Love Affair To Last: Chicago Sun Times
 

March 6, 2009 http://www.suntimes.com/entertainmen...-mac06.article

BY MARK GUARINO
The grab-n-go revenue stream of aging rock bands is the greatest-hits tour. You spend the first half of your life creating groundbreaking hits; then you spend the second half performing them each time a new wife requests alimony or Bernie Madoff made off with your fortune.

Fleetwood Mac's current revival on the tour circuit has those hallmarks -- it is the Anglo-American band's first since 2003, when core members Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood reunited for a new album that was surprisingly very good.

Their return is not featuring any of those songs, only hits from their blockbuster albums of late 1970s: "Tusk," "Rumours" and "Fleetwood Mac." Thursday night at the Allstate Arena, the first of two consecutive nights, Buckingham admitted there was "no new album -- yet" and the two-hour show would concentrate on "things we love and hopefully stuff that you love, as well."

It was a love affair to last. Unlike most outings like these, the band steered through its hits with interest that went well beyond professional courtesy. While the last tour was more like a revue, with secondary players crowding out the band, this outing was nicely subdued, with even the clownish Fleetwood kept in check.

Forty-one years past its earliest incarnation, the band wisely chose not to dwell on the same old references. Instead, it let the body of work stand on its own ground. At 60, Nicks is at an age where her voice is robust and layered with lovely textures; she sang "Landslide," as a blues song, tarnished but with strength.

She and Buckingham sang lead vocals together on many songs, harmonized sweetly on others, but made the unfortunate decision to trade vocals on "Say You Love Me." Their reconstruction did not suit their voices, and the interchange was strained.

The night belonged to Buckingham, who injected paranoid intensity into every guitar lick, whoop, holler, growl and foot stomp. His peers may have been knighted early in their careers for their guitar flash and mastery, but at age 60, Buckingham has emerged as the only one who still carries it forward with sparkle and commitment.

He elevated even his own revenue generators when the night's highlight became a pairing of the band's lesser-known songs: "Oh Well" and "I'm So Afraid." Played back-to-back, they built into an emotional purging of volume and odd detouring. As Buckingham stalked the width of the stage, he injected an edge-of-cliff abandon into his playing, yet maintained a remarkable technique.

Near the end, his body worked in convulsion over his instrument until he stopped to skip back to his spot -- a concluding image that was peculiar but well-deserved.

Mark Guarino is a Chicago-based journalist. Visit mark-guarino.com.

You know it says that the clownish Fleetwood was kept in check and . . . I would say in general that FM shied away from histrionics this time around. It's like they talked to each other and said that the staged moments needed to be eliminated. I mean everything from the Tusk fight and the Say Goodbye staring to the Landslide finger clinch, to Mick's band introductions.

For the SYW tour he said he didn't know where any of them would be without each other. John was the backbone and most times Mick kissed Lindsey and . . . this time around, they really reduced the mushiness.

Now, it may creep back in towards the end of the tour and when it comes I will welcome it, but the strategic decision to avoid it was an interesting one. I don't know why they did it, but I like to think about their thought processes.

Michele

they got rid of these?
thank god
it's good the first 100 times
but to carry on that 'act' after 5 years...

i get the impression they are more serious this time
smaller band. focus on the songs.
they sound good. they're arranged differently.

we already know they all get along
and i think u can see that reflected in the music
they dont have to act out

that SYLM comment wasn't very nice
people generally seem to like S&L doing it, no?

You know what? The verses aren't that great for me. I don't know if they should stop trading them, if they should sing them in unison . . . I can't put my finger on what would improve them.

BUT the chorus is good on its own and fantastic in the places it takes me to. I just hear it and remember how I felt in the seventies and when I saw the Dance or heard the RRHOF performance of SYLM. I think it makes me happy and sad at the same time.

Michele

It looks like my prayers got answered.

yah i prefer the Dance version
with all 3 of them singing
the fact that it's christine's song doesn't bother me
but S&L should be singing it together not Say Goodbye style...which i love
just doesn't work for this song i dont think

ps i seem to always be replying to your posts
that's not on purpose lol

Chicago Sun Times, 3/11/09. Lindsey stepped out on the town:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/sneed/1...NEED11.article

I spy . . .
Actor Chazz Palminteri lunching at Gene & Georgetti before the opening night of the play "A Bronx Tale" at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre ... Actor John "Peterman" O'Hurley from the hit TV show "Seinfeld" at Tavern on Rush Friday night .. . Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac at RL Saturday night .. . Comedian/actor Andy Dick eating fully loaded deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's in Lincoln Park Saturday.

I vaguely remember Stevie dining there not so long ago as well. Birthday dinner for someone? Chris Isaak?

Me too and it is especially interesting considering Lindsey's quote about Stevie and Mick coming to him talking about mic positioning and whatnot. It does lead one to believe that perhaps Lindsey is the one who put the kabosh on the staged SnL stuff. :shrug: Personally, I think some of it will come back later in the tour and Stevie seems to be taking it to the extreme, by avoiding much interaction with LB at all.

Where was this mentioned?

I think it was mentioned in an interview or two during his promotion for UTS.

I did think about that interview at the Pittsburgh show, maybe this was her way of getting back at him for that, especially, when she studiously does not look at him during Silver Springs.

Even though they never said it, I am sure it was Lindsey who devised that whole "stare at each other" thing for Say Goodbye. I don't think he is schmoopy-adverse.

I remember when he said for The Dance tour:

Such a sweet Dance quote. I definately do not think Lindsey is adverse to some of the cutesy moments either. I think something is missing with Silver Springs when her anger is not addressed at Lindsey. :shrug: I miss the Dance version of Silver Springs. AC will always be my best memory. He was as emotional as she was. :nod: I hope some of the moments like that come back but I can do without the Tusk Dance and Landslide hug/hand hold stuff. I also want more interaction on Sara. I am sure he will draw Stevie in soon enough.

There is a detailed fan review of the Boston show on buckinghamnicks.net (FM forum). It's a fabulous review. Wonderful SnL interaction at this concert. :thumbsup:

I just saw the video in the other thread. Very sweet. The non planned stuff is so adorable.