REVIEW Fleetwood Mac Live in Chicago Oct 6, 2018

Fleetwood Mac
United Center, Chicago
Saturday, October 6, 2018

PHOTO GALLERY

Every instance when the current members of Fleetwood Mac chanted “chains keep us together” at the United Center on only the second night of a North American tour that stretches well into 2019, it seemed to be much more than a chance for the audience to sing-a-long to what’s become its standard opener “The Chain,” but rather an internal commitment that no matter the degree of drama transpires, at least some version of the band will always exist. For those who missed the latest soap opera episode of what could easily be dubbed “As Fleetwood Mac’s World Turns,” the core four of drummer Mick Fleetwood, bassist John McVie, vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie and singer Stevie Nicks are continuing for the second time without Lindsey Buckingham, who’s been let go this round (and touring solo through the Athenaeum Theatre on October 17), but once again replaced by two players.

Chances are even those who weren’t keeping up with the saga could instantly recognize the fresh faces, Neil Finn (of Crowded House and Split Enz fame) and Mike Campbell (from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), who dived head first into the Fleetwood Mac fold, despite Buckingham’s integral contributions being noticeably absent and missed. Then again, this is an act that’s been through numerous editions and incarnations (including most recently Christine McVie’s temporary retirement with merely Nicks and Buckingham out front in the 2000s), so it really wasn’t that far of a stretch to accept, at least as far as the venue’s sold out status was concerned.

Shaking up the line-up was accompanied by the unexpected inclusion of several rarities in between the main classics for well over two hours, which between all the players collectively and individually, meant there were tons of choices. “Little Lies,” “Dreams,” “Say You Love Me,” “Everywhere” and “Rhiannon” were just a handful of the Stevie and Christine notables that came across as sweet as ever, bathed in a wall of harmonies that may have sounded a bit different than the original records given the adjusted configuration, but were nonetheless textbook Fleetwood Mac.

The new recruits also had many chances to make the acquaintance of longtime fans in this format, with Finn excelling on Split Enz’s “I Got You,” Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over” in an enchanting duet with Nicks, plus the set list shockers “Tell Me All The Things You Do” and “Hypnotized” representing Danny Kirwan and Bob Welch’s contributions long before Fleetwood Mac made a commercial splash. Campbell gave listeners from the days of Peter Green and “Black Magic Woman” (resurrected earlier by Nicks) another bluesy surprise with the snarling “Oh Well,” while a tribute to his pal and former employer Tom Petty via “Free Fallin’” with Stevie singing earned a hefty appraisal.

Even with the front line’s massive appeal on their own, Fleetwood Mac mega-hits such as “Landslide,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Don’t Stop” called to mind exactly how valuable the group’s extensive songbook has become well beyond its main run throughout 1970s and ‘80s, alongside the forgotten ‘90s cut “All Over Again” popping up unexpectedly as the debut duet between the ladies to neatly tie up the night’s theme. Now in operation for more than 50 years, it’s probably safe to say that no matter what goes down between personnel or who winds up making the final roster during any given season, these Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will likely “never break the chain” as they “don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.”

-Review and photos by Andy Argyrakis
Illinois Entertainer

INTERVIEW Lindsey Buckingham In the Studio rare in-depth conversation

CHECK OUT THE INTERVIEW HERE

Lindsey Buckingham made breathless headlines earlier this year by being fired from Fleetwood Mac, but us longtime watchers of that never-ending soap opera know well that for over a forty year period now, Buckingham’s role has resembled Al Pacino‘s mafia Don Corleone character in Godfather 3  exclaiming, “Every time I think I’m out, they pull me back in!” So before you get to feeling too sorry for Lindsey for being summarily dismissed and are tempted to start a GoFundMe page for him, realize that it is quite possible that getting sacked may have been the only way out of his contractual obligation to the Big Mac tour. And who knows? Maybe the old Br’er Rabbit routine was the best way out of a bad situation for Buckingham, who has put the free time to great use by collecting the best of his solo albums Law and Order, Go Insane, Out of the Cradle, Under the Skin, Gift of Screws, and Seeds We Sow  with live performances and even a couple of new songs into Solo Anthology- The Best of Lindsey Buckingham.

