Dallas, TX,- AA Center- 12/14/14

[Deeshere]

Hello, everyone. I was at the Dallas FM show and thought I would share the night with everyone.

I've been waiting excitedly for months to see them and they defiantly did not disappoint anyone.

The show looked like it was completely sold out. The crowed was really excited to see Christine and really into the show. Cheering loudly after each song and dancing in the aisles. Which really seemed to hype the band up even more (especially Lindsey) and made the music even better.

Everyone in the band seemed to be having a great time. Stevie and Christine were laughing a lot and smiling at the crowed. Lindsey seemed to be really excited and happy, as was Mick. Even John smiled here and there.

As usual Lindsey ran from one end of the stage to the other, hopped, dancing, and bounced around. Several times during the night he went over to John and Christine to lay his head on both of them. Like a hug, without hugging. I’m not sure if that makes a lot of sense, but it’s what it looked like. It was obvious he was really enjoying himself and was liked playing around with them both.

As for the Lindsey and Stevie interaction (in my opinion) it seemed to be a little… uh… sterile. Lindsey wasn’t ignoring Stevie but he wasn’t acting chummy with her, and he didn’t hug her or interact with her other than an occasional look in her direction when he was singing certain songs like he normally does. Any warm interactions that he had last night, he had with Christine or John.

After NGBA, Stevie (did what she’s done in several shows) walked over and stood facing Mick’s drum kit with her back to the audience. I was at the side of the stage and it looked like she picked up a Kleenex and started rubbing her nose. Lindsey stood in front of the stage holding his guitar and bowing to the audience. Then he exited the stage without even appearing to glance in Stevie’s direction.

When Stevie realized Lindsey had left the stage she seemed to be genuinely surprised. She turned her head to the left and the right appearing to look for him, but she recovered quickly when she saw the stage hands setting up for the next song and started joking around with John.

At the end of GOW Lindsey went over and laid his head on both John and Christine’s shoulder and then he crossed the stage and again appeared to not even glance in Stevie’s direction and finished the song.

Silver Springs was the same old, same old and Songbird sounded even better live.

I doubt very much of the Dallas show will appear on You Tube, because I didn’t see very many people taping the show this time. I taped the show, but my phone decided to act up last night and some a lot of the video's are grainy. I am going to try to fix it before I post it on line.

All in all the band did a fantastic job. I don’t think I’ve heard them sound better. The music was so good last night it really made me believe Lindsey when he said that Christine's return to the band has begun a profound, poetic and prolific new chapter in the history of Fleetwood Mac.

Take care everyone.

[michelej1]

Thank you for that review. I love hearing the details about the interactions. Lindsey doing his head thing with John and Christine was sweet.

I wonder if Stevie was blowing her nose out of emotion or just your every day congestion.

She usually does cry during Landslide. You can see the water in her eyes almost every show, but not so much for NGBA.

I enjoyed the details.

Michele

[Deeshere]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Thank you for that review. I love hearing the details about the interactions. Lindsey doing his head thing with John and Christine was sweet.

I wonder if Stevie was blowing her nose out of emotion or just your every day congestion.

She usually does cry during Landslide. You can see the water in her eyes almost every show, but not so much for NGBA.

I enjoyed the details.

Michele

Thank you Michele. I'm a little surprised there aren't more fan's posting reviews from each show. Last year there seemed to be a lot more fan reviews than this year.

As for the sound. Like I said before from where I was setting on the side of the stage the sound was great. I even remember thinking that this show sounded better than last years show.

When Christine asked John if he remembered what it was like when they were married, he smiled and nodded yes.

Also, for the Buckingham/Nicks fans (if memory serves me right) towards the end of Landslide when Stevie turned to Lindsey and held out her hand, he wouldn't take it.

At first he just kept smiling and making a clawing motion towards her, but he did eventually take her hand.

I know it's insignificant, but I also know a lot of fans want to know what happens between the two of them during Landslide.

Take care.

[FMlex]

Originally Posted by Deeshere

Thank you Michele. I'm a little surprised there aren't more fan's posting reviews from each show. Last year there seemed to be a lot more fan reviews than this year.

As for the sound. Like I said before from where I was setting on the side of the stage the sound was great. I even remember thinking that this show sounded better than last years show.

