Opening Night Pictures/Videos/Reviews

[welcomechris]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bB9...ature=youtu.be

Here's a better songbird

[bombaysaffires]

Stevie sending emails??

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...-show-20141001

By Keith Harris | October 1, 2014
Sixteen years of domestic life in the English countryside, playing with her dogs and baking cookies – that was apparently quite enough for Christine McVie. The singer and keyboardist rejoined Fleetwood Mac earlier this year, and, at 71, she's touring with her old band – singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, singer Stevie Nicks, drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie – for the first time since 1997.

Fleetwood Mac have been on the road plenty in the past few years. But fans have craved a reunion of the lineup that first cohered in 1974 and went on to record that best-selling classic of tuneful romantic turmoil, Rumours. McVie's bandmates, apparently, felt the same way: Nicks in particular had lobbied for McVie's return, making onstage pleas and sending emails.

Last night, those wishes came true, as the band opened a 33-city North American tour at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Over the course of a generous two-and-a-half-hour set, the band ripped through 24 songs from the past four decades of their career. Here are five things we learned.

Fleetwood Mac don't stop thinkin' about tomorrow.
If the evening had an overarching theme – and trust us, it did – it was that Fleetwood Mac remain creatively active. "This is a band that continues to evolve through good times and adversity," Buckingham announced at one point, as though delivering a mission statement. His long introduction to "Big Love" highlighted "the power and importance of change." And when the time came for Mick Fleetwood to introduce the members of the group, the drummer commended Buckingham's "vision for the future of the band." That may not just be empty talk – the group has reportedly been writing and recording new material since McVie's return.

Lindsey Buckingham is still a talented weirdo.
Buckingham certainly did command the stage with the authority of a band leader. His wiry intensity makes him both charismatic and uncool – a winning combination – and with his shock of gray hair and his T-shirt and sports jacket outfit, his look is "chic English Lit professor." After bringing home a performance of "Tusk," he stomped on the stage as though he'd just completed a successful touch football play. His playing, meanwhile, remains fluid and effortless: Of course he nailed the tricky guitar parts you recognize from the records, but he also cut loose on an extended freak-out during "I'm So Afraid," climaxing in a flurry of intricate hammer-ons and crowd-pleasing heroics.

Stevie Nicks is the earnest and effusive heart of the band.
Look, a 66-year-old just can't whirl about the stage in a transported frenzy, no matter how close a contact she maintains with the spirits of the netherworld – it's an inner-ear thing. So Stevie's witchy gesticulations are subtler now, maybe a little hesitant, definitely more deliberate, yet still plenty captivating once she donned an appropriately-colored shawl for "Gold Dust Woman." Most importantly, she's not ashamed to gush, praising both the crowd and Christine: "We are all the dreamcatchers, and we got our dream girl back!"

There's a reason they're named for the rhythm section.
From the kick on "The Chain" to the cowbell on "Gold Dust Woman," so many of these hits are instant recognizable because of their drum parts, and Fleetwood and McVie remain the engine that keeps Fleetwood Mac on track. John McVie is as quietly spotlight-avoidant as ever, the kind of guy who stays in the living room reading the paper when company comes over. But age has only heightened Mick Fleetwood's air of good-humored Dickensian menace – "For sure," he shouted to the crowd, "the Mac is back!" For the encore, he even hauled off on a good old-fashioned drum solo, just like you used to hear on side three of double-live LP back in the Seventies.

Christine McVie is so necessary.
Without her, of course, there's no "You Make Loving Fun," no "Say You Love Me," no "Over My Head." But those aren't just great songs – they're expressions of a homey yet sexy sensibility that balances off Nicks' supernatural romanticism and Buckingham's passionate exasperation. McVie struck a confident presence behind her keyboards, reminiscing about the "fugly little flat in Malibu" she and John once shared and expressing her happiness to be back with the band. "Our songbird has returned," Fleetwood announced grandly when introducing her – and, appropriately, McVie closed the night with the simple, lovely "Songbird."



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/li...#ixzz3EwhogI4Q

[redtulip]

The Chain



I'm So Afraid



Dreams (with intro)



I think this is everything I recorded. I'll double check and post if I forgot one.

[BlueLight]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Stevie sending emails??

I was confused by that, too. Sloppy journalism.

[jwd]

Thanks everyone for sharing your videos and stories! What a special night that was!

[Wdm6789]

The only surprises or rarities were Little Lies and Seven Wonders. Those were the only two.

Hold Me and Blue Letter would have been great surprises or rarities.

Brown Eyes would have been good since they had the Tusk block again or even Over and Over, that song is beautiful live.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by elle

it is so wonderful when you go to the show, especially the first one, and we get all these little tidbits that make it feel like we were there too.

