REVIEWS: Fleetwood Mac Live in Washington 4/9/13

It’s No Rumour, Fleetwood Mac Is Back
by: Diane Lyn
101.9 lite FM

What an amazing show at the Verizon Center in Washington DC Tuesday night. Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood and John Mc Vie showed us why, the album, Rumours was one of the biggest albums of all time. The first time I saw them was 1980, at the Capital Center near DC, “Tusk” was their album. I was very pleased to see this Mac, revisit “Tusk” several times Tuesday night. We heard songs from “Tusk” ( Tusk, Not That Funny, Sara, Sisters Of The Moon, etc.) performed live. Quoting Mick Fleetwood, “It has been a long time”. Every one of their classics was performed flawlessly. The group was totally in-sync, looking eternally youthful. As a hard core fan, it is hard to pick your favorite performed songs. But a couple do stand out. Stevie Nicks’ “Gypsy”, yes she twirled like she did in the famous video. Lindsay’s guitar work, amazing in “Big Love” and “I Am So Afraid”. The eternally youthful Mick Fleetwood, not missing a beat on the drums, with the backbone of John Mc Vie’s bass. Stevie and Lindsay’s, “Landslide” performance was sweet and memorable. Stevie dedicated that song to Mick Fleetwood’s children traveling with them. Stevie’s best song live, her solo work, “Stand Back”. Her standards, “Rhiannon” and “Gold Dust Woman”a crowd pleaser. Two encores finished the night with “Silver Springs” in the middle of the set. Which by the way, Stevie wrote after getting inspired during a tour in DC and spotting the road sign, Silver Spring Maryland.

As for me, my seats were in the 8th row. I have never been closer. So I waited 30 years to be there. It was fitting since this was the 35th anniversary tour of Rumours. 

GOLD DUST WOMAN (Unreal!)

Fleetwood Mac Reunites to Celebrate the 35th Anniversary of Rumours
By Matthew Winer
Monumentalnetwork

Last July, Stevie Nicks, best known as front woman for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Fleetwood Mac, appeared on "CBS This Morning" to discuss her solo career and the recent passing of former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Welch. When asked about future touring plans with Fleetwood Mac, then the subject of mass speculation, Nicks simply stated "It's the plan. Because that's what we do."

They do it well.  Four shows into their 66-date world tour, Fleetwood Mac arrived at the Verizon Center Tuesday as a band defiantly excited to be back on the road. Following a three-year hiatus, the band began their first tour since 2009 last Thursday with stops in Columbus, Philadelphia and New York before arriving in Washington, DC.

This tour celebrates the 35th anniversary of their landmark album "Rumours" (1977) featuring Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass) - both original members since 1967 - joined by Lindsey Buckingham (guitar) and Stevie Nicks (vocals), who joined Fleetwood Mac together in 1975. Despite numerous lineup changes over the years, this incarnation of the band mirrors the collective that recorded and released "Rumours," minus Christine McVie, who retired in 1998.

On Tuesday night, Fleetwood Mac fed off of the sold-out crowd’s energy from the start.  The band weaved through their eclectic repertoire as Mick Fleetwood and John McVie led the driving melodies of "Rhiannon," "Gold Dust Woman" and "Dreams," giving way to Buckingham and Nicks, who sparked lively hits "Go Your Own Way" and "Don’t Stop."

"Tusk" was an early highlight of the evening, marrying Mick Fleetwood's tribal drum beats with stunning lights and video of the USC Marching Band, whose sounds enhanced the song's bombastic melody.

Buckingham took every opportunity to show off his incredible guitar chops, highlighted by acoustic solo numbers “Big Love” and “Never Going Back Again,” and later with his electric guitar during a masterful solo on rock opus "I'm So Afraid,” which climaxed to a standing ovation.

Much of the evening centered around the long-standing relationship between Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who joined on stage for a set of acoustic numbers including “Landslide” and “Without You,” the latter of which, as Nicks explained, was originally recorded for a Buckingham-Nicks album but lost before it could be released.

“This is the music that [Mick Fleetwood] first heard – the reason why he asked Lindsey and me to join the band,” Nicks explained.

The duo joined on stage again during the encore for “Silver Springs,” a song originally intended for "Rumours," but released as a B-side to the single “Go Your Own Way” and re-released on the 1997 album “The Dance.”  Nicks and Buckingham harmonized on the haunting lyrics “Time casts a spell on you, but you won't forget me,” a line that truly spoke to the audience Tuesday night.

TUSK

SAD ANGEL - The ending of this is particularly cool... Lindsey right above Elle... Great capture!