Atlanta 12/17/2014

[deluge]

Part 3 of 3: My very best photos from from Fleetwood Mac in Atlanta last night. 10th row floor center

[deluge]

And three of my videos from last night:

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by deluge

Part 3 of 3: My very best photos from from Fleetwood Mac in Atlanta last night. 10th row floor center

I love how your pictures are so full frontal, dead on. Thanks for sharing.

Michele

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by deluge

Wow, it looks like Stevie is going to yank Christine by the arm, take her out in the alley and fight her. Step off, lady.

Michele

[teedeerocks]

Originally Posted by deluge

My very best photos from from Fleetwood Mac in Atlanta last night. 10th row floor, dead center, was perfect. And the show was... fantastic! My 5th time seeing the band, and my first time getting a chance to see them with the classic "Rumors" lineup.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/deckof...57649831432905

Part 1 of 3:

Great pix! Stevie's eyes look like she was smoking some wacky weed before (and/or during) the show!

[MoonSister75]

Originally Posted by lulu28

Oh My Goodness, it was incredible!!! Everyone around us was so excited that my daughter was only 10 and seeing The Mac for the first time. She started crying when Stevie came out on stage and believe me, she had three rows of adults crying with her! Everyone in our section was so much fun and stood up, singing and dancing the entire time. The band was on fire, even with Mick having a nasty cold. He did get in trouble for not introducing Christine and all of them ganging up on him was hilarious! I have approximately 1000 pictures between two cameras, so I will try to upload some of the decent ones this weekend if I have time. I was so excited, I was shaking, so I have lots of blurry pictures, I'm sure! Ha! Stevie and Christine were beautiful as always, John looked well and seemed to be having a great time, and Mick and Lindsey were in rare form. My favorite song was Gold Dust Woman and Stevie's crack head dance was epic, though we were on Christine's side and she moved across the stage on Lindsey's side to do the dance. If you are close to Atlanta, I would highly recommend going to Philip's Arena for the March show. Easy parking and we were out of downtown and on the interstate within 20 minutes of exiting the venue. Now we are anxiously awaiting the Knoxville, TN concert in March! For us first timers, this was an EPIC concert!

Thanks for the report - it sounds wonderful. I'm so glad your daughter enjoyed it, and it sounds like she was very moved by seeing Stevie and what must have been an incredible atmosphere

[nicepace]

So sweet to see some real pictures, and not the usual crappy cell phone snapshots. Well done!

[deluge]

@nicepace, thank you. Concerts are challenging because of low light, spotlights, and fast action (drumming, guitar strumming, etc) - combined with no strobe (NEVER use a flash at concert, it is distracting to the artists).

Even my iPhone 6 Plus wasn't able to do an adequate job capturing quality images.

So I was using a compact camera. Any decent relatively recently made compact camera should get the job done, and the one I used is several years old. There are some really amazing new compact cameras out that are almost as good as a 35MM, but I don't want to spend on a new camera right now. Anyway, push the ISO to a high setting, for best results in low light.

If I could have used a 35mm digital camera, my images would have been much better. But most venues aren't going to allow that time of camera.

I used to own a sports magazine, and I did a lot of basketball and football photography myself. I don't know as much technically about photography as the professional photographers who were around me, but I found that 90% of success came from knowing about the sport and athletes, and being able to anticipate the action. And since I was able to do that, I was often able to get better photographs than most of the professional photographers. I find that concerts are similar - 90% of success with photography comes from knowing the band and the musicians, and being able to anticipate the action. I look for small bursts of emotion on the musicians faces to capture.

All a hobby for me, though. And really, just for fun. My main focus was on enjoying the concert! You can miss a lot of the concert if you're looking through the camera viewfinder too much.

Originally Posted by nicepace

So sweet to see some real pictures, and not the usual crappy cell phone snapshots. Well done!

[elle]

Originally Posted by deluge

So I was using a compact camera. Any decent relatively recently made compact camera should get the job done, and the one I used is several years old. There are some really amazing new compact cameras out that are almost as good as a 35MM, but I don't want to spend on a new camera right now. Anyway, push the ISO to a high setting, for best results in low light.

