Chicago, IL 10/2 - On With The Show 2014

[bethelblues]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLOMz0SbH-Y

This, to me, looks like Christine pressed the wrong button. She doesn't look like she's playing, right? I think she was looking for help...like "oh crap, what happened? what'd I do" It's probably pre-recorded, the intro (or the entire part). And she counts off for the entire crew. Hmmm, this is interesting. Could explain why Christine was so nervous in 1997, and now they have technology to make her feel better on stage?

[Turn It On]

Actually, that's one thing I thought was being done live. Listen to the way it ends - I can't understand why someone would programme it to sound like that. I think if you pay very close attention, you can probably make out what is being done 'as live', what is being done by Neale, Brett & the Hidden Drummer, and what is being played in. I think there is a lot of stuff being used to fill in the sound and soften the rougher edges, but focus carefully, and you can hear Christine and Lindsey's playing. It's quite distinctive after all. However, it's been heavily masked in an effort to make it sound better, or at least closer to the studio versions.

[SadAngel86]

Originally Posted by Montclare

Finally got my pictures from last night up!

http://s47.photobucket.com/user/Mont...?sort=2&page=1

Sierra- you must have a fantastic zoom on your camera. I know you were further back than me, but it doesn't look like it! I love that picture of John and the Lindsey/Christine hug.

Thanks! I bought a new one back in April after I bought the tickets to replace my aging Cybershot from around 2009 or so. It has twice the zoom as my old one (and the digital zoom is clear, it doesn't blur) So it's an upgraded Sony Cybershot.

I love those photos too! They are making the rounds on social media!

[tabruns]

I absolutely LOVED last night's concert. It was breathtaking. Christine got massive applause for being back. All the songs they did were incredible. Big applause getters: "Rhiannon", "Say You Love Me", "Big Love" (afterward), "Gypsy". "Landslide" had such an incredible sing-along going in the crowd that Nicks started conducting the crowd. I loved Stevie's top hat during "Go Your Own Way". Many times throughout the show the band members referred to this new chapter of the group and how we should be expecting a lot to come from them; they definitely made it sound like albums and tours galore.

[Montclare]

Originally Posted by SadAngel86

Thanks! I bought a new one back in April after I bought the tickets to replace my aging Cybershot from around 2009 or so. It has twice the zoom as my old one (and the digital zoom is clear, it doesn't blur) So it's an upgraded Sony Cybershot.

Funny, mine's a Sony Cybershot too. Just got it a couple of weeks ago.

[michelej1]

Chicago Now, by J.A., October 3, 2014

Rocktober Day 3: Fleetwood Mac at the United Center - a concert for the (middle) ages

I can't hold the the rope much longer in my epic tug-of-war with Denial, and the concerts I’ve attended recently are doing nothing to firm up my grip: Alanis Morissette at Caesar’s. A Go-Go’s romp at Ravinia. And last night: Fleetwood Mac. One look at my fellow concert-goers, and it is clear that it won’t be long, now, before I am pulled over the line, and must finally surrender to the truth: I am a middle-aged adult.

With tickets for last night's show starting at over $100 for seats BEHIND THE STAGE, the crowd was certainly more yoga’d and designer eyeglasses'd than the plastic beer cup crowd at Alanis' show at Caesar’s, last weekend. (You Live, You Learn, I guess) This was no low-dough show.

And nor should it be. Fleetwood Mac is a legendary rock band. This is their 35th year as a band, and they sold out the United Center. Twice. As a person whose last piece of writing was seen by 67 people, I have only mad respect for what this band has accomplished. (Stevie Nicks told a story about how, in 1969, she and Lindsay were in a band that opened for Janis….. Jimi…. So, yeah.)

For most concert-goers, the evening fell into one of two categories: either a fancy date night, or "GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT! WOOOOO!” The combined 401K wealth in the arena had to have been in the low billions. I would be willing to bet that Weight Watchers had made money off of at least 85% of the women in the room at some point in their lives: a meeting, or at the very, very least, a one month on-line susbscription. This was a crowd of women who knew their way around a point slide, myself included. That's not a judgement call. It's just a rite of passage.

