Patriot Ledger Review (Boston)
 

http://www.patriotledger.com/enterta...hes-their-best
By JAY N. MILLER
For The Patriot Ledger
Posted Mar 12, 2009

The ``other'' multi-platinum rock band from across the Atlantic in town Wednesday night didn’t play just a brief sample off their new record.
Fleetwood Mac doesn’t even have a new album yet, but the ``Unleashed'' tour that hit TD BankNorth Garden sure had plenty of music, as the quartet delivered two hours and 20 minutes of their best.

And if anyone has smart remarks about soft-rock, be advised Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham uncorked one of the most incendiary and lengthy guitar solos we’ve heard anywhere in the past decade.

The current version of Fleetwood Mac is a foursome because keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie retired in 2003, petrified of flying. The core band made up for McVie’s absence by adding Brett Tuggle on keyboards and Neil Hayward on guitar, along with a three-woman vocal trio. There were times when McVie’s vocals – especially in contrast or harmony with Stevie Nicks – were missed, and a few times her uniquely melodic keyboard sound also was missed. But time moves on, and the overall sound was excellent, aided by a superb mix.

While the concert got a minimum of publicity with our friends from Ireland invading Davis Square, the Garden was within a couple hundred seats of a sellout, and the 24-song show touched upon every Mac era.

One thing longtime fans will notice, as was true about their 2003 ``Say You Will'' album – the first without McVie – is that the four-person Mac tends to veer between Nicks songs and Buckingham songs.

But there didn’t seem to be any tension between the two famously star-crossed ex-lovers, and each seemed to support the other’s solo turns.

Nicks had the spotlight early with an easy-thumping ``Thunder'' and then a marvelously soaring ``Gypsy.'' Buckingham’s really shone with the older tune ``I Go Insane,'' ripping off brain-curdling guitar lines. Right after that Nicks came gliding out for a ``Rhiannon'' that the rhythm section of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie pushed into a pounding rock finish.

Nicks, 60, and Buckingham, 59, both looking and sounding superb, sang precise unison vocals on ``Second Hand News.'' Buckingham did a segment with just acoustic guitar, ranging from a raucous ``Looking Out for Love'' to a delicately fingerpicked ``Never Going Back Again'' with Nicks.

Nicks’ eerie rendition of ``Gold Dust Woman'' led into a rowdy Buckingham take on the ancient (pre-Buckingham-Nicks) Mac tune ``Oh Well.'' But it was the spacey ballad ``I’m So Afraid'' that saw Buckingham rip into that 10-minute guitar solo, torrents of screaming notes that never lost the essential melody, and had the throng roaring at the end.

``Stand Back'' and ``Go Your Own Way'' had a massive chorus of 20,000 to help the singers in a grand finale. The encores included a drum-drenched ``World is Turning,'' a rollicking ``Don’t Stop'' and finally a killer take on ``Silver Spring,'' Nicks heart-wrenching vocal enhanced by more fine Buckingham guitar.

Someone wrote in to the paper and complained about the song title mistakes in the article. They must be one of us!

This is from the comments on the webside:

How can you review a great show by a legendary band and include so many incorrect song titles?

1 Thunder = Dreams
2 I Go Insane = Go Insane
3 Looking out for Love = Big Love
4 World is Turning = World Turning
5 Silver Spring = Silver Springs

Response from another reader:

Thank you! I saw this in the paper this afternoon and cringed at what I read. Send a fan to the show, they'll get the song titles right. It took me a second to figure out which song was being called 'Thunder.' That being said, the show was amazing last night!

WOW!! Someone didnt do their research well on the band before they went to the show

it's irritating, but what the heck? it's a freaking positive review.

It seems to me that more reviewers are singling out ISA than have in the past.

Michele

Yes, and they talk about it if they never heard it before. But - although it's called boring by a lot of p*ssies around here - it still seems to stand out in energy according to the more objective listener, it seems. And that is quite amazing after all these years.

Obviously the guy is a casual fan. This gives even more credence to his positive review. Go Mac!

Good lord, this article is poorly written. Reminds me of something an eighth grader would turn in for English class. Lots of flowery adjectives/adverbs in a vain attempt to distract the reader from the dearth of content, and poor syntax all the way around.

That said, the factual errors are ridiculous. Christine retired in 2003 because she's petrified of flying? There are are at least three things wrong with that sentence alone.

Lindsey is just so fierce and searing on it, it really stands out in a sea of fabulousness.

The song titles thing is just annoying! Use Google if you're not sure of song titles, sir.

Good to see a positive review, but kinda wondering about the 'journalist's' ability.

Is Lindsey extending this song longer with the solos than in the past? I haven't seen 'Unleashed' YouTube's so I don't know.

I'm also wondering if LB is just enjoying the music now and just 'going insane' and not worried about anything anymore.

I agree with shackin' up's comments though. Nice to see yet another positive review giving this band the creedence it deserves.

- Spike

:eek:This kind of thing drives me nuts!!!!! I can't stand it when the reviewer doesn't know the song titles!! Dude, you're at a concert full of fans of the band . . . freakin' ask someone if you don't know a song title!!!! How difficult is that?!?!?!?!

I recently read a review from a reporter in Arizona about a Willie Nelson concert and he was worse than this guy about the song titles!! He had over half of them wrong in one way or another and the set list is about 30 songs!! It was pathetic.

If you're going to review a band, at least have a working knowledge of the music or don't even bother!!

Or you don't even have to know the band. If you're a journalist, do some research. Fact check. Do your job. Michele

crappy writing style yes
but at least you know he isnt a fan
or is at the least, a casual one
and that his review is +ve should make it all the more meaningful

Thunder?!

Hahahahhaha.
:laugh::laugh:

:nod:EXACTLY!!!!!!!!!! Couldn't have said it better myself!!!!!! Thank you so much!!!!!!:nod:

:thumbsup: