10/09/2013 Antwerpen, Belgium

[michelej1]

Fleetwood Mac @ Sportpaleis: One minute, boring, another brilliant

Knack Focus

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DA GIG: Fleetwood Mac in Sportpaleis, Antwerp on 9/10.

IN A SENTENCE: At its best moments the band played brilliant pop songs with a timeless character, its worst she sounded routine, predictable and uninspired.

HIGHLIGHTS: "Gold Dust Woman," "Big Love," "Landslide," "Dreams," "Rhiannon," "I'm So Afraid", "World Turning '.
Lows: 'Not That Funny', 'Tusk', 'Sad Angel'.

BEST QUOTE Stevie Nicks: "Thanks to admit that we still do find the finest us. You are our dream catchers. So write soon, before you go to sleep, in a note: "Stevie thinks I'm extraordinary. Because I really believe. "

Thursday, October 10th, 2013 at 12u25

Since the turn of the century, the reunited Fleetwood Mac have repeatedly gone on a spree. Yet the group remains currently on tour for the 35th anniversary of its classic 'Rumours' to celebrate ensure migrations. Rightly? Yes and no, we noted in the Antwerp Sportpaleis.

The members of Fleetwood Mac are all now sixties and the average age of their audience is not much lower. There were so many baby boomers in the hall, looking for their lost youth when the summers were warm and simple, polished pop music dominated the airwaves. Christine McVie there during the current concert tour no more: she has withdrawn from public life, so chanteuse Steve Nicks, singer-guitarist Lindsay Buckingham, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie the job is now done with the help of some hired hands . The two backing singers, keyboardist and second guitarist Bert Tugle Neile Heywood were already in the past years. Business as usual so, though one thing is certain: the quartet have already long ceased to do for pennies.

Fleetwood Mac has long been a group in transition. What began as a British blues band, known for classics like 'Oh Well' Albatross' and 'The Green Manalishi', grew in the mid-seventies, the merger with the folkrockduo Buckingham-Nicks, into a pure American rock band. The turnaround could not be drastic, but the pay-off was phenomenal. The artistic and commercial peak of new Mac-style was "Rumours" in 1977, the eleventh full-length album of the group, which was 45 million buyers. That the plate was so successful, if given the tumultuous circumstances in which it came into being, called a miracle. The two couples in the group had just ended their relationship, wrote songs for and about each other and tried to soften by excessive cocaine and alcohol. Their heartache The music sounded catchy and streamlined, was ingeniously, floated on sophisticated harmonies and was so full of recognizable emotions that she still continues to speak. More than three decades later the imagination Not surprising then that a lot of songs from 'Rumours' paraded in Antwerp on the setlist.

Licked

The group sees things clearly still large: Mick Fleetwood example was huddled behind something we can describe as the limousine assured under the drum. But from the first notes of "Second Hand News" and the symbolic 'The Chain' was established that the main qualities of Fleetwood Mac's insistent voice of Stevie Nicks, the inventive guitar motifs of Lindsay Buckingham, the no-nonsense rhythm section, the glowing were singing-intact. "Lets get this party started," cried Nick, a fairy in years, then immediately to the intrieste 'Dreams' to assemble. Well, pop stars and paradoxes: they are like Tintin and Snowy. Also 'Rhiannon' was blowing all over in the first quarter: a beautiful pop song, sure, but perhaps a little too early in the set to bring all the expected magic created.

After a sermon on the record, so hang on formulas is that they each adventure in the way, found Lindsay Buckingham need some excerpts from 'Tusk' airing. This plate is often seen as a failed experiment, and when we got the garish "Not That Funny" or messy, marred by synthetic blazers title track split in the stomach, we knew why suddenly again. Buckingham may be a talented musician, of new wave, he then clearly not eaten cheese. The slick FM pop of "Sarah" and "Eyes of the World 'then sounded so boring and weekdays that you almost automatically to a new punk explosion was waiting. The audience was especially emotional when Nicks her ex-partner on stage gave a warm hug. If there are any wrinkles now completely ironed out. Between those two ever there has been some resentment,

Just when we were getting ready out of sheer boredom, to get some leaves in the newspaper Lindsay Buckingham got us back to the class with an acoustic, stunningly played solo version of 'Big Love'. You were suddenly flooded with authentic emotions, which again proves that with sobriety often more operational than bells and also during the duets with Stevie Nicks (the folky 'Landslide', the air fine fingerpicking work 'Never Going Back Again') calling.

About Theatrical

The highlight of the evening was, in our opinion, the drawn-out, brooding, slightly psychedelic version of 'Gold Dust Woman', which expressed Fleetwood Mac gave exciting things still to be able to. Also strong: to Deep Purple leaning hard rock ballad "I'm So Afraid", which Buckingham was like a madman on the strings to time. His solos were intense, both technically and emotionally, an experience. Too bad that the man often theatrical came something out of the corner in vocal terms.

In between was inspired by Stevie Nicks with the Prince 'Stand Back' dig a number from one of her old solo CDs. But the time of discharge was still "You Can Go Your Own Way ', which was sung. Lustily by the public The gad we remembered an energetic and bluesy 'World Turning', which was interrupted by a superfluous drum solo by Mick Fleetwood, a sympathetic veteran of many wars, which nevertheless still needed confirmation. "Are you with me?", He wanted to know every turn. Christine McVies 'Do not Stop' was then reeling in an embarrassing manner that will make you inevitably wonder: how relevant is Fleetwood Mac actually still in the year 2013?

Judging from the published in April last ep of the group, which we got as 'Sad Angels' and 'Without You' appalling served in the Sportpaleis banal songs, the heyday of Fleetwood Mac are far behind us. The quartet plays night after night for months exactly the same set and those familiar with the live album 'The Dance' can only conclude that, hardly anything has changed. The tasteful visuals after, since 1997 At its best moments Fleetwood Mac played brilliant pop songs that have defied the tooth. Of time effortlessly At its worst the band sounded routine, predictable and uninspired. Half convincing, half disappointing. Decide which half you will remember. Longest to you

Dirk Steenhaut