(REVIEW) FLEETWOOD MAC EDMONTON "A Study In Contrast"

A study in contrasts
By MIKE ROSS, Edmonton Sun

It was the last date of this particular leg of this particular tour -- till Denmark in October -- and Fleetwood Mac didn't seem the least bit tuckered out.

It was more like one last hurrah. It was drummer Mick Fleetwood's 66th birthday last night. Perhaps that explains it.

Actually, Stevie Nicks has always seemed a bit sleepy on stage, but that's just her style, you know?

While she omitted a few high notes during the show at Rexall Place last night, her sultry, sleazy, captivating voice was largely intact.

There's no one quite like this singer. She often plays with her notes in the manner of a bored cat toying with a doomed mouse, which might be an unpleasant image to associate with such a beautiful voice, but at heart I think Stevie Nicks is a cat person. She'd understand.

Anyway, her ex Lindsay Buckingham provided most of the fireworks during the extra-long hit parade (rescheduled from a date cancelled in May).

He comes off a bit too much in love with himself, but he's such an awesome guitarist that he's entitled, don't you think?

GREY PONYTAILS

The grey ponytailed rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, meanwhile, provided an oblivious rock solid accompaniment to this rock 'n' roll study in contrasts: the laid-back Stevie vs. the fiery Lindsay, the witchy woman vs. the howling wolf, pick your metaphor.

How these two ended up together is a mystery, but they did, the tension of their relationship and ensuing break-up supposedly providing some kind of magical, creative juice that resulted in one of the finest rock records ever made, Rumours.

Would it have been the same if they hadn't split? We'll never know. Fans should be pretty sure, however, that without this colourful couple, Fleetwood Mac would've probably been just another garden variety British blues band.

The pair of frontpeople made hash of their stormy past onstage -- for our amusement, surely.

In one of his bits of canned patter, Buckingham laughingly referred to the band's "complex and convoluted emotional history." He would expand on the theme later.

You can try to read body language into it. While Nicks gave Buckingham a hug at one point -- was this, too, rehearsed? -- the two largely kept to their respective sides of the stage, and their respective musical domains, too.

At times, she also twirled like a tasselled ballerina and played air guitar during his solos. Lindsay made a lot of guitar face, sometimes howling "oh yeah!" at the end of a particularly great solo.

Like I said, it was a study in contrasts, two concerts in one, really. Buckingham got the up-tempo, high energy stuff and the blistering solos -- especially shining in songs like I Know I'm Not Wrong, Go Insane and the distinctive Big Love.

Stevie took the mellow side of the road, haunting hits like Gypsy and Rhiannon (no relation to Chris Brown's girlfriend). She was especially "sleepy" -- let's just say hypnotic -- in one of her signature songs, Landslide.

TWO-HOUR HIT PARADE

Overall, it was a two-hour-plus hit parade that was promised to contain no new music, only "songs that we love to play and I'm sure you want to hear!" Buckingham declared. (Bachman Cummings take note.)

They played a bit with the arrangements, but not so much that you'd have to play "guess that tune" after the song kicked in.

The Chain -- with huge vocals provided by a trio of backup singers who couldn't possibly replace departed singer Christine McVie (talk about complex, convoluted emotions) -- came early.

The tribal groove of Tusk had the crowd cheering with joy. The canned horns filled the arena.

There are always things to nitpick about a bunch of 60-ish millionaires touring on their laurels -- they're doing it more for money than fun, let's get real here -- but this is Fleetwood Mac.

I always say that rock stars don't become famous by accident. They're up there for a reason. They're up there because they're great.

By the two-hour mark, Buckingham was still uncorking one wild solo after another, Nicks was still in good voice -- and several different outfits -- and Mick was still banging out the beat (and that damn gong) like a champ.

You couldn't ask for more. Well, you could, but let's not get greedy.

Fleetwood Mac

IN THE SEATS

12,000 in Rexall

NOTE PERFECT

One last hurrah for the last date of the tour -- and happy birthday to Mick Fleetwood.

RATING

4 out of 5

(REVIEW) FLEETWOOD MAC EDMONTON JUNE 24th

EDMONTON — So, was it worth the wait, you ask?

BY TOM MURRAY, EDMONTON JOURNAL

Where: Rexall Place

When: Wednesday night

With multiple stories running in all media about fans distraught at last month’s postponement of Fleetwood Mac’s Edmonton date, you just knew that anticipation would be running high when they finally rescheduled — and that the band would be fully aware they had to deliver.

Well, deliver they did, with a stomping two hours plus set of hits that eschewed almost all recent material and honed in on the hits.

Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham in particular was on fire from opener Monday Morning on, playing as though his life depended on it, sizzling leads igniting The Chain and Second Hand News, vocals coming straight from the heart. His ex-girlfriend and constant foil Stevie Nicks was a step behind, a strong singer but unable to hit the notes she once did on Rhiannon and Sara, or sharing missing member Christine McVie’s Say You Love Me with Buckingham.

