Review Fleetwood Mac - London May 27th

Stevie Nicks dedicates 'Landslide' to Adele on opening night of Fleetwood Mac's UK tour

The band - including Christine McVie - played London's O2 last night (May 27)
NME.com

Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks dedicated the song 'Landslide' to Adele on the opening night of the band's UK tour.

The group played the first of a run of shows at London's The O2 last night (May 27), with Nicks addressing the crowd mid-set to talk about her love of British singer, Adele. "She's from here - you might know her," commented Nicks. "She's a fantastic songwriter... I told her 'you're going to be me in 40 years, you're going to still be up onstage doing what you're doing because of your songwriting'." The song 'Landslide' originally featured on the band's self-titled 1975 album.

Fleetwood Mac were joined by keyboard player and songwriter Christine McVie, who is now a full-time member of the band again, after first appearing on stage with the group at the same London venue in September 2013 before officially rejoining in January 2014. McVie - who wrote some of the band's most well known songs - left the band in 1998.

The band arrived onstage at 8:15pm and played a 22 song, hit-packed set to a sold out crowd. Opening with 'The Chain', it was followed by 'You Make Loving Fun' after which Christine McVie commented: "Thanks very much London, it's great to be here." Stevie Nicks then explained that it was the 82nd show of their current tour. "And now on show 82 I think we can safely say that our girl is back!," she added, gesturing to McVie.

Following 'Rhiannon', McVie addressed the crowd once more. "I can't tell you what a thrill it is to be on the stage with these wonderful musicians who I consider my family," she said. "You don't get this chance many times in life - I got it twice." The band then started a mass sing-along with 'Everywhere'. Guitar player Lindsey Buckingham later spoke about "the return of the beautiful Christine" and called it "a karmic, circular moment". 

Later, for the songs 'Over My Head' and 'Gypsy', drummer Mick Fleetwood swapped his large kit for a smaller one at the front of the stage, which Christine McVie referred to as a "cocktail kit". During 'World Turning' he embarked on an epic drum solo, much to the delight of the crowd. "Shit, this is a huge, massive place," he remarked towards the end.

Fleetwood Mac played:

• 'The Chain'
• 'You Make Loving Fun'
• 'Dreams'
• 'Second Hand News'
• 'Rhiannon'
• 'Everywhere'
• 'I Know I'm Not Wrong'
• 'Tusk'
• 'Sisters Of The Moon'
• 'Say You Love Me'
• 'Big Love'
• 'Landslide'
• 'Never Going Back Again'
• 'Over My Head'
• 'Gypsy'
• 'Lies'
• 'Gold Dust Woman'
• 'I'm So Afraid'
• 'Go Your Own Way'
• 'World Turning'
• 'Don't Stop'
• 'Silver Springs'
• Songbird

Fleetwood Mac, O2 Arena, review: 'Nothing less than extraordinary'
By Neil McCormick
Telegraph

The soap opera of the band member's personal lives has always lent a certain depth and texture to Fleetwood Mac, says Neil McCormick.

The Chain made for a suitably dramatic opening, showing off the restored Fleetwood Mac to full effect with that fantastic bass, thunderous drums, blood quickening guitar solo and gorgeous wall of harmonies insisting the chain cannot be broken. Going straight into You Make Loving Fun drove the point home, showcasing Christine McVie's smooth vocal and funky keyboards. "I think we can safely say our girl is back" trilled Stevie Nicks.

This tour marks the full reunion of the classic line-up, with the return of Christine McVie after 16 years. The band have become almost the definition of a heritage act in her absence, regularly touring sets of their greatest hits to nostalgic audiences, so you can't really say she was missed. But there is no doubt she restores some balance, both in musical and pop cultural terms.

Musically, she takes some of the weight off virtuoso guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, her smooth, lush pop songs softening his sharper arty edges. Flowing gems as potent as Everywhere, Little Lies and Songbird were restored to their rightful place in the centre of a Fleetwood set and for that alone audiences have reason to be grateful. But there is a sense too that the dysfunctional family is back together, healing old wounds with the balm of time and music, a message that, in itself, speaks volumes to lifelong fans.

