Hartford, Connecticut

[michelej1]

Hartford Courant

Fleetwood Mac Tour: High-Octane Nostalgia At Work


October 27, 2014, 2:34 PM By Michael Hamadcontact the reporter

http://www.courant.com/entertainment...030-story.html

Nostalgia's a powerful thing. The current Fleetwood Mac tour marks the first time in 16 years the "classic five" lineup — Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks — is performing together. As all the VH1 specials, books, article-length paeans and tributes to the songs they made together between 1975 and 1987, it's fairly obvious this is the lineup everyone wants to hear, forever and ever..


Nostalgia is also pretty damn lucrative. Even without McVie's involvement, the 2013 Fleetwood Mac Live Tour grossed more than $94 million, as it stretched across 67 shows in North America and Europe, entertaining more than 850,000 fans. The current tour, which reaches the XL Center in Hartford on Saturday, Nov. 1, should gross in the low seven figures each night, a recent Men's Journal article suggested.


Fans aren't paying upward of $179 (ticket prices start at $49) to hear a bunch of new Fleetwood Mac material. (There's no chance anyway, because they haven't written or recorded any new songs, though they might soon.) The current setlist includes two-dozen songs, mostly from "Fleetwood Mac" (1975) and "Rumours" (1977) — two of the biggest Big Albums of the 1970s — with a few others from "Tusk" (1979), "Mirage" (1982) and "Tango in the Night" (1987). You'll know most of the words, and so will your neighbors at the show.

During the recording of "Rumours," the band's two couples (the McVies and Buckingham/Nicks) were already famously in the middle of splitting up, which supplied ample material to write about. Mr. Buckingham and Ms. Nicks, who'd joined the group together in 1975, contributed "Go Your Own Way" and "Dreams" respectively, among other hits (and thinly veiled jabs). Ms. McVie submitted "You Make Loving Fun," about a fling with lighting director Curry Grant; the gorgeous piano ballad "Songbird"; the brooding "Oh Daddy"; and the surprisingly optimistic "Don't Stop." Somehow they managed to write "The Chain" together. Mr. McVie drank. Ms. Nicks hooked up with Mr. Fleetwood. Cocaine flowed freely. "Rumours" topped the charts for 31 weeks, but relationships suffered.

So, yeah, there's high-octane nostalgia at work here, but it's powered by serious chemistry. What rock fan wouldn't want to hear the banter between Ms. Nicks and Ms. McVie ("Where you been, Christine?" "Long story, Stevie," etc.), to see Ms. Nicks peer over at Mr. Buckingham, one of her two ex-boyfriends in the band, during the intimate "Landslide," to cheer on Mr. McVie, who was diagnosed with cancer exactly a year ago, or to witness a few moments of tenderness between him and Ms. McVie, his ex-wife since 1977?

The glue between them, the Men's Journal article also points out, has always been the congenial Mr. Fleetwood, who apparently made an extra $1 million on last year's tour through drum-side chats with fans. Over the years, Fleetwood has soothed frayed nerves, cured jitters and enabled drug habits; he even served as the band's manager for a stretch. At 67, he's still a monster of a rock drummer. (On tour, he gets a big drum solo on "World Turning.") You won't just be hearing the classic five either; keyboard player Brett Tuggle, rhythm guitarist Neale Heywood and singers Sharon Celani, Lori Nicks and Stevvi Alexander augment the live show. Maybe they'll bring out a surprise guest, though nobody local springs to mind. (Kid Rock joined them onstage in Detroit).

The XL Center in Hartford is a big place, with concert seating somewhere in the ballpark of 16,000, and as I'm writing this, tickets are still available. The last time Buckingham, Nicks, the McVies and Fleetwood were in Hartford together was on Sept. 17, 1997, when they opened their Dance reunion tour at the Meadows Music Theatre (now the Xfinity Theatre). The setlist was remarkably similar to what it is now, and tickets topped out at $78. "It was Buckingham's departure that led to the fissure of the group once," Courant critic Roger Catlin wrote at the time, "so in many ways it was his party … Christine McVie, at 54 [she's now 72], seemed the consummate professional, bringing her familiar tones to the Mac's best pop tunes and ballads, such as 'Songbird,' which was saved for the encore."

"Mr. Buckingham is clearly the band's leader now," New York Times critic Jon Pareles wrote several weeks ago, in his review of Fleetwood Mac's recent Madison Square Garden concert. "But Ms. McVie was the band's quieter center of attention, and she had the last word with her 'Songbird.'" With Fleetwood Mac, not much really changes. Perhaps that's best.

[Ali]

Anyone else doing VIP on Saturday? Haven't heard from Future Beat. I figured worse comes to worse, I'll just show up at Will Call at 4:30 since I'm staying across the street.

[WelshWitchPMD]

Just got the email.

MEET & GREET - TIME & PLACE
The Mick Fleetwood meet & greet will take place before doors.
Please pick up your Mick Fleetwood tickets from the box office will call located near the Atrium entrance located on the Church St side of the building.

CHECK-IN TABLE/MERCHANDISE/MEET & GREET DETAILS
After you pick up your tickets , please check in at the Mick Fleetwood check in table located in the atrium near the box office at 4:30PM

Exclusive VIP merchandise will be delivered to you at this time.

[Macfanforever]

I'll be there.

[kpclem]

Me Too

Can't Wait

[wayner]

Originally Posted by Macfanforever

I'll be there.

see you there Skip, leaving LI for Hartford in 2 hours... will be on the floor center section 3rd row... no wheelchair this time, the hips are all replaced !!

