The legendary band talks to USA Weekend about Christine McVie's surprise return and their new tour.
USA Today (Sept 26-28)
Fall's hottest tour: Classic Mac is back!
Christine McVie's return sets the stage for fall's hottest tour
Edna Gundersen
USA WEEKEND
"I feel like a lemming going over the cliff with the parachute not quite open," Christine McVie says about her surprise return to Fleetwood Mac after a 15-year absence.
With the fan-favorite singer and keyboardist back on board, the storied band's classic lineup is together once more and will be able to unpack its full range of hits when the On With The Show tour kicks off Tuesday in Minneapolis. It's the first tour by this stellar cast since 1997.
Despite her initial trepidation, "it was the right decision," says McVie, 71. "The feedback from the public is thrilling. I'm looking forward to the camaraderie, the audience, the noise. I'm not looking forward to the packing and unpacking."
Although McVie and singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham have written and recorded new songs, Fleetwood Mac is taking to the road without a new album.
"The validity of the tour comes from the fact that Christine is back and we're revisiting the full body of work from the three writers (McVie, Buckingham, Stevie Nicks) in a way we haven't done for many years," says Buckingham, 64. "The only song of hers we did without her (on past tours) was Don't Stop, as an encore. For this tour, 90% of the set list is a no-brainer.
In August, the band — including bassist John McVie, Christine's ex-husband, who had been battling cancer — convened in Los Angeles to rehearse and cherry-pick its fat catalog for a career-spanning set list. Fans can expect a few rarities and surprises atop a bedrock of 10 or 11 landmarks, including Rhiannon, The Chain, Go Your Own Way, Big Love, Stand Back and McVie's Say You Love Me, Little Lies and Hold Me.
Fleetwood Mac certainly didn't suffer without McVie: The band ranked 10th in Billboard's tally of music moneymakers last year with earnings of $19.1 million. "We spent 15 years making Fleetwood Mac relevant without her," Nicks says. "But with her, we were a force of nature."
Nicks recalls her reaction last year when she heard from Christine McVie while vacationing at a monastery on Italy's Amalfi coast: "I get a call from Chris, saying, 'How would you feel if I decided to come back to the band?' I'm like, 'Seriously? Have you just downed a bottle of wine?'
"When she left in 1998, she said, 'I don't want this. I don't want to fly anymore. I'm having panic attacks. I'm too old. I'm too tired. I am done.' I knew there was no way we could change her mind. As the years went by, when people asked me about her, I said the world would fly off its orbit before Chris would rejoin the band."
"It's been quite profound and painless," McVie says of her return to the fold. "I left to go chill in the English countryside. I realized it was not what I wanted in the end. It was boring. This is where I belong. I'm starting to live again."
Hold me!!! Now I am getting excited, this was not played on the dance reunion!!!
ReplyDeleteI would pack and unpack for Christine! Just sayin tour and Mac and a job sweet.
ReplyDeleteThe haven't played "Little Lies since the 1990, which means Lindsey has never performed it in concert. I would love it if they would do one of the new Christine/Lindsey songs, but I doubt they will. And that photo from Rolling Stone with the songs listed looked like the had "Sisters Of The Mono" on it. That song used to sound wonderful back in the day with Lindsey's blistering guitars, but last year it sounded pretty tired on stage. I would have preferred if they did "Angel", or even better "Fireflies" or "Straight Back", neither of which they've never done in concert.
ReplyDeleteBut whatever they choose to do will be great. To have all five of them back together is a dream come true. If they then tour Europe and Australia after the US, they then may decide to do the US one more time again, in 2015 or 2016. And let's hope the new CD happens. Then that may be it for Fleetwood Mac as we know them. At least they will finish their long wonderful career on top and with all their fans sill in love with them. There will never be anyone like them again. The four playing musicians are each the best at their instruments of anyone in rock and Stevie, Lindsey and Christine's three voices blend together like no other singers in the history of rock. God blessed the world with Fleetwood Mac and between all their tours and all of Stevie's solo tours we have been so lucky to be able to see them live so many of the last 40 years. They have added to all our lives so much joy and happiness.