Sweet Home Chicago

[gldstwmn]

Well y'all, there aren't many times in a fan's lifetime they get to experience something like this! I did the Fleetwood Mac/Buckingham Nicks double header in Chicago this weekend and it was out of this world!
I was fortunate enough to have gotten a front row seat for the show on Saturday at the United Center. I ended up standing in front of the stage slightly to the left of Miss Nicks microphone and with a dead on view of John McVie.
The setlist is the same but the band does seem to be reenergized from their little break. Stevie looked radiant, dancing and singing one hell of a show. In fact, she sang Silver Springs with her high register, complete with the ooh aahs toward the end. Her voice sounded very, very good. I like the way she and Mick vibe each other at the begining in front of The Chain. Standing right in front of them during the ending of this song truly makes you feel what a powerful rock and roll band this actually is.
John McVie was dancing during some of the songs! He does it in a very subtle way. He was also plucking out some fancy little bass riffs on Rhiannon.
If anyone has to play Chris's parts, I'm glad it's Brett Tuggle. He's an excellent player and has a lot of fun with the audience.
Best part of the evening: I GOT TO PLAY LINDSEY'S GUITAR! He was, as he has been for the whole tour, very generous. He played his a** off and was just on fire all evening. I've got plenty more to say about him later in this post.
Thankfully, I was not spit on by Mick during World Turning.

I was rather deaf by the end of this song though. It seems I had uncaringly placed myself in front of one of the speakers. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make.
I met some great Ledgies at this show-Sara1998, lasindy, Alpha LV, Sodascouts and everyone else, it was my pleasure.
On Sunday, strandinthewind and sulamith flew in and they, I and lasindy and sara1998 wandered into a steak house called Joe's. The food was excellent. Of course it was, because we later found out that Miss Nicks herself dined there in the past. Of all the restaurants to wander into!
MONDAY
We arrrived at the tv studio not knowing what to expect. Speculation was running high. We were told that someone else had spotted Taku. We wondered who else might show up.
To massive applause, Liddy Buck took the stage. He was accompanied by Taku, Neale Heywood and Brett Tuggle. Ray Lindsey was there as Lindsey's right hand. Kristen Buckingham sat in the balcony draped in a gray cashmere shawl with her mother and family and freinds. It was then that Sulamith pointed out that Lindsey had his white Fender Strat in his hands and not his regular Turner. I knew right then we were in for a rare treat. He opened with Someone's Gotta Change Your Mind. I wish he would play the Fender more often. He makes that thing sound so sweet and beautiful. His eyes teared up at the end of the song. Next up another song I'd never heard live: Steal your Heart Away. Breathtaking. I think it was around this time that my jaw dropped and pretty much remained that way for the duration of the evening. It might have been around this time that the word cycles came up and with conspiratorial looks all around for those in the know, he sang Big Love. It was around this time they took a break to powder him and/or reload the film in the cameras the audience started yelling out requests. Someone said Red Rover and LB said something like "Yeah we're gonna do that one." We all just looked at each other like, "Is this really happening?" He played Big Love only once saying "I don't think we'll do that one again" and sort of shaking out his fingers. We laughed. Next up was Go Insane done a la The Dance. After that he started playing Trouble, to much delight and then a stripped down version of Peacekeeper with Taku playing drum pads and this thing that looked like an orange box. The chicken squawk was done with the keyboard. Then he played Red Rover. Yes, he told the Greek God story and yes, he had us in the palm of his hand at that point.
They took a break and a second plain black microphone was move to center stage. He came back out and gave a simple little speech about "someone who I've known since I was seventeen" and to thunderous applause introduced Stevie Nicks. Stevie looked radiant and had the diamonds on her fingers and black platform boots with her usual stage dress. She stood there calmly looking at him and they did NGBA. She was in fine voice. There was a lull betwwen songs and someone yelled out Frozen Love and Lindsey looked at her as if to say "Want to do it?" He said "There are some great two part harnmonies in that song" and Stevie replied "You may not be as strong as me..." The roof went off the place. She sang the first few lines and said "That's all I can remember. My a**! They let us catch our breath from that moment and did Say Goodbye. Then she left.
Then out of left field, Lindsey starts talking about journalism. Oh boy. He played Murrow. After we recovered from the shock of that, he got everyone singing, dancing and clapping with GYOW. He wasn't through with the surprises, though. Lindsey got the Fender out again for a new song (I believe). (Oops just read this is a Stones cover). We later found out it was called I Am Waiting. In a way, it kind of reminds me of a lullabye. Think All Of My Sorrows but on a much brighter, positive vibe/lyric. Just when you thought "This doesn't get any better" he whips out Down On Rodeo. He knows we know this song. I was feeling faint.
As promised, he came back out to do some more for us. Someone requested Bleed To Love Her earlier in the evening so he obliged. To seal it all with a great big kiss, someone repeatedly asked for Save Me A Place. He asked Neale Heywood what he thought. In his veddy British accent Heywood replied "I'll give it a shot mate." Lindsey fiddled around with his guitar ( I believe it was the blonde colored Tusk era Turner or it might have been the darker, newer model) and started palying the song gathering momentum as he went along. At first he wasn't singing the high part on "I'll come runnin' if you love me today" part but strand and I were so towards the end LB was too. He then bid us adieu, saying his wife was leaving to go back home and he needed to go be with her. He left the stage. We had been in the presence of greatness and we knew that we'd seen something we'd see once in a liftetime. All we could say for a while was "Wow." It was unbelievable. I can't wait for the show to be broadcast.
On a side note, after the show when I pulled up at the hotel to have the valet take the car a white van pulled in in front of me and sort of cut me off so I had to sit there and wait for everyone to get out. All of a sudden I see someone carrying a guitar case and then Taku steps out followed by Steve Rinkov. This morning when I checked out, there were four big tour buses outside the hotel-the same ones I saw at the United Center on Saturday. Apparently some of the band members and the road crew were staying at the same hotel as I was the entire time.