For Fleetwood Mac, the night was about Christine McVie's return after a sixteen year absence. It was something the band had long ago written off as a possibility. Stevie Nicks once said about Christine’s departure: She went to England and she has never been back since 1998, so it's not really feasible, as much as we would all like to think that she'll just change her mind one day. I don't think it'll happen. We love her, so we had to let her go. (Digital Spy, 12/6/12) And last night, she was back.

I noticed that in both the flashing LED band photo that covered the entire side of the United Center, then again on the stage, Christine McVie looked less like a rock star, and more like a nice breakfast waitress from Denny’s. She moved to the beat like a wallflower aunt at a wedding: step left, feet together. Step right, feet together. She delivered the best one-liner of the night. When introduced at the beginning of the night to a thunderous ovation, Stevie Nicks jokingly asked her, “So where’ve ya been?” And Christine said: “Long story.” She thanked the crowd and the band for having her back with a sincerity that filled the arena.

So what really happened last night? What did I see? Because I don’t believe that what happened up there was really, well, rock and roll. There was fine musicianship, sure. A string of hits that will forever be in rotation on Classic Rock stations, absolutely. But rock and roll? Mick Fleetwood’s drum set sounded like it was run through a Garage Band “arena drum kit” filter on an iMac. Lindsay Buckinham still wears skinny jeans like a rock star boss, I’ll give him that. But where once Stevie Nicks was a mad whirling dervish on stage, we now atta-girl clapped when she did four slowwww motion turns without falling. Watching a rock show in a venue as monstrous as the United Center is akin to watching, say, a foosball match in an operating room theater. If your car stereo sounded like what was coming out of the speakers, you would turn your radio off, take it to the shop, and ask them to fix your crappy speakers.

Nope. No new stories were built atop Fleetwood Mac’s legendary structure, Thursday night. That concert was about looking at the band, and at each other, and saying,


“We are all still here. And that's awesome.”

The oeuvre of Fleetwood Mac emerged during our formative milestones: our first slow dances. The great heartbreak. Our first weddings. Some first divorces. Some second weddings. Many funerals.

But we are all still here, and that's awesome. This idea seems especially poignant in the wake of the iconic losses of recents months. It’s getting serious, guys. We have reached the age when, frankly, life is no longer to be taken for granted. These are the days of second winds and now-or-nevers. Because we are still here. And that's awesome.

Rock stars are the royal family of fantasy: what is more mystical, more mythical than a rock star? They are our collective projections of our greatest desires, set to music. So who better than the bonafide rock legends of Fleetwood Mac to play out one of the greatest fantasies of all time: that someone we love will someday come back to us.

(Now if I was a craptastic writer, then here at the bottom, I would write, "So Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow!" But I won’t. You’re welcome.)

***

That's my piece and that's my peace. Thank you for taking the time to read my silly words. It means the world. Carry on...

[Andy Man]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Chicago Now, by J.A., October 3, 2014


Rock stars are the royal family of fantasy: what is more mystical, more mythical than a rock star? They are our collective projections of our greatest desires, set to music. So who better than the bonafide rock legends of Fleetwood Mac to play out one of the greatest fantasies of all time: that someone we love will someday come back to us.

This is a beautiful passage from the review. Could be the best sentiment towards Christine's return.

[SadAngel86]

Originally Posted by Montclare

Funny, mine's a Sony Cybershot too. Just got it a couple of weeks ago.

Is it the HSC-DX50V? If so, that's the one I have.

[SadAngel86]

Originally Posted by vivfox

I loved your pics. Oddly though my favorite was the second one you took of the arena while it was still mostly empty and the lights still on.

Interesting. Why is that you're favorite?

[Montclare]

Originally Posted by SadAngel86

Is it the HSC-DX50V? If so, that's the one I have.

Nope, mine's the DSC-WX80. Yours is definitely more high tech!

[tabruns]

Originally Posted by michelej1

Chicago Now, by J.A., October 3, 2014

Rocktober Day 3: Fleetwood Mac at the United Center - a concert for the (middle) ages

I can't hold the the rope much longer in my epic tug-of-war with Denial, and the concerts I’ve attended recently are doing nothing to firm up my grip: Alanis Morissette at Caesar’s. A Go-Go’s romp at Ravinia. And last night: Fleetwood Mac. One look at my fellow concert-goers, and it is clear that it won’t be long, now, before I am pulled over the line, and must finally surrender to the truth: I am a middle-aged adult.

