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#1
01-30-2015, 01:10 AM
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Buffalo New York, January 31, 2015
Nearly 50 years after forming, Fleetwood Mac keeps making music
By Jeff Miers | News Pop Music Critic | on Thursday, January 29, 2015 The Buffalo News http://buffalo.com/2015/01/29/featur...-making-music/ “Bands/Those funny little plans/ that never work quite right …” – “Holes” by Mercury Rev In Marky Ramone’s memoir “Punk Rock Blitzkrieg,” among the many revelations offered by the riveting read is a particularly disturbing one: According to Marky, leaders Johnny and Joey Ramone didn’t speak to each other for 25 years. They shared a cramped van, thousands of concert stages, a thriving business, dozens of recording studios and countless band meetings during this time. The Ramones stayed together through all of it. But even when Joey was on his deathbed, Johnny refused to break the icy silence. We’ve all heard the stories behind the splintering of bands – musical differences, arguments over money, betrayals of the perceived and actual variety, spontaneously combusting drummers, and the like. But what makes a band stay together, decade after decade, even if, as was the case with the Ramones, across-the-aisle relationships are about as chummy as chats between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner? On Saturday, one of the longest-running ensembles in rock music history will perform in First Niagara Center, before an incredibly loyal throng. Fleetwood Mac has been together in various forms since 1967. The version of the band that will perform here – Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Christine McVie – is the one responsible for 1977’s evergreen release “Rumours,” an album that defined the baroque soft rock stylings of the 1970s, and has sold in the area of 50 million copies worldwide. It’s the sixth best-selling album in the U.S. Billboard chart history, the 14th best in the U.K. charts, and has racked up similar status the world over. Interestingly, “Rumours” almost didn’t get made, so fraught with tension were relations within Fleetwood Mac by the mid-’70s. Nicks and Buckingham, who had been together for the better part of a decade, had broken up, and the marriage between John and Christine McVie was headed for divorce. Fleetwood and Nicks were engaged in an on again/off again affair. There were serious substance abuse issues fogging up the mirrors as well. All of this mess was poured into the birth of “Rumours,” and quite likely aided considerably in the creation of the emotional intensity that sits at the music’s core, as well as at the core of its massive fan appeal. Fleetwood Mac had many successes of the commercial and artistic level after “Rumours,” and even before Buckingham and Nicks joined the band in 1975, had already released several bona fide classics and introduced a few guitar heroes to the world, among them Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer. But it’s “Rumours,” and the soap opera-like environment amid which it was created, that keeps fans coming back for more Fleetwood Mac, and helps the band sell out ever more sporadic tours. Doubt that this is actually the case? Look no further than the current issues of Rolling Stone, which features the still beautiful face of the 66-year-old Nicks on its cover, and boasts a lengthy interview inside, most of which is devoted to Nicks discussing her relationship with Buckingham, 40 years after the couple broke up. By this point, that relationship might reasonably be described as having entered the realm of living myth. Every member of this particular version of Fleetwood Mac is at least 10 times richer than any of us will ever be, even in our dreams. None of the musicians need the money. Touring when you’re in your 60s takes a considerable toll on the body. Performing songs that detail painful breakups surely reopens old wounds, every time. Why would the band bother? Surely, it comes down to the music. Christine McVie left Fleetwood Mac after various reunion tours, way back in 1998, but she’s back on board for this go-round. Why? Even in her abundantly luxurious retirement, McVie missed performing with her bandmates. Nicks has a still-thriving solo career that she could easily ride into the sunset. So does Buckingham. Fleetwood has his own blues band that tours on occasion, and John McVie was diagnosed with cancer in late 2013. And yet, none of them could say no to another Fleetwood Mac world tour. The magnet that keeps pulling the band’s members back to Fleetwood Mac is Buckingham. Or more specifically, it’s Buckingham’s genius that keeps them all coming back for more. Though “Rumours” features songs written by all five Macs – Nicks and Christine McVie in particular are responsible for the album’s biggest hits – it was Buckingham who crafted the sound of the album, aided immeasurably in the arrangements of Nicks’ and McVie’s songs, and provided the majority of the musical direction. Buckingham is to Fleetwood Mac post-1975 what Brian Wilson is to the Beach Boys – the principal creative force. “Lindsey had an amazing way of taking my songs and making them wonderful,” Nicks said in Mike Evans’ “Fleetwood Mac: The Definitive History.” And that, it seems, is worth much more than mere money. 
