Review: Fleetwood Mac rocks Long Island, tours the U.S.

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE

WANTAGH, NY - JONES BEACH

JUNE 22, 2013 

The band’s summer tour of classic rock and roll continues
Erika Norton | Echo

Between festivals like Bonaroo and Firefly, to country-wide and world tours from artists such as Bruno Mars and the Dave Matthews Band, summer is overflowing with smash-hit concerts for every musical taste.

Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands on tour this summer, and The Echo was onsite during the group’s stop at the Nikon Jones Beach Theater in New York on June 22.

With a full moon overhead, the lead singers Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham sang classic hit after hit.

Skyrocketing to rock and roll fame in the 1970’s with their Grammy-winning album Rumours, songs from the legendary album were featured heavily throughout the night. Nicks, who penned many of the hits from the album, kept to her gypsy persona, dancing across the stage wearing platform boots, flowy skirts and a top hat.

As she welcomed the audience to the show she exclaimed, “Let’s get this party started!” and began singing the band’s number one hit, “Dreams.” The amphitheater, which is located on a beach, gave lyrics such as “drowning in the sea of love” new meaning.

Some highlights of the night included Nicks’ and Lindsey Buckingham’s acoustic duet of “Landslide,” a song many artists have covered over the years due to its cross-generational lyrics. As the giant screen behind the stage sparkled with twinkling lights, Nicks and Buckingham’s famous chemistry exploded onstage.

Nicks and Buckingham surprised superfans with “Without You,” a song written before they were asked to join the band. Nicks’ enthusiasts got their fill as well, with hits written for the band such as “Rhiannon,” “Gypsy” and a rousing rendition of “Stand Back” from her solo career.

Buckingham showcased his unique plucking style of guitar playing with solos during “Go Your Own Way,” even wiping out onstage during his solo in “I’m So Afraid.” Thankfully he got right back up and kept shredding on his axe.

As Buckingham explained some of the meaning behind his lyrics, he spoke about the importance of transition.

“We need illusions to dream, but we need to discard some illusions to grow,” he said.

Mick Fleetwood, drummer and original founder of the band, showed he hasn’t lost his touch despite turning 66 years old on Monday. In between the first of two encores, Fleetwood, sitting on what the band has dubbed “his throne,” went into an impressive drum solo.

Despite the absence of Christine McVie, songwriter of “Don’t Stop” and former piano player for the band, the song still had the same energy as ever, turning into a giant audience sing-along.

The Mac still had one more trick up their sleeves. “Silver Springs,” a Nicks song originally intended for the Rumours album, has become a crowd favorite and was the second-to-last encore.

Before the band closed with “Say Goodbye,” Nicks left the audience with some parting words.

“You guys are the dreamcatchers,” she said. “I wish you love, I wish you happiness, and I wish you catch all your dreams in that dreamcatcher.”

Fleetwood Mac’s next two tour stops are the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC and the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

A ‘Landslide’ of Appreciation: Stevie Nicks Thanks New York Mag’s Jada Yuan

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke
New York Observer

When New York magazine reporter Jada Yuan went to see Stevie Nicks at Jones Beach last weekend, she got more than a concert T-shirt. During the show, Ms. Nicks dedicated “Landslide” to the journalist, who had recently written a profile of the singer. (Read Article)

“I would like to dedicate this song to a girl, a lady. Her name is Jada and she wrote the most beautiful article about me,” the Fleetwood Mac singer said.

“She got something that nobody that has ever written about me before has ever gotten,” continued Ms. Nicks. “And I just wanted to tell her how much I appreciate that.”

“I’ll never, ever forget it. Her name is Jada, and I want to thank her so much.”

Ms. Yuan, who was in the audience, was stunned. “I cried through the whole song and don’t even remember at least the next five,” Ms. Yuan told OTR.

Weeping, even without having Ms. Nicks dedicate the song to you, is apparently a common reaction to “Landslide.”

In the profile, which ran in the June 17 issue of New York, Ms. Yuan wrote of the song: “Chances are, you or someone next to you was weeping during ‘Landslide,’ with that chorus you might casually dismiss as cliché until you find yourself singing it in unison with 15,000 fans: ‘Time makes you bolder / Children get older / I’m getting older, too.’”