When Christine asked John if he remembered what it was like when they were married, he smiled and nodded yes.

Also, for the Buckingham/Nicks fans (if memory serves me right) towards the end of Landslide when Stevie turned to Lindsey and held out her hand, he wouldn't take it.

At first he just kept smiling and making a clawing motion towards her, but I think she said something to him and he did eventually take her hand.

I know it's insignificant, but I also know a lot of fans want to know what happens between the two of them during Landslide.

Take care.

This made the whole night for me. They were being playful about holding hands and finally did it. One of only a couple of cute Stevie/Lindsey moments during the night. Of course, I always love when they sing at each other. And the side smile that Stevie did during Lindsey's "Never Going Back Again"…

[nicole21290]

Originally Posted by wheart

what else is he supposed to do? He could take a freaking bath and be back before she's done! Frankly I like the fact that he's doing this...nothing like more drama to spice things up.

Haha! So true. She called him out for it the next night, though.

Originally Posted by FMlex

This made the whole night for me. They were being playful about holding hands and finally did it. One of only a couple of cute Stevie/Lindsey moments during the night. Of course, I always love when they sing at each other. And the side smile that Stevie did during Lindsey's "Never Going Back Again"…

We don't have a great quality video of that but this one shows it pretty well. I like that the clawing came back - it always amuses me.

[Deeshere]

[QUOTE=nicole21290;1156157]Haha! So true. She called him out for it the next night, though.





This makes me think Stevie's spies or maybe Stevie herself (she knows how to use the internet now) keep watch on The Ledge. Because as soon as you posted that video of Lindsey sitting down talking to fans and goofing off during her Gypsy speech, she calls him out on it the very next night.

Hmmm.... I wonder??

[michelej1]

Star Local Media, December 22, 2014 1:07 by Stuart Holcomb

http://starlocalmedia.com/just-class...2e9e5938d.html


Sometimes all the cosmic elements align and you experience a show of mystic proportions. Such was the Fleetwood Mac show at American Airlines Center on Sunday.

When the Dallas show was announced, it was a no-brainer for me to shell out to see the reunion of the “classic” lineup. Never having seen the band before, I was not sure what to expect. Sure, websites can point out which songs may be played but they cannot prepare you for the show itself.

After a 15 minute delay, the concert started and a nearly full house roared to its feet as the band played four straight songs from its 1977 masterpiece, “Rumors.”

And the Mac never looked back, playing hit (“Rhiannon”) after hit (“Tusk”) after hit (“Go Your Own Way”).

Though time has a way of creeping up on people, Stevie Nicks seems to be enchanted against losing any presence on stage. Her rendition of “Gold Dust Woman” was spectacular, but it was “Gypsy” and the story surrounding it that captivated most.

I was not aware before the show, but it seems most of my favorite Mac songs seem to be the Lindsey Buckingham tunes. And those songs were well represented with “Second Hand News,” and “World Turning” which started the first encore and included a great drum solo from Mick Fleetwood.

Yes, first encore. Because one encore was not enough, Christine McVie came out for a supreme rendition of “Songbird” to end the show.

After two and a half hours, most of the crowd was still in the arena and still wanted more. Personally, I was mesmerized by the fact that the musicians on stage were still able to perform at such a high level for such a lengthy show. But I was a bit confused by the lengthy outro monologs that the band gave as a thank you to the fans as they tried to walk out.

[michelej1]

Review: Fleetwood Mac at American Airlines Center




By Preston Jones - Star Telegram 12/15/2014

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/enterta...#storylink=cpy

DALLAS —

There was a moment Sunday night when Stevie Nicks began recounting all of the acts she and Lindsay Buckingham once opened for, prior to joining the ranks of Fleetwood Mac.

It was an impressive roster of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers — Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, et al — but also an anecdote making the refrain from Landslide (“I’m getting older too”) take on an extra, poignant dimension.

The years continue to accumulate (Nicks is 66), and bands like Fleetwood Mac begin to crumble and fall away — almost anything can be survived, whether it’s romantic entanglements or prodigious drug use, but no one can outrun time.

Such a feeling hung in the air Sunday at American Airlines Center as a sold-out and terrifically enthusiastic crowd welcomed Fleetwood Mac back to North Texas.