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#2
01-31-2015, 11:33 PM
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Fun Fact... Saturday
Stevie mentioned a little fun fact when dedicating
Landslide. The original top hat was bought in the 70s in an antique store in Buffalo I was born in Buffalo and thought that was pretty cool to share
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#3
02-01-2015, 01:13 AM
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well, except Lindsey's genius doesn't really get exercised on a golden oldies greatest hits tour now does it?? Yes, they revisit his past genius on arrangements of old songs, but they aren't being drawn back to TOUR by his genius. If they were drawn back by his genius, and not the money, they'd have done a new album, and if Stevie in particular was drawn by Lindsey's genius and not the money, she'd be committed to a new FM album and she would have shown up at least once in the studio with the others, and/or would have given them some songs for Lindsey to work his genius on. Another kool-aid drinker journo. 
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#4
02-01-2015, 01:46 AM
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Review of the Buffalo show:
I had seats in the nosebleeds behind Christine. A friend and I made a plan:during Rhiannon we'd walk around and find a better spot. We walked effortlessly into the tier 2 table section and had a blast--with a great view. No one told us to leave or gave us any trouble. I'll compare the show to the Pittsburgh show the band did in early October. This time out, all three singers were much better vocally. Christine in particular was flawless. I can't believe how much stronger her voice has gotten since those first shows. Stevie hit some notes on Gold Dust Woman and Landslide that I didn't think she was capable of hitting anymore. I was impressed. Instrumentally, the band were tighter on some songs, notably Say You Love Me (the best live rendition I've ever heard--seriously), and the band jam on Gold Dust. But they were a bit sloppier on other songs, noticeably at the ends of several tunes. The timing was off in those moments--the kind of kinks you'd think would be worked out in rehearsals. This time out, Stevie was less crazy on Gold Dust Woman and didn't do her judo dance, nor did she stroke her hair and arms and do the deep oooooohs she did in Pittsburgh. but, as mentioned, she sang beautifully on this song, and the band sounded even stronger as they burned behind her. Tusk, Silver Springs, and Dreams were less inspired this time out, but still not bad. Over My Head was a genuine surprise: it was really quite good, whereas in Pittsburgh it was a bore. Sisters of the Moon sounded much more energized this time out. Stevie's voice was a million times more responsive, too. Never Going Back Again was tedious. But I know I'm not Wrong was charming. Stevie and Lindsey both rambled on and on before Gypsy and Big Love respectively, her about shopping and him about cycles. He's as pretentious as she is vapid. But somehow the extremes work very well together. Don't Stop was similar to the four billion previous performances of it. World Turning was almost identical to former versions (quite good, though missing some great organ as it used to have). Songbird was pretty much flawless. A beautiful moment. MICK ended the snow with a heartfelt speech about treating one another with love and respect. Last edited by aleuzzi; 02-01-2015 at 01:58 PM..
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#5
02-01-2015, 10:20 AM
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__________________
 I remember it all...you just had to fall...
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#6
02-01-2015, 10:44 AM
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Never Going Back Again IS tedious. Oh, Lindsey, why must you take all the fun out of it for your drama-laiden rendition? Even Stevie must recognize it's a snoozer--she was doing some dance on the side and would stay frozen for a long time. There's just no life to it. Same with Tusk now that it's only 120 BPM. "He's as pretentious as she is vapid." YUP! I could see his son Will telling him: "Dad, what the heck are you talking about?" "Uh, why are you skipping around the stage?" "Why do you wear jeans tighter than the hipsters do at my school?" lol Last edited by bethelblues; 02-01-2015 at 10:47 AM..
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#7
02-01-2015, 11:20 AM
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There really does need to be some sort of intervention regarding NGBA. It's current state is dreadful and it's pretty grueling to get through. I would rather it not even be in the set than performed as-is. And I say this as someone who loves the song itself - it's one of my favorite FM songs period.
Does anyone actually prefer it this way? (Not hypothetical, I'm legitimately wondering).
__________________
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#8
02-01-2015, 12:08 PM
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#9
02-01-2015, 01:01 PM
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#10
02-01-2015, 01:14 PM
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Do you all feel the same way about Tusk? I love the energy of the 2004 Boston version when Lindsey and Stevie are dancing. I can't hear Chris' accordion at all during this tour.
