Hartford Courant Review of Uncansville

[michelej1]

http://www.courant.com/entertainment...,4372828.story

Fleetwood Mac Focuses On Familiar In Uncasville
By THOMAS KINTNER | Special to the Courant
March 15, 2009

There is no false pretense to the current Fleetwood Mac reunion tour. With no new album to push, it is a pure nostalgia play, a look back and the band's considerable height of popularity in the 1970s and '80s. At Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville Saturday night, the group focused on precisely that, a parade of hits that retained their accessible appeals even when the people forging them showed signs of wear.

With four of the five members from its commercial heyday on hand, the act leaned heavily on the familiar from the outset, opening with the contoured pop rock of "Monday Morning" as a showcase for guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who recalled the greatest part of his past appeals when barking lyrics. He was the sharpest part of the vocal harmony as he joined with vocalist Stevie Nicks for "The Chain," which John McVie's plump bass line pushed toward its familiar driving finish.

Always a somewhat unconventional vocalist, Nicks retained some of the ragged sweetness that was her hallmark, but made her offerings with limited intonation that stiffened the otherwise fluid pulse of "Dreams." The musical backdrops over which she hovered were sturdy and smooth, strong enough to cover for her flattening the lyrics of "Gypsy" and a brittle reading of the otherwise supple "Rhiannon."

Drummer (and lone original from the band's initial 1967 incarnation) Mick Fleetwood manufactured robust pacing for the likes of the rattling "Second Hand News" and the bounding "Tusk," the latter of which saw its marching band passages replicated by keyboard player Brett Tuggle, one of two support musicians who, along with three vocalists, filled out the show's arrangements.

Alongside such familiar fare as a Nicks/Buckingham acoustic duet on "Landslide" and a jaunt across "Say You Love Me," the show also ranged a bit off the beaten path, forgoing bigger hits (including some sung by the now-retired Christine McVie) for the likes of the flowing ballad "Storms" and the rumbling, propulsive 1969 number "Oh Well." Buckingham and Nicks also dipped into one solo catalog tune apiece; he strummed hard on an acoustic guitar for "Go Insane," while Nicks yelped at the synthesizer backbone of "Stand Back."

Most of the big spotlight moments came from Buckingham, who extended "I'm so Afraid" with an indulgent electric guitar solo, and turned the set closer "Go Your Own Way" into a finale that amounted to little more than everyone else in the band watching him work out. After an initial encore that included a full-bore trip through "Don't Stop," the group returned a second time, stretching its show to two hours and twenty minutes with "Silver Springs," an outtake from its 1977 album "Rumours." The show featured seven other tunes from that popular album, and not a one from the most recent Fleetwood Mac disc in 2003, a tally certainly in keeping with the show's greatest hits theme.

Fleetwood Mac's performance Saturday night included the following songs: "Monday Morning," "The Chain," "Dreams," "I Know I'm not Wrong," "Gypsy," "Go Insane," "Rhiannon," "Second Hand News," "Tusk," "Sara," "Big Love," "Landslide," "Never Going Back Again," "Storms," "Say You Love Me," "Gold Dust Woman," "Oh Well," "I'm so Afraid," "Stand Back," "Go Your Own Way," (Encore) "World Turning," "Don't Stop," (2nd Encore) "Silver Springs."

[michelej1]

The Sun Chronicle

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/artic...go/4596511.txt

Fleetwood Mac hasn't lost magic, 3/16/2009

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Despite personal upheaval over the years, the magic is still there for the core of the most successful lineup of Fleetwood Mac.

The pop rock group put on a show that lasted over two highly entertaining hours Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena.

With no new album, the concert was, as one would expect, full of vintage material from the 1970s, with a few solo numbers and rarities thrown in.

Guitarist/vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, 59, displayed his stellar instrument play, and Stevie Nicks, 60, shined on vocals as usual. The talented duo from California shot the former British blues band to superstardom when they joined the group in the mid-70s, adding harmony and songwriting.

Original members, bassist John McVie, for whom the Mac in the group's name comes from, and drummer Mick Fleetwood showed why they still are among the finest rhythm sections around. The concert opened with "Monday Morning" off "Fleetwood Mac," the 1975 No. 1 and first album with Buckingham and Nicks, and "Chains," one of many hits off the phenomenal 1977 Grammy-winning "Rumours" album that has sold over 25 million copies.

In fact, a good number of the 20 songs before the three-song double encore were from those two albums.

Nicks' voice stood out for the first time on "Dreams," a No. 1 song from "Rumours." The singer explained "Gypsy" is about what it was like for the band members before they hit fame.

Buckingham, the group's innovative musical director who in recent years came out with his first solo album in 14 years, played his 1984 solo hit "Go Insane" on acoustic-electric guitar.

Nicks again showed the power of her vocal cords on "Rhiannon." It was the first of a few songs where she showed her mystic pose.

Buckingham explained the rocking "Second Hand News" was the first song recorded for "Rumours" and has sadness but also a touch of humor.

Buckingham showcased some aggressive guitar on "Tusk" off that 1979 experimental double album.

The atmosphere quieted down as Nicks let into "Sara" from the above album, and picked up with "Big Love." Buckingham on acoustic-electric was joined by Nicks for the simply beautiful "Landslide."

Following "Never Going Back Again," Fleetwood was in the spotlight playing a mini-drum kit closer to the front of the stage for "Say You Love Me."

After the Nicks standard "Gold Dust Woman," Buckingham lit up his guitar for the late 1960s Fleetwood Mac tune, "Oh Well." The two encores featured "World Turning," "Don't Stop," and "Silver Springs."