Reviews: Fleetwood Mac Live in Kansas City and St. Louis

Reunited Fleetwood Mac put on exquisite show at Scottrade Center Friday
by Sean Derrick
Examiner.com

Fleetwood Mac concert Friday Night in Saint Louis

Fleetwood Mac, one of the greatest selling acts of all time, brought their most successful lineup back to Scottrade Center for the first time in 18 years on Friday for a stop on their “On With the Show Tour” and the resulting show was a trip down memory lane.

Longtime vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie had left the band after their successful 1997/98 “The Dance Tour” (Which played at the then named Kiel Center on November 17, 1997) to retire from touring.

While there have been many incarnations of Fleetwood Mac in their 47 year history their most popular and well-known has been with the lineup that was featured Friday night of McVie along with vocalist Stevie Nicks, vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, bassist John McVie and Founding member Mick Fleetwood on drums.

Each of the band members glowed about McVie’s return and noted that it was her 70th show back with them, bringing the band back to where they are their best.

Full review and photo gallery at Examiner.com



Fleetwood Mac dazzled a (nearly) full house at the Sprint Center last night
By Natalie Gallagher
Pitch.com

Fleetwood Mac - Sprint Center, Kansas City - Saturday, March 28, 2015

“If you would have asked me ten years ago, I never thought I’d be doing this,” Christine McVie announced to the Sprint Center audience last night, before she began “Everywhere,” her first lead song of the evening.

Photo: April Fleming

Indeed, McVie was not alone in that sentiment. The majority of Fleetwood Mac’s throbbing audience – which very nearly sold out the Sprint – had likely never dared to hope the day would come that McVie would once again be taking her place at the keyboard on stage with her former bandmates. After a 16-year absence, this joyful reunion is part of what made last night’s two-and-a-half hour show so special.

The rest was pure nostalgia, with a 22-song setlist packed with fan favorites performed with the kind of enthusiasm artists generally reserve for their freshest material. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were in fine form, the former acting as both a tireless shredder – his agile handiwork was displayed multiple times on the large screen behind the band – and gooey speechmaker. 

Full review and photo gallery at Pitch.com

Fleetwood Mac is proving no matter which way you go, sometimes you can go back again

REVIEW: A reunited Fleetwood Mac gives Sprint Center crowd a dose of nostalgia
By Timothy Finn
The Kansas City Star

Kansas City - March 28, 2015

Photo: Sprint Center - Facebook

This show ended not with a song but with two speeches. One was a short valediction from drummer Mick Fleetwood, a founder of the band, who thanked the huge crowd for its patronage, and the other from Stevie Nicks, one of its three songwriters and lead singers. She recounted the events that led to this reunion tour, which is what this show was: a reunion of this band’s most popular lineup.

Fleetwood Mac never broke up, but in 1998 Christine McVie retired, and for nearly 16 years, the band forged on. But it wasn’t the same without her. Sunday night, for the first time since 1987, the band performed in Kansas City with McVie, nearly filling the Sprint Center and delivering a show that was as rousing and satisfying as it was nostalgic and memorable.

The two-and-a-half-hour show was one steady barrage of hits, and the set list was front-loaded with favorites. The opener was encore-worthy: “The Chain,” a statement about solidarity and a song the crowd recognized from the opening heart-beat thud of Mick Fleetwood’s kick drum. They followed that with one of McVie’s signature songs, “You Make Lovin’ Fun.” Her voice isn’t as glossy or porcelain as it once was, but it handled her leads and harmonies adroitly. Next came “Dreams,” one of Nicks’ best-known songs, then “Second Hand News,” the fourth-straight song from the fabled “Rumour” album, now 38 years old.

There were many highlights. “Rhiannon,” Nicks’ trademark ballad about a Welch goddess, was one. The title track to “Tusk,” which included a sinister intro, was another. They embellished that with vocal trimmings -- some “da-da-das” that replaced the marching band’s horn section in the original. Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar wizardry was on full display during “Big Love,” which he performed solo. He and Nicks followed that with a lovely rendition of “Landslide.” By the end of that song, the two were holding hands. Then came “Never Going Back Again,” one of eight “Rumours” songs on the set list and yet another that showcased Buckingham’s considerable guitar prowess.

As an intro to “Gypsy,” Nicks told a story. Back before she was famous and wealthy, she went into a store in San Francisco called the Velvet Underground, where the clothes were too expensive for her meager budget. But it inspired her, she said, to pursue her music dreams and to one day return and buy whatever she wanted. “Follow your passion,” was the moral. They played that and “Little Lies” slightly unplugged, with Fleetwood sitting at a “cocktail kit,” as McVie called it.

Throughout the show they got support from three vocalists, a percussionist, a guitarist and keyboard player, all of whom operated in the shadows but added substantial heft to the arrangements.

The only disappointment of the evening: McVie didn’t perform “Songbird,” which was removed from the setlist several weeks ago.

The first set closed with two of Buckingham’s best. First, “I’m So Afraid,” which ended in a furious guitar solo, then “Go Your Own Way,” one of the most ebullient break-up songs ever. On that one, Nicks danced around wearing a big, black top hat. They returned for a three-song encore: “World Turning,” which featured a drum solo by Fleetwood, the ever-inspirational “Don’t Stop,” then “Silver Springs,” the band’s best-known B-side (to “Go Your Own Way”).

Then Nicks emerged and preached about McVie’s return -- at the age of 70 -- and re-dedication to a band that has persevered and sustained so much over more than 40 years: bitter romantic breakups, successful solo careers, McVie’s retirement, bassist John McVie’s battle with cancer. In 2015, Fleetwood Mac is proving no matter which way you go, sometimes you can go back again.

SETLIST:
The Chain; You Make Lovin’ Fun; Dreams; Second Hand News; Rhiannon; Everywhere; I Know I’m Not Wrong; Tusk; Sisters of the Moon; Say You Love Me; Big Love; Landslide; Never Going Back Again; Gyspy; Little Lies; Gold Dust Woman; I’m So Afraid; Go Your Own Way. Encore: World Turning; Don’t Stop; Silver Springs.