Two nights of Fleetwood Mac at Wembley
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| Photo by Suzy Vermoesen |
Wembley Arena, 30 & 31 October 2009
When I was 14 my Dad took me to see Stevie Nicks as a birthday present. I was madly obsessed with her and Fleetwood Mac at the time and even though our seats were terrible, and by all accounts it was one of her least impressive tours voice- and energy-wise, it was a magical evening for me and started what would be a lifelong passion for music, concerts and, of course, anything Fleetwood Mac.
Despite this, due to band break-ups, personnel changes and tours cut short, I didn't actually get to see the whole band (minus the now retired Christine McVie) in action until 2003, during three sublime nights at Earl's Court. I was back in the thick of my obsession at that moment in time due to falling head over heels in love with their comeback album Say You Will and I remember getting a lump in my throat when I finally saw them all walk onto the stage for the first time. The shows were exciting, nostalgic, romantic and made even better because I was up in front of the stage. I got to see Stevie up close for the first time, I got to strum Lindsey Buckingham's guitar, I got spit on by Mick Fleetwood during his achingly long "drum-vest" solo (well, you have to take the bad with the good), I got to witness first-hand John McVie's iconic bass riff for The Chain (famously used for Formula One). For someone who had loved them dearly since I just 12 years old, it was a pretty amazing experience.
This time round, six years on, it probably wasn't quite as exciting, I had already seen them up close and play live, so the first time thrill of that had gone, plus on top of that they hadn't released a new album to help rekindle my love of all things Mac, this was to be the dreaded "Greatest Hits Tour" aka the point where oldie bands become nostalgia acts. It was in some ways a disappointing move and in others, pretty much expected given the band's well-documented love of excess (and this tour was definitely somewhat of a cash-in). But still, given they have only graced these shores twice in the last 15 years and I doubt they will ever make it back again (given they are all in their 60s now), it was still pretty much a no brainer that I had to go, and, I'm pleased to say, I am glad I did.
There were several songs on the set list I was excited to hear live for the first time and pretty much none disappointed. The best of these, without a doubt, had to be the mad, hillbilly stomp of I Know I'm Not Wrong, perfectly showing off Lindsey's penchant for punk thrills mixed with country-style boogie. The other offerings from Tusk were just as good: Sara sounding gorgeous, sad and ethereal, suiting her more matured voice, and Storms seemingly having improved immensely from its live debut earlier this year, with softer vocals from Stevie, Mick's pounding heartbeat drums and Stevie and Lindsey harmonising to beautiful effect on its finale. But really it was the Lindsey show through and through, for a 60-year-old guy his energy is astounding and, not surprisingly, he sweats buckets. Every member of the band takes a break at least one point during the show, but not Lindsey, even throughout Mick's World Turning drum solo (he thankfully has abandoned the drum-vest and remains safely behind the drumkit these days), Lindsey sits on the side of the stage and watches while the rest of the band momentarily disappear backstage. He interacts with the audience, brings his guitar down for people to strum it, attempts to get people to sing along during Stand Back (Stevie's solo number of the night) and even signs a record at the end for some fan. While Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (who is a phenomenal bassist to watch and hear live) are the backbone of the band, Lindsey is definitely the lifeblood these days: Stevie may be the bigger star, but Lindsey works harder for his share of the attention and he definitely earns it, whether it's his incredible, jaw-dropping finger-picking on the acoustic version of Big Love or the passion he gives to the full band version of his solo hit Go Insane or the intensity of the guitar-solo-driven I'm So Afraid.
Stevie on the other hand, seems content to go through the motions a little more (particularly during Rhiannon and Dreams, where she sounded a little bored and uninspired), but at the very least always looks the perfect rock star, from her sparkly hippy shawls to her suede platform boots to her top hat and ribboned tambourine, it's an iconic style that is exciting to see up on stage. But thankfully it isn't all about looks, because, performance-wise, when she's good, she's on fire. In particular, on the first night, there was a blinding version of Gold Dust Woman that saw her lift her microphone nearly off the floor as she wailed into it and during the second encore Silver Springs as she passionately sang "you'll never get away from the sound of the woman who loved you!" like she was back in 1977 and still going through the emotional break-up with Lindsey that inspired the mega-successful Rumours album (and in a way she still is, every night on stage at least).
