USO First Come First Serve

USO has first come, first serve tickets for tomorrow night's 6/10, Fleetwood Mac concert in Baltimore. One ticket per person. Call 410-305-0660. (via @Meadetv)

FLEETWOOD MAC PUT STORMY PAST BEHIND THEM

Baltimore Sun

By Chris Kaltenbach

Fleetwood Mac was famous in the 1970s for putting its members' personal bitterness on vinyl, but now, says vocalist Stevie Nicks (second from left), "We're having a blast."

Few rock 'n' roll bands openly displayed their internal fissures like Fleetwood Mac - or rode them to greater success.

But the hurt feelings and emotional turmoil that were poured onto vinyl for 1977's mega-platinum Rumours, still one of the best-selling records of all-time, are decades behind them now. When the band shows up at 1st Mariner Arena June 10, for one of the last stops in the "Greatest Hits Unleashed" North American tour, don't expect those kinds of sparks to fly. These days, everyone seems to be getting along swimmingly.

Being together off and on for more than three decades can do that to a band.

"We've been down this road, a long, long road, together," songwriter-guitarist Lindsay Buckingham said while promoting the tour. "In some ways, we know each other better than we know anybody else. We share things with each other that we've never shared with other people. I think we all want to dignify the road we've been down."

Adds drummer Mick Fleetwood, a wide-eyed giant of a man whose pounding drums have been a staple with the band since day one, "It's something that has not always been easy. But change and surviving that change ... is somewhat of a miracle, to tell you the truth."

For Fleetwood Mac, the road extends as far back as 1967, when some veterans of Britain's legendary John Mayall's Bluesbreakers decided to form their own group. Named for drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, Fleetwood Mac saw several members come and go before solidifying in the mid-1970s. Only Fleetwood and McVie remained from the original lineup, which now included vocalists Buckingham, his girlfriend, Stevie Nicks, and McVie's wife, Christine, who also played keyboards.

That lineup was responsible for a trio of landmark albums, including 1975's Fleetwood Mac, which established the blend of pop and blues-influenced rock that would briefly make them one of the hottest bands on Earth, and 1979's Tusk, a hodgepodge of musical styles and Buckingham's doodlings that stands as one of the decade's most daring musical experiments.

Between those albums came Rumours, made while the McVies' marriage was dissolving and Buckingham and Nicks were undergoing a not-so-amicable break-up. The result, filled with anger, yearning and some of the greatest hooks of the rock era, had sold some 40 million copies worldwide at last count.

Fleetwood Mac's lineup would continue to shuffle, with Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie all leaving and rejoining the group at various times. But it's the Rumours-era group that will be in Baltimore tomorrow (minus Christine McVie, who quit touring for good in 1998). This is the group's first tour since 2004, and the first without a new album to promote.

"We've been apart for four years, now we're back together and we're having a blast," says Nicks, who celebrated her 61st birthday last month. "Had we been working every single year for the last four years and we were going out to do yet another tour this year, we would all be going, like, 'Uh, OK.' So this makes it very, very different and we're all excited."

That excitement even extends to the idea of not having any new music to offer, of playing only their greatest hits. The band members say they're excited by the challenge of playing to audiences whose loyalties have stood the test of time. Even more, they say, they're looking forward to playing with and for one another.

"It frees you up to kind of enjoy each other a little bit more as people," Buckingham says. "The mantra is really more 'Let's just have a good time,' and value the friendships and the history that really underpins this whole experience that we've had over these years."

(VIDEO) KATHY GRIFFIN AND BETTE MIDLER CALL STEVIE

My Life On The D-List.

Kathy Griffin and Bette Midler give Stevie a call from Bette's suite at Caesars....

Kathy trying to get Grammy votes.

(REVIEW) FLEETOOD MAC IN MILWAUKEE JUNE 8TH

Fleetwood Mac keeps the classics freshMaterial might be familiar, but time hasn't hurt well-loved tunes
By Dave Tianen of the Journal Sentinel
June. 9, 2009

The classic Fleetwood Mac lineup has released exactly one album of new material in the last 21 years.

Monday night in concert at the Bradley Center, they totally ignored that one album, "Say You Will."

I seriously doubt anyone cared. The Big Mac is on the road to milk the catalog, and that is surely what the fans want. Of the 23 songs in the current set, 14 are from the two classic mid-'70s albums, "Fleetwood Mac" and "Rumours." Those are two of the classic pop rock albums of the '70s, or any other decade for that matter. It's a set list loaded with hits and classics, including "Rhiannon," "Dreams," "Gold Dust Woman," "The Chain," "Landslide," "Monday Morning," "Go Your Own Way" and "Don't Stop."

When a huge band decides to take the oldies route and work the old hits, some questions are logical. First of all, do they seem bored or just going through the motions? The answer to that would seem to be an emphatic no. If Lindsey Buckingham was bored Monday night, it was the most frenetic display of tedium I have ever seen in my life. There is also a slight freshening effect because the old Christine McVie hits have now been parceled out between Buckingham and Stevie Nicks.

Second, has the passage of time and the weight of the years compromised their ability to deliver the goods? That's a logical question. Buckingham will turn 60 on Oct. 3, and he's the youngest person in the band. Again, Buckingham is a dynamo physically. He may be the only 59-year-old guitarist on the planet who bounces when he plays.

If Buckingham is the engine and musical master behind Fleetwood Mac, Nicks was always the visual and theatrical center. That still holds true in slightly muted form. Although she still dresses in shawls and loves to strike theatrical poses on stage, Nicks isn't quite the wood sprite sex kitten of yore. We got exactly one of the old spinning moves with the arms outspread. At 60, Nicks is a little less Tinker Bell, a little more the well-preserved Witch of Eastwick.