If I could have used a 35mm digital camera, my images would have been much better. But most venues aren't going to allow that time of camera.

I used to own a sports magazine, and I did a lot of basketball and football photography myself. I don't know as much technically about photography as the professional photographers who were around me, but I found that 90% of success came from knowing about the sport and athletes, and being able to anticipate the action. And since I was able to do that, I was often able to get better photographs than most of the professional photographers. I find that concerts are similar - 90% of success with photography comes from knowing the band and the musicians, and being able to anticipate the action. I look for small bursts of emotion on the musicians faces to capture.

All a hobby for me, though. And really, just for fun. My main focus was on enjoying the concert! You can miss a lot of the concert if you're looking through the camera viewfinder too much.

thanks for the pics!! and it was a pleasure to read the above, it's so obvious you know what to do with the camera, unlike so many of us.

that said... and talking about you knowing and anticipating their moves, where's my pic of the Lindsey-Christine hug?
(you captured Songbird video but stopped right before the hug... and then picked up again with pic-snapping right after it. )

[deluge]

First show of this tour that I've seen, so I didn't anticipate the hug, and missed it on video.

I like to avoid spoilers before a show: so I try not to look at reviews or set lists; don't listen to fan recorded audio; and stay away from song video clips on YouTube.

But now that I've seen this tour, if I see their second show in Atlanta in March, I'll know what to look for!

Originally Posted by elle

thanks for the pics!! and it was a pleasure to read the above, it's so obvious you know what to do with the camera, unlike so many of us.

that said... and talking about you knowing and anticipating their moves, where's my pic of the Lindsey-Christine hug?
(you captured Songbird video but stopped right before the hug... and then picked up again with pic-snapping right after it. )

[michelej1]

Live for Live Music 12/23/14

http://liveforlivemusic.com/show-rev...s-arena-12-17/

Fleetwood Mac Brings Reunion Tour To Philips Arena In Atlanta

An iconic opening rumble pounds from Mick Fleetwood’s kick drum, ringing the ears of patrons filling the sold out seats of the Philips Arena in Atlanta, December 17th. Immediately recognizable, the band broke into “The Chain,” kicking off a concert to remember. By beginning the show with this specific tune Fleetwood Mac, directly referencing the former disjuncture between band members. By opening with it, the band is sending a simple message: we're stronger than ever.

Shortly after “The Chain” concluded, Stevie Nicks gave a long held “She’s back!” for Christine McVie, as the crowd erupted with excitement. The following song would be a heartfelt tribute to McVie's long awaited return to Fleetwood Mac, as they played “You Make Loving Fun,” which McVie wrote herself. The recently mended British-American rock band instantly drew in folks’ attention getting them off their feet to boogie.

Tracks "Tusk," and "Big Love," both written by lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, are technically genius and were performed with equivalent energy and enthusiasm. The Philips Arena crowd was treated to an outstanding "World Turning" encore, in which the band left halfway through the song to make way for a gut-busting, five minute long drum solo from Mick Fleetwood. During the solo, he also included a fun, crowd responding, scat sing-along. Once the other band members returned to the stage, they didn't miss a beat and finished in excellent fashion.

Many classic songs from Fleetwood Mac's repertoire were performed, but the music seemed to take a side seat to something of paramount importance. All things considered, Fleetwood Mac played the show people came to see, but the band gave their music more meaning and context with the asides given during songs breaks. This insight is something you can only catch in a live showing, and given the longevity of success Fleetwood Mac has been privileged they were simply giving thanks to those who helped them along the way.

Stevie Nicks recalled nights opening for Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, and Santana, acknowledging she was just happy to be on the show bill. Similarly, before starting "Gypsy," Nicks harkened back to the feeling she had standing on the floor of the Velvet Underground clothing store in San Francisco, confident that something good was about to happen to her and her band. Some individuals might knock them on their age and how they 'aren't the same as they used to be,' but hearing this timeless band talk about the personal meaning behind their songs will certainly leave a lasting impact on me.