Dance Appreciation Thread - Page 2

Boots · #16 02-09-2006, 10:40 AM

Sorry - this turned out to be a big post - but I'm new here, and have waited so long to post, that all my built up thoughts are just spilling out....warning...turn away, run like the wind if you don't want to read a novel.

"The Dance" for me was almost like a small rock and roll miracle. After years of witnessing this line up of Fleetwood Mac go through love affairs, drug and alcohol addiction, creative difference, industry excess and ego, it was a coup that these 5 individuals - Stevie and Lindsey especially - were able to get together and sing again.

For me, knowing how much Lindsey couldn't stand Stevie for so long, and knowing how cautious Stevie was of Lindsey all these years of he not speaking to her - made seeing them connect during the show, and during "Landslide" especially, a blow-my-mind experience. I blubbered uncontrollably back in '97, and am still in tears when I see it today. There they were - 20+ years since that song was written by a young Stevie pondering her love for Lindsey - after all they'd been through - singing it again. To me, the only true performance of the song is when Lindsey plays it alongside her. No one else. That's their song. Sorry Dixie Chicks..no way. Sorry Billy Corgan, I love ya...but nah. When she sang that last verse, and they paused and looked at each other, almost as if to say.."Can you believe we're doing this after all these years?" with tears and love in their eyes...FRIENDS AGAIN? Holy crap...that was priceless.

Another thing that totally blew my mind back then was the re-appearance of "Silver Springs". Some of the post-Dance fans might not understand how difficult it was to find that song throughout the years. It used to be played by DJ's on FM radio, back in the old days of FM radio, when the DJ was like a friend, only speaking to you. (And by FM - I don't mean Fleetwood Mac - I mean the band/frequency). They'd play this beautiful treasure called "Silver Springs", and talk about how Mac had to leave it off the Rumours album because of lack of room. It showed up on various albums, but it was an ellusive song....and so gorgeous...that it made you want to hunt it down even more. It was on the B side of the single "Go Your Own Way", but for some reason - after a while, I think they didn't issue the single with that B-side song anymore. Whatever the case - I always had trouble finding it until it was released on the Mac box set "many a year ago" (to quote Stevie).

Then suddenly, here comes "The Dance", and those beautiful piano chords of Christine's, waving over the opening bar, and we hear the beautiful "Silver Springs", sung by an older and wiser Stevie, sounding more remorseful than the young woman we hear in the original recording. It's slower, sadder, more recriminating than ever before, as she sings to Lindsey, admonishing him...ripping him a new one...so to speak. It's a catharsis...I'm shaking and crying still - after 9 years of watching this performance. And you could tell, in every part of her being, that after all those lost years, she still held these feelings that needed to be expressed to him. During the whole "Dance", she always looked to Lindsey, not just to keep time with the harmonies, but as an anchor.

And that just blew me away.

Let's get this straight. I adore Buckingham/Nicks as a duo and individuals. I root for their friendship and any romance because they are like old friends to me, whom I love, and want to see happy. Yet, although I'm more of a Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac fan, I don't want to just dwell on them. The whole band sounded incredibly tight during this performance. Obvious, due to the professional surroundings and the extra back up singers and session men. However, seeing the joy in Mick's face - the grandaddy of the drums - that lovely wide eyed, open mouth jubilation he expressed with every pound of the drum...oh man...that was worth the wait. Thank God he found his way out of all the drug crap, and is lucid and wonderful again. He's such a lovable rocker....may he and the Mac live on. And, my LORD, Christine just looked and sounded smashing. How I miss her on "Say You Will". Her talent and voice were and are such an important dynamic in this band. And I swear I cannot hear John McVie's voice on "Say You Love Me", but amen to him. He's a quiet soul, and it's his signature bass lines that keep this group thumping.

That's "The Dance" to me.

JazmenFlowers · #17 02-09-2006, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

Same here. I was... damn, fourteen?

just how old are you?

The Dance is, obviously, what got me into FM/Stevie. I love every single song. It will always be special to me because it really opened my soul to such wonderful music.

chiliD · #18 02-09-2006, 11:00 AM

Ok, sorry to pee on the parade, but, for me, The Dance wasn't a joyful experience.

