STEVIE NICKS COVERED BY UMBRELLAS ARRIVING IN NEW PLYMOUTH

Fans deflated by Fleetwood Mac's arrival
Taranaki Daily News

Only a handful of fans turned up to see Fleetwood Mac arrive in New Plymouth on Saturday and most went away slightly deflated.

Drummer Mick Fleetwood managed a popular wave or two but Stevie Nicks, arguably the most loved of them all, left her devotees devastated.

From the door of the plane to the door of her waiting car she was covered from all angles by umbrellas.

"You're not the bloody Queen, Stevie," yelled someone in the crowd.

The diva even shielded her face as she sped past the small group of fans, allegedly heading straight to the Bowl of Brooklands where the band performed that night and the next.

In contrast to the antics of Nicks, skinny legged guitarist Lindsey Buckingham casually sauntered down the steps to his waiting car and most people seem to mistake bassist John McVie for someone's lost grandfather.

New Plymouth woman and prize-winning gardener Denise Wood had been drinking a cup of coffee when she "realised" the band would be arriving at 4pm and made her way to the airport.

Her guess was bang on the money and it had nothing to do with women's intuition.

"I get messages from a higher power, dear," she said.

Fleetwood Mac volunteer Maree Atkinson left a muffin reheating in the microwave to run out and see the band.

Having been at the airport all day helping visitors with directions she had been through a few false alarms before they finally arrived in a white Whisper Jet marked ZK-ECO.

The four stars and a hefty gang of support crew were whisked out of the airport in a motorcade of four silver Mercedes S-class sedans, three Toyota Estimas and one Previa. At the front was New Plymouth mayor Peter Tennent's new Porsche Cayenne, lent to the group for the big arrival.

REVIEW FLEETWOOD MAC NEW PLYMOUTH NEW ZEALAND

Fleetwood Mac belt out the hits in New Plymouth
Stuff.co.nz
By MATT RILKOFF - Taranaki Daily News

Just as the rain kept falling the hits kept coming at Fleetwood Mac's sold out New Plymouth concert last night.

Unashamedly playing their most popular songs the supergroup had taken to the stage 15 minutes earlier than scheduled and managed to avoid the rain for that long.

The heaving crowd of nearly 18,000, one of the biggest ever seen at the Bowl of Brooklands venue, took the weather in their stride and let out a roar of approval to the opening lines of The Chain, the second song of the set.

"Well it's taken us a long time to get back here. I think it's been 25 years,'' said singer Stevie Nicks. "That being said I think we should just get this party started."

But it already was.

The hits Rhiannon, Landslide and Go Your Own Way kept adding to a thrilling momentum that threatened to derail in a tangled mess of middle-aged dance moves by the time Don't Stop was played as the second encore song.

The gig, which was the first of only two New Zealand concerts and the last in a 10 month world tour, pulled in people from all over the country.

More than half of the crowd in New Plymouth for the night had travelled there from outside of Taranaki.

Accommodation in the city had been booked out for months and despite hundreds of locals putting up visitors in their spare rooms and garages, many concert goers spent the night in their cars.

Others like Andy Blair of Taupo had no other choice but to drive home when the show finished at 10.30pm last night.

"It was worth it though,'' she said.

Drummer and founding member Mick Fleetwood gave the fans two pieces of advice to take away.

"Take care of yourself and more importantly take care and be kind to those around you in this crazy world we live in. We love you and remember the Mac will be back'' he said.

MORE NEW PLYMOUTH REVIEWS HERE

FLEETWOOD MAC ROCKS... MICK FLEETWOOD INTERVIEWED BY TVNZ

Fleetwood Mac Rocks On
TVNZ
By Jack Tame
Watch The 13 Minute Interview

It's hard to keep up with Fleetwood Mac.

For their quick fire Kiwi visit they flew to New Plymouth in their own chartered jet (Evidently Jetstar doesn't feature among the considerations of international rockstars...)

At all times of course, their security remained ever-close and their band management were ever-managing.

It's 29 years since Fleetwood Mac last played a New Zealand gig.

I'm sure many of the Fleetwood fans who trekked to the Taranaki shows didn't even exist in 1980, let alone listen to Stevie Nicks.

It's not that the band hasn't toured, or hasn't played music together& just that New Zealand hasn't featured among their plans.

