Fleetwood Mac (Stevie) Defends Triple-Digit Ticket Prices

Prefixmag.com
by Jim Allen

Maybe Stevie Nicks is hoping that the less-than-favorable public response to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's recent public address will create an outcry for a new economic whiz to fill his Cabinet post. That could be why she's been displaying her razor-sharp financial acumen in the press recently.

Responding to the fact that tickets for Fleetwood Mac's upcoming tour will be going for up to $150.00, Nicks began by declaring her heartfelt desire to abjure commerce entirely, saying "We wish we didn't have to charge anything...we're performance artists." Unfortunately, it's not that simple for this humble band of multi-duodecuple Platinum-sellers, and this is where Nicks' crafty cash smarts come in. "The price of life in general is a gazillion dollars more than it was four years ago," explained Nicks, tallying time in the increments between Fleetwood Mac tours. While we don't have the official figures in front of us, we're fairly certain that Nicks' numbers are at least half a gazillion off. You know what will cost exactly the same amount as it would have four years ago, though? The peer-to-peer digital procurement of the inevitable live album from the aforementioned tour by these sympathy-inducing victims of their own fiscal times.   Just sayin'...

Bumped into Fleetwood Mac's Christine McVie

ReviewJournal.com

(exerpt of a much longer article)

Chris Isaak on his Interview with Stevie Nicks and Bumping in Christine McVie:

Isaak says Nicks normally gets marginalized in interviews by being asked things like, "Hey Stevie, are you really playing the Fun Festival? Do you really never 'stop thinking about tomorrow?' OK, we're out of time." But Isaak sat with Nicks for two-plus hours.

Isaak found out from Nicks' manager she visits hospitalized military vets. More than that, she has given them iPods. Isaak is impressed that unlike other celebrities, Nicks did all the legwork herself. She didn't get an assistant to do it. She didn't cut a deal with Apple.

"She got her credit card, went down to the store, and bought all the iPods. She took them home, laid them out on the kitchen table, filled them with music, and handed them to the guys. And none of this was in the press."

Well, until now.

Isaak already was familiar with the "genuine" musicians from Fleetwood Mac. When he first went to Paris years ago, he bumped into Fleetwood's Christine McVie. She asked how he liked Paris. He said he had been too busy to check it out. "She says, 'Get in the car.'

"I got in the backseat of a limo with Christine McVie. We drove all over Paris. And she'd roll down the window and say, 'That's the such-and-such cathedral.' And she just showed me all the sights."

Mick Fleetwood's "Blue Again" Gets North American Release Date

SET FOR RELEASE IN NORTH

AMERICA ON 429 RECORDS

New Live Album Features Original

Compositions and Classic

Fleetwood Mac Songs

PRNewswire

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Revisiting the blues-based classic songs of early Fleetwood Mac, along with completely new songs in the same style, iconic rock drummer and band co-founder Mick Fleetwood has assembled a hand-picked quartet of musicians, The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, who've created a stunning new live recording, BLUE AGAIN. Equal parts blues rave-up and loving homage to the early incarnation of Fleetwood Mac, BLUE AGAIN is a fiery blues showcase and heartfelt tribute to Fleetwood Mac who are just beginning their 40th Anniversary celebration. BLUE AGAIN will be released by the Savoy Label Group unit 429 Records, in time for the kickoff of a triumphant world wide tour on March 3rd via an exclusive package on iTunes and on CD March 17. A companion high definition DVD is scheduled for release in the summer.

Produced by Mick Fleetwood and former Fleetwood Mac member Rick Vito, BLUE AGAIN was recorded live at the Sheldon Concert Hall in St. Louis, Missouri in February of 2008 and sees him teaming up on this recording with guitarist and lead vocalist Rick Vito, bassist Lenny Castellanos and keyboardist Mark Johnstone. The immaculate recording gives the songs a vibrant, modern immediacy which transcends easy nostalgia. Says Mick: "Over my career I've been called a pop star and a rock star, yet in my inner heart, I will always be part bluesman. On my journey from blues to a life of rock 'n' roll, I've always remembered where I started." BLUE AGAIN is both an original musical tour de force and a respectful tribute to Fleetwood Mac initiated by the sole member of the band to be in every incarnation from the beginning.

