Mick Fleetwood Interview in the August issue of RYTHM (UK) Available June 30th

Look for a Mick Fleetwood interview in the August issue of Rythm Magazine (UK) Available June 30, 2015.

Reviews Fleetwood Mac Live in Amsterdam - May 31, 2015

Fleetwood Mac in Ziggo Dome - May 31st and June 1, 2015
lflmagazine.nl
[translated review - original at the above link]

The return of Christine McVie Fleetwood Mac appeared about three years ago as unlikely as a new album of Pink Floyd or a musical comeback of David Bowie. Or as Stevie Nicks's not so long ago expressed in an interview with Rolling Stone, "The chances of this are not hit bigger than the Earth by an asteroid." She stood in October 2013 still with her three male colleagues in the Ziggo Dome, last night Nicks shared the stage with the same room with the other women of the classic Rumours occupation. Did McVie standing adhere after more than fifteen years of absence?

Joy about the comeback of the lady who wrote so many classics and sang with Fleetwood Mac is not only visible on the faces in the audience, but also in the rest of the band. "I think we can say: she's baaack" Stevie Nicks raises some theatrical during one of the breaks between the songs. And so we are reminded tonight a couple of times on this joyous occasion. And rightly so, because this band - or at least the version of Fleetwood Mac who dominated the pop charts since the mid-seventies - is simply not complete without Christine McVie.

So too was shown when in 2013 an unimpressive ep appeared on the then reduced to a quartet Fleetwood Mac. During the first of two nights in the Ziggo Dome setlist consists therefore entirely of successes from the glory years, where McVie was responsible for. Elegant British singer looked perhaps a bit duller than Nicks, but they wrote some of the most beloved songs in the works, including Do not Stop, You Make Loving Fun and Everywhere.

On With The Show

Of course runs the On With The Show Tour not only McVie. Rarely was undersigned all such chills (positive meant, of course) during the first song of a concert and during The Chain, thanks to the combined voices of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie - all still about as powerful as the nearly twenty year-old live album The Dance, but helped by some background vocalists. In addition, attach as many as eight other songs popmijlpaal Rumours how well those turbulent times made ​​plate after all these years remains: from McVie's optimistic sounding You Make Loving Fun and an acoustic Never Going Back Again to the ominous Gold Dust Woman and singalong Go Your Own Way. And of course, win all those numbers only effective if you know what kind of history behind it.

With her witch-like dress and characteristic low, almost masculine voice remains the most iconic Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac band member. But it's her ex Lindsey Buckingham that brings the most energy and intensity, including during the almost punkish I Know I'm Not Wrong by double album Tusk (1979), a violent solo in the stunning I'm So Afraid and obviously the well-known acoustic version of Big Love. The "undress" a pop or rock song adds not always something, but Buckingham's brilliant fast guitar work and bestial vocal play make this arrangement is superior to the original.

Perfect pop songs

Big screens beside and behind the stage not only show the band in action, but also matching atmospheres. Thus we see the - for her age - young-looking Nicks in the background graceful dance in the rain. Not that the band needs these visuals, because the vibrant renditions of many perfect pop songs make Fleetwood Mac might be more exciting than ever. At most, the drum solo from Mick Fleetwood during World Turning rubs against it unnecessary to, though he and bassist John McVie also deserve their moment in the spotlight. Yet logically draws no attention to itself so as Christine McVie, who evening darkness closes with perhaps its most beautiful ballad: Songbird. At such a moment at the end of a very impressive concert you realize what the group lacked in the years of her absence. Last month I wrote in my enthusiasm that AC / DC probably show of the year was given at Gelredome, but maybe I should come back there already.

Why we’re excited about seeing Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie at Isle of Wight

The Guardian
by Tim Jonze

Those heading for the Isle of Wight festival will see something Mac fans feared they would never see again: Christine McVie’s return after a 16-year absence.

To listen to Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie speak, you’d never guess she was a member of one of the world’s most successful – not to mention debauched and dysfunctional – bands of all time. Level-headed and prone to understatement when I interviewed her for the Guardian in 2013, she described the songwriting gift that enabled her to knock out such hits as Don’t Stop and Little Lies as follows: “I don’t know what it is really … I think I’m just good with hooks.”

During that interview, she went on to discuss the band’s legendarily gargantuan drug intake without a hint of romance – “Well, I’d be lying if I said I was sober as a judge” – and described the crazy routine the band adhered to at the peak of their success in similar terms: “You look at tennis players; it’s the same kind of thing.”

So grounded can McVie appear that it’s almost surprising that the songs she writes take flight so effortlessly: heartfelt and clear, they’re given extra wind beneath their wings by her pure, songbird falsetto. This summer, those heading to the Isle of Wight festival will get to see her perform them, something many Mac fans feared they would never see again: McVie left the group in 1998, succumbing to a fear of flying and longing for a quiet life in the country; she rejoined in 2014.