Ms. Yuan spent about four months working on the 5,823-word feature and saw multiple concerts. Most profile writers say that after spending so long with a subject—during both the interview and the writing process—the illusion of familiarity often fades once the piece is published.

“Anyone who writes profiles knows you end up spending a lot more time with the subject than they do with you,” Ms. Yuan said. “For them, it’s an hour or two out of their lives, but you spend days or weeks with this person rattling around in your head, and you can get pretty invested and then never hear from them again.

“It’s rare to get any feedback, let alone that they thought you got it right. So to hear it from Stevie Nicks, who’s such a beautiful writer herself, was a really special honor.”

Ms. Yuan, who was at the concert with a friend, went backstage afterward and got to follow up in person with the singer.

While the mandate of a magazine profile isn’t to please the subject, Ms. Yuan’s article wasn’t a puff piece by any means—it tackled Ms. Nicks’ battles with drugs, her weight and relationships.

The singer’s honesty about her struggles is one reason she has so many fans. Her gracious reponse to the article, said Ms. Yuan, “says a lot more about Stevie than it does about me.”

Video below (be prepared to have the song stuck in your head for at least 24 hours):

Landslide:

Buckingham and Nicks finally achieved what they wanted with their 1973 debut album

Live Review: Fleetwood Mac, Jones Beach, NY, 6/22/13
By Larry Jaffee
Rocks Back Pages

The last time I saw a Fleetwood Mac concert was in 1979 on the heels of the last album of theirs that really mattered to me: Tusk, which for my money endures even more than the blockbuster Rumours.

Back then I was privileged to attend the band’s press conference that November at Manhattan’s St. Regis Hotel. Business matters, such as the then relatively high list price of $15.98 for the double album and why the album took so long to complete, dominated the proceedings. In response to the rumors that the bandmembers were on the verge of breaking up, bassist John McVie refuted that they were about to pack it in: “We’re doing all right, but I don’t see Fleetwood Mac in wheelchairs playing ‘Rhiannon.’”

Although the core don’t act their age (McVie, 68; Fleetwood, 66; Nicks, 65; and Buckingham, 64 this October), who thought that the Rolling Stones would be still be on the road?

Christine McVie was not at that 1979 press conference, nor is she on the current 49-date U.S. leg  of the tour wrapping up July 6, although she might very well “say hello” at two of the band’s O2 London dates in late September, Mick Fleetwood told some privy Live Nation fans who sprung for the VIP deluxe package.

The lanky drummer invited the fans to join him up on the stage at this meet-and-greet, and offered some tidbits, such as Charlie Watts is his favorite drummer, and the Rolling Stones would have been his dream band to join. He also is amazed how Charlie doesn’t appear to sweat while playing  a show. Fleetwood noted rather enviously that his good mate in Maui, Steven Tyler, is the same age as him.

More importantly, Fleetwood waxed poetically about how touching it has been on this latest tour from his vantage point, the drum kit perch, to watch the former high school sweethearts Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks bring out the best in each other musically, and leave their stormy past behind.

Fleetwood’s observation was evident on stage once the show started: they shared a genuine affection, and I’m hedging a guess that probably wasn’t the case during previous reunions, the most recent being 2009. This was most apparent when Nicks started rambling between songs about how they were asked to join Fleetwood Mac, and she asked Buckingham if she got the story right? He pointed out that she left out a key element to the story: Fleetwood called Buckingham to be their guitarist, and it was Lindsey who said the two of them were a package deal.

Stevie offered a belated thank you to her former boyfriend for insisting that they “take your hippie girlfriend too.” Nicks, wanting John McVie not be the forgotten man, said the bass player suggested back in ’75 gruffly that they “keep the girl.” And the rest is history, as they say.

The sound crew joked to me that they time Stevie’s story, which is repeated at every date on the current tour, and over 7 minutes it fell short of the previous record in Boston the night before. And yes, it all appeared to be a bit orchestrated, and in fact, the set list hadn’t changed since April show to show.

