Reviews Fleetwood Mac Live in Amsterdam - May 31, 2015

Fleetwood Mac in Ziggo Dome - May 31st and June 1, 2015
lflmagazine.nl
[translated review - original at the above link]

The return of Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac appeared about three years ago as unlikely as a new album of Pink Floyd or a musical comeback of David Bowie. Or as Stevie Nicks's not so long ago expressed in an interview with Rolling Stone, "The chances of this are not hit bigger than the Earth by an asteroid." She stood in October 2013 still with her three male colleagues in the Ziggo Dome, last night Nicks shared the stage with the same room with the other women of the classic Rumours occupation. Did McVie standing adhere after more than fifteen years of absence?

Joy about the comeback of the lady who wrote so many classics and sang with Fleetwood Mac is not only visible on the faces in the audience, but also in the rest of the band. "I think we can say: she's baaack" Stevie Nicks raises some theatrical during one of the breaks between the songs. And so we are reminded tonight a couple of times on this joyous occasion. And rightly so, because this band - or at least the version of Fleetwood Mac who dominated the pop charts since the mid-seventies - is simply not complete without Christine McVie.

So too was shown when in 2013 an unimpressive ep appeared on the then reduced to a quartet Fleetwood Mac. During the first of two nights in the Ziggo Dome setlist consists therefore entirely of successes from the glory years, where McVie was responsible for. Elegant British singer looked perhaps a bit duller than Nicks, but they wrote some of the most beloved songs in the works, including Do not Stop, You Make Loving Fun and Everywhere.

On With The Show

Of course runs the On With The Show Tour not only McVie. Rarely was undersigned all such chills (positive meant, of course) during the first song of a concert and during The Chain, thanks to the combined voices of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie - all still about as powerful as the nearly twenty year-old live album The Dance, but helped by some background vocalists. In addition, attach as many as eight other songs popmijlpaal Rumours how well those turbulent times made ​​plate after all these years remains: from McVie's optimistic sounding You Make Loving Fun and an acoustic Never Going Back Again to the ominous Gold Dust Woman and singalong Go Your Own Way. And of course, win all those numbers only effective if you know what kind of history behind it.

With her witch-like dress and characteristic low, almost masculine voice remains the most iconic Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac band member. But it's her ex Lindsey Buckingham that brings the most energy and intensity, including during the almost punkish I Know I'm Not Wrong by double album Tusk (1979), a violent solo in the stunning I'm So Afraid and obviously the well-known acoustic version of Big Love. The "undress" a pop or rock song adds not always something, but Buckingham's brilliant fast guitar work and bestial vocal play make this arrangement is superior to the original.

Perfect pop songs

Big screens beside and behind the stage not only show the band in action, but also matching atmospheres. Thus we see the - for her age - young-looking Nicks in the background graceful dance in the rain. Not that the band needs these visuals, because the vibrant renditions of many perfect pop songs make Fleetwood Mac might be more exciting than ever. At most, the drum solo from Mick Fleetwood during World Turning rubs against it unnecessary to, though he and bassist John McVie also deserve their moment in the spotlight. Yet logically draws no attention to itself so as Christine McVie, who evening darkness closes with perhaps its most beautiful ballad: Songbird. At such a moment at the end of a very impressive concert you realize what the group lacked in the years of her absence. Last month I wrote in my enthusiasm that AC / DC probably show of the year was given at Gelredome, but maybe I should come back there already.