While the band itself was in town just last year, they didn’t have a key member in tow then as they did Sunday: Christine McVie, rejoining the ranks of the rock band after more than 15 years away, was a welcome addition to the core foursome of Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.

The familiar elements of a Fleetwood Mac performance were present in abundance — Fleetwood’s gaped-mouth timekeeping; Nicks’ mystical twirling and top hat; Buckingham’s incendiary guitar solos — but with Christine McVie back in the mix, the two hour-plus set felt slightly elevated, an extra, key ingredient making the well-worn (You Make Loving Fun; Little Lies; Say You Love Me) feel altogether revitalized.

Her lovely alto laid in alongside Nicks’ own gruff, feathery alto and Buckingham’s razor-wire tenor gave the show a feeling of balance, a restoration to the last, best possible version of the band beloved by the screaming thousands stuffed into the arena, something even Buckingham noted midway through.

“A band that has prevailed through good times and bad,” the singer-guitarist observed, “[And] with [Christine McVie’s] return, I believe we have begun an profound, prolific new chapter in this band.”

While that might seem hyperbolic, watching Fleetwood Mac — the main quintet augmented by two more musicians and three back-up singers, who were mainly in place to sing the high notes Nicks and Christine McVie can no longer quite accurately hit — rip into a stomping, searing Tusk and a freewheeling Go Your Own Way suggested there might be a little gas left in the tank. (The current “On With the Show” tour continues to be extended, with the band already planning a return trip to the AAC March 4.)

That said, Buckingham and Nicks’ mystifying decision to render Never Going Back Again, a sprightly acoustic ditty, at half-speed, as though dosed with elephant tranquilizers, indicates that not every current creative impulse is solid.

Still, the sway of staples such as The Chain, Gold Dust Woman and Don’t Stop is considerable. Even in its heyday, Fleetwood Mac was already cognizant of the value of cherishing memories while maintaining forward momentum.

Put it another way: Yesterday’s gone, but don’t stop thinking about tomorrow — for as long as you’re able, at any rate.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/enterta...#storylink=cpy

[michelej1]

That said, Buckingham and Nicks’ mystifying decision to render Never Going Back Again, a sprightly acoustic ditty, at half-speed, as though dosed with elephant tranquilizers, indicates that not every current creative impulse is solid.

You're breaking my heart Lindsey. You really are.

Michele

[markolas]

I was there and thought it was basically a great show. I thought there were some very obvious sound issues, but I haven't heard anyone else mention it. It seemed to get slightly better as the show went on, but not much.

Stevie worked it out on Gold Dust Woman, which I expected to be kind of boring. I thought Sisters of the Moon was great, too. Lindsey was on fire for basically every song. It seemed a very Stevie/Lindsey dominated set. Christine wasn't featured as much as I thought she'd be, but maybe they're still breaking her in.

She sounded great, though. Her voice was a bit huskier, but basically unchanged.

The lowering of the key on Seven Wonders is unfortunate.

[michelej1]

Fleetwood Mac Preached the Power of Change Last Night at American Airlines Center

By Jeff GageMon., Dec. 15 2014 at 8:07 AM Dallas Observer

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/...las_review.php

Fleetwood Mac American Airlines Center, Dallas
Sunday, December 14, 2014

They say that as you get older, your passions get a little less intense. You gain perspective, and the emotions that make each of life's ups and downs feel like the beginning or the end of the world smooth out. Romance takes a back seat to the enduring qualities of friendship.

In the case of Lindsey Buckingham, that's both true and not true. The rawness of his playing, the almost unhinged quality of how he channels his music, is as strong as ever, has maybe even increased as he's gotten older. It's just that it's changed. But as was demonstrated Sunday night at American Airlines Center, one thing that hasn't changed is that those passions, which are so crucial to Fleetwood Mac's music, wouldn't be the same without Christine McVie's calming influence.

Buckingham, together with Stevie Nicks, has always been the emotional center of Fleetwood Mac -- or at least Fleetwood Mac as we know it. It's a little ironic, given that the band had existed for almost a decade before those two joined it. But without them, the Mac had been a nearly band, a blues band destined for the fringe of obscurity; with them, they became superstars with, at one point, the best-selling record of all time.

