TORONTO – The return of The Mac proved to be just as sweet the second time around.
British-American ‘70s folk-rockers Fleetwood Mac, boasting their most successful lineup of singers Stevie Nicks, keyboardist Christine McVie and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham (Nicks’ ex-boyfriend), bassist John McVie (Christine’s ex-husband) and drummer Mick Fleetwood, returned to the Air Canada Centre on Tuesday night after performing at the same venue on the same tour with the same set list back in mid-October.
No matter.
Torontonians – another 17,000 or so of them – liked a double serving of The Mac particularly since this tour features the return of the 71-year-old Christine McVie who stayed off the road for 16 years.
With everyone else in the group in their mid to late ‘60s there was no time like the present for this reunion.
Thankfully, the Fleetwood Mac back catalogue has held up so well with special mention to the songs from their beloved 1977 dics Rumours that’s sold 45 million albums and counting.
Not surprsingly, the group kicked off the night with The Chain from that album before McVie took over on lead vocals for You Make Loving Fun also from Rumours.
“Welcome back Toronto,” said Nicks in her usual black flowing outfit, black suede boots and various shawls throughout the night.
‘Tonight is our 47th show and I think we can safely say,’She’s back!,” added Nicks referring to McVie. “So that being said, let’s get this party started!”
McVie, who wrapped up the marathon two-hour-and-35-minute, two-encore show with Songbird on piano and Buckingham on guitar, told the crowd at one point: “I love you very much!”
It was a nostalgic but mostly riveting evening of music as the group, propelled by the guitar maniac that is still the fast-footed, lightning-fingered Buckingham, made their way through such crowdpleasers as the Nicks-sung Dreams and Rhiannon – with some twirling from her on that latter one – the McVie-led Everywhere and the Buckingham-sung I Kmow I’m Not Wrong in the first third of the show.
Five other musicians and an impressively large video screen and smaller video strips certainly helped to fill out the group’s sounds and sights.
“Well, we were here not too long ago – I guess a few more people wanted to see us,” said Buckingham with a chuckle. “So we came back. … I think it’s safe to say we’ve seen our share of ups and downs and I think that’s kind of makes us what we are. In this particular moment, with the return of the beautiful Christine, she is a beautiful soul, now it signals the beginning of a poetic, profound and I think prolific new chapter of this band – Fleetwood Mac!”
The next two thirds of the main set saw such highlights as Tusk, with McVie breaking out the accordion, but the marching band appeared only on the big screen and not as a live accompanmient sadly; Buckingham’s incredible guitar dispay and gutteral shrieks on Big Love. his quieter vocals but no less stellar playing on Never Going Back Again and plugging in big time for I’m So Afraid and You Can Go Your Own Way, and Nicks’ ‘60s San Fran-reminiscent Gypsy and Gold Dust Woman (complete with gold shawl) with yet more twirling from her on both.
But the emotional centre of the show proved to be the pretty and delicate Landslide with just Nicks and Buckingham on stage with the former couple holding hands towards the end of the song and again at its conclusion.
Otherwise, the tunes that made me sleepy last time did it to me again, the Nicks’ sung Sisters of the Moon, Seven Wonders and Silver Springs and Fleetwood’s lengthy drum solo during World Turning but these are small quibbles.
The mighty Mac is back and they don’t appear to be going away again anytime soon.
Set List
The Chain
You Make Loving Fun
Dreams
Second Hand News
Rhiannon
Everywhere
I Know I’m Not Wrong
Tusk
Sisters of the Moon
Say You Love Me
Seven Wonders
Big Love
Landslide
Never Going Back Again
Over My Head
Gypsy
Little Lies
Gold Dust Woman
I’m So Afraid
Go Your Own Way
ENCORE:
World Turning/Mick Fleetwood drum solo
Don’t Stop
Silver Springs
SECOND ENCORE:
Songbird
Jane Stevenson / Toronto Sun / Wednesday, February 5, 2015
