My fanaticism kicked into high gear in '78 or '79, when I started collecting bootleg concerts (Osaka 12-4-77 was my first tape, I believe) from people who advertised in the back of Rolling Stone, & I sniffed out every single picture or article in magazines & newspapers (went to many libraries & used the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature to find old concert reviews & print articles in papers all over the country, & then printed them up from microfilm or microfiche). I first saw Fleetwood Mac actually play in 1976 in Los Angeles, & attended several FM shows in California the following year, like the Pauley Pavilion shows at UCLA. 1978 was a dry year for Fleetwood Mac concerts in California (there weren't any), but there were several guest appearances by the gang at various gigs from other people. 1979 really kicked it up a notch for concertgoing -- I practically spent the whole week at the Forum in '79 for the five-night stand, & saw the San Diego show & the Cow Palace show. This whole era was when my internal "image" of the band solidified in my mind, so consequently this is the era against which I have compared all subsequent eras in terms of style & presentation & actual sound (I always did prefer just the four of them playing to the lagging, dragging circus they've got nowadays).
My fanaticism took a dive with the '87 tour, due to several factors. But it lasted a good long time.
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