Once the "wow" of those five people being on stage together again went away (very quickly, as well), I just felt like it was "the beginning of the end" of Fleetwood Mac.

For 30 years, Fleetwood Mac's mantra was "keep trudging on", keep moving forward...with The Dance, they took a giant leap backwards. With one fell swoop of The Dance they became a nostalgia act.

JazmenFlowers · #19 02-09-2006, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiliD

Ok, sorry to pee on the parade, but, for me, The Dance wasn't a joyful experience.

Once the "wow" of those five people being on stage together again went away (very quickly, as well), I just felt like it was "the beginning of the end" of Fleetwood Mac.

For 30 years, Fleetwood Mac's mantra was "keep trudging on", keep moving forward...with The Dance, they took a giant leap backwards. With one fell swoop of The Dance they became a nostalgia act.

who cares if they became a nostalgia act?

did you enjoy the music? the performances?

Boots · #20 02-09-2006, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiliD

Ok, sorry to pee on the parade, but, for me, The Dance wasn't a joyful experience.

Once the "wow" of those five people being on stage together again went away (very quickly, as well), I just felt like it was "the beginning of the end" of Fleetwood Mac.

For 30 years, Fleetwood Mac's mantra was "keep trudging on", keep moving forward...with The Dance, they took a giant leap backwards. With one fell swoop of The Dance they became a nostalgia act.

Your pee ain't making it's way toward my parade - so no problem.

We're talking about "The Dance"...one show. At least that's what I'm talking about. Not the tour, or the SYW album. As for the "reconvening" in 1997, there ain't nothing wrong with reuniting and looking back on the past for a while. Personally, I never thought "The Dance" was a new beginning, and I don't think it was "the beginning of the end". To me, the "beginning of the end" was during/after "Mirage" back in 1982 and the "truding on" was "Tango in the Night" and "Time" and all the 80's MTV BS they trudged through. "The Dance" in 97 was a reunion and a chance to heal wounds and own up to the past. It's part of growing. That was the reason why LB spoke about cycles and growing during that performance.

As for continuing on and touring...well, that might be seen as "trudging along". However, it was part of that growing process. It's up to the fan in seeing what it is. If you think it's a nostalgia show, then don't see it. If you want to see talent that made you happy years ago, and are back together for a while...then enjoy. My gripe is that they need to shake up their set list. Sing songs off the beaten track from their catalog. I know Stevie loves her songs like children, but when does she beat her head against the floorboards for having to sing "Dreams" for the 50th zillionth time? But...still....nice to hear. :-)

Villavic · #21 02-09-2006, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet

What does the DANCE mean to you?

Almost everything.
- My hope of watching my favorite lineup reunited again, became true. It was magical. And this time with internet and cable channels everywhere, it was so easy to get enough info, pics, etc. I had watche al those bands reunited again, like Eagles. The 980s was the reunions decade. And I was waiting for Fleetwood Mac. The Rumours Fleetwood Mac.

- Finally I heard the famous misterous song "Silver Springs" (I never got that 45rpm vynil single, nor the boxset to that date) that everybody talked about.

- The tour, my first (and only one to this day) concert.

chiliD · #22 02-09-2006, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

who cares if they became a nostalgia act?

did you enjoy the music? the performances?

1) I do...I prefer the bands I like to be relevant and still creatively active, not rehash the past over & over & over & over & over & over.

2) Not really. I liked the new tunes, the new arrangement of "Say You Love Me", that there finally was a recording of the solo Lindsey versions of "Big Love" & "Go Insane", and that they used Pledge on "Silver Springs". Besides that, I was bored...again, after the "wow" of seeing those five together on stage went away.

strandinthewind · #23 02-09-2006, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiliD

1) I do...I prefer the bands I like to be relevant and still creatively active, not rehash the past over & over & over & over & over & over.

2) Not really. I liked the new tunes, the new arrangement of "Say You Love Me", that there finally was a recording of the solo Lindsey versions of "Big Love" & "Go Insane", and that they used Pledge on "Silver Springs". Besides that, I was bored...again, after the "wow" of seeing those five together on stage went away.