With tickets for last night's show starting at over $100 for seats BEHIND THE STAGE, the crowd was certainly more yoga’d and designer eyeglasses'd than the plastic beer cup crowd at Alanis' show at Caesar’s, last weekend. (You Live, You Learn, I guess) This was no low-dough show.

And nor should it be. Fleetwood Mac is a legendary rock band. This is their 35th year as a band, and they sold out the United Center. Twice. As a person whose last piece of writing was seen by 67 people, I have only mad respect for what this band has accomplished. (Stevie Nicks told a story about how, in 1969, she and Lindsay were in a band that opened for Janis….. Jimi…. So, yeah.)

For most concert-goers, the evening fell into one of two categories: either a fancy date night, or "GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT! WOOOOO!” The combined 401K wealth in the arena had to have been in the low billions. I would be willing to bet that Weight Watchers had made money off of at least 85% of the women in the room at some point in their lives: a meeting, or at the very, very least, a one month on-line susbscription. This was a crowd of women who knew their way around a point slide, myself included. That's not a judgement call. It's just a rite of passage.

For Fleetwood Mac, the night was about Christine McVie's return after a sixteen year absence. It was something the band had long ago written off as a possibility. Stevie Nicks once said about Christine’s departure: She went to England and she has never been back since 1998, so it's not really feasible, as much as we would all like to think that she'll just change her mind one day. I don't think it'll happen. We love her, so we had to let her go. (Digital Spy, 12/6/12) And last night, she was back.

I noticed that in both the flashing LED band photo that covered the entire side of the United Center, then again on the stage, Christine McVie looked less like a rock star, and more like a nice breakfast waitress from Denny’s. She moved to the beat like a wallflower aunt at a wedding: step left, feet together. Step right, feet together. She delivered the best one-liner of the night. When introduced at the beginning of the night to a thunderous ovation, Stevie Nicks jokingly asked her, “So where’ve ya been?” And Christine said: “Long story.” She thanked the crowd and the band for having her back with a sincerity that filled the arena.

So what really happened last night? What did I see? Because I don’t believe that what happened up there was really, well, rock and roll. There was fine musicianship, sure. A string of hits that will forever be in rotation on Classic Rock stations, absolutely. But rock and roll? Mick Fleetwood’s drum set sounded like it was run through a Garage Band “arena drum kit” filter on an iMac. Lindsay Buckinham still wears skinny jeans like a rock star boss, I’ll give him that. But where once Stevie Nicks was a mad whirling dervish on stage, we now atta-girl clapped when she did four slowwww motion turns without falling. Watching a rock show in a venue as monstrous as the United Center is akin to watching, say, a foosball match in an operating room theater. If your car stereo sounded like what was coming out of the speakers, you would turn your radio off, take it to the shop, and ask them to fix your crappy speakers.

Nope. No new stories were built atop Fleetwood Mac’s legendary structure, Thursday night. That concert was about looking at the band, and at each other, and saying,


“We are all still here. And that's awesome.”

The oeuvre of Fleetwood Mac emerged during our formative milestones: our first slow dances. The great heartbreak. Our first weddings. Some first divorces. Some second weddings. Many funerals.

But we are all still here, and that's awesome. This idea seems especially poignant in the wake of the iconic losses of recents months. It’s getting serious, guys. We have reached the age when, frankly, life is no longer to be taken for granted. These are the days of second winds and now-or-nevers. Because we are still here. And that's awesome.

Rock stars are the royal family of fantasy: what is more mystical, more mythical than a rock star? They are our collective projections of our greatest desires, set to music. So who better than the bonafide rock legends of Fleetwood Mac to play out one of the greatest fantasies of all time: that someone we love will someday come back to us.

(Now if I was a craptastic writer, then here at the bottom, I would write, "So Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow!" But I won’t. You’re welcome.)

***

That's my piece and that's my peace. Thank you for taking the time to read my silly words. It means the world. Carry on...

So I get the point of "we're all still here" and heartily agree with the sentiment and weight of it, but I think it's silly to say "I don't believe that what happened up there was real rock and roll". The only way for that line to be true, and it's basically alluded to in the references to the Macsters ages, is that "real rock and roll" can only be a young person's game. And I don't believe that.