It's no coincidence, either. Buckingham and Nicks brought an intensity to the group that was missing without them. His was of a wilder, romantic variety, hers a more brooding, philosophical one. Both, however, brought an unwavering commitment. That intensity is what drove an album like Rumours to be such a success, and it's what almost broke the band apart. But Buckingham, often through sheer force of will, held it all together.

Last night in Dallas, Buckingham seemed hellbent on picking up the show and carrying it on his back. His performances, especially when he took the lead vocal or played a guitar solo, were explosions of energy. He would run around stage or let out scream after scream, a process of constant release. Buckingham was clearly having the time of his life, but it also felt a bit like a matter of life and death -- which ought to be surprising for a 64-year-old who's played these song for over three decades. Surely he's learned to let go.

As he introduced one the few songs from later in the band's career, "Big Love," Buckingham did his best to explain himself. There was a time, he said, when the band members had had to set up emotional boundaries, to close themselves off, in order to coexist. But if a song like this had once been about alienation, as he put it, it has since become a "meditation on the power and importance of change."

It's Buckingham's commitment to the idea of change that seems to keep Fleetwood Mac moving forward, but he knows that he can't run away from his past. These songs are his life's work, after all. So rather than punch a clock and go through the motions, Buckingham sees a redemptive quality in committing himself all over again to playing them, to finding some new meaning and transforming himself in the process. That's why the fire burns so intensely still.

At this late stage in their career, the band has made it through it all together and come out the other side. If Buckingham's restless enthusiasm bore that point out, then Nicks was better able to articulate it and to demonstrate some sense of peace with herself. Ever the strong, independent spirit, she dedicated "Landslide" to a friend of hers in the audience, a single mother, for having overcome her challenges and "won the game."

It was on "Landslide," too, that the passage of time came most sharply into relief. For all its potential sappiness, when Nicks sang the "I'm getting older, too" refrain, it felt particularly poignant. Then, toward the end of the song, the music stopped and Nicks and Buckingham reached across to clasp each other's hands. The crowd let out a cheer. Here, again, was change: Where once there may have been passion and conflict, there was respect and solidarity, a sense of earned friendship.

And yet it needed McVie to truly work. Sure, there was the fact that "the old band had gotten back together," now that she'd returned after almost 20 years away. It couldn't be complete without her. More importantly, though, she was a delight to have around, charming and funny and a grounding influence. Whenever she played one of her songs, the audience stood up from their seats and danced. "Say You Love Me," in fact, was one of the night's highlights, ending as it did with the three vocalists in harmony together.

People come and go, and even the ones who pass through quickly can change us forever. But for the ones who stick around, the meanings of friendship and love can evolve, be redefined. Fleetwood Mac has managed to stick around, and without that change they probably wouldn't be here. It was only appropriate, though, that McVie was the first one to address the audience last night, and the last one to take center stage. The "Songbird" was back. The band had been waiting.

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Fleetwood Mac Preached the Power of Change Last Night at American Airlines Center

By Jeff GageMon., Dec. 15 2014 at 8:07 AM Dallas Observer

http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/dc9/...las_review.php

Fleetwood Mac American Airlines Center, Dallas
Sunday, December 14, 2014

They say that as you get older, your passions get a little less intense. You gain perspective, and the emotions that make each of life's ups and downs feel like the beginning or the end of the world smooth out. Romance takes a back seat to the enduring qualities of friendship.

In the case of Lindsey Buckingham, that's both true and not true. The rawness of his playing, the almost unhinged quality of how he channels his music, is as strong as ever, has maybe even increased as he's gotten older. It's just that it's changed. But as was demonstrated Sunday night at American Airlines Center, one thing that hasn't changed is that those passions, which are so crucial to Fleetwood Mac's music, wouldn't be the same without Christine McVie's calming influence.

Buckingham, together with Stevie Nicks, has always been the emotional center of Fleetwood Mac -- or at least Fleetwood Mac as we know it. It's a little ironic, given that the band had existed for almost a decade before those two joined it. But without them, the Mac had been a nearly band, a blues band destined for the fringe of obscurity; with them, they became superstars with, at one point, the best-selling record of all time.

It's no coincidence, either. Buckingham and Nicks brought an intensity to the group that was missing without them. His was of a wilder, romantic variety, hers a more brooding, philosophical one. Both, however, brought an unwavering commitment. That intensity is what drove an album like Rumours to be such a success, and it's what almost broke the band apart. But Buckingham, often through sheer force of will, held it all together.