One of the smart things they're doing on this tour, since there aren't any new songs: They're giving us something new about the old songs. In introducing "Gypsy," Nicks reminisced about the first band she shared with Buckingham and their days of opening for Santana and Janis Joplin in San Francisco. Buckingham spoke at some length about how "Big Love" became the template for the solo songs he wrote later in his career. This is a band with history, and I think it's wise to share it with the audience.

And as Buckingham acknowledged, they also have a "complex" emotional history. Those old storms seem to have quieted with the years, and at least on stage Buckingham and Nicks seemed to have reached a state of genuine warmth and affection.

One other thing came through. I'm not sure Buckingham has ever quite gotten the credit he deserves as a guitarist. For several tunes, in the second half of the set, it was just Buckingham playing behind his own voice and Nicks, and the sound never seemed withered or small.

WINNIPEG PHOTOS OF FLEETWOOD MAC

Photos by: Dan Harper photo
Slideshow

REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac Salt Lake City Mac Attack

Mac attack is back

The demise of Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" has been greatly exaggerated.

The material on the Mac's seminal album, recorded over 30 years ago during a period of intense intra-band emotional turmoil, still resonates today -- as evidenced by Wednesday's concert at EnergySolutions Arena.

With no new album to plug, Fleetwood Mac took a full lower bowl of fans -- the upper section of the arena was curtained off -- on a memorable two-and-a-half-hour journey through the band's greatest hits, with a few select album cuts thrown in for good measure.

It was no surprise then that "Rumours," the band's 1977 album that sold more than 17 million copies and spent over 130 weeks on the charts, received the greatest amount of attention in Wednesday's set, with eight songs claiming ties to that record. The album is clearly a classic and Fleetwood Mac, just as clearly, continues to breathe new life into them live.

Namesakes Mick Fleetwood (drums) and John McVie (bass) may be the historical and rhythmic backbone of Fleetwood Mac, seeing as how they are the only two constants in the band's 40-plus years history, but Lindsey Buckingham (guitars, vocals) and Stevie Nicks (vocals, tambourine and spellbound dancing) are the heart and soul. Besides the whole Buckingham/Nicks romantic dissolution that provided the lyrical fodder for many of the band's biggest hits, the pair remain the main focal point for live performances.

Buckingham and Nicks don't shy away from that connection on stage -- indeed they seem to go out of their way to play it up for the crowd. The two were the last members to take the stage Wednesday, pointedly walking out hand-in-hand to assume their positions in front -- a move they duplicated at the start of both encore segments.

In a sly nod, the band opened with "Monday Morning" -- the very first song on the 1975 album "Fleetwood Mac," which marked the debut of Buckingham and Nicks in the group. Traditional concert opener "The Chain" followed and set the tone for an enchanting evening.

For starters, it must be pointed out that Buckingham may be one of the most criminally underrated guitarists of his generation. Whether it is due to Fleetwood Mac being best known for its more pop-oriented fare or slick album production, Buckingham's guitar prowess is seriously lacking in recognition. Whatever the reason, he must be seen live to be truly appreciated.

Watching him Wednesday, it was driven home that many of his most dynamic solos do not come in quick minute bursts in the middle of songs -- where most guitarists insert their flashiest solo work -- but rather appear in extended passages that close out tunes with a building, blistering conclusion.

There was not a better example of this than "I'm So Afraid" -- which features a frenetic five-minute guitar clinic by Buckingham to close out the song. "I Know I'm Not Wrong," "Second Hand News" and "Go Your Own Way" also featured great rideout solos by Buckingham.

Besides being Buckingham's emotional foil, Nicks brings an ethereal presence to the mix with her lyrical poetry, sultry vocals and somewhat mystical stage presence and twirling dance moves. Rocking her flowing dresses, knee-high boots, various shawls and, at one point, a top hat, Nicks belted out classics like "Dreams," "Rhiannon," "Sara," "Landslide," "Gold Dust Woman" and her own hit single "Stand Back."

Buckingham and Nicks also offered extended introductions to several songs, taking the time to detail some of the history behind them. Nicks provided the most interesting intro -- for the song "Gypsy" -- by recalling the years 1963-65, when she was a teenager living in Salt Lake City. Her father's work, however, forced the family to relocate to California.

"I was devastated," Nicks told the crowd. "I really loved Salt Lake."

But California is where she met Buckingham, eventually joining his band. That band made only one road trip -- which happened to be to Salt Lake City.

"We drove in Lindsey's Skylark," Nicks said, noting that their band opened for Leon Russell and Quicksilver Messenger at the old Terrace Ballroom, and then returned to immerse itself in the vibrant San Francisco music scene. "Ten years later, I wrote this song to capture those memories."

Christine McVie (keyboard and vocals) is the one missing member of the band's core lineup, having retired in 1998. Fleetwood Mac didn't ignore her material Wednesday, performing "Say You Love Me" and "Don't Stop." On both songs, Buckingham and Nicks handled one verse each vocally, before dueting on the third verse.

A pair of album gems included "Oh Well," from 1969, and "Storms," off the experimental double album, "Tusk," the followup to "Rumours." Nicks said "Storms" had never been played live by the band before this tour.

The rocking "Go Your Own Way" closed the main set and "Silver Springs" was a great choice to end the entire evening. "Silver Springs," though it did not officially appear on "Rumours," was the B side to hit single "Go Your Own Way." It first surfaced on record with the 1997 live album, "The Dance."

There are rumblings that the band will return to the studio to work on new material once this tour is over. Fans hope those hints prove to be more than "Rumours."

Doug Fox
Daily Herald