Fleetwood Mac gives spectacular farewell to Baltimore
BY JON GALLO | BALTIMORE POST EXAMINER
BY JON GALLO | BALTIMORE POST EXAMINER
Fleetwod Mac, the timeless band that has spanned more than five decades, tried to make a statement as soon as it took the Royal Farms Arena stage on Sunday night by opening with “Chain,” one if its smash hits from its 1977 blockbuster album “Rumours.”
The problem, however, was that one the most integral links in the band’s chain wasn’t there – and won’t be coming back anytime soon. Lindsey Buckingham (singer/guitarist/songwriter) was let go by his bandmates for having irreconcilable issues about the farewell tour. He was replaced with Crowded House frontman Neil Finn and Mike Campbell, lead guitarist from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Make no mistake: Buckingham’s presence was missed throughout the 21-song, two-hour performance that took the sellout crowd through a stroll down memory lane.
But also make no mistake: Even without Buckingham Fleetwood Mac put on a tremendously entertaining show in likely its last performance in an arena in first played in May 1973.
Finn seized the spotlight from the outset by singing “Chain,” a song that originally featured Buckingham on the microphone. Meanwhile, Campbell played the guitar riffs that Buckingham had made famous. Both were very good, but not the same as Buckingham.