(REVIEW) MICK FLEETWOOD BLUES BAND NAPIER, NZ

A fan review of the last show in Napier, New Zealand of The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band Tour.

Includes photos.

Nicola's Daisies: A very, very good night

WHAT UP WITH THAT LINDSEY.... SNL

I don't know how many times this season, but it's been A LOT! Saturday Night Live's "What Up With That" segment features Lindsey Buckingham as portrayed by Bill Hader. The skit is funny in that nobody ever really gets the chance to say anything, or much before the host breaks into song ... I'm not sure where the Lindsey connection is in all this... but I guess it's funny, just because it's so odd... Lindsey's character has been in every segment this season while the other two guests have always been different... I think tonights episode where he mouthed a few words is the most I've seen him move his lips other then to smile.  

This could be SNL's way of asking for the real Lindsey Buckingham to show up one show as himself... I can see him doing it.

OKAY... DAVE STEWART CAME THROUGH BIG TIME!!!

IT'S A BEGINNING

Here's the snippet of a duet demo Dave Stewart spoke about and promised to preview today - of him and Stevie singing "Everybody Loves You" ... I love it!, it's hard to believe this is only a demo. It sounds so beautiful with the strings....

Thank you Dave for taking the time to post this... and thank you Stevie!

"EVERYBODY LOVES YOU"

DOWNLOAD (38 second preview)

DAVE STEWART & STEVIE NICKS DUET PREVIEW FIRST LISTEN FRIDAY 11AM PST

Dave Stewart to preview a duet he's working

with Stevie Nicks on this Friday March 5th, 11am PST.

THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME!

More bits of info via Twitter and Dave Stewart.... Hit the link to his twitter page.

With references to Fleetwood Mac meets the Beatles meets Tom Petty meets the Eurythmics... This sounds epic!

Today - March 4th
"Now driving over to Stevie Nick's place to make more majik"

"working on 4 songs with Stevie now very fast capturing the essence of the music and poetry keeping it spontaneous ,sounds amazing"

yep it is awesome stuff , Stevie's Voice is soaring !!!

March 3rd
"back to Stevie Nick's house more songs on the go :)"

From earlier in the week
"wrote a great song with Stevie Nicks on Monday called "Everybody Loves You"

and when asked if this means Stevie's making a new album?.... He responded with:
"she's on top form and I see that possibility"

(REVIEW) MICK FLEETWOOD BLUES BAND - CHRISTCHURCH, NZ

Boz Scaggs, Michael McDonald, The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band. Westpac Arena Christchurch, Wednesday March 3, 2010
Reviewed by Alistair Armstrong.
The Press

Elder statesmen fly with blues

What looked like a showcase for the faces behind a lot of mature FM radio hits was actually a rare glimpse of some of the best players in the music business.

Rhythm and blues was the lifeblood linking this triple treat comprising one of rock's great drummers (Mick Fleetwood), arguably its finest blue-eyed soul artist (Michael McDonald) and an adult pop practitioner with a pedigree far deeper than many suspect (Boz Scaggs).

Fleetwood, the venerable giant with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, started things by paying tribute to his roots in the British blues boom with a set that included Fleetwood Mac classics such as a gloriously authentic-sounding Black Magic Woman and Albatross.

What made his Blues Band an unheralded sensation was Mac alumni Rick Vito, surely one of America's finest guitarists, whose shimmering slide guitar and bluesy vocals made the quartet's set an event in itself.

While Fleetwood thumped the kit and mugged enthusiastically, Vito set the place on fire, especially in Love That Burns, when he bypassed the microphone to sing directly to the crowd.

Watching Michael McDonald, you're struck by qualities that lots of contemporary musicians leave at the door.

He pours endless amounts of soul and passion into his music, whether it's bright and funky stuff like What a Fool Believes, which got them dancing in the aisles, or ballads with worrying levels of heartache like I Keep Forgettin'.

The yearning in a lot of Motown is a natural fit for this guy, so familiar favourites like Heard It Through the Grapevine and Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing regain freshness. Happily though, the St Louis native focused on his solo and Doobie Brothers material, which was carried brilliantly by his crack six-piece band and back-up vocalist through to a rousing gospel-style finale in Takin' It to the Streets.

Scaggs, accompanied by yet another group of hand-picked American musicians, was a contrast in style.

Mention his name and many think of disco-era celebrations, but he has matured and mellowed into a masterful purveyor of mellow funk and jazz, as well as blues.

The introductory Jojo was just elegant perfection that could have stopped on a dime.

It was like being escorted in slow-cruising musical Cadillac carrying supple, sumptuous grooves and steered by Scaggs' distinctive mellow warble.

Lowdown came halfway through and as the band took solo turns, it was easy to reflect on a night of deep-seated luxury that was warmly appreciated by the moderate-sized crowd.