How did you feel the first time you saw The Dance?

[jwd]

I was knocked out. Totally blown away by the performance. Couldn't believe that the old gang could pull it back together like that...like they never went away. It was easy to see how they captured so many new fans.



Joe

[ERigby818]

I was just starting to get into the Mac in 1996 because my best friend had the Greatest Hits. I was listening to that a lot and became fascinated with Stevie (the GH album doesn't do Lindsey justice, IMO, and I'm not surprised, since he wasn't even part of the band when they released that). I just fell in love with her voice and her image. Also at the time I had another friend who was really into Courney Love (who was really popular at the time) who also has a fascination with Stevie so that definitely made her more interesting. So I ran out and got Timespace and was actually a bit disappointed. I loved some of the songs (like EO17 since I was right on the EO17 at the time) but realized I liked Gypsy, Rhiannon and Sara better because they were Mac songs.

Then, BAM! The Dance came out and I fell madly in love with Lindsey and read the infamous Rolling Stone article and learned all about their relationship. My friend put the headphones on my head and made me listen to Silver Springs and Bleed To Love Her while we were riding the NYC subway to school our senior year of HS, and my jaw dropped. I haven't recovered since. It blew my mind and I proceeded to buy The Dance on CD and video.... I saw Big Love and Go Insane and Landslide and I almost died. I quickly snatched up Tango, Rumours, Mirage, Tusk, Go Insane, Law and Order, OOTC, and then Enchanted when it came out. I didn't really appreciate Stevie's solo music as much as I do now until like 1999 when I learned more about her and heard bootlegs and saw videos, thanks to the internet.

So anyhoo, it really was perfect timing for my evolution of FM fandom when the Dance came out because everything just fell into place and I haven't been the same since.
-Sonia

[dissention]

The first time I saw The Dance, my jaw was on the floor. That is a performance! When Stevie sang GDW, shivers went down my spine. I thought to myself, what a sexy, bewitching, magical woman. That was the Stevie I had missed from earlier years! And let's face it, that reunion was ALL about Stevie!! Lindsey was amazing, he had a newfound freshness to him. Christine was the cool, non-chalant, easy-going chick in the band who knew how to get down like the boys without getting dirty. I just loved it. And Silver Springs!! OOOOOOOOOOOOOH!

[strandinthewind]

I was so looking forward to it and a little nervous as ther live performances in the past could be not that 100 percent non-fan friendly. Then, when I saw it, I was so "relieved" Stevie was much thinner and hitting high notes I thought were gone forever. Also, they were all clearly not glossy-eyed and wasted. I was floored by all of Stevie and CM's performances. Same goes for LB's playing. I did think, however, "boy has his voice changed!" (note: I love LB - I was just shocked at the change). I think that compilation of those three performances will perhaps always be their benchmark. As an aside, does the horrible editing get anyone else's nerves, e.g., during the same song, Stevie's tambourine ribbons change colors more than once indicating it was a different performace spliced together - picky picky picky .

[seteca]

First time I saw The Dance, I was just completely blown away...it was one of the best concerts I'd ever seen, just going from hit to hit, and of course it was the first time I saw the new versions of Big Love and Go Insane, and fell in love with those versions instantly! I was familiar with Lindsey Buckingham since 1987 but 1997 just put him into a completely new light for me. Although I'd been a fingerpicker for 10 years before that, my guitar playing style took a huge turn at that point. It wasn't so much his acoustic finger picking that I was impressed with (even though that's damn good too!), but actually his truly unique electric picking style and the tone he was achieving with it. Watching ISA, and in particular the solo, was hair-raising......still is!

[Mad4stevie]

As with alot of you, The Dance opened up me to the wonderful and fascinating world of the Mac. I saw Silver Springs on MTV and then I watched the Behind the Music on VH1 and I was hooked! My parents bought me The Dance video for Christmas that year.