[Merf]

Thanks for the reviews hon! Glad you had a great time! Has being in the front row spoiled you for like all other concerts as it has me??

[gldstwmn]

In a word, yes! I'm glad I finally got to do it.

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

Wow! Awesome review!!! Good news about the Mick spit!

Pip

[shackin'up]

Oh, thanks for that review, you made it alive for me.... The next best thing than being there! -sigh-

gerald

[Wldhrt315]

Great review Chris. It was nice meeting you at Soundstage too!

I also was in the front row at the Saturday show and it was un-stinkin-believable!!!! I feel so blessed to of been able to experience what everyone was talking about. Being that close is a totally different concert going experience, especially when the band you are watching is your favorite band of all time.

The best parts of that evening consisted of having some major eye contact with Mr. Buckingham, a VERY brief (reading lips) conversation with him - after Come with all the lights and stuff I was hot so I was fanning myself a little, during Gypsy he mouthed to me "Are you OK?" with a big smile on his face and I said I was fine. Also, I got to STRUM HIS GUITAR! WooHoo! I was soo happy about that, he was looking straight at me when I did it. FINALLY, Jill (Iona) and I caught his towel. hehe. No, we didn't freeze it! I heard that someone froze his towel after they caught it. Interesting.

The show was full of energy and I left with a huge smile on my face. I'll add more later.

[strandinthewind]

Let me just say Chris, Sharon (Sulamith), and I, had the best time the entire weekend, but esp. Mon. night at the taping. At one point, I noticed all three of our jaws were just dropped in admiration for LB. The whole Joe's rest. thing with all of us and Stevie's waiter was just great. And, in the roof top bar of Chris' hotel, they were burning nag champra!!!!!!!!

That is so cool Taku was staying at your hotel Chris. Had we know that . . . .

Seriously, I cannot wait to see how they edit LB's Soundstage for T.V.

[sulamith]

I have never been to Chicago, and I have to say it is a lovely city. I think I gained 10 pounds in the three days I was there.... shopping, eating, shopping, eating, shopping, walking, eating, Lindsey, Stevie, shopping some more, goint to the top of the "Cock" hee hee.............. the Ritz Carlton and the Concierge guy who said Stevie was "drop dead gorgeous" (take that, all you Stevie haters! da da!).....what a whirlwind!

I need a little nappy-poo....

-Sharon

[gldstwmn]

Originally posted by Wldhrt315
FINALLY, Jill (Iona) and I caught his towel. hehe. No, we didn't freeze it!

I heard the towel smelled good.

[gldstwmn]

Originally posted by sulamith
the Ritz Carlton and the Concierge guy who said Stevie was "drop dead gorgeous"

-Sharon

In the T"RIANON" lounge no less...

[Livia]

RIANON

That's my license plate!! Hee!

[gldstwmn]

That's cool Livia. Somebody at the taping pulled up with a license plate that said WW DOVE. Way to spread the word!

[Wldhrt315]

The towel does smell good, still. I cant figure out what it is though, I thought it would smell a little rank but NOT AT ALL!!!

[WindingRoad]

Originally posted by gldstwmn
This morning when I checked out, there were four big tour buses outside the hotel-the same ones I saw at the United Center on Saturday. Apparently some of the band members and the road crew were staying at the same hotel as I was the entire time.

Thanks for the great review! If I could ask a dumb question...What do the tour buses look like? Thanks!

susieq

[gldstwmn]

Originally posted by WindingRoad
Thanks for the great review! If I could ask a dumb question...What do the tour buses look like? Thanks!

susieq

You're welcome. That's not a dumb question at all. The tour buses are silvery purple with and highlighted with purple.