Fleetwood Mac’s new EP featuring the songs “Miss Fantasy,” “Sad Angel,” and “Without You” will be available from iTunes on Tuesday, April 30. A CD release of the songs is expected later, though no official date has been announced.

Fleetwood Mac has been performing two of the new songs, the uptempo “Sad Angel” and Buckingham-Nicks era “Without You,” on the current North American tour. Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has been informing audiences with news of the forthcoming EP since the start of the tour, stating “it’s the best thing that we’ve done in years.”

The band’s last studio recording was Say You Will in 2003, which spawned the singles “Peacekeeper,” “Say You Will,” and “Steal Your Heart Away.”

By Donnie Moorhouse
Mass Live
Sunday, April 21, 2013

UNCASVILLE — Fleetwood Mac performed a sold out show at Mohegan Sun Arena on Saturday night, offering up over two hours of music culled from a historic, Hall of Fame career. Now a quartet due to the departure of Christine McVie who has spurned the touring life, the group of Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Mick Fleetwood delivered 22 songs over the course of their set.

It was essentially a “greatest hits” styled performance, although the band did drum up a new song that Buckingham revealed would be part of an EP release due out in the week ahead. The song, “Sad Angel,” fit in well when bookended by the mid ‘70s hits “Rhiannon,” and “Dreams.”

Other than that foray into new material and a way-back peek at the Buckingham-Nicks song “Without You,” there were few surprises on the evening, unless of course you were expecting anything less than a raucous and inspired performance from a group that is in its fifth decade of touring.

As was the case with recent classic rock concerts from Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac has staked their claim on the arena concert circuit and aren’t likely to relinquish it until something better (or even as good) arrives to fill the void.

They opened with “Second Hand News,” and followed it with “The Chain.” After “Dreams” and “Rhiannon,” they were able to scrape the rust off of Tusk, pulling out the title track and the hit “Sara” before Buckingham’s solo acoustic version of “Big Love (Looking Out for Love).” Nicks joined him on stage and the two offered a duet on “Landslide.”

Hit after hit after hit…

“We have come to take you away from your everyday problems,” said Nicks at the start of the show. “The journey starts now.”

The journey included Buckingham and Nicks sharing an acoustic “Never Going Back Again,” a full band “Gypsy,” and “Gold Dust Woman,” and a Buckingham guitar solo that brought the crowd to its feet. The band closed out the set with “Stand Back,” and “Go Your Own Way.”

The encore began with “World Turning,” and a tolerable Fleetwood drum solo before the sing-along “Don’t Stop.” The band was called back for another turn and opened the second encore with “Silver Springs.”

Between Fleetwood Mac, the Sound City Players, Lady Antebellum and a steady solo career, Stevie Nicks shows no signs of slowing down

By Josh Baron
Photography by Danny Clinch
Relix
April/May 2013

Nearly 50 years into her music career, Stevie Nicks is still hustling. After two years of promotion, she wound down the tour for her latest solo record, In Your Dreams—her seventh—in September, having spent part of her summer rejoining Rod Stewart for another leg of their Heart & Soul tour. Less than a month later, she was making the film festival rounds doing press for her first movie, the documentary In Your Dreams about the making of the album. (Producer Dave Stewart also co-directed the picture.)

By January, she was on the road with the Sound City Players, an ad hoc group of artists that included John Fogerty, Rick Springfield, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and Lee Ving of Fear, backed by the Foo Fighters. After four dates with the Sound City Players, Nicks was back in Los Angeles rehearsing with Fleetwood Mac for their forthcoming tour. (During that time, she also managed to rehearse for a 90-minute set with country act Lady Antebellum, taped as part of CMT’s Crossroads series.)