Even with these slight reservations it was still an at times powerful experience — made so in part by one of the greatest and oft overlooked rhythm sections in rock history, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood — with songs that could’ve been glossed over after over thirty years of constant radio and live play. It was especially impressive considering the fact that all of the interior drama that made Rumours and Tusk such fantastic albums has now dissipated over the years as the various members have reconciled with each other. And although Buckingham made a special point of noting those tensions, you could still feel those old emotions rise up on songs like Second Hand News — or maybe it was simply the combined memories of 12,000 fans as up to date on the band’s romantic entanglements as they are.

A strange, strange situation to be in — personal hurts played out for entertainment — but then that’s where the band has always excelled.

And it has to be said that while they have little competition when it comes to muscular California pop, Nicks and Buckingham also slay when the acoustic numbers come out. Buckingham started it off alone with an impassive, almost vengeful Big Love that fully deserved the near unanimous standing ovation it got, with Nicks joining him for Landslide — good, but almost a letdown in comparison.

Buckingham’s intense performance reminded that while he was lumped in with the California folk pop movement of the ‘70s he always considered himself in some ways allied with the British punks — and that Tusk, their experimental to Rumours, was meant to take the band out of formula. It never did, but a few cuts have survived into the stage show — a long version of the hit Sara, and a reserved take on Storms.

To see a group as involved in their back catalogue as Fleetwood Mac is a heartening thing — especially with so many other bands simply playing by rote. They may not be breaking new ground as they once tried, but Buckingham did acknowledge with a wink that there is something in the works — fingers crossed that playing these old classics will give us a new Rumours and not, say, Mirage.

REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac Live in Calgary 2009

Fleetwood Mac in fine form
Band hints at new album coming soon
BY LISA WILTON, CALGARY SUN

They told listeners not to look back in their 1977 hit, Don't Stop.

But last night, nothing stopped Fleetwood Mac from mining their extensive catalogue for the golden tracks that made them one of the biggest bands in the world.

Five years after they last graced the Saddledome stage, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood returned amidst the enthusiastic cheers of almost 12,000 adoring fans.

The show was rescheduled from last month, when the original concert was cancelled only hours before the band was set to hit the stage.

Not surprisingly, the near-sold-out audience was made up largely of the middle-aged set, but there was also a number of young hipsters who were equally excited to see Fleetwood Mac, despite being born about a decade after the band's chart-topping glory days.

Drummer Fleetwood was first to take the stage followed by bassist McVie.

And after a lengthy pause, singer Nicks and guitarist Buckingham walked hand-in-hand to the centre of the stage, warmly acknowledging the crowd before launching into the boogie-rock number, Monday Morning.

It was the first of more than 20 songs.

Buckingham's voice was raspy at first, but warmed up nicely as the evening progressed.

Nicks, on the other hand, was singing an octave or two lower than we're used to, but was propped up by two backing singers.

Buckingham and Nicks took turns introducing each tune with a story about how the song was written or gave insight into the band's history.

During the 1970s, the British-American quintet (fifth member Christine McVie left the band in 1998) was entangled in affairs, break-ups and drug abuse.

"We have a complex and convoluted emotional history," Buckingham explained.

That's putting it mildly.

But he said even though it hasn't been an easy ride, it's worked out in the long run.

He also hinted at a possible new album soon.

Buckingham probably knew the fans were there to hear the hits and reassured them that Fleetwood Mac were there to play them.

From McVie's exciting bass line breakdown in The Chain and Nicks' nasal drawl in Gold Dust Woman to the epic chorus of Rhiannon, the crowd had much to be happy about.

A lovely moment early in the show came courtesy of Nicks, who was clad in her trademark hippy goth wear, complete with sparkly scarves hanging off her microphone.

She told the crowd the tale of how she met her former lover Buckingham in San Francisco and how the song Gypsy was written as a way to remember her happiest times while the band was going through turmoil.

The performance of the song itself was a bit flat as were many of Nicks' numbers, but it didn't seem to matter to the devoted Stevie-ites singing along to every word.

However, Nicks' voice also seemed to improve as the show went on and by the time she got to the gorgeous ballad Landslide, she was sounding like the Stevie of old.

It was all about the music last night and therefore the band kept the stage setup simple. There were a few nifty lighting effects, but for the most part the stage was bare save for two blocks that changed colour every so often.

Buckingham was by far the most energetic of the group.

He rocked out like no time had passed and was constantly making eye contact with the front rows and giving out high fives.

He even pulled out his modest 1984 solo hit, Go Insane, which sounded fantastic. It's a very '80s song, but last night it sounded modern with a theatrical twist.

Fleetwood Mac may have been through hell to get where they are today. But their legion of Calgary fans are glad they made the journey.

LISA.WILTON@SUNMEDIA.CA

Fleetwood Mac June 23, 2009

Venue: Pengrowth Saddledome

Attendance: 12,000

Rating: 4 OUT OF 5

REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac Live in Calgary "Dilemma of the Classic Rocker"

Fleetwood Mac Live in Calgary, AB Canada at the Saddledome June 23, 2009

By Heath McCoy - CALGARY HERALD
Photograph by: Stuart Gradon, Calgary Herald

What else can you call it when an announcement from Lindsey Buckingham that his legendary band Fleetwood Mac will not be playing any new songs during the group’s Tuesday night concert at the ‘Dome draws hearty cheers throughout a crowd of 11,000 fans?

