A colorful history plays out in song

Fleetwood Mac Tour the Emotional
Road Once Again
Written by: Robyn Chelsea-Seifert
CelebrityCafe.com

A colorful history plays out in song for veteran band Fleetwood Mac.

“Somebody’s playing a song, and everybody in the room is going, that’s about me right? And of course it’s about you, but what you have to do is let that go, ‘cos if you don’t let that go, you can never play these songs for anybody.” Stevie Nicks is being pragmatic during her BBC 6 interview while reflecting on the emotional turmoil Fleetwood Mac spun into AOR gold during the 70’s and 80’s. The band was at their most prolific but privately they continued to spiral out of control. This was a band that had already experienced its lion’s share of personnel changes, losing founding members to mental instability, religious cults and alcoholism eventually adding cocaine, bed hopping and break-ups to the lyrical mix. Lindsey Buckingham confirms it was never an easy choice to leave the band nor to walk back in again and think you could pick up where you left off without some emotional baggage. But for him, what’s most important these days are the shows. “It was kind of an exercise in denial that really was the only way to get through it, you really had to put your feelings over here and get on with what needed to be done in the rest of the room,” he said. The “Unleashed” tour is Fleetwood Mac’s first in five years and represents the most successful lineup audiences have grown to love with Buckingham, Fleetwood, Nicks and John McVie. Christine McVie left the band on friendly terms after the release of the 1997 album, “The Dance.” She has since relocated to England. Dipping into four decades of songs the band won’t shy away from anything meaning no song is off limits. And the tour has been a successful one. Fans are receiving them well. They want to go back to the "Rumours" and "Fleetwood Mac" albums and relive those moments in time. That’s what fans do. It’s clear the band has not resolved any of the personal issues that eat away at them. But the love of what they’ve accomplished and playing live remind them to keep it together and keep it professional. So far so good.

REMINDERS... THIS WEEK ON BBC FOUR (FLEETWOOD MAC TRIPLE PLAY)

Millions watched the BBC in the UK when Fleetwood Mac's new documentary "Don't Stop" first aired last week.  If you missed the show on TV the first time round - this Friday and Saturday the show is being rebroadcast on BBC Four... It's a really well done doc with all new interviews from the current band members and includes loads of old footage.  The documentary focusing mainly on the Rumours era members but also pays respect to members leading up to the Rumours era.... On Friday it's back to back documentaries with Rock Family Trees following - which is also really good...

Triple

FLEETWOOD MAC

Feature

this Friday and Saturday

November 6/7th

on BBC Four

Friday:

21:00 - Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop Documentary

One of the biggest selling bands of all time are back on the road. This is their story, told in their own words.

22:00 - Rock Family Trees - Documentary

The career of Fleetwood Mac, famous for their complicated inter-band relationships as well as their music.

Saturday:

00:45 - Peter Green: Man of the World - Documentary

The story of the blues performer who found fame in the 1960s as the lead guitarist of Fleetwood Mac, but left the public stage for years as he battled drug addiction and mental illness. Featuring archive footage and interviews with Noel Gallagher, Carlos Santana, his former bandmates and the musician himself.

02:25 - Fleetwood Mac - Don't Stop - Documentary

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(BLOGGER REVIEW) FLEETWOOD MAC - LONDON (2 NIGHTS)

TWO NIGHTS OF FLEETWOOD MAC AT WEMBLEY
Wembley Arena, 30 & 31 October 2009
Trackaghost

"When I was 14 my Dad took me to see Stevie Nicks, on her one lone UK tour, as a birthday present. I was madly obsessed with her and Fleetwood Mac at the time having discovered the band two years earlier when their album Tango In The Night broke big. Even though our seats were terrible, and by all accounts it was one of her least impressive tours voice- and energy-wise, it was a magical evening for me and started what would be a lifelong passion for music, concerts and, of course, anything Fleetwood Mac."

