Fleetwood Mac News

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac "THE MAC'S BACK" Brisbane, AU - NIGHT #1

The Mac's back
By: JOSHUA HOEY
Photo Gallery
WAToday

The BBC comedy The Mighty Boosh has a running joke about Fleetwood Mac's 1979 album Tusk.

And while the capacity Brisbane Entertainment Centre crowd last night was not treated to the full length of the album "in its entirety, with the pauses, as Lindsey Buckingham intended it to be heard", they did go wild for the album's title track.

The song's strange syncopations and tribal drum rhythms produced an impassioned and enthusiastic response among the crowd that was characteristic of last night's performance.

This reviewer has never seen a more rapturous Brisbane crowd.

Each song was followed by an almost overwhelming roar of applause, shouting, and cheering, and by the end of the night standing ovations had become commonplace.

Fleetwood Mac's Unleashed tour promised a two hour celebration of all the band's greatest hits.

It was exactly what fans were hoping for, and it was exactly what they got.

The band performed some of their lesser-known tracks, but classics like The Chain, Dreams, Rhiannon, Sara, Landslide, Go Your Own Way, Don't Stop and Everywhere dominated the set list.

Mick Fleetwood's recognition of Lindsey Buckingham as the band's "maestro" was apt - the lead guitarist's solo performance of Big Love roused the entire arena, impressive considering he performed it on a classical six-string guitar.

As is to be expected from a seasoned performer, Buckingham has consummate control of his craft, easily modulating between tender, mournful picking, and unimpeded, raw aggression.

But, the true star of the night was always going to be Stevie Nicks.

The band's frontwoman, dressed in her trademark shawls and gypsy dresses, enraptured fans with her performance.

Shouts of adoration and support for Nicks could be heard throughout the show.

At times Nicks slightly adapted the melodies of some tracks, but her iconic voice, with it's dark, melancholic timbre, was as powerful and compelling as ever.

Often revival tours have a certain haggard, worn atmosphere, but there was nothing of the sort at last nights performance.

And calling the tour a "revival" isn't really accurate anyway - Fleetwood Mac have never been in the need of rejuvenation.

They are, simply put, one of the greatest rock groups performing today.

PLATFORM SEATING OVER LAKE AT BOWL OF BROOKLANDS REVEALED

Gearing up for grandstand view
By MATT RILKOFF
Taranaki Daily News

THE six-year-olds of New Plymouth’s Frankley School had mixed opinions of the temporary seating platform installed for the first time over the Bowl of Brooklands lake yesterday.

Work on the much-debated platform began on Monday and should be mostly finished by today.

It adds more than 1000 premium-priced seats to the Bowl’s capacity and will be used at the weekend’s two Fleetwood Mac concerts.

Tickets on the platform cost $320 and Poppy Johnson, 6, reckoned it looked cool.

She particularly liked the light brown plastic seats, which have been used at various venues around the North Island before finding a home here.

Sophie Dempster, 6, also thought the platform looked ‘‘nice’’ but did not know who Fleetwood Mac was and neither did Harry Clegg, 6, who had other things on his mind anyway.

‘‘My friend Cooper is an alien and his parents are too and they have a spaceship under their trampoline,’’ he said, despite Sophia Longstaff, 6, telling him Cooper’s parents had just been joking.

Tina Johnson, mother of Poppy, said she was pleased with the look of the platform though suspected she was one of the few.

‘‘They think it’s against the whole spirit of the Bowl. I think it is a good way to stop the silly buggers jumping in the water and getting electrocuted,’’ she said.

Neale Kendall, the man overseeing the installation of the platform, said his company Acrow Ltd had put in temporary seating in all sorts of venues around the North Island.

However, putting them in over a lake was a first.

‘‘The boys brought up waders, had their tetanus shots, got the insect repellent and sunscreen. This is a job we didn’t want to take lightly.

‘‘We are the last link in the chain and if it doesn’t go right, unfortunately it’s my head on the block. Saying that, I’m very confident it will be OK,’’ he said.

Work on removing the platform will begin on Monday.

Brookland’s Zoo is closing at noon on Saturday and all of Sunday this weekend.

‘‘Pedestrian and vehicle traffic will be restricted before the concerts start so the zoo will be closed as well,’’ zoo spokeswoman Eve Cozzi said.

Public vehicles must be out of the zoo’s carpark by noon on Saturday to enable the Bowl’s setup to be finished by the time entry to the venue’s holding areas open at 5pm.

PHOTOS: Fleetwood Mac Live in Paris October 17, 2009

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE IN PARIS

OCTOBER 17, 2009 - LE ZENITH

Photos by: Daniel Froidevaux

Gallery | Slideshow

LIGHT PANEL THICKNESS... AM I SEEING THINGS?

Has anyone else noticed that the panels that hang above the band during their shows in Australia are considerably thinner then the ones used in the US and presumably Europe?

Check the thickness of the panels in these shots taken in Brisbane last night (especially the first photo) to the ones used in the US (last photo). I'm sure they were downsized for transport purposes to Australia/New Zealand - trying to minimize expenses. Doesn't appear to change the effect they have. Just something I noticed.... Or am I seeing things?

Photo by: helenamich