Open Letter to The Mac

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

*No New Album
*No OFFICIAL NAME for the "Tour"
*A stage show and set list that (with the exception of the remarkable "Sisters" and two new songs) has been REHASHED for the past 20 years

Call me crazy, but I'm a bit UNDERWHELMED by the whole "effort" (or lack thereof). I have WORSHIPPED Fleetwood Mac since 1977. I have bought EVERYTHING they've ever done and attended EVERY TOUR (and ALL solo member tours, including Chris McVie's only solo tour in 1984). But, I'm on the verge of losing interest.

Artists like Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Tom Petty have made some of the best music of their careers AFTER the age of 50 or 60. NOTE TO FLEETWOOD MAC: You can still save this sinking vessel. Get Christine McVie to give up gardening and come back ONE MORE TIME. Hire an amazing producer like Rick Rubin, Ethan Johns, Mitchell Fromme or T-Bone Burnett and get back into the studio to make the greatest ART of your life (like you once did with "RUMOURS" and "TUSK, two of the greatest masterpieces in music history). Who gives a crap about TOP 40 hits or record sales? It's not going to happen anyway. Do you think Dylan and Springsteen are sitting around worrying about getting a TOP 40 RADIO HIT in 2013's market? Then, go out on the road with a revamped show (including the new music) and become ARTISTS again. You might even get critical acclaim and win a GRAMMY.......(RESPECT???)

BUT, I guess you're too busy trying to fill corporate rock arenas with the same tired casual fans and the same set list you've been playing for years. I did enjoy "SAY YOU WILL". While not perfect, it was a FINE EFFORT and you at least tried something different. Keep moving in that direction and I'll be the first to jump on board. For the first time in 35 years, I am considering NOT attending a Fleetwood Mac Tour. Why would I shell out 300 dollars plus parking and 15 dollar drinks to see the same show that I've been watching for years just to keep Mick from going broke for the 10th time. It seems to me that you're not really concerned with exploring the artistic future of this band, but rather just biding time to fill your retirement accounts. If not with the band, let Stevie and Lindsey go back to solo projects where THEY DO try to make some new and interesting art (SEEDS WE SOW & IN YOUR DREAMS). You are considered Rock N Roll Royalty by many and you CAN do whatever the hell you want. In the twilight of your career, why not try to be GREAT again? You are all truly gifted artists, just put it down on paper.

I just wanted to say, I love this. Kudos to you - it is perfectly stated, and it could not have been said better. Some will attack you and question your status as a fan because they can't bear to hear their idols criticized, but I know that the truth is not always kind or generous; despite this, it always needs to be said.

[JohnL]

This whole thread is so typical of this message board. I love all the loyalty to the Mac and its members that i am seeing from many of you here. I know that they are human and are not without fault, but they are 65 years old and have NEVER been ones to put a lot of consecutive albums out or be spontaneous or anything like that. Why is this such a newsflash to people?

To me, the negativity in this thread is why I dont post here much. I mostly dont consider this a FAN board...I consider this a place to come if you want to be picked apart down to your bones. While those who feel negatively about this tour may disagree, many years of being a member here has proven this over and over to me.

[KarmaContestant]

Originally Posted by fairydust75

Ditto! Give them a chance....jeez.
They Are FLEETWOOD MAC.

The thing is, they've had 26 years of chances. If you don't count Behind The Mask and Time, they've had one album in the last 26 years - and four - FOUR - tours. Granted, for 10 of those 26 years, Lindsey and Stevie were not working together, so let's be fair about it and say they've had one album in 16 years, and FOUR TOURS. Four tours that made them millions. It's a joke, really.

Fleetwood Mac (1975)
.
Rumours (1977)
.
Tusk (1979)
.
.
Mirage (1982)
.
.
.
.
Tango in the Night (1987)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Say You Will (2003)

And nothing since. How many chances are we supposed to give them?

I love Fleetwood Mac's music. Even without Christine, I think this lineup is capable of making timeless and classic music. They just don't care enough to do it, and why should they when there are fans willing to fork out thousands and thousands of dollars to hear the same old song and dance?

Originally Posted by JohnL

This whole thread is so typical of this message board. I love all the loyalty to the Mac and its members that i am seeing from many of you here. I know that they are human and are not without fault, but they are 65 years old and have NEVER been ones to put a lot of consecutive albums out or be spontaneous or anything like that. Why is this such a newsflash to people?

To me, the negativity in this thread is why I dont post here much. I mostly dont consider this a FAN board...I consider this a place to come if you want to be picked apart down to your bones. While those who feel negatively about this tour may disagree, many years of being a member here has proven this over and over to me.

Oh please. We're fans of a band, not Stepford wives. It's ok to be honest, critical, and engage in debate.

[Blueletter18]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

*No New Album
*No OFFICIAL NAME for the "Tour"
*A stage show and set list that (with the exception of the remarkable "Sisters" and two new songs) has been REHASHED for the past 20 years

Call me crazy, but I'm a bit UNDERWHELMED by the whole "effort" (or lack thereof). I have WORSHIPPED Fleetwood Mac since 1977. I have bought EVERYTHING they've ever done and attended EVERY TOUR (and ALL solo member tours, including Chris McVie's only solo tour in 1984). But, I'm on the verge of losing interest.

Artists like Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Tom Petty have made some of the best music of their careers AFTER the age of 50 or 60. NOTE TO FLEETWOOD MAC: You can still save this sinking vessel. Get Christine McVie to give up gardening and come back ONE MORE TIME. Hire an amazing producer like Rick Rubin, Ethan Johns, Mitchell Fromme or T-Bone Burnett and get back into the studio to make the greatest ART of your life (like you once did with "RUMOURS" and "TUSK, two of the greatest masterpieces in music history). Who gives a crap about TOP 40 hits or record sales? It's not going to happen anyway. Do you think Dylan and Springsteen are sitting around worrying about getting a TOP 40 RADIO HIT in 2013's market? Then, go out on the road with a revamped show (including the new music) and become ARTISTS again. You might even get critical acclaim and win a GRAMMY.......(RESPECT???)

