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[elle]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

This is interesting. Do you think he's someone who has to prepare extensively before touring? I know he can't read music, or that was said a while back. Obviously he's the person in Fleetwood Mac who has to work the hardest. I wonder if he'd be able to play any song at will without reacquainting himself with the parts; he may have to work really hard to make some songs performance ready and respectable. Maybe that's why he doesn't always honor the requests.

i'm not really sure what you mean by "he has to" work the hardest. he does work the hardest, seemingly because he knows and cares the most about all the different moving parts - the sound, the arrangement, the mix, the lighting, etc etc. he pulls it all together, and all band members look at him what to do next if something is off or different, like Mick says he's their maestro, like a conductor. but he doesn't have to do it. he can just show up, play his guitar, sing, and look pretty.

if judging by requests he did at OMS tour and videos i've seen of Bwana and other ad-hoc performances, i think he more/less remembers these older songs, but being a perfectionist he doesn't want to do them. he thought Rock Away Blind he was doing as a request in 2012 was nowhere near ready for the stage, while everybody loved that it was little rougher, a bit different every time, without backing track or extra frills.

Walk A Thin Line we sprung on him at the m&g the night before. he said he can't do it because a) he already promised Erin he'd do RAB, and b) he doesn't remember the whole song.

when he did that one verse of WATL the next day, he messed up the lyrics, because he was looking at what the audience was singing and we combined the lyrics from 2 separate verses into 1. he was complaining later how awful it was and that he sang wrong lyrics. but it was gorgeous and spontaneous and a big party, just look at the videos from that night!