Tuesday, October 09, 2018

STEVIE NICKS Nominated For Induction Into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame!

Stevie Nicks, The Cure Among 15 Acts Nominated For Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame


The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced its 2019 nominees on Tuesday, and in what has become an annual tradition, the list came with the Hall's usual heap of opacity and a dash of acrimony.

One nominee has already been inducted, two are receiving their fifth nominations, and one previously said it would decline the honor before changing its, ahem, tune on Tuesday morning.

Stevie Nicks is nominated for induction for the first time as a solo artist, having previously been welcomed into the Rock Hall in 1998 as a member of legendary rock group Fleetwood Mac. If she makes the cut when the 2019 class is announced in December, Nicks will become the first female artist to join the Hall a second time. 

Starting Oct. 9, the public can visit rockhall.com/fanvote to cast their votes for who they would like to see in the Class of 2019. Voting ends Dec. 9 and the top-five artists will make up a fan's ballot, which counts as a single vote. 

VOTE: Go to rockhall.com/vanvote for fan vote. You can vote once per day.  Below are some early stats as of this posting... But it's early, we gotta stay on top of this.



In alphabetical order, this year's nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame are:
  • The Cure (second nomination)
  • Def Leppard (first nomination)
  • Devo (first nomination)
  • Janet Jackson (third nomination)
  • John Prine (first nomination)
  • Kraftwerk (fifth nomination)
  • LL Cool J (fifth nomination)
  • MC5 (fourth nomination)
  • Radiohead (second nomination)
  • Rage Against the Machine (second nomination)
  • Roxy Music (first nomination)
  • Rufus & Chaka Khan (third nomination)
  • Stevie Nicks (already an inductee with Fleetwood Mac, but first solo nomination)
  • Todd Rundgren (first nomination)
  • The Zombies (fourth nomination)

REVIEW Fleetwood Mac Live in Grand Rapids, MI October 8, 2018

Fleetwood Mac finds Lindsey-less groove with hits, rare cuts and more in Grand Rapids
by John Sinkevics
Local Spins



The superstar classic rock band flaunted its new lineup in an intriguing, early-tour show at Van Andel Arena.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Fleetwood Mac did not allow media outlets to photograph Monday night’s concert.

Anyone who’s seen Fleetwood Mac previously or followed the soap opera that the band has laid bare over the years knows that Monday night’s concert at Van Andel Arena – just the third stop on the group’s talked-about 2018 tour – was really all about Lindsey Buckingham.

And he wasn’t even there.

His much-publicized falling out with other band members over this very tour led Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie to carry on without the prodigious guitarist and singer, replacing him with not one, but two, other well-known musicians: guitarist Mike Campbell from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and singer-guitarist Neil Finn from Crowded House/Split Enz.
It makes 1977’s “Go Your Own Way” sound prophetic, eh?

Of course, that doesn’t sit well with some fans of the superstar band and even the Chicago Tribune’s recent headline blared “Fakewood Mac?” prior to the group’s show at the United Center on Saturday.

I’m not in that camp. As much as I revere Buckingham’s work, I found all of this actually made this tour more tantalizing – a must-see event.

Having reviewed Fleetwood Mac on numerous occasions (and the past few times without Christine McVie who finally came out of retirement four years ago), I viewed the selection of Campbell and Finn as brilliant. These guys are respected artists I’ve never regarded as mere sidemen – or in this case, “Second Hand News” – but rather as influential music icons of the 1970s and 1980s. Having Christine McVie back on keys and vocals was another bonus.

AN ECLECTIC SET LIST AND A PETTY TRIBUTE

Plus, let’s face it, tons of classic bands are touring without key members these days, right? (See: Journey, Foreigner, The Eagles.)

Still, the burning question of the evening: How would this band fare without Buckingham?

Folks, I’m here to tell you that while Buckingham’s singing and stage presence certainly were missed at certain junctures of the evening, this iteration of Fleetwood Mac did nothing to tarnish the legacy of this enduring band and actually provided an intriguing twist on its own catalog and a few others – something that wouldn’t have taken place if he was on board.

Monday’s two-and-a-half-hour show wasn’t a sellout, but the thousands of West Michigan fans who bought the pricey tickets and cheered their heroes on were treated to a set list that was far different than the one the band sported the last time it played Van Andel Arena:

• Invigorating renditions of early-era Fleetwood Mac, including 1969’s “Oh Well” (Peter Green) and 1973’s “Hypnotized” (Bob Welch);

• Nicks and Campbell tearing up “Free Falling” in a poignant encore tribute to Petty, complete with photos of the late rock star on the video screen behind the band;

• Finn getting chance to rock an arena crowd with the Split Enz’s 1979 hit, “I Got You,” and Crowded House’s 1986 gem, “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”

On those classic Fleetwood Mac numbers that fans revere, Nicks sounded as crisp as ever (“Rhiannon,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Dreams,” “Landslide”), Christine McVie provided the group’s upbeat, uplifting charm even if her vocals seemed understated at times (“Little Lies,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Everywhere”), Fleetwood at 71 continued to provide that eccentric, wildman robustness (his solos are always smile-inducing) and John McVie was, as always, the reserved “backbone” of the band (as Fleetwood put it).

ADMIRABLE FILL-INS AND FUZZY NOSTALGIA

Musically, the rhythm section has barely changed an iota, and considering all the lineup changes they’ve seen over the past five decades, these two guys I’m sure appreciate and revel in the opportunity to jam with a couple of new players.

Indeed, the band threw caution to the wind from the get-go, allowing Finn to charge out of the box vocally on the first song of the night, “The Chain.” And while he doesn’t quite have Buckingham’s timbre, the singer managed his parts remarkably well throughout the night.

Campbell, meanwhile, seemed to revel in the opportunity to crank out those trademark Buckingham leads, and also shined masterfully — and perhaps more confidently — on pre-Buckingham material like “Oh Well” and “Hypnotized.” Considering Nicks’ longtime musical relationship with Petty and the Heartbreakers, it seemed apropos that Campbell was tabbed for this tour.

To be sure, with only three concerts under their belts, this lineup – which also features another percussionist, keyboard player, guitarist and two backing singers – is still trying to find its comfort level, so some songs on Monday were stronger than others, with a few minor missteps vocally. And the band stuck with the script, playing essentially the same set list unfurled in Chicago.

But it’s also unfair to paint this as somehow inauthentic. Instead, it was refreshingly different at times, often intriguing, powerfully entertaining and filled with the sort of fuzzy nostalgia that fans crave.

“Thank you for being with us on this journey, and it is the beginning,” Nicks told the crowd early on, referring to the North American tour that runs through early April.

More than 50 years after forming, some might suggest it’s actually the beginning of the end for Fleetwood Mac. If so, it was a fitting swan song for Grand Rapids fans.


Monday, October 08, 2018

Lindsey Buckingham live in Portland Oct 7, 2018 - Photos, Video and Set List

Lindsey Live in Portland, OR -- First Show!

Set list for the first show in Portland
1. Don’t look down!
2. Go insane - full band
3. Surrender The Rain
4. Doing What I Can
5. Not Too Late
6. I Must Go
7. Trouble - full band
8. Street of Dreams
9. Shut Us Down
10. Never Going Back Again
11. Big Love
12. In Our Own Time
13. Slow Dancing
14. Soul Drifter
15. Holiday Road
16. Tusk
17. So Afraid
18. Go Your Own Way
band Intros
19. Turn It On
20. Down on Rodeo
21. Treason

Photo by: Raph Pour-Hashemi



More at the link below

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



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

Sunday, October 07, 2018

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