The Dance of Fleetwood Mac

[FuzzyPlum]

Originally Posted by He's So Unusual

I do wish the band would mix their set lists up a bit more, they just need to get a better balance between catering to the casual music fans and catering to the more loyal fans who want a few more surprises than one or two tracks here and there. They have a huge back catalogue that they need to show off more. I know a lot of casual music fans probably don't really care about a random track from the b-side of Mirage, but how are people supposed to get used to different tracks when the band never plays them live?

On the one hand I'd love to see/hear a load of deep cuts played live. However, it was really off-putting to see the mass 'comfort breaks' whenever the likes of Storms and Not That Funny were played on 'recent' tours. I can understand the band's aim of trying to play to the masses (of course, people still need to take breaks but they aren't noticeable when the are spread out). At the end of the day, most audience members at shows will probably own a couple of albums at most, one of which will likely be a compilation.

I do however strongly feel they need to mix things up for different audiences. It is so disappointing not to get any pre-75 material on European tours. The second encore consisting of Silver Springs and Say Goodbye would I'm sure have been great for a US audience but they weren't perhaps the best songs to play at the end of UK shows. Silver Springs came to prominence on The Dance which was huge in the US but isn't really massive in terms of the UK's consciousness and relatively few audience members would be familiar with Say Goodbye. 'Shall we stay Bob? Nah, I don't know this one, lets shoot'. At the London shows the O2 arena was half empty by the end.

I'd love to hear Oh Well in the set list, though Need Your Love So Bad or Black Magic Woman would be good and a return to Station Man could be a good replacement for World Turning. Why should definitely be in there- perhaps as Christine's second song of the set.

[BLY]

Having Christine back in the fold I cant see them doing her pre 1975 stuff. There is no reason to do anything from that era with all the great material that can be pulled from Mirage and Tango.

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by BLY

Having Christine back in the fold I can see them doing some of her pre 1975 stuff. There is no reason to do anything else from that era with all the great material that can be pulled from Mirage and Tango.

Oh, it definitely shouldn't be more than a song or two. Doing a medley or when one song goes right into another would probably work: Albatross/Black Magic/Oh Well, for example, since they are pretty short songs. Also---Paul McCartney just began a North America tour yesterday, playing 41 songs in his setlist!! One can hope...

P.S. The Tango and Mirage songs I most want to hear are all Christine's: Love in Store, Hold Me, Little Lies, Isn't It Midnight, and Everywhere.

[BLY]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

Oh, it definitely shouldn't be more than a song or two. Doing a medley or when one song goes right into another would probably work: Albatross/Black Magic/Oh Well, for example, since they are pretty short songs. Also---Paul McCartney just began a North America tour yesterday, playing 41 songs in his setlist!! One can hope...

P.S. The Tango and Mirage songs I most want to hear are all Christine's: Love in Store, Hold Me, Little Lies, Isn't It Midnight, and Everywhere.

Agree, Agree..... But I would also like hear Tango in the Night and Book of Love live.

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by BLY

Agree, Agree..... But I would also like hear Tango in the Night and Book of Love live.

I'd definitely love to hear a different big guitar solo from Lindsey. Also, Seven Wonders would be fun, if Stevie's up for it. Had both in my last setlist idea.

[BLY]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

I'd definitely love to hear a different big guitar solo from Lindsey. Also, Seven Wonders would be fun, if Stevie's up for it. Had both in my last setlist idea.

Seven Wonders is definitely in my top 10 of favorites. Most of them are when I get all three voices. That's what got me hooked in the first place, the harmonies.

[Wdm6789]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

Oh, it definitely shouldn't be more than a song or two. Doing a medley or when one song goes right into another would probably work: Albatross/Black Magic/Oh Well, for example, since they are pretty short songs. Also---Paul McCartney just began a North America tour yesterday, playing 41 songs in his setlist!! One can hope...

P.S. The Tango and Mirage songs I most want to hear are all Christine's: Love in Store, Hold Me, Little Lies, Isn't It Midnight, and Everywhere.

