Last BTM Concert Review

[aleuzzi]

Originally Posted by michelej1

S

Joel Selvin, Chronicle Staff Critic

LUSH SOUND

The band's sound has grown soft and swollen, what with two additional female background vocalists, an extra percussionist and offstage keyboardist added to the six official band members. There was little focus or unified direction, and even the signature harmony vocals sounded diffuse amid the lush, overflowing torrent of sound. No longer a lean, clean machine, the Mac trundled through the songbook like an aging, corpulent version of itself.

The whole thing is getting too tired for words. Nicks, no longer a young lady with a misty, mournful voice, is having a hard time singing her innocent songs poignant with the irony of youth. "I'm getting older, too," she sang in "Landslide," reaching out and briefly clasping fingers with Christine McVie. Somehow the wrenching realization of years past was all too evident. Shelley Winters would have known better than to try an ingenue role.

Of course, drummer Mick Fleetwood -- along with bassist John McVie, the only original members remaining from the Fleetwood Mac of Peter Green and 1967 -- pledges to continue the tradition, without the two ladies whose vocals made the group one of the most popular bands of the '70s. Just don't be surprised if the next time he comes to town, the band plays Slim's.

Wow, this is pretty bitchy! But I must agree with him about the band's sound being a bit "soft and swollen" at this point in its evolution.

[David]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

Wow, this is pretty bitchy! But I must agree with him about the band's sound being a bit "soft and swollen" at this point in its evolution.

Selvin was never a fan of Fleetwood Mac. During his lengthy tenure at the Chronicle, he wrote largely negative concert reviews of the band (I remember his comment about Christine's "tinkly," "music-box" piano twittering through the 1982 concert at Oakland Stadium) & of Stevie herself (his review of her Wild Heart gig at the same venue). I used to get pretty frustrated in those days with him, but in later years I appreciated his scornful eye & ear. Time has proved him largely accurate.

Of course, by 1990, even the band's old-school advocates in the rock press (guys like Steve Pond & Robert Hilburn) were calling the band washed up. Only the inane fans were crowing about "the greatest performance ever" & "singing better than ever" & all that hogwash.

[David]

Originally Posted by michelej1

I can see how the whole band might consider the book an invasion of privacy. I don't think Mick wrote about everyone with "special love," but certainly he applied that to Christine and John, neither of whom he was angry with at the time.

I think the issue some of the band had with the book went beyond whether it was "good" or "bad" about particular people or incidents. Lindsey, for example, considered the work shoddy craftsmanship -- which it was -- & saw it on that level for what it was: rambling plagiarism & near-plagiarism interspersed with ghost-writing that was hamfisted & dime-store tawdry.

I've always loved the book! Silly fans squawk about its being "untrue" or "unreliable," but they seem not to realize that large chunks of it were stolen from Rolling Stone, Hit Parader, Music Connection, Record, & dozens of big American newspapers -- making it VERY reliable (insofar as that goes).

[jbrownsjr]

If you read Carol Ann's book, you get the vibe that the inner circle led by Mick, functioned by keeping all things within the circle.. so I'm sure it pissed all the members off when he was the one that broke the code....

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by David

I've always loved the book! Silly fans squawk about its being "untrue" or "unreliable," but they seem not to realize that large chunks of it were stolen from Rolling Stone, Hit Parader, Music Connection, Record, & dozens of big American newspapers -- making it VERY reliable (insofar as that goes).

Yes, I remember the whole section about Stevie and Lindsey's history, Fritz etc. was taken directly from Rolling Stone. Unattributed. That makes me think I should look at Rolling Stone's review of the book and see if they pointed that out.

As for John, that reminds me of Bob Welch claiming John chased Christine around the motel with a butcher knife. Thinking about that, it kind of surprised me in 1997 where Stevie seemed to be talking about John's drinking in the present tense. She was asking what could they do? They couldn't throw him up against a wall. By the Dance, I didn't think anyone needed to be thrown against a wall any longer. Michele

[macfan 57]

Originally Posted by aleuzzi

Is that "Trees so Bare and Beautiful" section? at one point during the Future Games tour, in NYC, John got into a bad argument with Christine in the hallway of their hotel. According to Mick, John was pretty drunk and in a dark mood. He even through some heavy object at Christine's head.

Yes, that's exactly what I was referring to.

[Betsy]

Quoting macfan 57:

I am guessing that John wasn't happy with what Mick wrote on page 105. The August 1987 Lindsey showdown at Christine's house was nothing compared to the McVies' scary confrontation described on page 105.

Quoting Aleuzzi:

Is that "Trees so Bare and Beautiful" section? at one point during the Future Games tour, in NYC, John got into a bad argument with Christine in the hallway of their hotel. According to Mick, John was pretty drunk and in a dark mood. He even through some heavy object at Christine's head.