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#11
02-01-2015, 03:18 PM
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I liked OMH on opening night and never understood the claim that it was boring at all. Glad it is improving, but never thought it needed that. Stevie is great on this song and in the old days .... Wow! Michele
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#12
02-01-2015, 03:30 PM
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Buffalo News By Jeff Miers | News Pop Music Critic on January 31, 2015
http://www.buffalonews.com/gusto/con...enter-20150131 Fleetwood Mac bewitches crowd at First Niagara Center There needs to come a point when you believe in the band. Otherwise, you’re watching a classic rock jukebox. We look for that moment when we forget about the baby sitter, the $200 or so spent on the ticket, the fact that we’ve heard these tunes more than a million times. On Saturday, during Fleetwood Mac’s close-to-sold-out performance in First Niagara Center, that moment came early. Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham strode to the edge of the stage after the lights had been dimmed, looked around, said a brief hello to the front rows, and then dug into the swampy and sultry deep blues riff that signifies the beginning of the Mac’s evergreen hit, “The Chain.” Buckingham hunkered down, dug into it, and made it plain to all that he had come not merely to collect a paycheck, but to play. From there on, it was smooth sailing. Buckingham led the version of Fleetwood Mac that most of us know and love – the group responsible for “Rumours,” “Tusk,” and “Tango In the Night” – through a hits-heavy set that walked the tightrope between easygoing ’70s pop-rock and deep-cutting avant-garde pop. Of course, Buckingham is not the most famous member of Fleetwood Mac. That would be Stevie Nicks, his ex, and forevermore his partner in pop. Nicks is an icon, but Buckingham is a musical genius. On Saturday, their sparring made for abundant entertainment. Fleetwood Mac has made a habit of including Buffalo in its tours since re-forming in the late ’90s. But this particular tour stop boasted something more than simply a run-through of “Rumours” and associated hits. This was in fact the first time area audiences have seen keyboardist and vocalist Christine McVie perform with the band in more than 15 years. McVie’s tunes – her “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere,” “Say You Love Me” and “Over My Head,” among others – offered soulful highlights. She seems to have lost nothing in the vocal department – she nailed every part she should have, and did so with soul. This was a hits show, to be certain, but in Fleetwood Mac’s case, that needn’t be a negative. The group has scored platinum with some rather adventurous tunes, and a mid-set focus on the freak manifesto that is “Tusk” made this plain. Buckingham’s “I Know I’m Not Wrong” and “Tusk” led nicely into Nicks’ “Sisters of the Moon,” and earned the crowd’s respect, apparently. The place exploded. Nicks doesn’t have the voice she once did, but then, who would? She’s in her later 60s now, and if she couldn’t hit the high notes during “Rhiannon” and “Dreams,” she wisely chose the low road, while three backing vocalists, joined by Buckingham and McVie, fleshed out the harmonies. None of it felt fake or forced – this was a band that seemed grateful to be playing for an appreciative audience. Nicks told a particularly cool story that involved her trademark top hat, an accessory she was rarely seen without during Mac’s “Rumours” heyday. The singer told the assembled that it was during a tour stop in Buffalo – one assumes that it would have been the 1975 pre-”Rumours” stop that is recorded as having taken place at the old Century Theatre – that she purchased said hat. This brought a huge roar from the crowd, which was made up of a cross section of 50-, 40-, 30- and, surprisingly, 20-somethings. Fleetwood Mac still has it, as Saturday’s show made plain. Everyone pulled their weight, especially the recently returned McVie, whose voice was pure gold. But like every other Fleetwood Mac show since he joined the band in 1974, this one belonged to Lindsey Buckingham. He is one of the true pop geniuses to have emerged from the ’70s, and on Saturday, he proved it one more time.
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#13
02-01-2015, 04:36 PM
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__________________
Last edited by WildHearted; 02-01-2015 at 04:51 PM..
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#14
02-01-2015, 07:02 PM
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Found myself in the second row in Buffalo, right in front of LB. A great show.
One thing that was not mentioned yet (I don't think) was that there was a bat in the arena. Christine mentioned it early on and Steve swung her arms in bat- like motion. And throughout the show, I saw the bat swirling overhead. I know others have posted this before, but I was struck by the number of young, attractive women who were allowed to go right in the front of the stage. The folks in the second row were blocked, but in came others, all attractive young women without exception. Some of them did not appear to know half the songs. The vocals were really extraordinary. Sisters on the Moon was one of the highlights for me. Steve's performance keeps getting better and better on this one. Christine's delivery throughout was stellar, but especially Songbird. I enjoyed hearing Christine tell the story when she and John were married -- and her asking John if he remembers that. I could not remember if they do that at all the shows. I didn't mind NGBA. I prefer the original, but enjoyed it.
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