As the 59-year-old singer/guitarist told the audience early, this "Unleashed Tour" of the Mac’s is all about "having fun" with none of the pressures of selling their fans on new material. This tour is about the hits.

Which is all that classic rock fans really seem to want, for the most part — to the chagrin of many a classic rock artist, some of whom still have something to offer artistically. Based on some of their more recent work, I’d say Fleetwood Mac fits into that category. But like the Stones, The Who, Elton, you name it, few seem to care when they work the new stuff. That’s drink time, bathroom time, talk amongst yourselves time — no matter the quality of the fresh tunes.

It has to be frustrating for the artists.

To their credit though, Fleetwood Mac sidestepped the issue gracefully in Calgary, playing a set finely jammed with crowd faves.

They kicked off the show with Monday Morning, which immediately showcased the band’s great strength — that sunny California folk-pop filtered through the English blues-rock base of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.

This was followed up by a fantastic version of The Chain, which still stands as one of the Mac’s great masterpieces, Fleetwood, 62, every bit the mad pirate drummer on that one, hammering his giant gong.

One of the criticisms Fleetwood Mac often draws these days is the charge that singer and resident diva Stevie Nicks, 61, can’t deliver like she used to. It’s a valid point and that was evident enough at times, as in the rather limp version of Dreams, one of her signature tunes. Actually, it sounded as if both Nicks and Buckingham were being carried by their backup singers at certain points in the concert.

But Nicks also proved that her sultry rasp still has some life in it, most notably on beautiful versions of the acoustic ballad Landslide and her pseudo-mystical hit Gold Dust Woman.

As far as impassioned deliveries went, however, Buckingham stole the show.

On his acoustic showpiece Big Love there was no doubt as to what a fiery and incredibly underrated guitarist the man is and his vocal performance was so fevered, almost maniacally so, that you’d have thought the guy was about to explode.

Even though the Mac limited themselves to the all-classics format on this tour, it was also commendable the way the band found ways of maintaining a vibrant and fresh approach.

Dusting off hidden gems like Storms off Tusk was one means of achieving that. So too was the band’s storming version of the heavy rocker Oh Well, which goes back to Fleetwood Mac’s pre-Lindsey and Stevie days in the ‘60s when the band’s star was blues guitarist Peter Green. On this tune Buckingham again shined, his chops on the six-string absolutely fierce.

In the end, Fleetwood Mac’s Tuesday show at the ‘Dome was one with far more highs than lows, even if the sweet harmonies of departed member Christine McVie were missed throughout the evening, and certainly when the band encored with one of her tunes, Don’t Stop.

By that point though, the only thing that wasn’t stopping was the adulation, and that’s something Fleetwood Mac had earned on this night.

(REVIEW) FLEETWOOD MAC - WINNIPEG "Far More Than a Mere Nostalgia Act"

The Bottom Line Far more than a mere nostalgia act. The Mac Attack still has legs! Check 'em out!

Fleetwood Mac

MTS Centre: Winnipeg, MB Canada

June 6/09

4 out of 5

By: Rob Rheubottom

Controversy has always been part of the Fleetwood Mac legacy. In the past, sparks have flown over divorces, affairs, infighting and band break ups. Though the band’s personal escapades have mellowed with time, the current tour has not been completely devoid of storm clouds. Most recently, the band postponed 3 concerts in Calgary, Edmonton and Sacramento during the May leg of their Unleashed: Hits Tour 2009 due to undisclosed health concerns. Having driven out to Calgary specifically to see their show, only to have the show postponed at the last minute – I awaited their Winnipeg appearance with some apprehension.

But June 6 rolled around, and no cancellation was announced. At 7:45pm, I was in my seat listening to the lulling sound of crickets (in lieu of music) that emanated from the PA. The cricket sounds were relaxing, but given that there was no warm up act, and the band hit the stage a half hour late, the crickets soon became a little grating.

At 8:30pm, the lights went out; the crowd roared and the legendary Rumours line up of the group: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks (sadly without Christine McVie who stopped touring in ’98) took the stage. Though McVie and Fleetwood looked a little long in tooth, Stevie and Lindsey still looked great.

Lindsay kicked off the night with his self-penned song Monday Morning off of Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled album. His exuberance was infectious and earned the band an immediate standing ovation. The fans on the floor remained standing for the duration of the show. They kept up the momentum with the instantly recognizable track The Chain culled from their multi-platinum 1977 album Rumours, giving Buckingham a chance to show off both his vocals and lead guitar playing talents.

CONTINUE TO FULL REVIEW

THIRD LONDON DATE NOVEMBER 6TH

Third London date has been added to the UK leg of the tour.

FLEETWOOD MAC

Wembley Arena

Arena Square, Engineers Way

London, United Kingdom, HA9 0DH

Friday November 6, 2009

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