A last minute thing for me. Didn’t expect to go see Fleetwood Mac. My friend and ex-roommate Max Comeau was also there. Seated somewhere on the floor. A musician himself and very much influenced by the band, he breathes their music to survive. He introduced me to Fleetwood Mac among other music back at the beginning of the millennium. Are friendship didn’t last long though due to many disagreements. Now we’re friends again because we’re mature people, sort of, and we agree to disagree on stuff.
The show was at the Bell Centre. Yawn. On the floor were chairs. Double yawn. I understand having a show at the Bell Centre when you’re a super group but you’ve got to at least have the floor free of chairs no? It’s just more exciting. Max pointed out though that pretty much everybody was standing up from their chairs in the first rows. I had a nice seat in the red zone not so far away from the soundman. A woman in the aisle next to me was having the time of her life, dancing to all her favorite songs, until someone told her to sit down because she was blocking the view. Yes! We’re at the Bell Centre.
The place was packed but not sold out. Still that’s good news. I was told Fleetwood Mac once cancelled a Montreal show. The official reason was scheduling conflicts but Max believes it was because of poor ticket sales. It happens sometimes in Montreal. A show cancelled or moved to a smaller venue. Last year, I was very lucky to see M. Ward at the Petit Campus. He was originally booked at the Corona. This year, Benjamin Booker has his show moved from the Corona to the Sala Rossa.
Back to Fleetwood Mac. I love the album Rumours with its catchy music. Pop rock songs are usually not my thing but in this case the melodies are just too good. I was happy to hear many of the songs from that album. And even songs that weren’t from Rumours I would recognize. Where Max and I differ is our love for the band. I guess I’m not a huge fan like many of the attendees that night. Having Lindsey give a speech between two songs with a certain self-importance bothered me. Max, on the other hand, knows every little detail about them. “This is a nerd talking” he would say before pointing out that Lindsey Buckingham upped the tempo (10% to 15%) to unnerve Stevie Nicks during “Landslide.” I did see some tension between band members but at this point I wonder if it’s real or all for show.
I enjoyed it very much but without getting carried away. Had it been in a smaller venue (in my dreams right?), standing and dancing in a tight crowd to those wonderful songs, I would’ve savored it more.
China Marsot-Wood / RReverb / Monday, February 9, 2015