Still, when you consider Fleetwood Mac's journey in a slightly wider sense, it's incredible they made it here at all.

It's been a drama from day one.

Fleetwood Mac formed in England in 1967, strictly playing blues.

Since then they've survived through drug addiction, toxic inter-band love scandals, and repeated changes to their line up.

It's hard to keep up with the different guitarists they've been through.

One guitarist over did things while taking LSD and simply disappeared for several years, another was kicked out after developing relations with Mick Fleetwood's wife, and another just walked off one day and joined a religious cult.

Over time, the music's changed almost as much as the line-up, but somehow, through it all, Mick Fleetwood has stayed.

He's kept drumming, the band's kept playing, and Fleetwood Mac has kept selling.

As he approaches 63 years of age, Mick Fleetwood accepts he's an ageing rocker.

But with good health, good band relationships - and most importantly good sales - Fleetwood Mac's next New Zealand gig shouldn't be so far away.

(VIDEO / PHOTO) FLEETWOOD MAC IN FULL SWING NEW PLYMOUTH

A massive crowd Saturday Night at The Bowl of Brooklands

(in the rain no less)

The first of two shows in New Plymouth, New Zealand

Go Your Own Way

Photo by: TommyB8S

MICK FLEETWOOD VIDEO INTERVIEW - FLEETWOOD MAC HIT NEW PLYMOUTH

Fleetwood Mac hit
New Plymouth
Source: ONE News

Watch The Video

Fleetwood Mac took to the stage at New Plymouth's bowl of Brooklands on Saturday night in the first of their two sold-out concerts.

At 62 Mick Fleetwood is savouring the finer things in life such as the adoration of 17,000 fans watching him perform.

"This is a real book marker in Fleetwood Mac's history, coming back here. I hope we make it through the gig," he said before the concert.

The last time Fleetwood and his band were welcomed for a Kiwi concert was back in 1980 but the band is still playing music and still touring the world.

Fleetwood has now spent over 40 years in showbiz as it was 1967 when he first drummed for the original Fleetwood Mac.

As they have wracked up their hits the group has battled through arguments, drug addiction and about six or seven different guitarists.

Through it all Fleetwood Mac still sells. Tickets to the New Plymouth concerts were sold out and the best of album has spent weeks in the New Zealand charts.

With younger generations of fans these days Fleetwood says the band's next Kiwi concert will not be such a long wait.

Fleetwood Mac's Big Mick
By David Farrier
3News

3News Video

Full Interview with Mick Fleetwood
Watch The 20 Minute Video Interview

Fleetwood Mac are on of music’s iconic bands.

Formed in 1967 in London, they have seen numerous line-up changes – beginning as a straight Blues band, they morphed into a more pop-oriented group.

The man behind the helm is Mick Fleetwood.

It has been 29 years since Fleetwood Mac played in New Zealand; their drummer and namesake now an impressive 63-years-old.

Fast forward nearly three decades, and Mick Fleetwood is glad to be back, aware that after all the drugs and inter-band relationships between Lindsay, Mick and Stevie – they are lucky to be around.

“Yeah, the passion or desperation, or the fear factor,” says Mick about what has kept the group together.

“No, it’s the first.”

Passion, that is, allowing them to make music for 42 years.

“Coming back here is a real line in the sand in terms of, you know, we will wake up sweating. Those dreams, sit up, oh my God, we didn't do that did we?”

They probably did, but regardless, it all resulted in great music.

Their songs and rock and roll lifestyle are now ingrained in pop culture.

The first ever episode of Flight of the Conchords even contained a Fleetwood Mac joke; Rhys Darby keen to interrupt our interview and get Fleetwood's take on it.

“When I did the gag about you guys and the album ‘Rumors’, just going back, Brett said ‘Oh, do they have foursomes?’ and I said, ‘No, it’s just rumours’, did you appreciate the gag?” Darby asked.

Mick did appreciate it.

“We have a humour about the fact that our lives were incredibly public. Really we were stupid enough to do interviews like this and talk openly about who we are and what we are,” he said.

It is that openness, combined with the bands musical talents that have led to 100 million in record sales, and now, 42 years in, two shows in New Plymouth.

THE EASY WAY TO FLEETWOOD MAC (NEW PLYMOUTH VISITORS)

Directions to the venue for visitors in New Plymouth