I got 14th row floor seats, center stage for Paul McCartney. For Fleetwood I got 9th row on the floor, left section so I'll be right in front of Christine. Both of these shows in one month. Its going to be awesome.

I will flip out if they play Hold Me. I have an irrational love for that song. It could quite possibly be my favorite song ever.

[Nicks Fan]

The problem with Fleetwood Mac is that they have promoted Rumors ad nauseum for almost 40+ years. It doesn't matter what new cd the toured behind or even if they just toured for the hell of it like in 2009 Rumors was rehashed for the umoteenth time. They need to give it a rest and only do 3-4 songs from it.

Plus when they tour these days they tend to consistently play the same non singles at every show (The Chain, Gold Dust Woman, NGBA, SHN, So Afraid etc) that the show has gotten very stale.

For me these songs need to go.

1. GYOW- I love this song but singing it in a lower key just ruins for me.
2. Big Love (Acoustic) It was a show stopper in 97 but now the novelty has worn off and it feels stale.
3. Silver Springs- This is my favorite song but like Big Love the novelty has worn off of this lost classic because they have over played it and she doesn't sing it very well these days.
4. So Afraid- Another song that works well as a showpiece for LB but he needs to showcase something else and my vote would be for TITN as he could really go to town with this one on guitar.
5. NBGA- I love this song but the arrangement that he does these days.
6. SHN- Overplayed and needs to go. I would swap IDWK in and take SHN news out.
7. Dreams- This one IMO has not sounded good live since 97 and it needs to go. She has enough other lesser played songs to chose from.
8. Stand Back- This is probably the one song I want to see leave the setlist the most as it is not a FM song and never should have been in the set in the first place.
9. World Turning- They have done this for 3 tours now as one of the encores and it needs to go or at least be done somewhere else in the setlist.
10. Rhiannon- She just doesn't sing it very well anymore and I think they could dust off something else like 7W instead.

The band needs to realize that they can't keep touring with a setlist that is 75% the same every time. It needs to be more diverse and showcase a much broader spectrum of their catalogue.

[MikeInNV]

Originally Posted by Nicks Fan

8. Stand Back- This is probably the one song I want to see leave the setlist the most as it is not a FM song and never should have been in the set in the first place.

I see this sentiment a lot, and I'm always scratching my head about it. I mean, if you don't like the song I can see wanting it out of the set. But usually it's just what you said....it's not a Fleetwood Mac song. Technically I guess it isn't, but it was written and sung by the person who has the third longest tenure in the band (after Mick and John), and they've been playing it in their shows since the 80s. On the other hand, a lot of people are hoping for "The Farmer's Daughter," which has no relationship to FM at all. In Stevie's solo shows, people treat covers as the ultimate sin. And at least "Stand Back" has all of Fleetwood Mac playing on it, as opposed to "Go Insane" which is often done acoustically and thus is solo in every sense of the word.

[Nicks Fan]

Originally Posted by MikeInNV

I see this sentiment a lot, and I'm always scratching my head about it. I mean, if you don't like the song I can see wanting it out of the set. But usually it's just what you said....it's not a Fleetwood Mac song. Technically I guess it isn't, but it was written and sung by the person who has the third longest tenure in the band (after Mick and John), and they've been playing it in their shows since the 80s. On the other hand, a lot of people are hoping for "The Farmer's Daughter," which has no relationship to FM at all. In Stevie's solo shows, people treat covers as the ultimate sin. And at least "Stand Back" has all of Fleetwood Mac playing on it, as opposed to "Go Insane" which is often done acoustically and thus is solo in every sense of the word.

I do like the song but I feel like it is way overplayed to the point where even on talk shows if she does at least one old song it is this one that she plays. I feel the same way about going to an Eagles concert and 7-10 songs are selections from either Henley, Frey, or Walsh's solo career or in some cases the music of the James Gang.

