Fleetwood Mac In NZ!

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by CADreaming

On a different note - why was this concert so huge in NZ? Is the Mac really still that big there?? Have I missed something?

They haven't performed there for 29 years. As Luke might say, they did not oversaturate that market. Therefore the demand was there. Remember the large crowds fM attracted on The Dance Tour? That was because the 5 Rumours era members hadn't toured together at that point in 15 years. I would bet that if Christine toured with the band on the Unleashed Tour, there probably would have been several thousand more fans at each show.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by CADreaming

On a different note - why was this concert so huge in NZ? Is the Mac really still that big there?? Have I missed something?

Thanks for the clips. I don't know about New Zealand in general, but they've been talking about how New Plymouth has never had anything this big. This is the first time testing out their ability to cater to a crowd of this size and just to host something this big. So, I'm sure they like FM, but it's not just that it was FM, per se. It's just like getting excited when the Olympics or Superbowl comes to your town, even if you aren't interested in the Olympics or Superbowl.

Michele

[vivfox]

Monday, December 21, 2009
Fleetwood Mac Attack!

This past weekend, my dad and I flew up to New Plymouth to see Fleetwood Mac live, along with 18,000 other people. Fortunately, we had reserved seats near the front, so we didn't have to scramble in the stampede to get as close as possible like many others were doing. It was madness!

Fleetwood were simply brilliant. They played all the hits, and even if I didn't know the words, I was quite happy to 'dance' and sing along! There was a wheelchair platform again that gave me a good view of the stage, and it was raised so I didn't have to worry about not being able to see. It rained the whole way through, and we got soaked, but the rain ended up making the night quite festive. The atmosphere was great, and everyone was going crazy near the end during the encores. Lindsey Buckingham's guitar skills were insane, Stevie Nicks' singing was amazing, and Mick Fleetwood and John McVie were fantastic too. They truly showed that although they're all in their 60s now, they still know how to perform and get an audience going!

I had a great time, and didn't even startle much!

Here is a video my dad took near the end.




http://brokendreamscrushedhearts.blo...ac-attack.html

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Sigh. Just to see them taking that last bow. So, magical it must have been.

Michele

[StreetAngel86]

Originally Posted by CADreaming

Anyway, I digress... this version that I pray we will be able to see ... has my mind reeling with the possible scenario that played out. I mean, was she really speechless? Or did she dispute him? Did she try to say it really was Bob who called? Did she continue on with her story while Lindsey kept saying he called? What did she do/say after he kissed her? And, lastly, was she even able to finish her story and talk about their "furnitureless house" (as she has dubbed it recently)?

Hilarious also that Lindsey said he kissed her during the phone call. No wonder she was confused!

i love u...i ponder these same thoughts
he kissed her when she was on the phone to Bob...coz Lindsey was already there???????



stevie looks soooooooooo pretty here *squee*
in that clip of "her" leaving the SanMo restaurant...one of the girls was blonde. one had dark hair.
I would say it was these 2 yeah for shure.

[HejiraNYC]

Originally Posted by CADreaming

Anyway, I digress... this version that I pray we will be able to see ... has my mind reeling with the possible scenario that played out. I mean, was she really speechless? Or did she dispute him? Did she try to say it really was Bob who called? Did she continue on with her story while Lindsey kept saying he called? What did she do/say after he kissed her? And, lastly, was she even able to finish her story and talk about their "furnitureless house" (as she has dubbed it recently)?

Hilarious also that Lindsey said he kissed her during the phone call. No wonder she was confused!

In the haze of my spotty memory (remember, I almost knocked myself unconscious before the show!), I seem to recall that Stevie was just speechless while Lindsey went on her mic saying "Bob didn't call you; I called you. I called you." Then as Stevie tried to continue the story and Lindsey was walking back to his spot, he turned around and continued off-mic, "I called you, I really did." Stevie just glared at him. And then after a few seconds he walked up to her mic and said "I even kissed you," followed by a peck on the cheek. Stevie was visibly shocked and could only muster up "I'm speechless," but she did continue with the regular story moments later.

[GypsyBlueEyes]

WOW, she really looks beautiful in those pictures! Thank you so much for posting

Now I'm really sad I wasn't there to see it. It must have been amazing!