See ya

[Macfanforever]

Originally Posted by wayner

see you there Skip, leaving LI for Hartford in 2 hours... will be on the floor center section 3rd row... no wheelchair this time, the hips are all replaced !!

See ya

OK Wayne.I'll seeya there.

Wow you got awesome seats.I'll be upstairs in the nosebleed section 104.

Have fun.

[Macfanforever]

The show was great.It was nice to hear Chris's voice again.

I got to get some sleep.I'll talk more tomorrow about the show.

Sorry Wayne and Mark that I missed you two at the show.

[elle]

@MariaSommer22 · 17h 17 hours ago
Chris blew her whistle in the middle of Stevie's Gypsy story, lol

@MariaSommer22 · 16h 16 hours ago
Chris is going crazy with her whistle tonight 😂

@MariaSommer22 · 16m 16 minutes ago
@_LilyOaks_ So Stevie was having trouble getting her story on track (the usual) and in the middle Chris blows her whistle and the whole band

@MariaSommer22 · 15m 15 minutes ago
@_LilyOaks_ sans Stevie is laughing their heads off. Stevie goes, "did you do that? Did you blow that whistle? My jeweler made that whistle

@MariaSommer22
@_LilyOaks_ for you!" And Chris is standing there laughing and kind of sheepish but so proud of herself for doing that. It was great.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by elle

@MariaSommer22 · 16m 16 minutes ago
@_LilyOaks_ So Stevie was having trouble getting her story on track (the usual) and in the middle Chris blows her whistle and the whole band

@MariaSommer22 · 15m 15 minutes ago
@_LilyOaks_ sans Stevie is laughing their heads off. Stevie goes, "did you do that? Did you blow that whistle? My jeweler made that whistle

@MariaSommer22
@_LilyOaks_ for you!" And Chris is standing there laughing and kind of sheepish but so proud of herself for doing that. It was great.

I bet that's not the last time the whistle is blown.

Michele

[michelej1]

Concert Review: Fleetwood Mac begins new chapter with show at the XL Center in Hartford

http://www.masslive.com/entertainmen...ood_mac_b.html

By Donnie Moorhouse | Special to The Republican on November 02, 2014 at

HARTFORD _ On tour with core member Christine McVie for the first time in 16 years, classic rock group Fleetwood Mac performed at the XL Center on Saturday night, offering up a two-and-a-half hour, 24 song set.

While the show didn't appear to be a complete sell-out, there were scattered empty seats here and there, it was a representative and re-energized crowd that came to view the first leg of the legendary group's "On with the Show" tour.

The inclusion of McVie adds another vocal and a few more songs to the set list but her real value is giving the band another reason to tour and motivation for the audience to come out for another go around.

Every brand needs a story and this time out for the Fleetwood Mac brand the best and only new story to tell is the reunion with the popular McVie.

With a dramatic flair, the group opened with "The Chain," a relationship song that served as an affirmation of the reunited parts with the refrain "chain, keep us together." McVie chimed in next with "You Make Lovin' Fun," and the narrative began to unfold.

Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham said the return of McVie solidified this highly dysfunctional group of former lovers, bandmates, and friends as not only survivors, but as an entity that will continue to thrive and grow.

"Her return begins a brand new chapter for us," he said. "One that will be both profound and prolific."

Musically the show was a series of highlights with only a handful of misses. "Dreams" came off as tired while songs like "Sisters of the Moon," and "I'm So Afraid" could have been left off the set list.

The band, backed by an extra drummer, guitarist, keyboard player, and three vocalists, breathed life into songs like "Second Hand News," Seven Wonders," and "Gold Dust Woman."

The centerpiece of the performance kicked off with Lindsey Buckingham's solo acoustic version of "Big Love," with the guitarist picking and strumming up an orchestral mix with his guitar while adding some vocal effects to create a full band sound.

He was joined by Stevie Nicks for "Landslide" and an even more poignant version of "Never Going Back," delivered as a plaintive ballad.

The duet was a strong point of the performance and it's not too far-fetched to think a Buckingham-Nicks tour would be the natural follow-up story to tell once this tour is complete.

Nicks got completely untracked while trying to introduce "Gypsy," the only speed bump on the road to a strong finish that featured the hit "Go Your Own Way."

The double encore included the obligatory Mick Fleetwood percussion solo, the hit "Silver Spring," and McVie's piano-laden "Songbird."

[bethelblues]

I need to find a video of the whistle!!! This is so great!

[wheart]

Originally Posted by bethelblues

I need to find a video of the whistle!!! This is so great!

Chris the whistle blower!! God knows Stevie needs one and Chris is probably the ONLY person who can get way with blowing a whistle on Stevie mid speech. Can you imagine if Lindsey did that? The tour would be over.

[kak125]

Originally Posted by wheart

Chris the whistle blower!! God knows Stevie needs one and Chris is probably the ONLY person who can get way with blowing a whistle on Stevie mid speech. Can you imagine if Lindsey did that? The tour would be over.

Omg, I need this video I think it would be hilarious!! You are so right if Lindsey did it she would be like 'ok the tour ends right now' -ha!!

[Richard B]

Originally Posted by michelej1

"But Ms. McVie was the band's quieter center of attention, and she had the last word with her 'Songbird.'"

Ha! But Lindsey decided to plop himself onto the stage and play along with Songbird, which is totally unnecessary. I admit, will see the show in December and maybe I will warm up to this idea of him playing Songbird. I always thought the song was Chris and a piano.