Track listing for BLUE AGAIN is as follows: 1. Red Hot Gal 2. Looking For Somebody 3. Fleetwood Boogie 4. Stop Messin' Around 5. Rattlesnake Shake 6. When We Do The Lucky Devil 7. Love That Burns 8. Bayou Queen 9. Black Magic Woman 10. I Got A Hole In My Shoe 11. Shake Your Moneymaker 12. Albatross.

429 Records is a unit of the Savoy Label Group (SLG). SLG is the North American unit of CME (Columbia Music Entertainment), the oldest music company in Japan. The Savoy Label Group has evolved into a leading independent company consistently outperforming competitors in key music categories as monitored by Billboard Magazine. SLG is led by Steve Vining and CME is headed by Chairman Strauss Zelnick, founder of Zelnick Media which owns interests in and manages an array of media companies.

The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band is co-managed by Jonathan Todd, President of Sabre Entertainment and Carl Stubner, President of Sanctuary Management Group.

www.429records.com

www.slgmusicus.com

www.MickFleetwood.com

www.SabreEntertainment.net

Fleetwood Mac unleashes a barrage of opinions

With tour looming, Fleetwood Mac unleashes a barrage of opinions

The Morning Call

by: Len Righi

The members of Fleetwood Mac have been known to go their own way, and during a 94-minute teleconference today, band members offered a variety of explanations about why their first tour in four years is being called "Unleashed."

"It's unleashing the furies, unleashing us back into the universe, unleashing an amazing musical entity back into the world," said always ethereal singer Stevie Nicks. "You might have to wear your armor."

Drummer Mick Fleetwood said the tour name was inspired by a comedic "mantra" uttered before Mac live shows on an earlier tour: "Every gig before we would walk on stage, one of our guitarists had this thing he'd say, 'Unleash the hounds! Unleash the hounds!' ... I was remembering that little mantra [when coming up with the tour name] ... It's about not being restricted. ... 'This is us, let us go out and do it.' It's not really that complicated."

"Stevie [Nicks] and I had a go-round on this," said usually reticent bassist John McVie. "I don’t think there was any thought of us being stifled or held back."

The 44-city greatest-hits tour, which begins on March 1 in Pittsburgh, will stop at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia on April 15. Tickets are $49.50, $79.50 and $149.50. But people trying to buy tickets through Ticketmaster have been re-directed to a site that charges between $240 and $1,065 apiece.

When it was my turn to pose a question, I asked if the musicians if they were aware of the ticket scalping. The generally cordial exchange grew tense. Singer-guitarist Lindsey Buckingham said the practice "was a pretty typical thing," adding that "Irving Azoff was quoted in the paper as being against that" and that Azoff, who is part of Fleetwood Mac's management team, "will make sure that kind of thing didn’t happen."

Things got a little more uncomfortable with a follow-up question from a Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter. In light of the bad economy, why did Fleetwood Mac raise the top ticket price to $150, compared to $125 four years ago?

Nicks replied that touring now costs "a gazillion dollars more than four years ago." The last time out, she said, the band and its entire entourage flew in a 738 jet. This time, only band members will be flying in a Gulfstream 400 business jet becausd of fuel and rental costs. "Everybody else will be on the bus," Nicks said. "We wish we didn’t have to charge anything. I wish we could just play. ... But you can be sure that the people [being interviewed] on the phone will be making phone calls after we hang up" to find out what is going on with ticket prices.

Fleetwood said the band is "somewhat informed, but not fully informed. ... We're trying to do this the best way that makes sense for our audience. ... We are more than aware the people around us are doing their uppermost to make this a possibility."

This being Fleetwood Mac, there also was talk of the combustible personalities that have fueled both the band's music and tabloid columns. For the moment, there seems to be harmony.

"Lindsey's been in incredibly good humor since we started rehearsing on the 5th of January," Nicks reported. "When Lindsey’s in a good humor, everybody’s happy. Our only problem is that our rehersal time has been messed with a little bit" by family matters.

Added Buckingham: "Knowing that we did not succeed as well as we could have last time we did an album and tour together and on a personal level ... we have something to shoot for that is a little higher. ... We are a group of contradictions ... [but] the whole being greater than the sum of its parts."

Buckingham also said at another point, "Unity is waiting in the wings."

While the tour set list has not been finalized, "Dreams," "Go Your Own Way" and "Don’t Stop" will be performed, said Fleetwood, along with "special songs that aren’t considered massive hits but are emotionally connected with Fleetwood Mac."