I just feel with all of the songs FM has not performers live either in a long time or not at all they should drop solo material from any of the band members and play or FM material. They have enough songs that surely they could find something that would be a good substitute.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by MikeInNV

I see this sentiment a lot, and I'm always scratching my head about it. I mean, if you don't like the song I can see wanting it out of the set. But usually it's just what you said....it's not a Fleetwood Mac song. Technically I guess it isn't

More than technically. I'd say audibly. To me, it doesn't matter how long Stevie has been in the band, it still doesn't sound like Fleetwood Mac. In the same sense, Come doesn't sound like FM either. On the other hand Gotta Hold On Me, does sound like FM.

Now, incongruent or not, I think the setlist needs the energy of Stand Back, so I'm content to keep it there.

Michele

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by Nicks Fan

1. GYOW- I love this song but singing it in a lower key just ruins for me.
2. Big Love (Acoustic) It was a show stopper in 97 but now the novelty has worn off and it feels stale.
3. Silver Springs- This is my favorite song but like Big Love the novelty has worn off of this lost classic because they have over played it and she doesn't sing it very well these days.
4. So Afraid- Another song that works well as a showpiece for LB but he needs to showcase something else and my vote would be for TITN as he could really go to town with this one on guitar.
5. NBGA- I love this song but the arrangement that he does these days.
6. SHN- Overplayed and needs to go. I would swap IDWK in and take SHN news out.
7. Dreams- This one IMO has not sounded good live since 97 and it needs to go. She has enough other lesser played songs to chose from.
8. Stand Back- This is probably the one song I want to see leave the setlist the most as it is not a FM song and never should have been in the set in the first place.
9. World Turning- They have done this for 3 tours now as one of the encores and it needs to go or at least be done somewhere else in the setlist.
10. Rhiannon- She just doesn't sing it very well anymore and I think they could dust off something else like 7W instead.

I like that you wrote something up. I agree the setlist gets repetitive and same-old, same-old. I disagree on a few. The idea is the same though, that the must-play songs list is actually smaller than the band perceives.

Must-Play (Perhaps there are even fewer?):
- Go Your Own Way is in a lower key, but it's a setlist staple and one everyone wants to hear.
- Rhiannon. Probably the most famous Stevie song with Landslide.
- The Chain, the band's anthem.
- Landslide der
- Don't Stop
- Gypsy was hugely popular when I last saw Fleetwood Mac. I know they will do this song. I am, however, open to hearing a revamped acoustic version.
- Gold Dust Woman
- You Make Loving Fun...with Christine back, these next three will be in for sure, giving her a little freedom for 5-6 more.
- Say You Love Me
- Songbird

NOT Must-Play:
- Dreams is definitely not a must-play. Yes, it's the only number one hit, but if you ask concertgoers at random, I bet many won't be able to get the name of the song correctly. They'd say it's the "Thunder" and "raining" song. I definitely think that people are looking for Gypsy and Gold Dust Woman before Dreams.
- Never Going Back Again. It's been left off set lists before. I agree with you...I'm not liking this slowed down version.
- Tusk. Some people look to hear it, but it's not as essential as the songs above. I really like the faster paced 2004 Boston version over how Lindsey played it for the 2013 tour.
- So Afraid. I want to see what else Lindsey can do on guitar.
- Acoustic Big Love, agree with you here.
- Second Hand News, also not a must-play, but it was a damn effective opener.
- Silver Springs was cut from Rumours. It can be cut from a setlist.
- World Turning...sorry Mick.
- Stand Back PLEASE take this out!

[Nicks Fan]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

I like that you wrote something up. I agree the setlist gets repetitive and same-old, same-old. I disagree on a few. The idea is the same though, that the must-play songs list is actually smaller than the band perceives.

