Review Fleetwood Mac Live in Dunedin, NZ November 18, 2015

Return of the 'Mac
by Philippa Ormrod
newstalkzb.co.nz

They may be old, but they sure don't act like it.

Fleetwood Mac are the ultimate performers, and last night's show at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin was just what fans were after. After the first four songs - 'The Chain', 'You Make Loving Fun', 'Dreams', and 'Second Hand News' - my friend turned to me and exclaimed: "And there are still so many good songs to come!" That statement perfectly summed up how you felt the whole night as the band charged through hit after hit with a contagious energy.

Having Christine McVie back on board for this tour was acknowledged by Stevie Knicks early on as being a blessing and I definitely agree. When the band last toured here in 2009 they were powerful enough with the four of them, but adding her musical abilities and her amazing collection of songs into the mix gave this concert a whole extra layer. It was fantastic to hear 'Little Lies', 'Everywhere', and 'Say You Love Me' all sung by McVie whose voice is well intact.

Full Review

Fans live their dreams
By John Lewis
odt.co.nz

Total strangers acting like long-lost friends - that is the power of Fleetwood Mac.

While it was cold outside, warmth radiated within with plenty of hugging, back-slapping, laughing and loads of people yarning like they were neighbours, minus the back fence.

The 35,000 fans, mostly in the 50-plus bracket, grew up with the various hits from Fleetwood Mac albums, so they have a common bond.

That bond appears to have been handed down to younger generations of fans who were also at the concert.

Whether they were baby-boomers, Gen X or Gen Y, most knew the lyrics and they were on their feet belting them out with their musical heroes on stage.

Full Article

Fleetwood Mac in Dunedin: Still rocking after all these years
BY BRYCE EDWARDS
Stuff.co.nz

Should aging rockers retire? Grace Slick has today suggested that Fleetwood Mac should give it up.

But last night's concert in Dunedin showed that age is no barrier to filling a large stadium with a phenomenal performance of perfect pop.

The classic line-up of band members from the Rumours album era may have an average age getting close to 70, but they clearly know how to put on a show.

It was all their greatest hits, delivered with energy and grace. And it worked well in a stadium. The crowd sung along to favourites such as Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way, and Sara. It was a nostalgic stomp-along for the 35,000 packed into the covered venue.

Many had travelled from all around the South Island, creating traffic jams as far north as Timaru. The crowd was mostly towards the older age group of 50-plus, but there were plenty in their twenties dancing along, illustrating that Fleetwood Mac has a cross-generational appeal.

The band was obviously keen to make an emotional connection with the audience, with a lot of between-song speeches and homilies.

Nicks explained the background of songs and tried to inspire success in her fans; Lindsey Buckingham talked about the people behind the music and how their personal lives and relationships were embedded in the songs for all to see and scrutinise. But the most poignant moment was when Stevie Nicks sung her emotional Landslide song, which she dedicated to Jonah Lomu.

Full Review


Fleetwood Mac review: Multitudes held in harmonic thrall
By Shane Gilchrist
odt.co.nz

Relationship issues, personal turmoil . . . and that's just some of the audience.

No, but seriously.

Last night, at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium, Fleetwood Mac added further resonance to songs that long ago escaped the confines of urban cool and found a home amid millions of suburban lounges.

Having honed the template for soft-rock singalongs and a radio-friendly slickness belying the hurt and heartbreak often integral to a tune's genesis, the group reminded all that the distance between stage and stadium seats is best spanned by a combination of honest communication and energy.

That was best personified by guitarist-singer Lindsey Buckingham, who led the band in many respects.

Certainly, he, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, all responsible for groundbreaking 1977 album Rumours, lived up to the title of their tour, ''On With The Show'', performing for more than two and a-half hours.

Full Review

Review Fleetwood Mac Live at Hope Estate, AU Nov 14th

Fleetwood Mac packs them in over two nights at Hope Estate
By NICK MILLIGAN
The Maitland Mercury

The grey sky that hung over Hope Estate on Saturday evening eventually fulfilled its promise of rain.

But it would take more than a downpour and cold wind to dampen the ­spirits of 19,000 Fleetwood Mac fans, who danced and sang to a marathon 23-song set.