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

In the haze of my spotty memory (remember, I almost knocked myself unconscious before the show!), I seem to recall that Stevie was just speechless while Lindsey went on her mic saying "Bob didn't call you; I called you. I called you." Then as Stevie tried to continue the story and Lindsey was walking back to his spot, he turned around and continued off-mic, "I called you, I really did." Stevie just glared at him. And then after a few seconds he walked up to her mic and said "I even kissed you," followed by a peck on the cheek. Stevie was visibly shocked and could only muster up "I'm speechless," but she did continue with the regular story moments later.

ahaha, I wish I had been there to see this. It sounds like such a cute moment between the two. I would have loved to have seen her face as he walked over to her, then to see him kiss her, and to see her face afterwards. PRICELESS!

[StreetAngel86]

Originally Posted by GypsyBlueEyes

ahaha, I wish I had been there to see this. It sounds like such a cute moment between the two. I would have loved to have seen her face as he walked over to her, then to see him kiss her, and to see her face afterwards. PRICELESS!

all i want for christmas is to see this FRIGGIN kiss

[fringed n fab]

Originally Posted by vivfox

They haven't performed there for 29 years. As Luke might say, they did not oversaturate that market. Therefore the demand was there. Remember the large crowds fM attracted on The Dance Tour? That was because the 5 Rumours era members hadn't toured together at that point in 15 years. I would bet that if Christine toured with the band on the Unleashed Tour, there probably would have been several thousand more fans at each show.

And that is exactly why I and anyone else a Mac fan HAD to see them on the Dance tour in 1997. Something told me then we may never have those 5 people under one roof again. I saw them in Cincinnati, Ohio and I will never forget that night.

[vivfox]

Tuesday, December 22, 2009
New Plymouth, Land of the Giants

Listening to FM's Greatest Hits. One of the foundation albums in the evolution of my musical tastes.

If this is to be believed, in New Plymouth there might be giant alluring maidens stepping from the sea.
In a clumsy segue, I was in New Plymouth over the weekend to see giants of another kind, Fleetwood Mac. I may or may not have seen their chartered jet. Its quite likely that it is. The airport wasn't exactly littered with rock legend transportation.

I went up with Dad, who organised the whole thing once he heard they were coming to town (ish its a five hour drive from home), and Fi, Charlotte and Kirsten (referred to throughout as 'The Girls') who weren't attending the concert, but just came along for the roadie. Rich came along independently with his own harem of fetching maidens.

Its hard to write about Fleetwood Mac without resorting to cliche. On the face of it they write carefully crafted and musically brilliant inoffensive MOR music for a more conservative audience than your average rock listener. Thats a misleading visage though, since behind the radio friendly hits there is a dark and intense undercurrent of history and conflict, and almost apocalyptic excess. It's impressive that the band members are even still alive in 2009, let alone touring.

They are hated by some for that definitive MOR-ness for sure, and there is always that section of 'real' Fleetwood Mac fans who prefer the earlier 1960's incarnation of the band, and regard the most well known and successful line up with practiced disdain. After being uncool for a while, they have gone back to being cool now, or have become so uncool that they are cool. Whatever.

The greatest hits compilation I referred to at the top of the post was released way back in 1988. Dad bought it back then (on cassette), and would play it on our long car trips to airshows around the country. It took me a while to come around to it, but eventually I came to like it, to the point now where I seldom go on a roadie without it. Every track on it has an association with some piece of state highway somewhere in the country, at various times and occasions going back more than twenty years now. Its a very evocative and nostalgic album for me to listen to.

Not only that, I owe it (and Dad by proxy) a huge debt, since it taught me how to really listen to music and hear how all of a bands components meld to form a whole. Many times Dad would say "listen to what they are doing there", and point out a particularly effective melody or harmony, and how it worked. It taught me how to listen to each musician, and pick out a particularly good or subtle undercurrent behind or hidden in the melody. To this day I still often sing along to bass lines or backing vocals rather than leads.

So when the first Fleetwood Mac concerts in New Zealand for nearly thirty years (they were last here in 1980, or to put it another way, when I was 3), I had to go, not only because I would kick myself for missing to opportunity to see legends, but also to acknowledge the lessons from twenty years ago. And also to see what they were like after all this time, and all the legends (I would have loved to have seen them in their relative heyday in the late seventies and eighties). And its nice when Dad and my musical tastes align, which isn't that often when it comes to concerts.

And it was great. It rained, which made it much more atmospheric (I had an oilskin so stayed dry). The merchandising stand was a complete debacle of poor planning, and there were too many smokers standing next to me, but meh, that goes with the territory.