This  In the Studio rare in-depth conversation with the very private Lindsey Buckingham begins with his growing up in a very competitive Northern California family of over-achievers ( his older brother was on the US Olympic swim team ); developing his musical chops with his high school transfer classmate Stephanie Nicks; moving to Los Angeles for their first shot at recording the tasty but ill-fated Buckingham Nicks  album in1973; and after being unceremoniously dropped from their record label, the star-crossed opportunity which miraculously appeared with a veteran British band recently located to LA, Fleetwood Mac; “Trouble” from his first foray solo on 1981’s Law and Order; the infectious title song from Go Insane in 1984;  “Countdown”  from Out of the Cradle in 1992; and the fourteen year layoff effort  Under the Skin from Lindsey Buckingham in 2006 which included “Show You How“. Bonus chestnuts include the singalong “Holiday Road” from National Lampoon’s Vacation, live versions of “Never Going Back Again” and “Go Your Own Way”, and one of the new songs, “Hunger“.

See Lindsey Buckingham in concert Tuesday in San Francisco, Friday Los Angeles, Saturday San Diego, October 15 Boulder, Chicago October 17,Pittsburgh October 18, Warner Theater in Washington DC October 19, Charlotte October 21 and on through December 9. –Redbeard

REVIEW and VIDEOS Fleetwood Mac Live in Chicago Oct 6, 2018

By Jim Ryan
FORBES

Conflict and change are ideas that have driven Fleetwood Mac since their earliest days.

While the band, who has sold in excess of 100 million records, certainly experienced their greatest commercial success following the addition of members Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks in 1975, the group itself actually formed in the late 60s as a British blues quartet which would bear virtually no resemblance to the group that churned out pop hits like "Little Lies" during the 80s en route to enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Beginning in 1967, the group featured founder Peter Green on guitar, Mick Fleetwood on drums, Jeremy Spencer on guitar and John McVie on bass. Over the course of the next seven years, artists like Christine McVie, Danny Kirwan, Bob Welch and Bob Weston would come and go as Green and Spencer departed.

1975 began with the addition of Buckingham and Nicks, then an off and on item, and Lindsey would take his first sabbatical in 1987. Christine and John McVie married and divorced and Christine left the band multiple times, rejoining most recently in 2014.

All of which is to say that maybe it shouldn't have come as quite the shock it did when Lindsey Buckingham, amidst much acrimony, departed Fleetwood Mac again earlier this year.

While that departure has riled up fans looking to place blame, what matters as the band embarks upon a North American tour is that Mick Fleetwood made perfect picks to replace him.

As Tom Petty's erstwhile sideman through projects like Mudcrutch and The Heartbreakers since 1971, Mike Campbell became one of rock's most underrated guitar players. Always able to make a song better, Campbell rarely looks to steal the spotlight with a flashy solo (though, as he showed on stage last night in Chicago, he's more than capable of doing that too).

New Zealand born singer and songwriter Neil Finn fronted rockers Split Enz in the late 70s and early 80s before moving on to even greater success as the voice of new wave rockers Crowded House in 1985.

"Welcome, Chicago!" said Stevie Nicks to open the show. "Here we are for our second show in one of my very favorite cities!"

Fleetwood Mac performed as a twelve-piece act Saturday night in Chicago with Mick Fleetwood, John and Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks, Mike Campbell and Neil Finn augmented by additional guitar and keyboard players, a second percussionist and three background vocalists.

The group's stage on this tour is very simple, free of the technological trappings that accompany most arena rock shows, with the group performing in front of a single video screen.

From their 1977 classic Rumours, "The Chain" opened Saturday night's show. As has generally been the case on recent Fleetwood Mac tours, their biggest album received the most focus, with seven tracks from it in the setlist so far on this tour.

That performance put the spotlight on Neil Finn early, who nailed his solo on the track. He'd go on to provide stellar vocals and guitar throughout the evening.

Finn is the flashier of the new additions. Now the youngest member of Fleetwood Mac at 60, he spun and bounced across the stage throughout the show. Mike Campbell, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to hide in the shadows despite the stature and quality of his lead guitar playing.

"Many, many years ago I heard this song and it opened a lot of doors in my own heart," said Mick Fleetwood, introducing an acoustic cover of Crowded House's biggest hit "Don't Dream It's Over." "It's unbelievably fitting," he continued referencing Finn's new place in the band as Stevie Nicks joined him on vocals, singing one verse of the 1986 hit.