Fleetwood Mac make much of their history of "ups and downs" as Buckingham puts it. Now that Christine is back playing again with ex-husband bassist John McVie there are three former couples on stage, if you take into account that drummer Mick Fleetwood romanced singer Nicks behind the back of Buckingham. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," Buckingham insisted, and seemed intent on proving it with a playful yet dramatically full blooded duet with his ex on Never Going Back Again.

The soap opera has always lent a certain depth and texture to Fleetwood Mac but, frankly, a little less chatter and a little more playing would be my only suggestion. There were speeches even after the encores. Yet it feels churlish to complain. Precious few bands have contained the range of vocal, stylistic and songwriting talent of the Mac, and even the inevitable inclusion of a new song didn't start a queue for the toilets. With that taut, explosive rhythm section, Buckingham's imaginative flair, Nicks' wildcard charisma and Christine McVie's singalong soulfulness restored to the heart of the matter, there is really no way this band could be anything less than extraordinary. A lusty mass singalong of Don't Stop spoke volumes about how their audience felt about the return of the Mac.

Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham at USC - Full Interview

Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac shares his life in music at USC as part of Professor David Belasco's series, The Leap.

Includes performances of: Never Going Back Again (10:51); Bleed to Love Here (37:44); Big Love (1:04:27); Tusk (1:27:15); Go Your Own Way (1:32:30).

In case you missed it...

Stevie Nicks turned 67 years young today!

Happy Birthday Stevie... I hope you had an amazing day!

Fleetwood Mac are still riven by backstage tensions

Going their own way
by Dan Cairns
The Sunday Times

Reunited for a mammoth tour, Fleetwood Mac are now planning an album. But for all their attempts to put on a show, they are still riven by backstage tensions

Forty years after the line-up that conquered the world with Rumours first came together, Fleetwood Mac are still having problems agreeing on anything much. The return to the fold 16 months ago of Christine McVie, after an absence of 16 years, is one development they all speak positively about, with none of the usual caveats and festering agendas.

“There’s Stevie on one side of the spectrum,” says Lindsey Buckingham, the band’s coiled, restless, 65-year-old musical director and, what seems like a lifetime ago, Stevie Nicks’s boyfriend, “and me kind of on the other, in terms of sensibilities. Christine sort of bridges that gap.”

Where Buckingham talks in the clinical manner of a scientist, Nicks dives right in. “Christine’s coming back was like the return of my best friend after years away. It’s much more fun now. We were always a force to be reckoned with, and that’s happened again.”

Full article at Fleetwood Mac-uk.com

Fleetwood Mac on cover AND 19 page feature in July Mojo Magazine

“Come Back But You Can’t Leave Again!” Fleetwood Mac Speak

All five members – Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Lindsey Buckingham, John and Christine McVie – open up in exclusive interviews in the new issue of MOJO.

MOJO MAGAZINE

On the eve of Fleetwood Mac’s return to UK concert venues – the classic line-up fully quorate for the first time since 1998 – MOJO magazine delivers astonishingly candid interviews with all five members. The free covermount CD is also Mac-themed as we delve into the roots of the band to deliver 15 seminal blues and pop recordings by Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Buddy Holly and more. Also in the new issue: Amy Winehouse, The Rolling Stones, Faith No More, The Clash, Donovan, XTC, Emitt Rhodes, Ben E King, plus the usual superabundance of great features and definitive reviews.

The new issue of MOJO (July 2015 / #260) will be on sale in the UK from Tuesday (May 26).