Not only that, but they were really almost boring in a glossed over package kind of way. I know they have not been exciting since say Mirage, but at least they ad libbed a little more in TITN and the BTM tours.

Having said that, I really enjoyed The Dance and the tour. I just want more - always

chiliD · #24 02-09-2006, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

...but at least they ad libbed a little more in TITN and the BTM tours....

Hmmm....and the change in the band from Mirage for those two subsequent tours was...

strandinthewind · #25 02-09-2006, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chiliD

Hmmm....and the change in the band from Mirage for those two subsequent tours was...

Stevie got off of the drugs.

chiliD · #26 02-09-2006, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Stevie got off of the drugs.

And?

Oh, yeah...no Lindsey Buckingham. Gee, then the band got creative in a live setting. How ironic. Maybe they should've just "done a Beach Boys" (Brian Wilson records the albums, Bruce Johnston goes on the road)...record their albums with Lindsey..then go on the road with Billy & Rick.

Jyqm · #27 02-09-2006, 12:47 PM

Welcome, Boots! That was a wonderful post, I hope you plan on sharing many more of your thoughts with the rest of us!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boots

And I swear I cannot hear John McVie's voice on "Say You Love Me", but amen to him. He's a quiet soul, and it's his signature bass lines that keep this group thumping.

It's there! But since he's just scatting the bass line while also playing the bass guitar, it's a wee bit difficult to pick out.

Jyqm · #28 02-09-2006, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

just how old are you?

I realize that math often isn't the strong suit of us poetic types, but this one isn't that hard is it?

2006 - 1997 = 9

9 + 14 = ?

Quote:

who cares if they became a nostalgia act?

I'll join chiliD in caring. I love most of the performances on The Dance, but I agree that the implications of Fleetwood Mac being a nostalgia act are still troubling. Being a nostalgia act involves a certain amount of cynicism that I don't really care for, and it's more or less an admittance of, "Well, this is all we've got now. We can't be creative anymore, or rather, we don't care to be, because we can make tons of money simply touring behidn these old warhorses."

On the plus side, they didn't completely turn the corner into nostalgia land. It took them six years, but they did release an album of all-new material that turned out pretty great. Unfortunately, some of the nostalgia-act trappings still remained at the concerts - playing seven Rumours tracks every night (and in most of the same old arrangements), compared to six from Say You Will. Which album were they touring behind again?

Boots · #29 02-09-2006, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jyqm

Welcome, Boots! That was a wonderful post, I hope you plan on sharing many more of your thoughts with the rest of us!

It's there! But since he's just scatting the bass line while also playing the bass guitar, it's a wee bit difficult to pick out.

Hi Jyqm!!! Thanks for the warm welcome! Looking forward to sharing.

Yeah...I think I can hear him humming the base line, but when I first heard Christine say "on vocals, my ex-husband, John McVie", I was all "omg! that's gotta be heard"...and then I didn't really hear him. But never mind.

And WORD and your last post. I guess FM tends to be dangerously near the nostalgia act stage what with the same songs. Hell...I'd kill to hear Stevie sing "Angel" or "Storms"...or "Socerer"...perhaps some old B/N songs - not so much of "I'm So Afraid", but bring out "Frozen Love" or "Long Distance Winner", their perf. of "Don't Let Me Down Again" from the Live album was fun. Bring out that old chestnut. "Crystal" might be nice - but I think they already do that one. Bring out some old Mac..like..."Oh Well"... Bring out "Not That Funny" or "The Ledge" or do "Waiting for the Countdown"...do a cool cover like "Needles and Pins"..."..."I Need to Know".. I see nothing wrong with taking some of their solo hits and doing them. Stevie did "Stand Back" at Live in Boston. It would be so much fun, if someone, they could invite Walter Eagan to sit in on some shows and do "Shy"...LOVE THAT TUNE! They need to shake it up a bit.

chiliD · #30 02-09-2006, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boots

...they could invite Walter Eagan to sit in on some shows and do "Shy"...

I'm assuming you meant Walter Egan's "Magnet & Steel".