How ironic that in this review *he* is described as the romantic and *she* is described as the brooding, philosophical one, when forever they have each been described as the opposite.

Love, love, the video of Lindsey holding hands with people by the stage while Stevie blathers.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

How ironic that in this review *he* is described as the romantic and *she* is described as the brooding, philosophical one, when forever they have each been described as the opposite.

Mick even points out that she's their hopeless romantic in the intros. In that setlist, what is Lindsey doing that's romantic, other than NGBA? I think maybe the writer flipped his intent.

Stevie being philosophical? I guess you could count her closing speech as that, when she says out collective consciousness brought Christine back.

Michele

[michelej1]

Dallas News, pop culture blog

Fully-staffed Fleetwood Mac takes adoring Dallas crowd on a roller-coaster ride


Published: December 15, 2014 12:51 am by Hunter Hauk

http://popcultureblog.dallasnews.com...ter-ride.html/

Fleetwood Mac comprises former lovers, ex spouses, longtime friends and a tumultuous biography. Like any musical group that has survived decades of ups and downs, the members must constantly work at it to recapture their old chemistry.

That workmanlike spirit helped to define the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band’s sold-out show on Sunday night at American Airlines Center. Rejoined by vital vocalist and keyboardist Christine McVie after her 16-year-touring hiatus, the Mac leaned in admirably through a two-hour-plus performance that veered from soul-soothing to serviceable and back again.

Understandably, much fanfare was made of McVie’s return: Her warm, familiar vocals provided several highlights, from the smoky seduction of “You Make Loving Fun” to the melodic bliss of ’80s smashes “Everywhere” and “Little Lies.” Despite her solid performance, McVie was never one to bask in the spotlight.

Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham, however, were more than happy to soak up the love of the audience on Sunday. With McVie on keys, her ex-husband, John, on bass and Mick Fleetwood behind his drums for most of the evening, it was up to the group’s two relative “newbies” to do the crowd work.

Buckingham kept the folks up front entertained by harnessing a twenty-something’s energy, frequently screaming out lyrical lines and jumping into rock-god postures. Nicks was simply herself — a twirling and swaying mystical sage armed with raspy power pipes and a streamer-clad tambourine.

When the band took the stage to kick things off with “The Chain,” the entire arena leapt to its feet and folks around me were pointing out Nicks to each other (“There she is!”). The three vocalists, embellished by a set of backup singers, took a full verse and chorus to fully find their harmonic sweet spot.

Nicks continued to get better and better throughout the night, at first avoiding the highest notes on “Dreams” and “Rhiannon,” but later reaching the mountaintops on “Gypsy” and the spine-tingling classic, “Gold Dust Woman.” She and Buckingham shined during what was essentially an intermission for the rest of the band — a three-song mini-set consisting of “Big Love,” “Landslide” and “Never Going Back Again.” All spotlighted Buckingham’s acoustic finger-picking skills, while the middle song benefited from Nicks’ refreshingly unsentimental vocal delivery.

As other legacy bands are wont to do, Fleetwood Mac’s players introduced a few of their songs by recalling elements of the band’s backstory. Nicks charmed while explaining the origins of the first line of “Gypsy.” Buckingham spoke to how certain tunes’ meanings have changed for him over the years. McVie got the biggest laugh of the evening while introducing “Over My Head”: “This goes back to the days when John and I were still married. Remember that, John?”

Thirty or so dates into their current tour, now might be a good time for the Mac to consider making a few edits. For instance, unnecessary drum and guitar solos during “I’m So Afraid” significantly slowed down the pace toward the end of the show, a point when most acts would try to speed it up. And then came another odd drum solo during the encore set. Fleetwood shut his eyes, played a variety of rhythms and screamed at the crowd like a madman — it seemed indulgent, even if it might have given folks one more chance to hit the beer stands.

My few complaints probably won’t register with diehard fans of Fleetwood Mac. Anyone who delights in the band’s unique blend of creative voices would have been thrilled to hear Buckingham toast “a poetic, profound and prolific new chapter” from the stage.

A new album is expected next year, as well as a second leg of the On With the Show tour (it returns to AAC on March 4). If that means I’ll get to see Nicks twirl in the shadows one more time, sign me up.