The group went out of its way to introduce their new members, putting a Fleetwood Mac spin on "I Got You" by Split Enz early and the Tom Petty classic "Free Fallin" later. Nicks once again took on the vocal of her longtime friend and collaborator and Campbell's familiar strumming of the Rickenbacker on it was a comforting reminder of his past.

"During this set, we're going to pay respect to our history," said Nicks Saturday on stage at Chicago's United Center. "We have reached back in the history of Fleetwood Mac which is really exciting because it's a whole different thing," she continued, referencing the group's often overlooked roots in the U.K. blues tradition.

Aside from the absence of Lindsey Buckingham, the most stunning part of the current tour is the desire the group has to dig into their vast catalog for tracks that predate the involvement of Nicks and even Christine McVie.

"Listen, I'm personally really happy to be here with this band," said Campbell. "This song is written by Peter Green. Hopefully you know who he is by now," he continued, eyes locked on Fleetwood, both smiling, as a stripped down Fleetwood Mac consisting of just six players took on, arguably, the group's biggest early hit in "Oh Well."

Nicks and McVie left the stage and blues guitar drove the gritty jam as Campbell delivered not just rollicking lead licks but lead vocals too on iconic lines like, "I can't help about the shape I'm in / Can't sing, I ain't pretty and my legs are thin / But don't ask me what I think of you / I might not give the answer that you want me to."

Tracks like "Tell Me All the Things You Do" and "Hypnotized" were performed Saturday night in Chicago for just the second time since 1977. And what's incredible is the group's ability to balance those deeper dives by following them up with more pop leaning Fleetwood Mac hits like "Everywhere, "Rhinannon" or "Dreams" and making all of it work.

Nicks took the lead vocal on "Black Magic Woman," a song made popular by Carlos Santana in 1970, though it was penned by Peter Green and released by a very different Fleetwood Mac in 1968.

It was on "Black Magic Woman" where Campbell started to look comfortable. His guitar work on the track provided the type of moments fans didn't often hear on Tom Petty records. Campbell made his way across the stage during the track to interact with Christine McVie on keyboards. Mick Fleetwood stood up from his drum kit as the song came to a close, grinning ear to ear as he pointed a drumstick directly at Campbell.

That moment was one of many which revealed just how much fun the members of Fleetwood Mac seem to be having at the moment, not necessarily a given during past Fleetwood Mac outings.

Despite his absence, the group made no effort to shy away from Fleetwood Mac fare that's closely associated with Lindsey Buckingham. Finn handled the lead vocal capably on "Second Hand News" early in the set, teaming up with Campbell later for the guitar heroics that characterize "Go Your Own Way."

These are polarizing times for Fleetwood Mac fans, as evidenced by fan reaction on social media to Lindsey's departure, the current tour and newly updated setlist. On one hand, fans who approach the group nostalgically miss the guitarist, while others are happy for a fresh take on vital songs the group ignored for decades.

One thing that can't be argued is that the addition of Campbell and Finn seem to have injected new life into Fleetwood Mac. While it remains to be seen if that carries over to the studio, fans who can approach this lineup with an open mind will be vastly rewarded in the live concert setting.

While it's strange to see Fleetwood Mac covering, say, Crowded House, it's rewarding to see a band willing to shake things up and try something different this far in, even if that means ignoring the nostalgia for a change.

VIDEOS AT THE LINK BELOW

Lindsey Buckingham Live From the Hardly Strickly Bluegrass Festival San Francisco

Lindsey Buckingham "Live From Here" with Chris Thile. Lindsey performed on Friday night in San Francisco at the Hardly Strickly Bluegrass Festival 3 days of free live music in Golden State Park.

Listen to his set HERE

His set starts at 43:35 for the first two songs then again at 1:46:10

1. Shut Us Down
2. Trouble
3. Never Going Back Again
4. Big Love

REVIEW Lindsey Buckingham: Solo Anthology — The Best of Lindsey Buckingham

Lindsey Buckingham: Solo Anthology — The Best of Lindsey Buckingham
Written By Hal Horowitz
American Songwriter

Lindsey Buckingham
Solo Anthology — The Best of Lindsey Buckingham
(Rhino/Warner Brothers)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

If there was any doubt of Lindsey Buckingham’s mad skills as an accomplished finger-picking guitarist, the opening half of the third platter of this triple CD compilation will put that to rest. The first six tunes feature Buckingham on solo acoustic guitar, whipping off frenzied licks with a proficiency and expertise that will leave most listeners slack-jawed. When he adds emotional vocals to “Big Love” or drops down to near silence on “Never Going Back Again” as he caresses the words and reworks the arrangement, it’s clear he’s one of the most talented artists to front a major act.