Thanks, Elle. Last night was so much fun. I knew you were manning your own network on social media, coordinating info and keeping everyone up to date on twitter and Facebook. I felt you were my link to the outside FM world, when I couldn't be online.

Michele

[WatchChain]

Love the video shots taken by this person on opening night. They are close up and EXTREMELY CLEAR. His youtube page has several of these close up videos. He had amazing seats AND an amazing camera. You get to see exactly what THE MAC look like. I love these people SO MUCH.....they are tried and true, road tested, still producing great melodies nearly 40 years later! They are TRUE SURVIVORS....seen it all !!!

Check out this clip of "Over My Head" for the GREAT CLOSE UP SHOTS ABOUT 1:25. Everyone looks GREAT !! Chris' hair is beautiful! Is she rocking some hair extensions/clip ins? The black outfits are gorgeous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEz5g...n85poTa2eziKiQ

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by jenniferuk

For those who were there: did you have any trouble securing your place at stage? The stage area did not look too crowded to me and I'm curious if people hung back or if security restricted access (or if it was biz as usual).

This could have been for fire safety reasons for ONLY this venue, because there was only about 4 feet between the stage and the first row. In most places, there's a lot more room. At the Target Center, it was limited. I heard the security guard telling someone that they could clear the whole building in 20 minutes if they had to.

Anyway, he told us at the beginning that only the front row could go up and that if anyone tried to move around the sides and get to the front that it should be reported to him or the guys at each end. I wondered if/hoped that that would be enforced and it was.

I would not say that ONLY people in the front row were at the stage, but I think there were only 5-10 extra people there. Only one layer of humans there. No pushing and the other people in rows further back could see the stage if they stood or even if they sat. I thought it worked out nicely.

Now, it may not have been as motivating for the band. They feed off the energy of people at the stage, perhaps. But I don't care about those band members!

Michele

[Macfanforever]

I want to say thanks to all for all the reviews photos and vids of last nights first night of tour show.

I'm still reading the reviews tonight.Keep them coming.

[SpyNote]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

One thing I noticed about the set list is that both Lindsey and Stevie each get their "Deep track cut" but Chris does not. Chris does her hits only. That is unfortunate since I was hoping for at least one Chris deep track.
But just hearing her is the best thing ever. So still excited as ever!!!!

It was probably her decision to stick to familiar songs and not risk making too many mistakes. Maybe that's why "Brown Eyes" was dropped. Did you all notice her vocal flub in the middle of "Everywhere"? It was kind of cute, actually.

[mottabam]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

Love the video shots taken by this person on opening night. They are close up and EXTREMELY CLEAR. His youtube page has several of these close up videos. He had amazing seats AND an amazing camera. You get to see exactly what THE MAC look like. I love these people SO MUCH.....they are tried and true, road tested, still producing great melodies nearly 40 years later! They are TRUE SURVIVORS....seen it all !!!

Check out this clip of "Over My Head" for the GREAT CLOSE UP SHOTS ABOUT 1:25. Everyone looks GREAT !! Chris' hair is beautiful! Is she rocking some hair extensions/clip ins? The black outfits are gorgeous!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEz5g...n85poTa2eziKiQ

Completely Agree. Amazing quality. Christine looks fantastic as does Stevie. Timeless.

[bethelblues]

I just listened to that clip of Over My Head, with the close-ups. It makes me so happy...it's hard to describe, hearing that song, the warmth of Christine's voice, Stevie's harmony, Lindsey's guitar work. Christine looks like she's having a blast---look at her smiling at the end as she finishes the song!! Just fantastic!!

[redtulip]

Originally Posted by michelej1

This could have been for fire safety reasons for ONLY this venue, because there was only about 4 feet between the stage and the first row. In most places, there's a lot more room. At the Target Center, it was limited. I heard the security guard telling someone that they could clear the whole building in 20 minutes if they had to.

Anyway, he told us at the beginning that only the front row could go up and that if anyone tried to move around the sides and get to the front that it should be reported to him or the guys at each end. I wondered if/hoped that that would be enforced and it was.

I would not say that ONLY people in the front row were at the stage, but I think there were only 5-10 extra people there. Only one layer of humans there. No pushing and the other people in rows further back could see the stage if they stood or even if they sat. I thought it worked out nicely.

Now, it may not as been as motivating for the band. They feed off the energy of people at the stage, perhaps. But I don't care about those band members!

Michele

I know I may be in the minority here but I was thinking about that last night. The show was good but I felt it was a bit flat. It didn't have the same energy as the two shows I saw last year and one factor might possibly have been the stage situation.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by redtulip

I know I may be in the minority here but I was thinking about that last night. The show was good but I felt it was a bit flat. It didn't have the same energy as the two shows I saw last year and one factor might possibly have been the stage situation.

And the first night is always a little stiff. I know they will be emotionally up for New York. I'm sorry I can't go to that one.

Michele