Never underestimate the power of the Mac.
Three songs into Monday night’s set at Toyota Center, Stevie Nicks promised the crowd she would “get this party started!” Until then, Fleetwood Mac had been pleasing and mostly polite: anthem-ic kickoff “The Chain,” “You Make Loving Fun,” “Dreams” shifted to a lower key.
But something kicked into gear with “Second Hand News.” Lindsey Buckingham ripped into the song, all wild eyes and stomping feet. It reverberated through the sold-out crowd and energized Nicks’ take on “Rhiannon.” The party had indeed started.
Christine McVie, who rejoined the band after a 15-year absence, was still soulful and sweet on “Everywhere,” which benefited from a punchy arrangement.
“Now she’s been here, and it’s almost 40 shows. And now I think she’s gonna stay,” Nicks quipped. The band returns in March for another Toyota Center show.
The enduring allure of Fleetwood Mac has been the story behind the music. The core unit Buckingham, Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie and Mick Fleetwood – has continued to thrive both in spite and because of its tempestuous history.
Buckingham played up the sentiment, saying the band’s success is its ability “to continue to prevail through the good times and the bad.” He called Christine McVie’s reappearance “the beginning of a poetic, a profound and a beautiful new chapter.”
For now, though, it was about the music.
Nicks introduced “Gypsy” with a lengthy story about meeting Buckingham, shopping for rock-star clothes and opening shows for Jimi Hendrix, Santana and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
“Are you listening over there?” she asked him.
And, yes, something sweet and magical still happens when Nicks’ croons about getting older and snow-covered hills during “Landslide.” The entire venue seemed to sigh in unison.
Joey Guerra / Houston Chronicle / Tuesday, December 15, 2014