Musically, the band was in fine form during the 2 hour, 40-minute concert, particularly Buckingham’s cathartic acoustic guitar workout on “Big Love” and then again electric on “I’m So Afraid.” Nicks hit her high notes on “Sara” and “Gypsy.”

Playing a few songs from Tusk, including a punked-up “Not So Funny” and the percussion-heavy title track, Buckingham talked about how he would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to get the record company’s reaction to the album when they were expecting Rumours II. Knowing that the music holds up three decades later, he clearly feels vindicated.

Buckingham also made a point of noting that when they decided to go back on the road they felt it necessary to make some new music, and how proud they were of their recently released four-song EP. Two songs made it into the set, and while pleasant enough, it’s unlikely they’ll join the ranks of the FM hits.

A few times the audience was aware of Christine McVie’s missing harmony vocal, particularly on “World Turning.”

And then it hit me, with her out of the band – which has been the case since 1998 – Buckingham and Nicks finally achieved what they wanted with their 1973 debut album before they joined Fleetwood Mac: showcase their own songs, with a tight rhythm section, without having to share the limelight with another quality songwriter.

No doubt Buckingham’s conundrum is his consistently great solo records generally can’t get him arrested, and in concert the solo act is relegated to theaters. Nicks is still an arena draw, although perhaps her records don’t sell as well as they should either.

The only catch is that they must use the “Fleetwood Mac” brand to bring in the punters.

Lindsey Buckingham takes agility to a whole new level during Fleetwood Mac Jones Beach show

The Brooklyn Vegan website posted an amazing assortment of photos, like the one above by Photographer Greg Cristman, of last nights Jones Beach show.  The photos are captures from through out the show and what's really great to see are really great shots taken during the entire show!  Whether Greg was granted permission or not I'm not sure but over the course of this tour, professional photographers have been limited to taking photos of the band only during the first 3 songs of the night and from the soundboard area - hence the reason all the photos kind of look the same from each tour stop. These are a prime example of the missed moments not captured by professionals of the band in each city.  They should change that policy!  

Check out the Brooklyn Vegan site for more of Greg's work.

Also, according to Greg C. all those photos on the Brooklyn Vegan site, and possibly more, will be uploaded to his flickr page on July 6th after the exclusivity deal with Brooklyn Vegan expires.  He also indicates his photos will also be for sale.

LINDSEY BUCKINGHAM:
HE'S DOWN.... NOPE HE'S UP!

Photo by Amy Weisel

If you blinked last night at Jones Beach you may have missed it during all the excitement of "So Afraid", but Lindsey actually wiped out right near the end of the song just after hitting one of his foot pedals.  He likely was caught with the cord right behind him.  Reminds me of the time in Vancouver back in either 2006 or 2008 during his solo show, he kind of did the exact same thing, was backing up near the end of a tune and dropped to the ground, feet in the air... all the while still playing.  It happened in a split second and if your head was turned the other way for just a moment, you would have missed it.  He survived that and survived this as evident in the video below.

SO AFRAID

Here's more great video from last nights show:

LANDSLIDE: 
Dedicated to Jada Yuan who wrote the awesome "Stevie Nicks, the Fairy Godmother of Rock" ariticle in New York Magazine a few weeks ago.  If you haven't read it, check it out now here.

And also to Doug Morris, the President of Atlantic Records (back in the day) When Stevie first signed her solo recording career contract prior to releasing Bella Donna.

SARA

Below photos by Sara @SteviesSara... Thanks Sara!

PHOTOS | VIDEOS: Fleetwood Mac Live at Jones Beach Theater June 22, 2013

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE

WANTAGH, NY - JONES BEACH

JUNE 22, 2013

On a warm breezy night, Fleetwood Mac's Live 2013 tour made a stop at Wantagh's Nikon at Jones Beach Theater Saturday night and played to a sell out crowd. The Band opened with Second Hand News and rolled right into Chain and Dreams much to the delight of the enthusiastic crowd. The concert featured a healthy dose of songs from the album Rumors that came off fresh despite more than 35 years of heavy radio rotation.

Andrew J Hyatt - View More Photos

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THE CHAIN
DREAMS
RHIANNON
LANDSLIDE