Going on the road without a new album to promote "frees you up to enjoy each other as people," said Buckingham. "Let’s have a good time and value the friendships and history ... It takes the pressure off ... and allows more fun than we would normally be able to have."

In conjunction with the tour, Fleetwood Mac's Grammy-winning 1977 album, "Rumors," will be re-issued as part of a special CD/DVD boxed set with uneleased tracks recorded during the making of "Rumors," as well as a DVD with never-before-seen footage of the band.

The album reflected the turmoil of the previous two years -- Fleetwood separated from his wife Jenny; so did McVie and keyboardist-singer Christine McVie and Buckingham and Nicks, although all five remained in the band.

Asked if the re-release might re-open new wounds, Buckingham replied, "Even though we were drawing on our own experiences, I don’t believe the songs on 'Rumors' were so starkly autobiographical. ... It was three writers cross-dialoging with each other. ... The tabloid (quality) of it was only revealed to us by our audience after the fact. ... [Now] you tend to see the irony in the songs ... the heroicism we possessed. We saw ... the music had redemptive power and could be a symbol for other people. The whole struggle had a meaning to it that was symbolic."

Since its original release, "Rumors" has racked up 30 million in sales. Buckingham said he expects the re-issue will sell about 100,000 copies, "maybe."

Here are other comments on various topics

made during the interview:

Fleetwood on the possibility of recording a new Fleetwood Mac album:

"My heart believes that all will happen."

Nicks on Christine McVie's continued retirement:

"I’ve been the only girl in Fleetwood Mac since 1998, so I’m used to it now. ... But I miss Christine ... The loss of Christine as one of my best girlfriends was horrific to me ... Not a day goes by that I don’t wish she would call up and say, 'I’m back.' "

Nicks on working as a solo artist versus playing in a band:

"When you’re in a band, you’re not the boss. ... You’re part of a team. ... Do I like not being the boss? No, I really do like being the boss ... After 11 solo albums, you get used to being the boss." But she enjoys being in a band, too. "It's good to be knocked down a little like that. ... It makes you think a little more. ... It makes you humble.

Nicks on when she will record her next solo album:

"Not for a long time. When I am in one relationship, I am not in another one. ... I’m a fragile old grandmother at this point, even though I don’t have grandchildren. I need to stay focused on one thing....

Fleetwood on U2:

"They were an Irish pop band that made all the right moves ... [The group's success] makes me feel good about the music business ... because they are able to do what they do with some sense of integrity."

Nicks on whether she expected to be playing rock 'n' roll when she was 60:

"The answer to that would be yes. I joined Fleetwood Mac when I was 28. I went on tour with my normal street clothes, we didn't have any money. It was a three-month thing. I opened my suitcase and found out I had gained five pounds. I sat down and started to draw an outfit. I said to myself I am going to have a uniform I can wear it today and wear it at 60. I remember it like it was yesterday."

(Thank you to Heroes Are Hard To Find for the heads-up on this article)

Rock Star Lindsey Buckingham at Home

Elle Decor Magazine

(More Pics)

Haute bohemia meets 1920s elegance at the home of rock musician Lindsey Buckingham and his interior designer wife, Kristen.

Written by Deanna Kizis • Photographed by Simon Upton • Produced By Cynthia Frank

Anyone arriving at the Los Angeles home of Kristen and Lindsey Buckingham — of Fleetwood Mac fame — should be prepared for a boisterous family welcome. 

Son Will, 10, and daughter Leelee, 8, tumble out of a car with their tennis instructor, while an exuberant Stella, 4, greets guests wearing a red velvet holiday dress—even though it's 80 degrees—as she bosses around the three dogs. Kristen appears, herding kids and proffering coffee, all the while insisting she makes truly terrible coffee.

It's a warm introduction that befits the beckoning Norman-style house, which was built by architect Kevin A. Clark. An aficionado of period details, Kristen used legendary Hollywood architect Wallace Neff's homes of the 1920s as inspiration and kept an office on-site in a trailer during the construction. "I was here every day to answer questions," says Kristen, an interior designer. And while her approach features occasional bohemian flourishes, it's often rooted in research on historic buildings and interiors. "I wanted our house to look authentically Neff and have a feeling of quality in the surfaces, moldings, and cabinetry," she explains. She also wanted it to feel livable for her active brood. "I'm not a fan of volume," Kristen says. "Two-story entrance halls echo, and kitchens with walls knocked out for a loft effect are popular but impractical. I wanted everything to have a human scale." This philosophy is reflected throughout the five-bedroom abode, where cozy alcoves abound. The master suite includes a snug reading room, the dining room has a bar area perfect for card games, while the kitchen abuts a charming breakfast nook. And the entrance hall's winding staircase—modeled after one in decorating icon Nancy Lancaster's beloved family home in Virginia, Mirador—is striking without feeling grandiose.

