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Fleetwood Mac 'infallible' in BOK Center performance

By JENNIFER CHANCELLOR World Scene Writer on May 1, 2013, at 11:21 PM

Fleetwood Mac would be nothing without Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

Despite the band’s rocky history, their chemistry on stage is forged in steel.

Wednesday night at a tour stop at the BOK Center, Mick Fleetwood fortified his namesake band with solid rhythm, and John McVie held it tight on bass.

Strong out of the gate, Nicks and Buckingham harmonized to “Second Hand News,” fans on their feet, Fleetwood and McVie rumbling strong behind them.

Fans pressed to the stage, hands raised, and sang along.

Those fans who weren’t on their feet then were by the first few notes of “The Chain,” Buckingham’s finger-pick guitar style texturizing each note with rich emotion. Multiple fingers added voices — harmony — to the band’s own vocals, almost like a multi-track machine.

With Buckingham head-to-toe in black, what stood out is his lightning fretwork, again and again through the nearly three-hour set. This version of Fleetwood Mac might as well have a “Lindsey Buckingham with …” in front of it.

“We are indeed very pleased to be back here with you tonight,” said a chatty Buckingham. “Every time we part then come back together, it’s different. …

“We’ve discovered that there are still a few new chapters left for this band,” he said as he launched into their new pop-rock juggernaut, the up-tempo “Sad Angel,” the first all-new song played by the band since 2003.

A good portion of Wednesday’s BOK Center concert concentrated on the band’s 1977 album “Rumours,” which celebrates 35-plus years as Fleetwood Mac’s most successful album release. Songs included “Second Hand News,” “Dreams,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Don’t Stop,” “The Chain” and “Never Going Back Again.”

“Dreams” at times wafted into dingy vocals for Nicks but was saved by the inchoate, otherworldly mix of backing harmony and instrumentation. As a whole, the performance was infallible, as it should be with a band that’s been together for so long.

Nicks, as smoky voiced as ever, also edged in her solo hit “Stand Back,” draped in her trademark velvet and gauze, swaying, gypsy-like, entranced.

Bigger-than-life timeless hits reverberated with action and an oft-ecstatic Buckingham, especially in “Rhiannon,” “Gypsy,” “Tusk,” and “Sara.” Nicks and Buckingham both hit vocal strides, howling with haunting, raw passion.

Other songs included “Sisters of the Moon,” “Not That Funny,” “Eyes of the World,” “I’m So Afraid,” and “World Turning.” The stage set-up was fairly conservative, with side projections, overhead spotlights and a projection screen behind the band. The focus was intentionally kept on the musicianship.

Buckingham blew up solo acoustic fireworks for “Big Love.” As the evening progressed, his stature as one of the best, if not most underrated, guitarists (and songwriters) in rock history was solidified.

The Buckingham/Nicks pre-Fleetwood Mac duet of “Without You” was almost embarassingly intimate, as far as true emotive sound goes. (The song was unearthed and recently released on a four-song Fleetwood Mac EP, “Extended Play,” available on iTunes.) The pair also ended “Landslide” with hands buckled together.

Christine McVie retired from the lineup in 1998, along with most of her songs. One, “Don’t Stop,” still made Wednesday’s night’s live show.