Tuesday night at the Verizon Center, Fleetwood Mac surveyed 40 years of its turbulent career, including material written by members past and present. But the concert was dominated by singer-guitarist Lindsay Buckingham, whether the quartet was excavating its origins as a late-'60s blues band or playing hits from "Rumours,'' its 30-million-selling 1977 zenith.
"Rumours'' connected to so many listeners because its raw emotions neatly contrasted the band's '70s update of California folk-rock, and because the group had three equally matched songwriters. One of them, Christine McVie, left the band in 1998, but the Mac could hardly play more than two hours without doing a couple of hers: "Say You Love Me'' arrived about two-thirds through the show, and onetime Clinton anthem "Don't Stop'' was among the encores.
Since there's "no new album... yet,'' as Buckingham announced to cheers, the group was free to mix longtime favorites with a few lesser-known numbers. Both Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks performed tunes from their solo albums, although only the former got the stage to himself. But then Buckingham held the spotlight even when the full band (plus five backing musicians) was present. While much of his guitar work was folk-style finger-picking, he strutted as an electric-blues axe hero during "Oh, Well (Part 1)'' -- a song recorded years before Buckingham joined the group.
With Mick Fleetwood's drums heavily overamplified and as many as seven voices belting the choruses, the delicacy of the group's sound was sometimes at risk. But the melodies held up just fine, Buckingham led as deftly on stage as in the studio and Nicks showed she still knows how to really work a shawl.
Not sure where your critic was sitting, but I saw this group in the early college tour days in the Uk and now that I live in washington, was so excited to see them again for the first time in eons!and I did not hear ANY problems with drums over sounding..It was an amazingly profesional and authntic performance...Nicks and Buckingham still have that magic on stage and Fleetwood has great charisma..and still has his UK accent! Christine Mcvie was missed for her numbers but the group did her songs well.
ReplyDeleteStevie Nicks continues to be an amazing role model and looked and sounded brilliant..
Great concert,wish I could travel from DC to see them again.
I've seen a lot of "super-groups" in 40 years of concert going and this was a major event. While I missed Christine, the show was wonderful with Stevie generally living up to her image.
ReplyDeleteLindsey Buckingham is certainly one of the most under-rated guitarists in the world. He may not have the speed of Al de Meola, but having seen de Meola recently, speed is not everything. Buckingham's melodies, catchy and sometimes epic riffs left me awestruck. I'd pay $150 again in a minute.
I don't know where the reviewer was sitting either, but from the floor I had a pretty good vantage point and the entire venue was standing and dancing almost the entire show! The audience was very into the band!
I've seen a lot of "super-groups" in 40 years of concert going and this was a major event. While I missed Christine, the show was wonderful with Stevie generally living up to her image.
ReplyDeleteLindsey Buckingham is certainly one of the most under-rated guitarists in the world. He may not have the speed of Al de Meola, but having seen de Meola recently, speed is not everything. Buckingham's melodies, catchy and sometimes epic riffs left me awestruck. I'd pay $150 again in a minute.
I don't know where the reviewer was sitting either, but from the floor I had a pretty good vantage point and the entire venue was standing and dancing almost the entire show! The audience was very into the band!
what was the last song that was played? we had to leave after don't stop. grrr.
ReplyDelete