[michelej1]

[I was just looking through old reviews and saw a couple that weren't online yet, so I wanted to upload]

Seattle Post-Intelligencer (WA), October 13, 1997

Section: Entertainment

FLEETWOOD MAC'S THRILLS DON'T STOP

GENE STOUT P-I POP MUSIC CRITIC

It was the biggest musical love fest the Tacoma Dome had seen in months.

A capacity crowd, almost giddy with anticipation, filled the Dome Saturday night for Fleetwood Mac's triumphant 2 1/2-hour concert. It was the latest stop on the group's highly publicized reunion tour, named for the new Fleetwood Mac live album ``The Dance.''

Sporting T-shirts inscribed with the slogan ``The Mac Is Back,'' fans stomped their feet and turned up their lighters when original members Mick Fleetwood (drums), Lindsey Buckingham (guitar, vocals), Stevie Nicks (vocals), Christine McVie (keyboards, vocals) and John McVie (bass) took the stage for a spirited, satisfying performance. Backing them were three musicians and two singers.

Buckingham and Fleetwood were especially animated, displaying a kind of madcap glee during turns in the spotlight. But it was Nicks, in black gown and colored shawls, who stole hearts with her bewitching performance.

Her lead vocals were stunning on such songs as ``Rhiannon,'' ``Landslide'' and ``Sweet Girl,'' which relayed the history of what Rolling Stone magazine called ``the lovingest, fightingest, druggingest band of the '70s.''

Nicks and her bandmates stirred emotions among longtime fans as well as younger followers who discovered the group through classic-rock radio and the group's recent ``plugged-in'' concert for MTV. It was a remarkable performance for a former supergroup given up for dead in the early '90s.

In 1992 the group reunited for a performance at Bill Clinton's first inaugural ball, performing its old hit ``Don't Stop'' and rekindling interest among fans. But it wasn't until Buckingham invited his former bandmates to help him with a new solo album that a Fleetwood Mac reunion got under way.

``This reconvening was kind of an accident,'' Buckingham told cheering fans at the Tacoma Dome. ``(But) one thing led to another, and here we are.''

Vocal harmonies weren't quite on track when the group opened at 8:30 p.m. with ``The Chain.'' But the performance smoothed out quickly for the melancholy ``Dreams,'' a signature song from ``Rumours,'' the phenomenal 1977 album that sold more than 25 million copies and became the third-best-selling album in rock history.

The concert was much like August's MTV concert. Christine McVie sang the dreamy ``Everywhere'' (from ``The Dance'' and previously the group's 1987 ``Tango in the Night'' album) while Buckingham offered the first of several standout guitar performances.

Nicks was the star of ``Gold Dust Woman,'' taking a bow afterward. Buckingham and Fleetwood followed with a knockout version of ``I'm So Afraid'' that received an ovation for Buckingham's guitar playing. Then Nicks sang ``Gypsy'' under a rainbow of lighting effects.

Buckingham was fantastic during a solo performance of ``Big Love,'' offering some of the most vigorous guitar work of the show. When the band returned, Nicks excelled on ``Landslide,'' whose melancholy lyrics connected with the crowd. Afterward, Nicks hugged Buckingham, her onetime lover and musical partner in the '70s duo Buckingham Nicks.

Band members, featuring Buckingham on banjo, came forward for ``Say You Love Me.'' Buckingham and Fleetwood's wacky version of ``My Little Demon.'' During a crash-and-burn solo of ``Not That Funny,'' Fleetwood resurrected an old gimmick by playing touch-sensitive drum pads sewn into his clothing.

The main set closed with ``Tusk'' and ``Go Your Own Way.'' But the show was far from over. The high-flying ``Don't Stop'' kicked off the first of several encores.