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Originally Posted by Johnny Stew
I haven't been to any of the shows (I believe you've said that you haven't either), but I've read many times about her going over to John and sharing a laugh with him. Smiling and making faces with Mick. Laying her head on Lindsey during the end of "Sara." Holding hands with him. Etc., etc. And she certainly looks content enough to me in the pics I've seen.
When it comes to her statement about the tour -- as I read it, she wasn't bashing the tour itself, only the schedule. Reminds me of the time on 'The Osbournes' (yes, I admit to having watched a few episodes) when Ozzy was in a complete tizzy because they scheduled him to perform two concerts in a row (he's the same age as Stevie, for the record).
One can still love performing while also not wanting to utterly exhaust themselves in the process. The two things aren't mutually exclusive.
As far as her comment that "people are stealing our music" -- it can't be bashing when it's the truth. Just about every single artist in the music industry will corroborate her statement. On the positive side, she's said on several recent occasions that she wants to make new music again, whether it's commercially successful or not. So she seems to be coming around again.
[*** I should note that the following is no longer in response to Louie.]
Despite my reputation as a "Stevie Defender," I've never been opposed to criticisms of her or the band, so long as they're presented fairly or reasonably (of course, I fully recognize that everyone has their own perspective on what's "fair" or "reasonable").
David O., for example, can completely break down every single aspect that he doesn't enjoy about a track (oftentimes one of my favorites), and I thoroughly enjoy reading what he has to say -- because his tone is calm and rational, and his opinion has been well articulated.
Maybe, and I could be wrong here, but just maybe some of the people who express displeasure with the tone of certain threads, aren't against criticism, per se, but the sometimes over-the-top, seemingly unrelenting way it's presented. Although they most certainly shouldn't use that as an opportunity to bash other Ledgies. The carping and passive-aggressive sniping is the worst part of any message board, and one would hope that anyone over the age of 15 would move beyond that.
Stevie's withstood 35 years worth of criticism, and she's still around. Her career isn't going to suddenly end because of criticisms presented on a message board. Plus, the people on here who criticize her, do still buy the albums, still go to the concerts, or at the very least still spend their valuable time talking about her. She's only really in trouble when all of that stops.
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Brian! Glad to see you're throwing in your chips, I haven't seen you post in forever!
You're correct, I haven't seen the band perform this tour. But I did see them 3 times during the Say You Will Tour, and have seen plenty of videos from this current tour. And that's why I've chosen to sit this one out. I must say, the early shows of the Say You Will tour were just electric to me. The kids were all so ON and there was an energy of freshness coursing through the band with the new dynamic, sans Christine. Lindsey was a wildman, and I think Stevie really enjoyed the additional breathing room in the set. You can tell both parties were wildly proud of their new material. Something happened during that tour though, which I don't think the band has recovered from yet. By the time the band rolled into Charlotte in the summer of 2004, they didn't seem to be having much fun. New songs had been dropped, and Stevie especially had become very disinterested. Through all the Mac concerts I've seen this decade, she absolutely won't interact with the audience. She won't make eye contact. She just blindly stares out into space. Especially the last show I saw them, Stevie just couldn't seem more disinterested. I think that's something that you have to experience in person, and be up close to recognize. She just seemed to be going through the motions. Having seen that in person, I can recognize many of the same things in videos from this latest tour. It's like she's lost her Mac muse. She's almost went into this tour with a chip on her shoulder from the last Mac outing, where she admittedly didn't have a great time. It's all just so very different from seeing her solo. She interacts with her audience, she's much looser, happier, chattier, etc. I think the happiest and most INTO performing I've ever seen Stevie was the opening night of Tom Petty's tour in Charlotte a few years ago. Stevie was just glowing. Seeing her perform Insider with Tom for the first time in nearly 2 decades sent chills throughout me, and you can tell it truly affected her the same way. I just wish she could get some of that mojo back for her Mac performances. I'm really hoping the Mac will close out this tour, go straight into the studio, and record some magic to change things up a bit. Maybe that's all it is... Stevie's just bored from singing Rhiannon for 35 years straight?