The legendary rock band were fulfilling their promise of returning to Australia after cancelling a national tour scheduled for late 2013 due to founding member and bassist John McVie’s cancer diagnosis.

Luckily he recovered and remains in the band.

It was also the first time in 16 years that co-vocalist, keyboardist and songwriter Christine McVie had been a member of the group.

After dark Fleetwood Mac opened the Hunter leg of their On With The Show tour with four tracks from their landmark recording Rumours – rocker The Chain, the Christine McVie performed and penned You Make Loving Fun, Second Hand News and Dreams.

Photos: Ryan Osland - View Gallery

Then it was time for Rhiannon.

It was evident that this classic five-piece line-up, which transformed Fleetwood Mac from a blues band into a pop-orientated juggernaut with their eponymous 1975 debut record, remain a tight, seamless live unit.

A stand-out moment was the stripped-back acoustic performance of Landslide by guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and sorcerous singer Stevie Nicks.

Also memorable was an extended heavy, spacey rendition of I’m So Afraid in which guitarist Lindsey Buckingham stretched out into an epic guitar solo, showing off his distinctive finger-picking style.

But aside from the polished performance and stream of classic songs was evidence of a band that, despite their colourful and tumultuous history, still manages to hone in on the chemistry that makes them one of the most loved acts in music history.

They remain a joy to watch.

Fleetwood Mac are set to wow close to 100,000 fans in Dunedin and Auckland

Rock supergroup Fleetwood Mac are set to wow close to 100,000 fans in Dunedin and Auckland this week at the end of their 15-month On With The Show world tour.

The American band will blast out a 23-song set including hits such as Dreams, Go Your Own Way and Tusk at Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium on Wednesday, and again at gigs at Mt Smart Stadium in Auckland on Saturday and Sunday.

Almost half of the 66,000-strong Auckland audience over the two nights will come from out of town, said Mt Smart's director of external relations Paul Brewer. Saturday's concert is sold out but a few tickets are still available for Sunday.

"The influx of fans will mean a significant boost for the local economy," he said.

Fleetwood Mac founding member Mick Fleetwood has said the shows will not be the band's last Downunder.

"This is not goodbye," Fleetwood told the 702 ABC Sydney breakfast show during the band's current tour of Australia. "Stevie [Nicks] mentioned it to me the other night, saying 'this can't be the goodbye tour because no one said that it was'."

NZHerald

Reviews Fleetwood Mac Live in Brisbane, AU Nov. 10, 2015

Review: Fleetwood Mac, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, November 10, 2015
Noel Mengel
The Courier-Mail

Photo: Marc Robertson

WELCOME back Chrissie.

Not that Fleetwood Mac didn’t play great shows in Christine McVie’s years out of the band. But her return for this tour brings so many big songs back to the party — from You Make Loving Fun to Say You Love Me and Everywhere.

Naturally this first Brisbane Entertainment Centre show last night was sold out — there are a few tickets left for a second tomorrow night.

You know what you are going to get, two-and-a-half hours, mostly of hits, plus some album favourites like Gold Dust Woman.

Yet the addition of Christine’s songs, lead vocals and harmonies lifts the night to another level from their tours without her.

Mick Fleetwood and John McVie remain a powerhouse rhythm section, Lindsey Buckingham ensures the energy levels never flag despite this being show No 114 of a world tour, and Nicks’ voice remains a thing of crystalline wonder, from Dreams to Rhiannon, Sara and Landslide.

It’s a beautiful and tasteful visual production, but with this many big songs, they could play by torchlight and still hold our attention.

As Buckingham reminds the audience they put all their personal dramas out there in their songs. It sure beats singing about moon, June and the lesser concerns which can fill the charts for a week and are just as soon forgotten.

It is a long concert, close to three hours on stage, and at one point they even have a false start to Tusk, which not only shows they are human but only seems to fire up Buckingham further.

After such a long time on the road, you might imagine a band going through the motions. But not at this show, and on stage it’s Buckingham who stokes the intensity with some searing lead work and his virtuoso solo turn on Big Love.

Fleetwood grins from ear to ear during his party piece on World Turning, and by the time the 10,000 plus crowd is singing along with Don’t Stop, it doesn’t feel like this is goodbye.

The old hurts might be way in the past but they still have something to say: the word is that a new album is already recorded and set for release in 2016.

