Calgary Herald, May 13, 2009
http://www.calgaryherald.com/Enterta...327/story.html
Fleetwood Mac Leaves Calgary Fans Hanging
CALGARY - Dianne Cowan and her husband had a white-knuckle drive Tuesday when they made the pilgrimage from Medicine Hat in the middle of "a terrible rainstorm" to see Fleetwood Mac.
They even saw an accident along the way, with a motorcycle in the ditch, Cowan said, but it was a trek she was willing to make.
A fan of the Grammy award-winning rock band since the 1970s, Cowan still has the original Fleetwood Mac LPs from that era, and she, her husband and their four friends were "all hyped up" about Tuesday's concert in Calgary, she said.
Like many a Fleetwood Mac fan, however, Cowan was disappointed when the Rock&Roll Hall of Famers cancelled their show due to the illness of a member of the band (rumoured to be Stevie Nicks). The show's promoters announced the concert would be postponed to a later date, four hours before the band was scheduled to perform.
At that late notice, even though word went out on the Internet and on the radio, many fans had no idea about the change in plans until they arrived at the 'Dome.
"We found out right here, right now," said Cowan, standing outside the Saddledome on a chilly Tuesday evening. "This was our big chance to see Fleetwood Mac."
Cowan said she and her husband do plan to use the tickets on the new concert date -- which has yet to be announced.
But Bill Stevens and his family, who made the nine-hour drive from Regina, didn't think they would return.
"We've got to come back? I've got to take more holidays? I don't think so," Stevens said.
Having made the journey to Calgary with his wife Tracy, as well as his mother-in-law and daughter, Stevens thought there should be some consideration.
"We've got three generations of Fleetwood Mac fans here. I hope they make it up to us," he said.
Promoters stated refunds for the tickets will be given at the point of purchase. Including the cost of four tickets for the concert -- which came to more than $800 -- Stevens estimated he'd spent at least $2,000, including travel and hotel costs.
The family isn't willing to rack up any more, said Bill's wife, Tracy Stevens.
"We're already out the money it cost us to get here, and we're not even seeing the concert," she said.
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