Review: Fleetwood Mac rocks Long Island, tours the U.S.

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE

WANTAGH, NY - JONES BEACH

JUNE 22, 2013 

The band’s summer tour of classic rock and roll continues
Erika Norton | Echo

Between festivals like Bonaroo and Firefly, to country-wide and world tours from artists such as Bruno Mars and the Dave Matthews Band, summer is overflowing with smash-hit concerts for every musical taste.

Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands on tour this summer, and The Echo was onsite during the group’s stop at the Nikon Jones Beach Theater in New York on June 22.

With a full moon overhead, the lead singers Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham sang classic hit after hit.

Skyrocketing to rock and roll fame in the 1970’s with their Grammy-winning album Rumours, songs from the legendary album were featured heavily throughout the night. Nicks, who penned many of the hits from the album, kept to her gypsy persona, dancing across the stage wearing platform boots, flowy skirts and a top hat.

As she welcomed the audience to the show she exclaimed, “Let’s get this party started!” and began singing the band’s number one hit, “Dreams.” The amphitheater, which is located on a beach, gave lyrics such as “drowning in the sea of love” new meaning.

Some highlights of the night included Nicks’ and Lindsey Buckingham’s acoustic duet of “Landslide,” a song many artists have covered over the years due to its cross-generational lyrics. As the giant screen behind the stage sparkled with twinkling lights, Nicks and Buckingham’s famous chemistry exploded onstage.

Nicks and Buckingham surprised superfans with “Without You,” a song written before they were asked to join the band. Nicks’ enthusiasts got their fill as well, with hits written for the band such as “Rhiannon,” “Gypsy” and a rousing rendition of “Stand Back” from her solo career.

Buckingham showcased his unique plucking style of guitar playing with solos during “Go Your Own Way,” even wiping out onstage during his solo in “I’m So Afraid.” Thankfully he got right back up and kept shredding on his axe.

As Buckingham explained some of the meaning behind his lyrics, he spoke about the importance of transition.

“We need illusions to dream, but we need to discard some illusions to grow,” he said.

Mick Fleetwood, drummer and original founder of the band, showed he hasn’t lost his touch despite turning 66 years old on Monday. In between the first of two encores, Fleetwood, sitting on what the band has dubbed “his throne,” went into an impressive drum solo.

Despite the absence of Christine McVie, songwriter of “Don’t Stop” and former piano player for the band, the song still had the same energy as ever, turning into a giant audience sing-along.

The Mac still had one more trick up their sleeves. “Silver Springs,” a Nicks song originally intended for the Rumours album, has become a crowd favorite and was the second-to-last encore.

Before the band closed with “Say Goodbye,” Nicks left the audience with some parting words.

“You guys are the dreamcatchers,” she said. “I wish you love, I wish you happiness, and I wish you catch all your dreams in that dreamcatcher.”

Fleetwood Mac’s next two tour stops are the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC and the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

Kickstarter: The untold story of Waddy Wachtel, and the unsung heroes of Rock and Roll.

KING OF THE SIDEMEN

The untold story of Waddy Wachtel, and the unsung heroes of Rock and Roll.

This project will only be funded if at least $32,500 is pledged by Wednesday Jul 24, 5:03pm EDT.

KING OF THE SIDEMEN

Directed & Produced by Gary Simson. Edited & Produced by Andy Willinger.

They are the silhouettes on stage- far from the spotlight. Churning out the licks and holding down the beat- creating the musical magic that make the stars shine brighter. 

They are the SIDEMEN... ...The unsung heroes of Rock and Roll. 

These multi-talented virtuosos are some of the most sought-after musicians in the world. Yet, by playing exclusively in other people's bands, they are often unnoticed and under-appreciated. 

This is their story, and we need your help to tell it.

From skid row bars to massive coliseums and legendary recording studios, a rock sidemen’s life is like a wild, unpredictable rollercoaster ride, with soaring highs sandwiched between deep lulls.

Some thrive- and maintain long-standing relationships with hugely popular musicians. Some barely scrape out a living. And others have faded away. But ONE has survived the pitfalls of the brutal music industry and remains as relevant today as when he his career began in the late 1960s.  

WADDY WACHTEL’s resumé reads like a who’s who of rock and roll. He has played guitar on hundreds of hit records and has performed, recorded and collaborated with nearly every rock superstar imaginable, earning their respect and admiration along the way.