[vivfox]

Originally Posted by SadAngel86

Interesting. Why is that you're favorite?

It's my favorite because I like to see the inside of arenas with the lights on.

[michelej1]

Originally Posted by tabruns

So I get the point of "we're all still here" and heartily agree with the sentiment and weight of it, but I think it's silly to say "I don't believe that what happened up there was real rock and roll". The only way for that line to be true, and it's basically alluded to in the references to the Macsters ages, is that "real rock and roll" can only be a young person's game. And I don't believe that.

I agree. If the writer meant that the concert is more pop than "rock" then I would not disagree with that conclusion, but the idea that it's not rock because of their ages (as opposed to its sound) is ridiculous.

Michele

[michelej1]

Chicago Sun Times, October 3, 2014

[very nice piano picture of Christine, click for photo]

http://entertainment.suntimes.com/mu...united-center/

BY JEFF ELBEL | FOR SUN-TIMES MEDIA

A theme of celebration was evident at the United Center Thursday night, where Fleetwood Mac performed the second date of its On with the Show tour. The trip marks Fleetwood Mac’s first with its classic ‘70s lineup since supporting 1997’s “The Dance.”

Judging by anecdotes told from the stage, the return of Christine McVie remains a happy surprise to her band mates. On Thursday, it meant that fans could again hear favorite McVie singles “You Make Loving Fun,” “Over My Head” and “Little Lies.” Hearing standout “Don’t Stop” with McVie back at the piano was another treat.

The only evidence of jitters was a false start on “Say You Love Me.” “Let’s try that again,” said McVie with a smile. The band shook off the mistake, and a supportive crowd doubled its force as backup choir. McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham savored the song’s final harmonies.

If Nicks was singing somewhat cautiously during “Rhiannon,” she soon found her voice during “Sisters of the Moon.” Nicks crafted a mysterious mood that built to fever pitch. She proved equally powerful during “Gold Dust Woman,” amplifying the drama with theatrical poses and shadows cast through a sparkling shawl. She earned an ovation for twirling steps in her billowing black dress during “Gypsy.”

John McVie appeared fit, with a clean bill of health following cancer treatment. Low-key in more ways than one, the reliable but reticent bassist provided a note-perfect and steady pulse during songs like “Tusk” and “Dreams.”

Buckingham took the spotlight for the riveting “Big Love,” a song he introduced as testament to the power and influence of change. Buckingham reveled in the energy of set closer “Go Your Own Way,” climbing Mick Fleetwood’s drum riser to bash a cymbal between strums of his guitar.

A constellation of iPhone flashlights brought Fleetwood Mac back for an encore, with former couple Buckingham and Nicks crossing the stage hand in hand. The band dug into an electrifying and bluesy “World Turning.”

Drum solos can sometimes seem like endurance tests for a rock audience. It’s a rare joy to witness one wherein the drummer seems to experience as much giddy delight as Mick Fleetwood did. He whooped and howled, coaxing the crowd in call-and-response shouts while demonstrating his singular rhythmic sensibility. Overhead cameras revealed the indulgence of his monogrammed drumheads. “A whole lot of fun,” said Fleetwood afterward.

Stevie Nicks lingered after the band’s final bow. “You guys are the dreamcatchers,” she said. “We got our dream girl back,” she added, referring to ex-retiree McVie. “I believe that somehow, it was all of us together that made her come back.”

Thursday’s set list drew exclusively from five vintage albums, looking fondly backward to recapture a particular spark. The band made clear that it’s not finished stoking that fire. Fleetwood introduced Buckingham as the man “always with an eye on the future of this band.” Buckingham himself cited the band’s new chapter. “It is going to go on for a long time and be very fruitful,” he said.

The band returns for a second show Friday night at the United Center.

[michelej1]

^ That's my take on SOTM as well, that it strikes a mysterious mood that builds to fever pitch with Stevie yelling at the end. The frantic way she gets reminds me of the old Rhiannon days, actually.

How does everyone know about the iPhone flashlight except me?? It was like everyone else in the room did it automatically by secret agreement. You don't invite me to your meetings.

Michele