I never tire of watching Stevie and Lindsey during Silver Springs and Landslide. The emotion, the connection, the passion, and the tragedy just draws you in to their world. For anyone who has experienced an intense love affair gone bad - that song is so right on.

The funny thing is that one of the first tapes I ever bought was Tango and I never realized any of the history or that it was the same band until I watched The Dance and saw them perform "Everywhere".

[Vianna]

How did I feel? Totally psyched! Like Johnny Stew I'd about given up hope that the Rumours line-up would ever get together again-could they even be in the same room together was the big question? hehe

So when I heard about the MTV special I was so excited. I got the VCR all primed and new tape to record on and I just couldn't wait. At that point in time I had never seen Fleetwood Mac perform with Lindsey in the band-heard them, yes, but not seen them. My first FM concert was TITN, and Lindsey was gone by then.

Well the Dance blew me away. Lindsey does something for that band that's just unexplained I guess. They are a different group when he's there. There's a chemistry between them that just isn't there when he's absent.

We didn't know there'd be a tour at first. Then we heard there was going to be one. I was beside myself-I was going to see Lindsey live!

It had to be one of the high points of my life to see that concert=:-)I was there so early I heard the sound check and Stevie practicing Dreams. It was so awesome. I will never forget it.

[WindingRoad]

I first saw The Dance on PBS. Actually, my hubby was watching it. I was kinda annoyed because there was something else on tv that I had wanted to watch.

So anyway, hubby says, "why don't you want to watch this? You loved Stevie when we saw her in concert."

I said "Who?" He says, "Fleetwood Mac. We saw them in concert when we were dating." This was like 20 years ago at the time.

I didn't remember and went about my business in the house. But everytime I walked by the tv, I had to stop and listen. It was just pulling me in.

Finally, after blocking his view of the tv about 5 times, hubby says, "Will you just SIT DOWN and watch !!!"

So I did, and Rhiannon came on and I was transported back to the 70's watching spellbound as Stevie twirled.



So I have hubby to thank for bringing me back to FM.

So, I am a Stevie fan first. But after watching The Dance the FIRST dozen times I've really come to appreciate Lindsey's talents.

I will be forever grateful to The Dance for bringing me back into the fold.

susieq

[chiliD]

I was weirded out. Here I was actually watching Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks on stage TOGETHER again...never thought it would happen. Even after reading all the on-line accounts from "imbedded reporters" (members of the USC marching band who posted their experiences on the alt.music.fleetwood-mac newsgroup in the days after the taping of the shows), I was skeptical it would ever come off.

And:

1) That it would be anything other than a one-off performance; the subsequent tour surprised the hell out of me.

2) That Mick & John REALLY took a giant leap BACKWARDS by reforming a previous incarnation.

[BBALLGYPSY17]

The Chemistry was indescribable Just by looking at them you can tell that they've been through hell and back and that they had a LOT to tell....a lot of wisdom. It was really my First Experience of them as a BAND because Stevie what was intrigued me,caught her BTM (yeah, 97-98 they replayed her BTM,MAC BTM, and that CONCERT acouple hundred times soooo...) Then I saw SnL vibing and got more and MORE curious thinking like 'do those two still have a thing after ALL that mellowdrama they'd previously experienced?' Then I did loads and loads of research,finding out the ENTIRE band was dysfunctional and I'm like....SWEEEEEEEEETTTTT! Look at what they've been through There STILL THERE TOGETHER If *they* survived I sure as hell can

LOL
~alex~*....Still the hopeless romantic,just not the straight one...

[Villavic]

The complete DANCE show was aired months later in Peru, I already had gotten the video, but before that I saw the CHAIN video on MTV. IT was a sunday morning (late august?), I was still in bed, and surfing channels I stopped at MTV and saw it! I GOT CRAZY!!

Though I already knew all about the mac status by that time, I woke up screaming.. THEY REUNITED!! THEY REUNITED!! Of course I already knew, but I just wanted to tell all my family about this sublime new.