and convincing my mom I could go we went.

I had a great time and think they were awesome.

For me it was 13 years ago that I saw them first in Utrecht and in 1995 they were in Groningen for the Time tour. I know most of you don't like to be remembered of that but hey it is part of the history and they weren't that bad.

Anyway, I had a smashing time.

Dimphy

Great reviews!
 

It's good to get to hear what happened! Thank you guys for writing your thoughts down. Hey, if you have a mind to, submit them to The Penguin's review section (accessable on the front of The Ledge) so they can be saved!

Dimphy, I hope your fever didn't resurge when you heard Lindsey's song "COME!" You really could feel the fever!

I'm glad you all made it to the show and told us about it! Sounds like a great show! :nod:

:distress:
Plugging ears, "la, la, la, la, la"

Hey Tango,

Actually it did. I had to sit on the floor for the second part of the show cause my legs were a bit wobbly.

I'm better now.

Dimphy