With no album to promote, the tour was free to play all the classics and then some. The voices certainly aren't as clean as they were recorded thirty years ago, and they definitely miss Christine McVie (who retired about a decade ago) in the harmonies. But again thats a small gripe. It was just cool to see all these classic songs played live by the original artist. As I've gotten older I've started to prefer some of the darker more introspective singles like 'The Chain' and 'Gold Dust Woman' to the more accessible stuff (I tend to skip 'Don't Stop' these days), and it was a treat to see them played, and played with what looked to be still genuine intensity and passion.
Also interesting was seeing the band interact with each other, and how they relate now to some of the very personal natures and themes of songs (the bands hits were often about each other, most prominently for example 'Go your own way', which was written by the lead guitarist for the lead singer about their disintegrating relationship)that they have been performing now for decades. I think 'Dreams' is probably my favourite song of theirs, and when they played it I wondered just how many times Stevie Nicks has sung it in the three decades since it was written. It must be hundreds if not thousands.

The set lasted over two hours, with two encores adding another half hour or so to the experience. It was nice to see proof of just why they are legends, and well worth the trip. Seeing bands I like live is important to me, and its cool I can now add Fleetwood Mac to that list after all this time.

http://offblack.blogspot.com/2009/12...of-giants.html

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by vivfox

They haven't performed there for 29 years. As Luke might say, they did not oversaturate that market. Therefore the demand was there. Remember the large crowds fM attracted on The Dance Tour? That was because the 5 Rumours era members hadn't toured together at that point in 15 years. I would bet that if Christine toured with the band on the Unleashed Tour, there probably would have been several thousand more fans at each show.

Originally Posted by michelej1

Thanks for the clips. I don't know about New Zealand in general, but they've been talking about how New Plymouth has never had anything this big. This is the first time testing out their ability to cater to a crowd of this size and just to host something this big. So, I'm sure they like FM, but it's not just that it was FM, per se. It's just like getting excited when the Olympics or Superbowl comes to your town, even if you aren't interested in the Olympics or Superbowl.

Michele

Ok, it all makes more sense now. Thanks!

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

In the haze of my spotty memory (remember, I almost knocked myself unconscious before the show!), I seem to recall that Stevie was just speechless while Lindsey went on her mic saying "Bob didn't call you; I called you. I called you." Then as Stevie tried to continue the story and Lindsey was walking back to his spot, he turned around and continued off-mic, "I called you, I really did." Stevie just glared at him. And then after a few seconds he walked up to her mic and said "I even kissed you," followed by a peck on the cheek. Stevie was visibly shocked and could only muster up "I'm speechless," but she did continue with the regular story moments later.

LOL! Thanks for the additional details! Sorry about the head-hitting thing...

I love how you say Stevie just "glared" at him. hehehe I bet she was thinking, "stop interrupting my story!"

Pictures were awesome too - thanks for posting! How cute are Mick's kids? They look like Lynn and Mick, respectively. Adorable.

[CADreaming]

Originally Posted by vivfox

Can anyone make out her ad-lib at the end? During the last "never get away"... I think it's different...

[badanimals87]

Originally Posted by HejiraNYC

It looks like Stevie is pulling out some more of the old stage clothes. Is that jacket she is wearing the same she wore in the Red Rocks video and this photo from the Tango Tour?

[vivfox]

Visitors and band sing volunteers' praises
By MATT RILKOFF - Taranaki Daily News Last updated 05:00 23/12/2009
Volunteering has never been so cool.

The volunteer programme put in place for the Fleetwood Mac concerts has won the praise and respect of the band and visitors alike.

The 150 red T-shirt wearing volunteers took up strategic positions around the airport, city and the Bowl of Brooklands during the weekend and proved a big hit.

So much so the Fleetwood Mac members had even asked for several of the T-shirts for themselves.

Council venue manager Jenny Mills said the volunteers had come up again and again in the comments made by visitors.

"And it was all positive," she said.

Which might not be a Taranaki exaggeration.

Volunteer Kathy Glass had the task of asking visitors for their opinion on what New Plymouth had to offer.

Not only did she enjoy the experience but the results showed they did too.

"Well, I haven't seen the totals for everything but what I saw was mostly four out of fives for everything," she said.

That's the same as 80 per cent, or an "A" if you use old academic grades.

As well as being delivered lunch or dinner on each day they worked, volunteers were thrown a thank-you meal by the New Plymouth District Council on Monday night.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-dail...nteers-praises