FREE CD! THE ROOTS OF FLEETWOOD MAC 

MOJO presents 15 classic tracks that inspired this month’s cover stars. Delving deep into the blues, just like the Mac did as they set their musical foundations, we present classic cuts from Robert Johnson, Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Holly and more…

Fleetwood Mac All five members of the band speak exclusively to MOJO as Christine McVie rejoins the band after 17 years. Featuring…

• Mick Fleetwood! On roots, shoots, Peter Green and more
• John McVie! A rare interview with the band’s “silent partner” and an introduction to “Harold The Dildo”
• Christine McVie! The prodigal Songbird on rejoining the flock after her gilded exile
• Stevie Nicks! The Gold Dust Woman on why the “mystical” Mac’s “romantic spell” will never end
• Lindsey Buckingham! How to forgive and forget… with caveats

EVEN FOR A band who have experienced more than their fair share of intrigue, drama and line-up turmoil, Christine McVie’s return to Fleetwood Mac may be the most extraordinary turn-up yet.

Ahead of enormous UK shows and even (whisper it) a new album, all five members of the band have elected to speak to MOJO in a series of individual interviews tackling the entirety of their career.

That includes good times, bad times, “carnage and intrigue” and a massive “rubber dildo called Harold”… of course.

Plus the free, 15-track CD that comes with the magazine traces Fleetwood Mac’s roots through a series of classic blues and rock’n’roll recordings, including songs from Buddy Holly, Robert Johnson, Elmore James and more.

The new issue of MOJO (July 2015 / #260) will be on sale in the UK from Tuesday (May 26). But first, here’s a taster of some of the things Fleetwood Mac are getting off their collective chests:

Christine McVie on her Fleetwood Mac exile…

“I never listened to a Fleetwood Mac record the whole 16 years. If something came on the radio I’d turn it off. Not that I didn’t love the music, I just denied myself the pride of having done something that great. I felt I didn’t deserve it or something. This is like talking to my psychiatrist!”

Lindsey Buckingham on why Christine’s return was a gamble…

“It’s interesting. We really were doing fine as a four-piece. When Mick called me and said, ‘I’ve been talking to Christine and I think she’s…’ You know, on paper it was great but you never know how these things are going to play out. I called her up and said, ‘Chris, I think it’s a great idea, but you do know that if you come back you can’t leave again!” She was coming from this place that’s all about how she’s feeling about her life, and she realised how much she’s missed this. That doesn’t necessarily mean she was ready for 80 shows in the States, much less everything else we’re doing, so we took it step by step… One thing that was really key was that she had some rough ideas for new songs.”

John McVie on the group’s moth-like attraction to intra-band drama…

“It wasn’t conscious. The main thing was to keep playing the music. It wasn’t as if we were saying, ‘Let’s have an argument and something edgy will come out of it.’ It was never like that, far from it.”

Stevie Nicks on why they’ll never escape their past…

“It was totally important and everybody is still writing about everybody else. It will never stop. Once you have that, even long after the couples are broken up, you still have that – when you sit down to write a couple of songs, that news from 100 years ago still creeps in.”

And Mick Fleetwood on why this reunification will be the final Fleetwood Mac line-up…

“This is it, to me. Emotionally, if you think of the enormity of what has happened, the surprise of what has happened, the doors that have opened to be walked through… If you were writing a book, you’d go, ‘Isn’t it a shame I can’t end it like this?’ We’ve had the chance to end it like that and I wouldn’t dream of it any other way.”

Photos, Video... Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham at USC with Trojan Marching Band

Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham reunites with USC band for 'Tusk'
LATimes

Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham reunited with some old bandmates Wednesday night -- the USC marching band, to be exact.

After a Q&A session in USC's Bovard Auditorium, Buckingham and the Trojan musicians tore through USC favorite "Tusk," followed by "Go Your Own Way," to the delight of the students in attendance and the parents they brought along.

"Tusk" has long been associated with the private school, with brass chords as familiar to USC devotees as the university's actual fight song. The original 1979 version was recorded with the USC band at Dodger Stadium and has been a game-day staple since.

Leading up to the short performance, Buckingham answered questions from David Belasco, a professor at USC's Marshall School of Business. Throughout, Buckingham sprinkled in solo acoustic renditions of "Never Going Back Again," "Bleed to Love Her" and "Big Love."

The event was part of Belasco's USC course "The Leap," a series of discussions with business leaders and innovators about the "entrepreneurial mindset." Guests have included Quincy Jones, Pete Carroll and Jessica Alba.