BUT, I guess you're too busy trying to fill corporate rock arenas with the same tired casual fans and the same set list you've been playing for years. I did enjoy "SAY YOU WILL". While not perfect, it was a FINE EFFORT and you at least tried something different. Keep moving in that direction and I'll be the first to jump on board. For the first time in 35 years, I am considering NOT attending a Fleetwood Mac Tour. Why would I shell out 300 dollars plus parking and 15 dollar drinks to see the same show that I've been watching for years just to keep Mick from going broke for the 10th time. It seems to me that you're not really concerned with exploring the artistic future of this band, but rather just biding time to fill your retirement accounts. If not with the band, let Stevie and Lindsey go back to solo projects where THEY DO try to make some new and interesting art (SEEDS WE SOW & IN YOUR DREAMS). You are considered Rock N Roll Royalty by many and you CAN do whatever the hell you want. In the twilight of your career, why not try to be GREAT again? You are all truly gifted artists, just put it down on paper.

I don't know if this was mentioned already--I apologize if it was-- but the artists mentioned in bold are all essentially solo artists with good backing bands. Dylan, Springsteen, and Petty (well, and Cash) are the unquestionable lead singers and front men of their respective bands. Without the front men, I doubt the bands would make a killing on their own merits. Whereas Fleetwood Mac, as we are all well aware of, has three songwriters who can easily stand on their own, which makes it that much easier for any of them to leave when they are the least bit frustrated with the group dynamic. With groups, as in any group projects (work, school, etc.), more time is needed to get important work done, especially when each individual is essentially represented by a different manager hoping to keep that individual's best interests in mind, both aside from the band and as part of the band (but only when sales are good for the band and worse for the individual). Given the circumstances, I don't know if I could ask for more aside from a few setlist changes. On the other hand, The Eagles: 7 studio albums (none in the '80s or '90s); The Mamas & the Papas: 5; The Velvet Underground: 5..try to think of some other bands with 2+ singer-songwriters that lasted while producing albums prolifically.

[PenguinHead]

Originally Posted by WatchChain

*No New Album
*No OFFICIAL NAME for the "Tour"
*A stage show and set list that (with the exception of the remarkable "Sisters" and two new songs) has been REHASHED for the past 20 years

Call me crazy, but I'm a bit UNDERWHELMED by the whole "effort" (or lack thereof). I have WORSHIPPED Fleetwood Mac since 1977. I have bought EVERYTHING they've ever done and attended EVERY TOUR (and ALL solo member tours, including Chris McVie's only solo tour in 1984). But, I'm on the verge of losing interest.

Artists like Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon and Tom Petty have made some of the best music of their careers AFTER the age of 50 or 60. NOTE TO FLEETWOOD MAC: You can still save this sinking vessel. Get Christine McVie to give up gardening and come back ONE MORE TIME. Hire an amazing producer like Rick Rubin, Ethan Johns, Mitchell Fromme or T-Bone Burnett and get back into the studio to make the greatest ART of your life (like you once did with "RUMOURS" and "TUSK, two of the greatest masterpieces in music history). Who gives a crap about TOP 40 hits or record sales? It's not going to happen anyway. Do you think Dylan and Springsteen are sitting around worrying about getting a TOP 40 RADIO HIT in 2013's market? Then, go out on the road with a revamped show (including the new music) and become ARTISTS again. You might even get critical acclaim and win a GRAMMY.......(RESPECT???)

BUT, I guess you're too busy trying to fill corporate rock arenas with the same tired casual fans and the same set list you've been playing for years. I did enjoy "SAY YOU WILL". While not perfect, it was a FINE EFFORT and you at least tried something different. Keep moving in that direction and I'll be the first to jump on board. For the first time in 35 years, I am considering NOT attending a Fleetwood Mac Tour. Why would I shell out 300 dollars plus parking and 15 dollar drinks to see the same show that I've been watching for years just to keep Mick from going broke for the 10th time. It seems to me that you're not really concerned with exploring the artistic future of this band, but rather just biding time to fill your retirement accounts. If not with the band, let Stevie and Lindsey go back to solo projects where THEY DO try to make some new and interesting art (SEEDS WE SOW & IN YOUR DREAMS). You are considered Rock N Roll Royalty by many and you CAN do whatever the hell you want. In the twilight of your career, why not try to be GREAT again? You are all truly gifted artists, just put it down on paper.

Dido! That said, although I was entirely ambivalent about their last tour, and felt no need to go, I am attending a show on this tour. You never know when the group could abruptly come to an end. But it's very disappointing that, at this later stage of their career, they are still playing it so safe and not taking the opportunities they have now to give life-long fans an entirely fresh show. But I understand there are certain constraints and conditions they have to abide by. However, it seems some bands have the freedom and a particular demographic/fan base that allows them to be very fluid with their set lists, where there are no expectations or limits.

[mitzo]

I fully understand the sentiment that it is great they are still going in their 60's, they don't owe us anything, they are no more stale than any of their contemporaies, etc. It is all true. But for me, they are teetering on the brink of irrelevancy even though I have been a fan for my adult life and I am now in my 50's.

My problem is likely common to many fans and casual fans:

!. I have all the music they have created in various formats.

2. There is no new music for many years.

3. My attention strays, there is nothing to look forward to.

4. I start not caring.

5. I become cynical about tours like the current one.