Lincoln cut short. Mick very sick

[PenguinHead]

How did a thread about Mick getting sick mutate into a debate about Stevie's relevance in the band? Whatever...

I feel bad for Mick and the fans who missed out on a big chunk of the show. But that audience can claim being at one of most notable, if unfortunate incidents to happen in the history of the band performances. Does anyone know at what point in the show Mick had to stop? Stevie certainly was the alpha dog of the group when informing the audience.

This incident has just jarred my memory of two moments I completely forgot. I attended a Maria McKee show in the early 90s. She just put out her fantastic second album and I was seeing her for the first time. She came out and immediately told the audience that she was sick and said she would perform as much as she could. She had a large band with a horn section; it seemed like it would have been a great show, but she only managed to get through about five songs before calling it quits. It was really disappointing, but what can you do, especially when you're a solo performer? Fans can only have empathy and understanding. I saw Jethro Tull once in the 80's in Boston Gardens (I went through an intense, but brief infatuation with the group). They performed for about an half hour then abruptly stopped. No explanations; no goodbyes. The bright lights of the arena came up, and everyone was shocked in a "What the hell just happened?" manner.

If Fleetwood Mac weren't so lock-step and tight-knitted, they could ad-libbed the rest of the show in some manner. But they just don't have those abilities; once they go off script they get completely lost and then grind to a halt. They could have turned this into a historic show for all the right reasons. Lindsey could have done some solo numbers. Surely they must have some songs in their wheelhouse could perform. Aside from stripping down some of their set lists songs, they could have performed unrehearsed numbers. Surely they would be expected to sound rough and unpolished, but that would be the charm about it. They could have garnered suggestions -- taking requests and questions from the audience, making them part of the show. Turn it partly into a talent show, and call out members of the audience with specific skills. Just some ideas to fill the time.

Some artists have the skills of engagement, with the confidence to be impromptu. Tom Petty and Elvis Costello come to mind, though I know there are better examples. It's an arena of entertainment just doesn't suit Stevie and Lindsey; that level of exposure and looseness makes them uncomfortable. Neither of them have that kind of showmanship in them. The only band member who does is, ironically, Mick!