Of course, if you’re playing the discs in order, by the time you get there, you’ll have already absorbed almost two and half hours of music cherry-picked from six studio albums worth of Buckingham’s non-Fleetwood Mac work (and one from 2017’s collaboration with Christine McVie) released from 1981-2011. It’s a handy way to catch up to the less-pop worthy tunes Buckingham has recorded intermittently over a 30-year period. For the most part, this material is too unusual, twisted or just plain peculiar to fit into Mac’s slicker repertoire. Occasionally Buckingham — who impressively overdubs himself on most instruments —  finds a more commercial voice as on “Love Runs Deeper” or “You Do or You Don’t” that lightens the overall mood with tracks that might have fit onto a Mac album. And even if the guitarist sometimes tries a little too hard to show his oddball, i.e. artistic, side, the 39 studio tracks reveal often hidden gems on albums that didn’t exactly set the charts on fire. Two “new” selections, both recorded in 2012, make their debut here but neither the hummable “Hunger” or the indie/folky “Ride This Road” is good enough to recommend that fans who already own the rest of the previously issued items splurge on this.

Oddly, there is only one inclusion from Buckingham’s 1981 debut (the single “Trouble” is here in both studio and a stunningly rearranged live version), which seems to be unfair to that generally impressive work, especially since eight songs are grabbed from 1992’s Out Of The Cradle. Buckingham penned or co-wrote virtually everything, although an acoustic version of Jagger-Richards’ “I Am Waiting” is an inspired choice which makes you yearn to hear more covers.

Much of this hews closely to Buckingham’s talents as a songwriter, singer, producer, finger-picking master and arranger. It shies away from Buckingham’s reputation as an electric guitar-shredder, although gripping concert renditions of “I’m So Afraid” and “Go Your Own Way” that close the package allow him to open up on intense, hot-wired plugged way in solos that not only display his nimble abilities but begs the question as to why there aren’t more tracks where he lets it rip.    

        

As a career recap, this three hour-plus overview (also available as a redacted single disc) is a reasonable if flawed summary of Buckingham’s side project solo work. But most importantly it lets us rediscover music created outside of the iconic band he fronted for three decades. Fleetwood Mac gave him the freedom to release music that skews to his edgier/odder proclivities, which is generally an artist’s most interesting side. Hal Horowitz

Fleetwood Mac Opens Tour With Massive Set List Shake-Up

Fleetwood Mac debuts new members, pays tribute to Tom Petty during tour launch in Tulsa
By Jimmie Tramel Tulsa World
Photo Gallery Here
Below Photos by: Raphael Pour-Hashemi

   

One year and one day after the loss of gone-too-soon Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac launched a new North American tour and unveiled a new roster at Tulsa’s BOK Center.

The additions, who came aboard following the departure of Lindsey Buckingham, are Mike Campbell, former guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Neil Finn, vocalist for Crowded House and Split Enz.

“I can’t tell you how much it means to us that you are all here tonight to share this with us,” Campbell told a sold-out crowd.

Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood was asked in a pre-concert interview if the set list would include any Crowded House or Petty songs, or whether there might be a tribute to Petty.

“I can attest that there will be,” Fleetwood said.

Fleetwood didn’t want to cite specific songs — why ruin the surprise? — but answers came when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, no stranger to personnel changes, began a new chapter Wednesday night.

The Petty tribute, an emotional highlight of the show, came during the encore. The first song of the encore was Petty’s “Free Fallin’” with vocals provided by Stevie Nicks, a longtime Petty friend. Images of Petty were shown on a screen behind the stage as Fleetwood Mac performed the song. Judging by the number of mobile phones held high, it was the most video-ed moment of the night.

Two songs from Finn’s ouevre were on the set list, including “I Got You” (the highest-charting Split Enz single in the U.S.) and “Don’t Dream It’s Over” (Crowded House’s biggest hit, it went to No. 2 in 1986). Nicks contributed vocal help on both songs.

