The Aquarian Review

[celestenadia]

Not Your Secondhand News
Fleetwood Mac/Nassau Coliseum/May 23
by Glyn Emmerson
Not Your Secondhand News
Fleetwood Mac/Nassau Coliseum/May 23
Uniondale, NY - Rock vets Fleetwood Mac took to the stage at the Nassau Coliseum like they had something to prove. With a checkered past that goes back to the '60's, fueled by the mad bluesy genius of Peter Green to the current incarnation of its '70's line-up minus songbird Christine McVie, band members pooled their collective egos into an evening of song and celebration that flowed like the warm and fuzzy rekindling of an old affair.
Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham shared the spotlight as they funneled their angst and mutual affection for each other with a countering of ballads and rockers. She humanized Buckingham's snarl as he added the grit to Nicks' somber mother earthisms. His guitar work was an interesting mix of distorted flamenco, pistol whipped bluegrass and a touch of Hendirx that pushed band founders John McVie and Mick Fleetwood into a sweaty funk of snappy rhythms that were in the pocket, punchy and nasty enough to dirty up the band's laid back vibe. Four extra musicians and two back-up singers filled the holes left by Christine's absence.
Stevie Nicks looked radiant the entire evening and her bluesy vocals were a soothing antidote to Buckingham's stinging leads. On "Dreams" and "Rhiannon" the Welsh witch let it fly. On "Landslide" Nicks reflected on the line - "and I'm getting older too"- with a nod and a wink to Buckingham.
Buckingham and Fleetwood faced off each other as they started "I'm So Afraid" slowly, then built it into a dynamic crescendo of screeching vibrato that the guitarist stroked and poked from his hybrid acoustic/electric into a manic blend of twangy psychedlia. "Tusk" was a funky boom and on "Stand Back" Stevie twirled to the campy keyboard sounds from her 1983 solo album The Wild Heart.
For the first encore "World Turning" Mick Fleetwood came from behind the drum riser and worked the crowd with the devilish grin of a court jester. Dressed in knickers he taunted the crowd with the playful - are you with me!-and then proceeded to pound and wobble his talking African drum and an electronic drum lining the pockets of his vest.
"Goodbye Baby" from the new one Say You Will was the closer. Its lament to the past played out like a bedtime lullaby to a lost love reborn, and rekindled...just in time for another summer tour.