But the Buckingham visit was less about straight-ahead business advice than the successes and setbacks of the rock star's long career. Still, he did deliver some wisdom about maintaining artistic credibility in the face of commercial pressures and public expectations.

He cited the creation of the double-album "Tusk" -- the far less commercially successful follow-up to "Rumours" -- as an example.

"What happens with artists, or people who start off doing things for the right reasons, is that you slowly start to paint yourself into a corner by doing what people outside of the creative world are asking you to do, and I think that's antithetical to being an artist," he said.

"['Tusk'] is my favorite album of all these albums, because of the reason it was done," Buckingham said. "It started me down the path I still try to aspire to, which is to be an artist and not just a craftsman who is doing business."

Lindsey Buckingham serenades Bovard crowd
Daily Trojan
By ISABELLA ALVAREZ

Lindsey Buckingham, the guitarist of the renowned ’70s band Fleetwood Mac, took a break from the band’s tour to speak to a packed crowd in Bovard Auditorium on Wednesday night.

Fleetwood Mac is best known for its Grammy Award-winning album Rumours which was released in 1977.

At USC, however, Fleetwood Mac is best known for having recorded the song “Tusk” alongside the Trojan Marching Band.

The talk was hosted by the Lloyd Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies as part of David Belasco’s class, BAEP 470: The Entrepreneurial Mindset – Taking the Leap.

Upon introducing Buckingham, Belasco remarked that that night was special because it was all about the USC family and the experiences they share.

Taylor DuPont, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said that she attended the event because Fleetwood Mac was an important part of her childhood.

“Fleetwood Mac is my favorite band. I grew up listening to them and continue to do so. When I found out that Lindsey would be on campus, I jumped at the opportunity of seeing him talk and play,” she said.

During the talk, Buckingham discussed his youth, how he met his bandmate and former lover, Stevie Nicks, and how he came to join Fleetwood Mac.

He then discussed the success of Rumours and how it was also a difficult time for the band members because their romantic relationships were disintegrating.

Buckingham said this difficult time affected his career. Belasco asked him whether great art required great pain.

“At the very least, emotional experiences will only broaden your creative landscape,” Buckingham said.

After every topic, Buckingham performed a song related to it. Among them were “Never Going Back Again,” “Bleed to Love Her” and “Big Love.”

For every song that he performed, he received a standing ovation from the audience.

Because of Fleetwood Mac’s unique connection to USC, Buckingham also discussed how Fleetwood Mac came to collaborate with the Trojan Marching Band to play “Tusk.”

“We wanted something that would sound like a jungle roll and hypnotic. How Bartner got in the picture, I don’t know. Maybe Mick?” he said, referring to the band’s drummer.

A video from USC’s archives that showed the day that “Tusk” was recorded at Dodger Stadium was shown. Belasco explained that through “Tusk,” the Trojan Marching Band was able to set two unique records, one for the first collegiate marching band with a Grammy-winning record and one for the most musicians collaborating on one single.

Following the talk, students asked Buckingham questions. He provided them with advice regarding the definition of success.

“I was never really [goal-driven]. I was focused, but not necessarily trying to do anything for anything other than my own success,” Buckingham said.

The talk ended with Buckingham performing “Tusk” and “Go Your Own Way” with the band.

Earlier in the talk, Buckingham said the work of Fleetwood Mac has been able to reach such a wide array of generations.

“We have gotten teenagers whom our body of work seems to make sense to,” Buckingham said.

Students said after the event that they were very pleased with Buckingham’s talk and performance.

Jake Simon, a junior majoring in business administration, said that he felt very fortunate to have been able to attend.

“I was in the second row and it was beyond incredible,” he said.

Cristina Gomez said she was impressed by the uniqueness of the event.

“This was like a personal concert for ourselves along with stories. It was so impressive!” she said.

At the event, the Lloyd Greif Center awarded Buckingham with a trophy that recognized his contributions to the university, as well as his musical entrepreneurship.

Correction: An earlier version of this article quoted Cristina Gúzman. Her name is actually Cristina Gomez. The Daily Trojan regrets the error.