Gig review: Fleetwood Mac

Last updated 09:40 21/12/2009
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Fleetwood Mac had fans in raptures at two sold out shows in New Plymouth over the weekend. Reviewer Simon Sweetman was there.

Fleetwood Mac
Where: Bowl of Brooklands, New Plymouth
When: Saturday, December 19

From late-60s British blues band to mid-70s American soft-rock superstars, Fleetwood Mac have evolved and endured, the sound almost taking a back seat to the soap-opera antics of the band members.

Inter-band relationships and affairs, along with drug and alcohol abuse, have, somewhat ironically, been the glue for this band, providing material for many of the classic songs.

This version of the Mac features original rhythm section John McVie (bass) and Mick Fleetwood (drums). Out front are Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, the singer-songwriters who in the mid-70s took the band to the top of the charts and helped in creating one of the greatest-selling albums of all time, Rumours.

Christine McVie declines the invites to tour the hits these days. Her songs Don't Stop and Say You Love Me were played here, however.

The band began with the lively burst of pop that is Monday Morning, the opening track from the eponymous 1975 album. The audience stood strong as the rain came in, and were treated to The Chain and Dreams, an early one-two punch.

Buckingham owned the stage, stalking with his guitar, low-slung, crouching, peeling off piercing runs of notes, squalling solos that enthralled.

If he was occasionally too intense with his between-song banter detailing the emotional connections – something lost on parts of the audience, there to drink first and listen to the six radio hits they knew – then he certainly saved face with his powerhouse solo acoustic take on Big Love, transformed from the Tango in the Night version.

By the time the set-closing anthem Go Your Own Way was ringing out, Buckingham was receiving healthy ovations for every guitar solo.

Nicks, ever the beguiling performer, manages, still, to very much become the song she is singing – to morph into a character that embodies the white witch of Rhiannon; that is the "poet in my heart" of Sara; that is the Gypsy.

Her tour-de-force moments were Gold Dust Woman and the final encore, Silver Springs. An always tender moment in a Fleetwood Mac show is when Nicks sings Landslide; the emotional journey that she and Buckingham have provided for generations of listeners and for themselves seems to be summed up in the lyric.

John McVie was the quiet rock, as ever, pushing the songs forward with his bass playing, receiving huge applause for the exploratory line that propels The Chain, the concert's first of many truly awesome moments.

And Fleetwood, a towering presence behind the kit, got to show off a touch of his possible madness as he chanted near-gibberish around a drum solo at the end of World Turning.

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* What did you think of the show? Post your comments below.

- © Fairfax NZ News

51 comments
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Steph   #51   04:08 pm Jan 18 2010

It was an amazing concert on Sunday night. Loved it. It was everything you could ever ask for and more!Big big love to you Fleetwood Mac.

jubeygirl   #50   08:01 pm Dec 25 2009

I went both nights and was blown away by the sheer force of emotions felt when they finally came out on stage. I saw them play in Melbourne twice in 2006 and they have gotten better than then. Dynamics of Stevie and Lindsays relationship have changed and both are more comfortable. The surprise of the evening was Buckingham. His voice was stronger than it has been for some time. I dont usually enjoy the guitar solos but this time, amazing. Fleetwood Mac are the coolest looking 60 yr olds I have every seen on stage!! All power to them

Sarah   #49   09:47 pm Dec 24 2009

I was at the Sat night show, and we sure did not mind the rain. The band seemed to make a big deal out of it, but - we are soo used to it- ha. I wasn't impressed with the drunk yobbo's around me either. I couldn't hear what Lindsay was saying as he introduded his songs, I looked around me and couldn't believe how many people were talking through it. My favourite song might have been 'sara', but I just loved all of it soo much. Very professional!! Great night out. Well worth the drive from the Coromandel. Loved BIG love too.

Darryl   #48   10:45 pm Dec 22 2009

Reading the comments I can't help think that fans will always be loyal. Quite simply the sound was terrible. The sound engineer hopefully by now is looking for another job. The band was good, but a lot of the time were not in sync. They have a catalogue of hits yet chose to ignore some of them. As a result the crowd lost interest through the middle. I have never been to a live concert where the audience was talking amongst themselves half the time! This was a "quite good" concert. To say it was anything else is blind admiration!

John   #47   04:52 pm Dec 22 2009

Nigel Roake @ Simon Sweetman,both need to get a life,an awesome concert @venue.

Brent   #46   12:53 pm Dec 22 2009

Fantastic show and superb playing, including some magnificent guitar solos. The one person #32 who thought Lindsey Buckingham is a very average guitarist is obviously not a guitarist or musician. As a pretty competent lead guitarist of some years experience who gigs regularly, I can assure you that Lindsey Buckingham is technically pretty accomplished (and I reckon one of the better fingerstyle rock guitarists about). I got to meet him and he's a great guy in person too. Anyway, top concert!

Cant Drive   #45   12:37 pm Dec 22 2009

Opening act Alan Ettles was amazing, how does he play his banjo string like that? Well done.

Roberto   #44   11:53 am Dec 22 2009

A great show. I saw them three times at their peak, and they were better here. Outstanding quality sound - really clear vocals, all the instruments individually distinguishable, loud but no distortion, great dynamic range, shuddering subsonics, strange stereo panning at times, fine gong work by Fleetwood. I've been to several hundred concerts around the world, and this was definitely grade A sound. (Of course we were in the middle in row 15.) I especially liked how they "deconstructed" some of the songs and had rearranged several of them. Even had a nod to Peter Green (coming here next year?) with a raucous "Oh Well". Overall, much better than I expected.

:Moe   #43   08:17 am Dec 22 2009

Was absolutely AMAZING!!! I was captivated from the time they came on till the very last minute, I'm still buzzing as we speak. My poor mp3s have been taking a pounding since. We went on the Sunday so the weather was perfect, being in Gold seats gave you a fantastic view well worth every dollar I paid!!! BRING BACK THE MAC........

gypsy   #42   07:16 am Dec 22 2009

The atmosphere on Saturday in the rain was- party and we did. I thought the sound could have been turned up- maybe it was down because they put those new seats in,close to the band(and speakers)Nicks still has a nice sound ,not a great sound and could no longer be described as ethereal,but buckingham rocked.


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