Mick Fleetwood and his band ‒ frontman/guitarist Rick Vito, bassist Lenny Castellanos and keyboardist Mark Johnstone ‒ performed to an enthusiastic crowd at the Metro Theatre in Sydney, Australia last night (28th March), playing a solid set of blues music and celebrating the band’s legacy and history, especially the days with guitar great Peter Green. Joined by Australian rock icon Jimmy Barnes for several numbers, they were a tight unit and seemed to revel in sharing the music they so clearly love.
As has been his practice in recent years, Fleetwood participated in a Meet & Greet experience before the show. He spoke at length for over half an hour, holding court and answering questions from approximately twenty keen fans. Of most interest, perhaps, was his response when asked about the prospect of another Fleetwood Mac tour:
“Yeah, we’re planning to go out a little later than I would have liked. I think we’re going to have to work on young Stevie. But we’re going, we’re planning to be on the road in October of ’17. We need that to be a little sooner. Uh, I think it’s crazy touring in the winter… Well, we normally go all over the world, y’know, and I think that will – in our mind – be the last tour. It will be a massive commitment that will last about two years on and off like the Stones when they go out. And I think the girls will have had enough. Although, Christine, who re-joined Fleetwood Mac, and she’s an elder stateswoman – I won’t mention how old but she’s like a spring chicken. She phones me every week now and goes like, “We’re going back out, right?””
UPDATE: At Tuesday’s Meet & Greet experience in Melbourne, Mick talked about the tour again. One attendee reports:
FLEETWOOD MAC 2017 TOUR UPDATE: Mick clarified to me that by "last tour" he meant huge world tour. He also assured me that stevie is ready.
— Daily Fleetwood (@dailyfleetwood) March 29, 2016