It’s a testament to Fleetwood Mac’s abundance of talent that they have not just survived without McVie and her many hits during this 16-year absence, but delivered storming three-hour sets packed with classic tracks. Great though those shows were, it wasn’t quite Fleetwood Mac. McVie’s songs don’t just stand out in their own right, but also provide a counterbalance to the other artistic directions in the band. Less mystical than Stevie Nicks’ and less wilfully experimental than some of Lindsey Buckingham’s, McVie’s simple songs of love nonetheless brim with a sense of positivity, not to mention an abundance of melody.

Her musical gifts – let’s not forget she’s a skilled keyboard player with a style schooled in the blues – are not the only reason Mac fans should celebrate her return. In a famously fractured band, whose existence always seems precariously balanced, thanks to decades of broken marriages, flings and rows, McVie’s down-to-earth personality provides a steadying role similar to that of her songs.

She always seemed capable of rising above the tangled love dramas that caused jealously and tantrums among the men, and her enduring friendship with Nicks helped the pair to face the perils of being female artists during the sexist 70s. When McVie first left, Nicks said she was heartbroken; today she talks lovingly about having her musical sister back in the band: “When I finish Silver Springs, Christine waits for me and takes my hand,” she recently told Canadian magazine Maclean’s. “We walk off and we never let go of each other until we get to our tent. In that 30 seconds, it’s like my heart just comes out of my body.”

McVie is too key a figure for Fleetwood Mac to have carried on touring without her, and drummer Mick Fleetwood has admitted that her return to the band makes them “complete” again. Speaking to the Vancouver Sun in March, he added that he “couldn’t think of a better ending, when this does end … we’re all on the same page and writing the same last chapter”.

Comments such as this only add to the sense that their Isle of Wight show will be a magical, uplifting and emotional experience. Or “not a bad gig”, as Christine may well say afterwards.

Fleetwood Mac play the Isle of Wight festival on 14 June.

REVIEWS and VIDEO Fleetwood Mac Live in London - May 27, 2015

REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac, The O2 London
By Emma Kelly
Dailystar

FLEETWOOD Mac's London dates for their On With The Show tour sold out almost immediately, but the frantic mouse clicking paid off for the fans lucky enough to nab tickets.

The iconic band performed their first UK date at the O2 Arena last night and wowed the crowd with a career-spanning 23-song set.

The band's 82nd date of the tour saw Christine McVie back on stage after officially rejoining the band last January, reuniting with Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.

Full Review at Dailystar

FLEETWOOD MAC KICK OFF UK ARENA TOUR
by Alexandra Pollard
Gigwise

Band pay tribute to Adele as they perform first date at The O2 in London

Fleetwood Mac played the first show of their UK tour at The O2 in London last night, playing a three hour set that focussed heavily on the recent return of Christine McVie, and also saw Stevie Nicks dedicating a song to "spectacular songwriter" Adele. We were there, it was pretty special. 

The London show, which kicked off the band's UK tour, opened with 'The Chain', which was closely followed by 'You Make Loving Fun' and 'Dreams' - much to the delight of the 20,000-strong crowd.

Full Review at Gigwise

Fleetwood Mac review – back together, and just about perfect
by Caroline Sullivan
The Guardian

“Let’s get this party started!” isn’t the introduction you expect at a Fleetwood Mac show, and especially not from Stevie Nicks, creator of the Hollywood Hills hippie-mystic archetype. But tonight is the 82nd gig of their year-long On With the Show tour and Nicks, splendid in trailing black lace, feels they’ve turned a corner in their relationship with Christine McVie. The singer-pianist’s nervousness about rejoining after a 16-year break has given way to wholehearted mucking in. Nodding towards McVie’s keyboard, behind which she is tall and commanding, Nicks roars: “Now I think we can safely say our girl is back!”

Full Review at The Guardian

Fleetwood Mac tour review: moments of adult pop perfection
by John Aizlewood
Huffington Post

When the individuals surrendered to the collective, the evening turned celestial, says John Aizlewood

Like all the best potboilers, there’s a twist to Fleetwood Mac at every turn. This time around, their wildly successful On With The Show tour sees the return of elegant 71-year-old Christine McVie (who left in 1998) rekindling the squabbling quintet’s mega-selling Seventies/Eighties line-up.

Full Review at Huffington Post

THE CHAIN
YOU MAKE LOVING FUN
DREAMS
SECOND HAND NEWS
RHIANNON
EVERYWHERE

Full show at The Gig Channel on Youtube

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).