Must-Play (Perhaps there are even fewer?):
- Go Your Own Way is in a lower key, but it's a setlist staple and one everyone wants to hear.
- Rhiannon. Probably the most famous Stevie song with Landslide.
- The Chain, the band's anthem.
- Landslide der
- Don't Stop
- Gypsy was hugely popular when I last saw Fleetwood Mac. I know they will do this song. I am, however, open to hearing a revamped acoustic version.
- Gold Dust Woman
- You Make Loving Fun...with Christine back, these next three will be in for sure, giving her a little freedom for 5-6 more.
- Say You Love Me
- Songbird

NOT Must-Play:
- Dreams is definitely not a must-play. Yes, it's the only number one hit, but if you ask concertgoers at random, I bet many won't be able to get the name of the song correctly. They'd say it's the "Thunder" and "raining" song. I definitely think that people are looking for Gypsy and Gold Dust Woman before Dreams.
- Never Going Back Again. It's been left off set lists before. I agree with you...I'm not liking this slowed down version.
- Tusk. Some people look to hear it, but it's not as essential as the songs above. I really like the faster paced 2004 Boston version over how Lindsey played it for the 2013 tour.
- So Afraid. I want to see what else Lindsey can do on guitar.
- Acoustic Big Love, agree with you here.
- Second Hand News, also not a must-play, but it was a damn effective opener.
- Silver Springs was cut from Rumours. It can be cut from a setlist.
- World Turning...sorry Mick.
- Stand Back PLEASE take this out!

The reason I said GYOW should be cut is that having it performed in a lower key just doesn't do it for me and I fins that he seems to struggle to hit the notes on this one at times. Gypsy is another song that I really like but they need to do something else. If all we get is one new song from her in the set (Angel or 7W) and everything else is the same. I won't be happy. Rhiannon is a classic but she doesn't sing it very well these days and I think they could do other songs instead that have never been done before or not performed in a long time.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

On the one hand I'd love to see/hear a load of deep cuts played live. However, it was really off-putting to see the mass 'comfort breaks' whenever the likes of Storms and Not That Funny were played on 'recent' tours. I can understand the band's aim of trying to play to the masses (of course, people still need to take breaks but they aren't noticeable when the are spread out).

Fleetwood Mac has, unfortunately, set the expectation for fans that they don't play deep cuts, hence the reaction you observe. Someone mentioned recently that Tori Amos, on her current tour, in just a couple dozen shows, had played 169 different songs. She set the precedent, and thus the expectation, years ago by never having a setlist.

I agree with you totally, though, I believe it's just too late for FM to do things differently because they've (or at least Stevie) conditioned themselves to feel negatively when the audience reaction isn't on par with Go Your Own Way or The Chain for every single song, hence keeping the deep cuts to the barest of minimums.

[bethelblues]

Originally Posted by FuzzyPlum

On the one hand I'd love to see/hear a load of deep cuts played live. However, it was really off-putting to see the mass 'comfort breaks' whenever the likes of Storms and Not That Funny were played on 'recent' tours. I can understand the band's aim of trying to play to the masses (of course, people still need to take breaks but they aren't noticeable when the are spread out). At the end of the day, most audience members at shows will probably own a couple of albums at most, one of which will likely be a compilation.

I do however strongly feel they need to mix things up for different audiences. It is so disappointing not to get any pre-75 material on European tours. The second encore consisting of Silver Springs and Say Goodbye would I'm sure have been great for a US audience but they weren't perhaps the best songs to play at the end of UK shows. Silver Springs came to prominence on The Dance which was huge in the US but isn't really massive in terms of the UK's consciousness and relatively few audience members would be familiar with Say Goodbye. 'Shall we stay Bob? Nah, I don't know this one, lets shoot'. At the London shows the O2 arena was half empty by the end.

I'd love to hear Oh Well in the set list, though Need Your Love So Bad or Black Magic Woman would be good and a return to Station Man could be a good replacement for World Turning. Why should definitely be in there- perhaps as Christine's second song of the set.

Question: Were the reactions the same for Beautiful Child when it was played in 2004? I understand for Storms and Not That Funny. Storms just doesn't translate well to a concert setting and is Stevie's weakest song on the Tusk album (though that doesn't mean it's a bad song by any means). And Not That Funny, I don't think it's a very good song at all.

Sara seemed to get a pretty strong reaction on the last tour, though Stevie can't imbue that one with the same power as she used to (especially over a 6+ min runtime). I love the Tusk tour version so much, including the way Lindsey was playing it then. One of those taped performances that capture how special Stevie was/is as a singer-songwriter-rock female vocalist.