Atlantic City 1/24/2015

[michelej1]

Posted: Thursday, January 22, 2015 10:30 am

By SCOTT CRONICK, At The Shore, Press of Atlantic City
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/a...0a9fa358d.html

REVIEW: How much of a difference can one band member make?


In the case of Christine McVie, she single-handedly transformed Fleetwood Mac from a tired, going through the motions, classic rock band cashing in on their fame to a mind-blowing, arena-worthy, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-caliber act.


That may sound crazy considering McVie is 71 years old and hasn’t performed with her legendary bandmates for about 15 years, but that was clearly the case at Fleetwood Mac’s fall concert at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia as part of their massive, international “On With the Show Tour,” which hits Boardwalk Hall 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24.


The evidence was clear from the very first song, “The Chain,” one of the few Fleetwood Mac songs ever credited to all five members — McVie, singer Stevie Nicks, guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood. As soon as the harmonies hit, it was classic Mac. Seeing McVie behind the keyboards once again was a thing of beauty, and it was immediately clear what was missing for the last two decades: Christine McVie’s third vocal layer.


“The Songbird” personally shined all night: stepping out from behind the keys to sing the contagiously catchy classic “Everywhere,” showing what a great alto she is; making “Say You Love Me” a tour highlight thanks to its sweet lyrics and spot-on vocals; and deservingly closing the night with her trademark “Songbird,” which starts with her on piano as she is later joined by Buckingham and Nicks for a mellow, beautiful second encore.


And although the night was clearly not all about McVie, her presence obviously energized the band, which sounded tighter and seemed more energetic than any of their tours in recent memory.


Nicks, who seemed to be mailing it in on previous tours, was particularly strong. While she certainly doesn’t hit the high notes she once did, singing most tunes in a lower octave, she seems to care about the songs again, delivering them with passion and reminding everyone why she is one of the greatest female rock singers of all time.


She makes it obvious on the night’s second song, “You Make Loving Fun” and immediately continues with her distinctive vocal style with “Dreams.” It’s later evident on the smash “Rhiannon,” the groovy “Seven Wonders,” the crowd-favorite “Landslide” and her signature “Gypsy.”


For years, a Fleetwood Mac concert seemed like the Lindsey Buckingham show, and although he still plays a prominent role, he wisely steps back a bit for this tour. Buckingham highlights include “Second Hand News,” a borderline punk song that offers a fun, spirited rocker at the beginning of the night; “I Know I’m Not Wrong,” where he shows his guitar chops for the first time of the night accompanied by some impressive, pounding drum work from a 68-year-old Fleetwood; the tribal “Tusk,” with Christine McVie on accordion that still remains a great, live tune; and “I’m So Afraid,” a moody song that didn’t belong near the tail end of the first set but offered the most amazing guitar solo of the night.


With a stage more simple than you would expect on such a big tour — a large screen behind the band does help those in the cheap seats — Fleetwood Mac lets the music be all of the hype it needs. Supported by three musicians and three backup singers, the most amazing thing about this current tour is how awesome they sound as a team … like they never missed a beat after all of these years.


When all of the harmonies kick in and the rapport is in full swing, it’s something magical, particularly on the classic “Little Lies,” a complete team effort highlighted by another great Buckingham solo; the stellar “Gold Dust Woman” that featured their best harmonies of the night; “Go Your Own Way,” which ended the first set; and “Don’t Stop,” a perfect encore.


To quibble, the night could have done without Nicks’ “Sisters of the Moon,” complete with an “American Horror Story” plug to promote the FX TV series she has appeared on; “Big Love,” a Buckingham song that showed off his amazing acoustic guitar work but is simply not a great song; and “Over My Head,” a nice but boring tune.


Clocking in at nearly three hours and featuring 24 songs, one hit after another, Fleetwood Mac is offering a must-see tour, something it hasn’t done in nearly two decades.