Continue for the full review

REVIEW: FLEETWOOD MAC - BIRMINGHAM, UK

Review:

Fleetwood Mac, at the NIA, Birmingham

By Andy Coleman

BirminghamPost.net

It is rare for a rumbling bass guitar riff to get one of the biggest cheers at a concert but it happened when John McVie played those famous notes of The Chain, introduced to a whole new audience thanks to its use as the theme tune to TV’s Grand Prix racing coverage.

And, just like an F1 car, Fleetwood Mac got off to a flying start as they took the audience on a Greatest Hits trip. The Chain, the second track of a 22-song set, was followed by Dreams and a rockin’ I Know I’m Not Wrong.

Frontman Lindsey Buckingham explained: “We’ve got no new album to sell so we’ve decided to do the songs we love – and we hope you love them too.”While 60-year-old Lindsey provided the hard-edged rock ‘n’ roll, former girlfriend Stevie Nicks, a year his senior, enchanted with her more ethereal tunes.

Rhiannon and Gold Dust Woman were highlights of the two-hour 20-minute show, while at the end of Sara, Nicks and Buckingham hugged, a sign that time has healed the rift between them.

The duo may be in the spotlight at the front but the power is at the back of the stage in the shape of 63-year-old McVie and towering 62-year-old drummer Mick Fleetwood, who provided the muscular rhythm for another show-stopper, the mighty Tusk.

When it comes to guitar maestros, however, it’s hard to top Buckingham who played a blistering solo at the end of I’m So Afraid.

He had the stage to himself for Big Love, a song, he explained, that was written as an ensemble piece but has evolved into a solo performance.

Drummer Fleetwood encored with a madcap solo before a rip-roaring finish of Don’t Stop which had the sold out crowd singing along.

The Mac are well and truly back.

REVIEW: FLEETWOOD MAC - BIRMINGHAM "Stevie Nicks still knows how to have a good flail and wail, too"

Review: Fleetwood Mac, Birmingham NIA
Nottingham.co.uk
by: Michael Greenwell

MIDDLE aged rocking is something of an art and Lindsey Buckingham has it down to a tee.

The Fleetwood Mac frontman still has the legendary guitar skills that first caught the eye of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie in the seventies, while strutting his stuff within appropriate bounds.

Stevie Nicks still knows how to have a good flail and wail, too.

I had doubts about this show if truth be told and especially after a rather pedestrian version of The Chain early on.

Buckingham, along with Stevie Nicks, also murdered Dreams shortly after, both opting for a more rock flavoured vocal on the classic tale of lost love and relationship breakdown.

But as this Brum gig progressed ("I love yao", shouted one rocker), their voices softened, with Nicks soon finding the ethereal vocal qualities which have endeared her to fans for decades.

Buckingham also began to harmonise well in his pained and emotional tones, which lay bare the torment of this famous couple, most evident on the classic album Rumours.

As the band indulged in offerings from the Tusk album, the chemistry between Nicks and Buckingham began to delight the crowd.

Sara, one of the highlights of the entire show, finished with the pair embracing before Nicks walked off stage, much to the delight of the capacity crowd.

Landslide was one of her personal highlights, sitting well in the set and featuring just Buckingham on acoustic guitar to accompany.

The classic jam Tusk had people bopping in the aisles with the band's jerky movements and shadows heightened by a fine visual show.

Other highlights included Gold Dust Woman, with Fleetwood on drums setting the perfect dreamy mood, while changing sticks to bang on a large gong behind his kit.

Fans of the bluesier side of Fleetwood Mac were not disappointed either and it was at these junctures that the audience were treated to the truly expansive playing of Buckingham.

Throughout the night, the "backbone" of Fleetwood Mac (Mick and John on drums and bass respectively) showed just how crucial they are to the sound too and their accomplished playing was just as awe inspiring as Buckingham's lead or Nicks' vocals.

By the time Go Your Own Way and Don't Stop had finished, the Mac were left to soak up the adulation after an accomplished performance.

They still have enough of the magic in their music, even if their looks and enigma have faded slightly over time.