KING OF THE SIDEMEN is his story: a full-length documentary film that chronicles the struggles and successes of a rock-and-roll maestro and the making of some of the greatest songs ever recorded. The film spans his early days breaking into the business, to outrageous world tours with rock royalty, to Waddy’s pet project: the creation of an unlikely Supergroup made up of some of the best sidemen in the industry. The film documents the rise of one of rock’s greatest guns-for hire, with live performances from his band, vintage footage, personal photos, classic live and recorded music and exclusive interviews with rock icons including Keith Richards, Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Jackson Browne, George Thorogood, Dave Stewart, Joe Walsh and more.

KING OF THE SIDEMEN includes the stories of the members of what may be the world’s greatest cover band: long-time Rolling Stones backup singer Bernard Fowler, guitarist and keyboardist Brett Tuggle (Fleetwood Mac), ex-Tom Petty drummer Phil Jones and Neil Young alum Rick “the bass player” Rosas, and others. They play to a packed house in an unassuming bar in Los Angeles. But this is no ordinary club. On any given night, legendary rockers like Robert Plant, Roger Daltry, Ron Wood, and Neil Young stop by to kick out the jams.

They may not have had all the glory, but the sidemen get what others dream about: the chance to rock with the best.

Contribute here

Stevie, Mick and Brett Tuggle appear in the documentary

Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham Get Cultured

 Whilst in Charlotte, Lindsey took in The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.  Here he's photographed with  Museum President John Boyer.  Mick below was spotted visiting the Nascar Hall of Fame with his Grandson.  Photos by: The Bechtler and Nascar Hall of Fame

A ‘Landslide’ of Appreciation: Stevie Nicks Thanks New York Mag’s Jada Yuan

By Kara Bloomgarden-Smoke
New York Observer

When New York magazine reporter Jada Yuan went to see Stevie Nicks at Jones Beach last weekend, she got more than a concert T-shirt. During the show, Ms. Nicks dedicated “Landslide” to the journalist, who had recently written a profile of the singer. (Read Article)

“I would like to dedicate this song to a girl, a lady. Her name is Jada and she wrote the most beautiful article about me,” the Fleetwood Mac singer said.

“She got something that nobody that has ever written about me before has ever gotten,” continued Ms. Nicks. “And I just wanted to tell her how much I appreciate that.”

“I’ll never, ever forget it. Her name is Jada, and I want to thank her so much.”

Ms. Yuan, who was in the audience, was stunned. “I cried through the whole song and don’t even remember at least the next five,” Ms. Yuan told OTR.

Weeping, even without having Ms. Nicks dedicate the song to you, is apparently a common reaction to “Landslide.”

In the profile, which ran in the June 17 issue of New York, Ms. Yuan wrote of the song: “Chances are, you or someone next to you was weeping during ‘Landslide,’ with that chorus you might casually dismiss as cliché until you find yourself singing it in unison with 15,000 fans: ‘Time makes you bolder / Children get older / I’m getting older, too.’”

Ms. Yuan spent about four months working on the 5,823-word feature and saw multiple concerts. Most profile writers say that after spending so long with a subject—during both the interview and the writing process—the illusion of familiarity often fades once the piece is published.

“Anyone who writes profiles knows you end up spending a lot more time with the subject than they do with you,” Ms. Yuan said. “For them, it’s an hour or two out of their lives, but you spend days or weeks with this person rattling around in your head, and you can get pretty invested and then never hear from them again.

“It’s rare to get any feedback, let alone that they thought you got it right. So to hear it from Stevie Nicks, who’s such a beautiful writer herself, was a really special honor.”

Ms. Yuan, who was at the concert with a friend, went backstage afterward and got to follow up in person with the singer.

While the mandate of a magazine profile isn’t to please the subject, Ms. Yuan’s article wasn’t a puff piece by any means—it tackled Ms. Nicks’ battles with drugs, her weight and relationships.

The singer’s honesty about her struggles is one reason she has so many fans. Her gracious reponse to the article, said Ms. Yuan, “says a lot more about Stevie than it does about me.”

Video below (be prepared to have the song stuck in your head for at least 24 hours):

Landslide:

Buckingham and Nicks finally achieved what they wanted with their 1973 debut album

Live Review: Fleetwood Mac, Jones Beach, NY, 6/22/13
By Larry Jaffee
Rocks Back Pages

The last time I saw a Fleetwood Mac concert was in 1979 on the heels of the last album of theirs that really mattered to me: Tusk, which for my money endures even more than the blockbuster Rumours.