The second night the band didn't seem quite as energetic (there was definitely a real triumphant, homecoming feel to the first night) but they were still on good form. It was exactly the same set list (the band don't do spontaneous, right down to their well-rehearsed speeches, although Stevie admittedly forgot some of her introduction to Gypsy) minus the second encore of Silver Springs, instead ending the night on the rousing Don't Stop. The crowd seemed to love it and I did too. Even though it wasn't quite the thrill of my first-time Mac experience, it was definitely fun and I'm going to do it all again next Friday! In the words of Stevie Nicks, I can't wait.
Despite this, due to band break-ups, personnel changes and tours cut short, I didn't actually get to see the whole band (minus the now retired Christine McVie) in action until 2003, during three sublime nights at Earl's Court. I was back in the thick of my obsession at that moment in time due to falling head over heels in love with their comeback album Say You Will and I remember getting a lump in my throat when I finally saw them all walk onto the stage for the first time. The shows were exciting, nostalgic, romantic and made even better because I was up in front of the stage. I got to see Stevie up close for the first time, I got to strum Lindsey Buckingham's guitar, I got spit on by Mick Fleetwood during his achingly long "drum-vest" solo (well, you have to take the bad with the good), I got to witness first-hand John McVie's iconic bass riff for The Chain (famously used for Formula One). For someone who had loved them dearly since I just 12 years old, it was a pretty amazing experience.
This time round, six years on, it probably wasn't quite as exciting, I had already seen them up close and play live, so the first time thrill of that had gone, plus on top of that they hadn't released a new album to help rekindle my love of all things Mac, this was to be the dreaded "Greatest Hits Tour" aka the point where oldie bands become nostalgia acts. It was in some ways a disappointing move and in others, pretty much expected given the band's well-documented love of excess (and this tour was definitely somewhat of a cash-in). But still, given they have only graced these shores twice in the last 15 years and I doubt they will ever make it back again (given they are all in their 60s now), it was still pretty much a no brainer that I had to go, and, I'm pleased to say, I am glad I did.
There were several songs on the set list I was excited to hear live for the first time and pretty much none disappointed. The best of these, without a doubt, had to be the mad, hillbilly stomp of I Know I'm Not Wrong, perfectly showing off Lindsey's penchant for punk thrills mixed with country-style boogie. The other offerings from Tusk were just as good: Sara sounding gorgeous, sad and ethereal, suiting her more matured voice, and Storms seemingly having improved immensely from its live debut earlier this year, with softer vocals from Stevie, Mick's pounding heartbeat drums and Stevie and Lindsey harmonising to beautiful effect on its finale. But really it was the Lindsey show through and through, for a 60-year-old guy his energy is astounding and, not surprisingly, he sweats buckets. Every member of the band takes a break at least one point during the show, but not Lindsey, even throughout Mick's World Turning drum solo (he thankfully has abandoned the drum-vest and remains safely behind the drumkit these days), Lindsey sits on the side of the stage and watches while the rest of the band momentarily disappear backstage. He interacts with the audience, brings his guitar down for people to strum it, attempts to get people to sing along during Stand Back (Stevie's solo number of the night) and even signs a record at the end for some fan. While Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (who is a phenomenal bassist to watch and hear live) are the backbone of the band, Lindsey is definitely the lifeblood these days: Stevie may be the bigger star, but Lindsey works harder for his share of the attention and he definitely earns it, whether it's his incredible, jaw-dropping finger-picking on the acoustic version of Big Love or the passion he gives to the full band version of his solo hit Go Insane or the intensity of the guitar-solo-driven I'm So Afraid.
The second night the band didn't seem quite as energetic (there was definitely a real triumphant, homecoming feel to the first night) but they were still on good form. It was exactly the same set list (the band don't do spontaneous, right down to their well-rehearsed speeches, although Stevie admittedly forgot some of her introduction to Gypsy) minus the second encore of Silver Springs, instead ending the night on the rousing Don't Stop. The crowd seemed to love it and I did too. Even though it wasn't quite the thrill of my first-time Mac experience, it was definitely fun and I'm going to do it all again next Friday! In the words of Stevie Nicks, I can't wait.
More fantastic photos from the 30 October show courtesy of the lovely Suzy Vermoesen here
Cool review - got some pics from the 30th on my blog
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