Review: Fleetwood Mac, Brisbane Entertainment Centre, November 10, 2015

by: Simon Holt

Sydney Morning Herald

About 30 seconds into a song called Tusk, Fleetwood Mac stumbled. Like someone who'd lost their place on a page in a book, the band stopped.

"We're going to say we're not perfect, and we're going to start that one again, OK?" lead guitarist Lindsey Buckhingham said.

Until then, a full house at Boondall wanted badly for the show to be great. But it wasn't. It was pedestrian at worst, ordinary at best.

One of the world's greatest bands seemed to be going through the motions, playing like it was the 114th concert on a long two-year roadtrip.

Chart-toppers Rhiannon, Everywhere and Dreams had all been rolled out, and it was Fleetwood Mac. They had to be brilliant, right?

There was nothing horrible about the first few songs – it was certainly no Meat Loaf moment.

There was just no sparkle – at least not until the second the band hiccupped.

When the group hit silence – a musical brick wall – something magic happened.

It was like they'd been given a wake-up call, a nudge to say they were slightly off their game, an embarrassing kick in the guts.

Full Review at Sydney Morning Herald

Review Fleetwood Mac Live in Geelong, AU November 7, 2015

Fleetwood Mac’s Geelong Day on the Green a night to remember
by: Mandy Squires
Geelongadvertiser

Photos: PETER RISTEVSKI
View Gallery

FOR those lucky enough to snare a seat or piece of grass on the Mt Duneed Estate knoll on Saturday evening, the Fleetwood Mac show was an affair to remember.

Performing much-loved hits from the Rumours and Tusk albums, Stevie Nicks and the band appeared barely to have aged, delivering an energetic performance that had the 18,000-strong crowd on its feet, singing and dancing for the whole show.

Between songs, the ethereal Nicks also managed to deliver some poignant stories and words of wisdom to aspiring young artists in the audience, encouraging them to believe in, and back, themselves, “find their gypsy” and pursue their dreams single-mindedly.

Clear skies made for a perfect, if slightly chilly, night of entertainment, and Nicks commented more than once that she was cold. But most audience members were snug in beanies and blankets, and warmed by the concert’s generous spirit.

Organisation on the night by Day on the Green was — for the most part — excellent, with plenty of food and drink outlets, toilets and free tap-water stations throughout the venue.

Entry to the picturesque venue was seamless and there was plenty of security and help on hand to direct festival-goers.

Promoter Michael Newton said the event had been “absolutely incredible.”

“It was an 18,000 person love-in,” he said.

He said a lack of available taxis had caused some headaches at the end of the night, with organisers arranging five shuttle buses to drop people in Geelong.

He said patrons had been warned via email not to rely on taxis.

Review Fleetwood Mac Live in Melbourne, Australia November 2, 2015

FLEETWOOD MAC ★★★1/2
Rod Laver Arena, November 2
Sydney Morning Herald

Photo: Pat Scala

Like superheroes. Five mysterious individuals with unique powers, reunited against incredible odds to save the free world one more time. Like Kiss with better tunes, Fleetwood Mac is a band inseparable from its own mythology.

There's mad uncle Mick Fleetwood in his eccentric country gentleman's attire, biting bearded lips with bug-eyes rolling. He's an inseparable bloc with his "truly dearest friend" John McVie, quietly plucking bass in the shadow of a flat golfer's cap.

Messianic ringleader Lindsey Buckingham and witch-fairy Stevie Nicks are another unit: eternal king and queen of the Heartbreak High prom, playing up the sexual tension through misty eyes in the whispers of Landslide then re-enacting the finger-pointing rage in Go Your Own Way.

Then there's Christine McVie, returned at last to quietly steal the show with You Make Loving Fun and the gentle coda of Songbird, as if the 22 songs preceding hadn't already made their case for one of the most fertile hit factories of the modern age.

Sure, some of the moves may have felt a little stilted. Tusk wasn't quite the climactic eruption with its marching band horns caged inside a synthesiser. Nicks did duck out of few high notes in Dreams and elsewhere.

But from Buckingham's psychobabbling song introductions and anguished six-string pyrotechnics to Fleetwood's nutty crowd-baiting drum solo, to nearly every damn track plus B-sides of that album, Rumours, the world felt as harmonious as it'll ever be.