Back then I was privileged to attend the band’s press conference that November at Manhattan’s St. Regis Hotel. Business matters, such as the then relatively high list price of $15.98 for the double album and why the album took so long to complete, dominated the proceedings. In response to the rumors that the bandmembers were on the verge of breaking up, bassist John McVie refuted that they were about to pack it in: “We’re doing all right, but I don’t see Fleetwood Mac in wheelchairs playing ‘Rhiannon.’”

Although the core don’t act their age (McVie, 68; Fleetwood, 66; Nicks, 65; and Buckingham, 64 this October), who thought that the Rolling Stones would be still be on the road?

Christine McVie was not at that 1979 press conference, nor is she on the current 49-date U.S. leg  of the tour wrapping up July 6, although she might very well “say hello” at two of the band’s O2 London dates in late September, Mick Fleetwood told some privy Live Nation fans who sprung for the VIP deluxe package.

The lanky drummer invited the fans to join him up on the stage at this meet-and-greet, and offered some tidbits, such as Charlie Watts is his favorite drummer, and the Rolling Stones would have been his dream band to join. He also is amazed how Charlie doesn’t appear to sweat while playing  a show. Fleetwood noted rather enviously that his good mate in Maui, Steven Tyler, is the same age as him.

More importantly, Fleetwood waxed poetically about how touching it has been on this latest tour from his vantage point, the drum kit perch, to watch the former high school sweethearts Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks bring out the best in each other musically, and leave their stormy past behind.

Fleetwood’s observation was evident on stage once the show started: they shared a genuine affection, and I’m hedging a guess that probably wasn’t the case during previous reunions, the most recent being 2009. This was most apparent when Nicks started rambling between songs about how they were asked to join Fleetwood Mac, and she asked Buckingham if she got the story right? He pointed out that she left out a key element to the story: Fleetwood called Buckingham to be their guitarist, and it was Lindsey who said the two of them were a package deal.

Stevie offered a belated thank you to her former boyfriend for insisting that they “take your hippie girlfriend too.” Nicks, wanting John McVie not be the forgotten man, said the bass player suggested back in ’75 gruffly that they “keep the girl.” And the rest is history, as they say.

The sound crew joked to me that they time Stevie’s story, which is repeated at every date on the current tour, and over 7 minutes it fell short of the previous record in Boston the night before. And yes, it all appeared to be a bit orchestrated, and in fact, the set list hadn’t changed since April show to show.

Musically, the band was in fine form during the 2 hour, 40-minute concert, particularly Buckingham’s cathartic acoustic guitar workout on “Big Love” and then again electric on “I’m So Afraid.” Nicks hit her high notes on “Sara” and “Gypsy.”

Playing a few songs from Tusk, including a punked-up “Not So Funny” and the percussion-heavy title track, Buckingham talked about how he would have loved to have been a fly on the wall to get the record company’s reaction to the album when they were expecting Rumours II. Knowing that the music holds up three decades later, he clearly feels vindicated.

Buckingham also made a point of noting that when they decided to go back on the road they felt it necessary to make some new music, and how proud they were of their recently released four-song EP. Two songs made it into the set, and while pleasant enough, it’s unlikely they’ll join the ranks of the FM hits.

A few times the audience was aware of Christine McVie’s missing harmony vocal, particularly on “World Turning.”

And then it hit me, with her out of the band – which has been the case since 1998 – Buckingham and Nicks finally achieved what they wanted with their 1973 debut album before they joined Fleetwood Mac: showcase their own songs, with a tight rhythm section, without having to share the limelight with another quality songwriter.

No doubt Buckingham’s conundrum is his consistently great solo records generally can’t get him arrested, and in concert the solo act is relegated to theaters. Nicks is still an arena draw, although perhaps her records don’t sell as well as they should either.

The only catch is that they must use the “Fleetwood Mac” brand to bring in the punters.

Fleetwood Mac performed their 40th show last night in Charlotte like it was their first!

FLEETWOOD MAC LIVE

CHARLOTTE, NC - TIME WARNER CABLE ARENA

JUNE 24, 2013

Another remarkable Gold Dust Woman! 

GOLD DUST WOMAN

I'M SO AFRAID
THE CHAIN
DREAMS
GO YOUR OWN WAY


More Video at the link below Charlotte Review plus Photos here