Kristen's look—"a combination of traditional and edgy," as her husband calls it—and many of her own designs, are best showcased in the dining and living rooms. In the former, a Directoire-style mahogany table is surrounded by green leather chairs embossed with crests and studded with brass tacks (she is reproducing these in her new home-furnishings line). The walls are papered in Zuber's high-spirited L'Hin doustan pattern, and chandeliers lend a chic contrast to plank ceilings. Paintings and photography fill a wall behind a black-lacquer piano in the living room, while a brightly upholstered Dunbar-esque sofa echoes the vivacity of the art display. "My pieces are all very personal, and I like to layer things," she says. "And I'm not an art snob. I like what I like."

Before she became a designer, Kristen was a portrait photographer; she met her husband on an assignment 13 years ago. "I went to the studio to shoot some guy—that's who Lindsey was to me then," Kristen recalls with a laugh. "He dropped some corny line like, 'Haven't I met you before?' We had a drink and have never been apart since." Of his wife's talents, Lindsey says, "Kristen intuitively applies her sensibilities across genres. She's a gifted designer, photographer—she's even written lyrics for me." But Kristen sees their disparate professions as a plus: "I can't sing or play instruments, and he doesn't decorate. I'm convinced that's why our marriage works. That said, I love his taste and always ask his opinion."

Of course, no musician's home would be complete without a state-of-the-art recording studio. Lindsey's is located beneath the garage for soundproofing and boasts a soundboard so large it had to be lowered in with a crane. Since it is fully equipped with comfortable furniture, a bathroom, and a kitchenette, "a few guys working full days have all they need so they never have to come into the main house," Kristen says.

For a family that loves outdoor sports, there's a large, lush lawn for croquet and badminton and a pool for daily swims. "Lindsey used to be a competitive swimmer, and his late brother, Greg, was a medalist in the 1968 Olympics, so it's a sport that's close to his heart," Kristen notes. The poolhouse was inspired by an image from designer David Hicks's book My Kind of Garden. Just outside the living room is the loggia, where sun-bleached wicker chairs and a vintage Baker cocktail table supply the perfect setting for board games with the kids. Says Kristen, "We play a lot of Yahtzee. It's great to be out here and not sitting in front of the television."

Kristen even designed their master bedroom to open onto the garden—a change from the family's previous house in Bel Air. "We used to be on the second floor, very high up looking down at the city," she says. "It was a beautiful view, but it often felt kinetic and unrestful." As the sun starts to set, Kristen opens the door to the terrace from the bedroom, the sounds of her kids playing outside filling the room. "This is what we wanted—to feel connected to our surroundings."

Fleetwood Mac Pass The Torch To Radiohead

Undercover.com

Fleetwood Mac`s Lindsay Buckingham has described Radiohead`s performance at the Grammy Awards this week as a “passing of the torch”.

Radiohead performed ’15 Step’ at the Grammy Awards with the USC Marching Band. Fleetwood Mac used the USC Marching Band on their 1979 hit ‘Tusk’.

Ironically, the two bands were rehearsing last week at the same place. Fleetwood Mac were preparing for their US tour and Radiohead were rehearsing for the Awards show.

“Doctor Bartner is the guy who has been musical director for the USC Marching Band for about 40 years now,” Lindsay Buckingham said on media conference call this week. “He was the one we liaised with when we used them on ‘Tusk’. He was there rehearsing with Radiohead on an adjacent sound stage where we were rehearsing, over at Sony Studios. It is a small world”.

Lindsay loves what Radiohead is doing. “I told Art Bartner please go tell Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood how much their efforts have meant to me personally and thank them for their good work,” he said. “If that idea was inspired by ‘Tusk’ I would be quite complimented, as Mick should be because it was Mick’s idea to put them on the song. I look at that very much as the passing of the torch and an exchange of ideas. That is part of the greater function of music really”.

Fleetwood Mac will hit the road for the first time in 5 years on March 1.