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Mick Fleetwood will be a guest on The Mark Goodier Show on Smooth Radio 97.5 & 107.7 in the UK next week - 10am... Not sure of the exact date yet... Will post when I find out..
Saturday, October 31, 2009
REVIEW: FLEETWOOD MAC - Live in London October 30, 2009
Fleetwood Mac, Wembley Arena
by Joe Muggs
The Arts Desk
The first signs were good. I've been to a lot of shows by “heritage bands” in my time, but I don't think I've ever seen a crowd for a band of Fleetwood Mac's vintage that had such an even age distribution. Sure, it was heavily weighted towards the greying end of the scale, but every age group down to teens – including teens there in groups under their own steam, not just with parents – was well represented, right across class boundaries too.
But then Fleetwood Mac have always been a lot of things to a lot of people. From the bluesy 60s underground Peter Green era, through the spectacular 70s pinnacles of rock-Babylon mega-success following Green's decline and departure and the arrival of sparkly-eyed Californians Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, to the shiny pure pop of their late-80s Tango In The Night creative swansong, they covered an awful lot of ground. Everyone was hoping their setlist might suit their own tastes – in my case the Tango In The Night songs of my schooldays. Sadly they did not play this.
by Joe Muggs
The Arts Desk
The first signs were good. I've been to a lot of shows by “heritage bands” in my time, but I don't think I've ever seen a crowd for a band of Fleetwood Mac's vintage that had such an even age distribution. Sure, it was heavily weighted towards the greying end of the scale, but every age group down to teens – including teens there in groups under their own steam, not just with parents – was well represented, right across class boundaries too.
But then Fleetwood Mac have always been a lot of things to a lot of people. From the bluesy 60s underground Peter Green era, through the spectacular 70s pinnacles of rock-Babylon mega-success following Green's decline and departure and the arrival of sparkly-eyed Californians Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, to the shiny pure pop of their late-80s Tango In The Night creative swansong, they covered an awful lot of ground. Everyone was hoping their setlist might suit their own tastes – in my case the Tango In The Night songs of my schooldays. Sadly they did not play this.
On stage, the band managed the extraordinarily impressive feat for such a repeatedly split-and-reformed act of actually looking like a band. Other than the lack of Christine McVie, who has seemingly permanently retired from live performance, this was the classic 70s/80s lineup of Nicks and Buckingham out front and the founder-members' British rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (the original “Fleetwood” and “Mac”) on drums and bass behind them – plus backing vocalists and two session musician multi-instrumentalists in the wings.
Fleetwood and McVie looked rather like a multimillionaire Chas & Dave with their matching flat caps, waistcoats and beards, while Buckingham had the air of an over-dressed pervy music teacher and Nicks of a wonderfully batty goth aunt, complete with one black glove, tinsel hanging from her sleeves and a mic stand draped with witchy decorations. But somehow, among the arena lightshow and moving set decorations, despite all the history, they still looked like their relationship was musical.
And it is. From the swagger of “The Chain” (from the quintillion-selling Rumours) onward it was clear this is more than just some ageing drug casualties propped up by technology and extra staff. The 12-string guitar jangle of Tusk's “I Know I'm Not Wrong” showed how much Fleetwood Mac's work prefigured the whole of eighties alternative rock as well as the mainstream – making them the missing link between The Byrds and The Cult. “Second Hand News” was a mighty country-rock stomp, showing precisely how much the band were always connected to heartland America. And “Rhiannon” and “Sara” showed how much Nicks's voice was born to age gracefully, it's catches and cracks only made more affecting by age's emphasis.
Fleetwood and McVie looked rather like a multimillionaire Chas & Dave with their matching flat caps, waistcoats and beards, while Buckingham had the air of an over-dressed pervy music teacher and Nicks of a wonderfully batty goth aunt, complete with one black glove, tinsel hanging from her sleeves and a mic stand draped with witchy decorations. But somehow, among the arena lightshow and moving set decorations, despite all the history, they still looked like their relationship was musical.
And it is. From the swagger of “The Chain” (from the quintillion-selling Rumours) onward it was clear this is more than just some ageing drug casualties propped up by technology and extra staff. The 12-string guitar jangle of Tusk's “I Know I'm Not Wrong” showed how much Fleetwood Mac's work prefigured the whole of eighties alternative rock as well as the mainstream – making them the missing link between The Byrds and The Cult. “Second Hand News” was a mighty country-rock stomp, showing precisely how much the band were always connected to heartland America. And “Rhiannon” and “Sara” showed how much Nicks's voice was born to age gracefully, it's catches and cracks only made more affecting by age's emphasis.
Source: The Arts Desk
REVIEW: FLEETWOOD MAC - FRONT ROW AT WEMBLEY
Fleetwood Mac - London
Wembley Arena 10.30.09
The State Of The Nation UK
Review and Photos by Stephen Chapman
I am proud to announce the 200th posting on my blog! And it's a special entry from me today following one of the most amazing concert experiences I have had, last night at Wembley Arena.
Pete, Sonny and I went to see Fleetwood Mac on their Unleashed tour and had some luck in obtaining front row seats. There's nothing like watching 12,500 people fill up an arena behind you! But better news was yet to come as one of the road crew came out and asked us if we wouldn't mind standing for the show! So we positioned ourselves right on the stage - I was actually touching the stage's carpet! He said that they were happy for photographs to be taken, so I was very pleased with that.
The show itself was truly stunning with a performance to rival any band. We were standing on the Stevie Nicks' side of the stage and she was on great form. I have always been a fan of Lindsey Buckingham's guitar playing, but he blew me away and when he came to our side of the stage for a long guitar solo, he stood right in front of me - his boots were 2 inches away from my hand!
This is the 4th time I have seen Fleetwood Mac and it's by far the best performance I have seen - the choice of songs was brilliant and the sound impressive. The strange thing about being at the very front of the audience is that you don't really hear the main crowd and get the atmosphere, so this was very much about watching the band from close quarters and enjoying the professionalism and performance.
A night to remember. I hope you like these pictures...
(PHOTOS) FLEETWOOD MAC - LONDON 10.30.09
Fleetwood Mac Performing Live in Concert at
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
London, England - 30.10.09
Additional Shots HERE
Friday, October 30, 2009
(BLOGGER REVIEW) FLEETWOOD MAC
"So very bittersweet - waited so long. and so disappointed. Still had a great antagonisingly fun night singing and being me. Shame though."
Read/view the review Shootingatthescreen
REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac Live in London - Night #1 Return of the Mac
Fleetwood Mac, Wembley Arena 30 Oct 2009
I was just a little tinker when Fleetwood Mac were notching up chart success in the late 1970s and early 80s when my parents were listening to the ‘Rumours‘ album.
But having obviously passed their good taste down to me, by the time I was 10 years old I was listening to ‘Albatross‘ and ‘Dreams‘ on my then industrial size Sony walkman whilst everyone else at school was being fed on a diet of Wham!
I’ve always liked The Mac, favourites being ‘Sara‘ and ‘Gypsy’ which sometimes transport me away from the hustle and bustle of a busy tube into my own little bohemian world, through the hypnotising vocals of Stevie Nicks.
And hypnotise she did tonight, as they performed at London’s Wembley Arena on their ‘Unleashed Tour’
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