I guess I had forgotten those parts, but now that you mention them, I do remember those dark parts. I need to re-read that book again. I bought a cheap paperback from Ebay and it disintegrated as I read it, the pages were old and yellow.

In some interview (and I can't remember where) John says about Christine -- something like, "She saw me at my worst one too many times" or something like that. John seems so quiet and in the background, not flamboyant at all. For him to be violent, seems out of character, but when alcohol is involved, rational behavior goes by the wayside.

I enjoyed reading Lisa's biography about the McVies and I wish she would continue writing.

[JbbyStew86]

Okay this is from that show. I love the crowd reaction to Lindsey coming onto stage. It's like a universal "Thank God! We're saved!" shout. It seems that Stevie's little bit before the song is a veiled apology to Lindsey. Watching Lindsey's body language he really loves being on that stage. I just wish there was a copy of the "Go Your Own Way" performance from that show.

[chiliD]

Originally Posted by JbbyStew86

Okay this is from that show. I love the crowd reaction to Lindsey coming onto stage. It's like a universal "Thank God! We're saved!" shout.

I was there...I think the feeling was less "Thank God. We're saved" and more of a "you people still get along? I thought you hated each other".

[michelej1]

I was at the Los Angeles show, having missed Cow Palace and not having any hope that Lindsey would also appear the second night.

My reaction to his presence was . . . yes I felt "saved," sad, embarassed, thrilled, deeply wistful. Such a tumult of emotion. The next day, my voice was gone and my eyelids swollen from tears.

Michele

[michelej1]

[Danny and Peter returning? Wouldn't that have been something]

Boston Globe (MA), November 14, 1990

Section: LIVING


FLEETWOOD'S NICKS AND MCVIE SING THEIR FAREWELLS IN STYLE

Steve Morse, Globe Staff

And so an era ends.

Stevie Nicks, who has toured with Fleetwood Mac for nearly 15 years, and Christine McVie, who has been with them two decades, said their touring goodbyes with the Mac last night before a passionate crowd of 11,000 fans.

"Boston has always been a very special place for me to play," said Nicks, before an acoustic version of the ballad "Landslide," with its poignant verse, "Children get older, I get older too." McVie, in less emotional fashion, later added, "Thanks, Boston, for making me feel so welcome."

Both women will continue to record with Fleetwood Mac, but won't travel with them after this tour. The latest speculation is that former members Peter Green and Danny Kirwan, according to a source last night, may now come back into the fold and return the Mac to its raw, blues-powered origins.


Either way, the band appears ready to embrace more of its late '60s blues. Just as they did at Great Woods this summer (the song list was very similar), they revived three tunes from the founding Peter Green days -- the guitar-boogie of "Oh Well," the back-alley blues of "Stop Messin' Around" and the mournfully repentant "Another Woman," in which singer/guitarist Rick Vito had his best moment.

Reviving the blues seems a logical future step, since the remaining members, unless they make serious changes, won't be able to cover the female-led greatest hits from the late '70s that filled last night's set. Neither Vito, nor remaining singer Billy Burnette, is a first-rate vocalist, so the Mac might have to pursue a more guitar-based instrumental sound. And what this does vis-a-vis the studio records, which will still include the pop-oriented Nicks and McVie, is an open question.

Regardless, the women went out in style last night. A fairly dismal, bass-heavy sound mix didn't help matters, but Nicks and McVie clearly gave an extra effort to make their goodbyes memorable. Nicks' survivalist love song "Gold Dust Woman," hit the deepest mark, while she also soared through lead vocals on "Chain" and "Rhiannon," plus added her inimitably dusky backup harmonies elsewhere.

The classy McVie, who has been an anchor in the group during its soap opera history, shone on the more middle-of-the-road pop tunes, but also stepped up to play some boogie-woogie with the boys on the blues tracks. And speaking of the boys, they again got their adrenalin from the charter rhythm section of bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood, whose presence makes you confident that the Mac will land on its feet wherever it goes in the future.

Drummer Fleetwood even managed to improve upon his crazed, fiendish drum solo in which he roved the stage with his Hotz MIDI Translator (touch-sensitive drum pads in his vest) to pound out organic rhythms counterpointed by African accents from percussionist Asante. Fleetwood added manic facial expressions that, along with the flashing strobe lights, put the crowd in an awe-struck trance.

This was not a great show (the newer songs sagged a bit), but it was a step up from the pronounced schizoid tone of the band's Great Woods engagements. There's a looser feel to the group now that the women have made their decisions official --and one sensed a greater cooperative spirit last night.

Above all, Nicks and McVie are definitely not sailing through this farewell tour on their reputations. Rather than take polite, sentimental bows, they came to play last night -- and left on a high note befitting their many contributions through the years.

[aleuzzi]

^^^^

wow, a surprisingly sober, even-handed assessment of the music...