Immediately before Finn sang “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” Fleetwood said this: “Many years ago I heard this beautiful song and, for me, it opened many doors in my heart, so this all eventually led to this lovely gentleman sharing the stage with us in Fleetwood Mac, so make him really welcome as he sings this most beautiful song.”

The new kids and the Fleetwood Mac vets — Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie and Nicks — played for almost two and a half hours and, perhaps feeling adventuresome in the wake of a lineup change, detoured to some interesting places.

Almost half (11 of 24 songs) of the set was mined from a self-titled 1975 album and the 1977 juggernaut “Rumours.”

But the first hint Fleetwood Mac was going to dig deep came six songs into the show, when Nicks handled vocal chores on “Black Magic Woman.” Written by former member Peter Green, “Black Magic Woman” was recorded by Fleetwood Mac in the twilight of the 1960s. The song became a hit for Santana in 1970.

Also on the set list: “Tell Me All the Things You Do” from the 1970 album “Kiln House,” the Bob Welch-penned “Hypnotized” from the 1973 album “Mystery to Me” and “Oh Well,” which was sang Wednesday night by Campbell and was originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac in 1969. (For context’s sake, consider that Nicks and Buckingham didn’t record with the band until 1975.)

Buckingham and Fleetwood Mac parted company in April. Do you really want a band with so many great songs to call it quits just because a key member is no longer part of the squad? Of course not.

Wanting to forge ahead, Fleetwood Mac took the hydra approach (lose one head; two will take its place) and announced a new tour.

At 8:14 p.m. Wednesday, when the new incarnation of the band took the stage, Fleetwood flashed a smile that was captured on the video screen. He and his band mates opened with “The Chain,” which has history as a show-starter and gave curious audience members a chance to immediately hear Finn at the microphone. The song didn’t match completely the version stuck in your brain from decades of hearing it, but Finn sounded like a natural fit in songs like “Go Your Own Way” and “Second Hand News.”

Introducing himself, Finn said, “My name is Neil and it’s a huge honor to be with you tonight with this magnificent band.”

A New Zealander, Finn also said this: “I would like to do a big shout-out to another fellow countryman who works just down the road, Mr. Steven Adams for the Oklahoma (City) Thunder. (He’s) the toughest guy in the league. I’m not even in the toughest person in Fleetwood Mac. I think that’s Stevie.”

Early in the show, Campbell looked at his new band mates and smiled. Nobody seemed to have more fun than Fleetwood, especially during a drum solo bookend-ed by the start and finish of “World Turning.” He introduced the rest of the band afterward and said it was a joy and privilege to welcome the new members.

Sometimes the whole cheer-for-an-encore thing feels too staged or expected, but the audience reaction (mobile phones illuminated, continuous roaring) suggested the crowd absolutely wanted more Fleetwood Mac, and that’s what they got when the anticipated Petty tribute arrived and was followed by two other songs — “Don’t Stop” and “All Over Again,” a song that Christine McVie said was about change.

A big change happened in the ranks of Fleetwood Mac. But here's the takeaway: The tour launch didn’t feel like you were watching/hearing something less than Fleetwood Mac.

Set List:

• The Chain (Rumours 1977)
• Little Lies  (Tango In the Night 1987)
• Dreams (Rumours 1977)
• Secondhand News (Fleetwood Mac 1975) (w/ Neil Finn on lead)
• Say You Love Me (Rumours 1977)
• Black Magic Woman (English Rose/The Pious Bird of Good Omen 1969) (Stevie on lead)
• I Got You (Split Enz)
• Everywhere (Tango In The Night 1987)
• Rhiannon (Fleetwood Mac 1975)
• Tell Me All Things You Do (Kiln House 1970)
• Storms (Tusk 1979)
• World Turning (Fleetwood Mac 1975
• Band intros
• Hypnotized (Mystery To Me 1973) (Neil on lead)
• Oh Well (Then Play On 1969) (Mike on lead)
• Don't Dream It's Over (Crowded House) (Stevie and Neil on lead)
• Landslide (Fleetwood Mac 1975)
• Isn't It Midnight (Tango in The Night 1987)
• Monday Morning (Fleetwood Mac 1975)
• You Make Loving Fun (Rumours 1977)
• Gold Dust Woman (Rumours 1977)
• Go Your Own Way (Rumours 1977)
• Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty cover)
• Don’t Stop (Rumours 1977)
• All Over Again (Time 1995)