“A long time ago, Fleetwood Mac wouldn’t have been happy—pre-1981, [pre-] Bella Donna—about me doing other stuff because it was all about Fleetwood Mac at that point,” says the singer shortly after arriving in New York for the Sound City Players show this past February. “After I did my solo album, I saw them down and said, “Listen, guys. I’m not going anywhere. I just need a vehicle for some of these many, many songs that will never make it onto the Fleetwood Mac records.’”

One of those songs—the tough-love rocker “You Can’t Fix This,” which appears on the new Real to Reel album as part of Dave Grohl’s Sound City film project—is presently a major focus for her. And, one might argue, as personal a song as she’s ever written.

The Old Dreams and the New Realities of Rock and Roll

While on tour in Australia in November 2011, her 18-year-old godson Glen Parrish died of drug-related causes at a fraternity party at UCLA. (The exact cause of death remains unknown.) Nicks—who was the first to hold the boy after his birth—says the high school senior battled heroin addiction, among other substance abuse issues.

“For me, I remember the little fourth grader [or] the little second grader that would sit on my lap and was so sweet and kind,” she says. “Glen, for a long time, lived in my house in Phoenix with all of us. My sister-in-law Lori pretty much raised Glen, [my niece] Jessie and [Glen’s little sister] Callais. … Something like that happens, and it reaches out like tendrils. It touches so many people.”

The lyrics are about more than just the young Parrish—they’re about the halcyon days of Fleetwood Mac: “Dancing with the devil/Call it respect, call it fear/But we never allowed the devil to come to the party/We were careful in our own way/We walked through the darkness/We made a pact not to dance with the devil.”

Nicks identifies the song’s devil as both the idea of “overdoing it with drugs,” with the first-hand knowledge that kids today are ingesting an unholy “cauldron” of substances and, with regard to Fleetwood Mac, heroin.

“We were told in the very beginning: ‘Don’t do it,’” she recalls of the ‘70s. “It will be the one thing that burns you down. So we never did and we never hung out with people that did that.” Ironic as Nicks’ anti-drug cry may seem, given that Fleetwood Mac’s  cocaine habit is the stuff of legend, her attitude suggests—as the line “We were careful in our own way” reflects—that the band members had an innate sense of responsibility that isn’t present in the young partiers of today. “Hopefully, it’s going to do exactly what I wanted,” she says of “You Can’t Fix This.” “It’s going to give Glen’s death a voice.”

While she won’t be performing the song on the current Fleetwood Mac tour, fans will hear other new tunes. Two—“Sad Angel” and “Miss Fantasy”—were refined by Lindsey Buckingham and Nicks out of a possible eight that had been sketched out in early 2012 by “the boys” of the band. A third, “Without You,” has its genesis in the Buckingham Nicks II sessions, which morphed into 1975’s Fleetwood Mac.

Speaking of Buckingham Nicks, their original—and only—album has never been released in any digital format. For their 40^th anniversary this year, the duo hopes to re-release the record. “We hope that we can figure out a way to shoot this record out because we want people to have it,” she says. “It’s not hard to understand why—when we joined Fleetwood Mac and added Christie [McVie]—it became such an amazing group.”

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By Marc Hirsh
Boston Globe
Thursday, April 19, 2013

Two songs into Thursday’s Fleetwood Mac concert, Stevie Nicks related a conversation she once had with her mother. What could she do to help, Nicks asked, in hard times? Her mother’s response: Sing. A simplistic solution, perhaps, but mere days after the Marathon bombing (and hours before the chaotic manhunt for the suspects would shut the city down), 2½ hours of music seemed to serve the near-sellout TD Garden crowd just fine.

In that time, Fleetwood Mac (who swing back around to the Comcast Center on June 21) covered quite a bit of ground: hits, a told-you-so segment focused on the once-misunderstood/now-cultishly-adored “Tusk,” a song that so predated Nicks’s and Lindsey Buckingham’s Mac days that they’d forgotten about it until stumbling across the demo on YouTube and a new song. And more hits. So many hits.

And only one of them — the optimistic “Don’t Stop,” inevitable even before the week’s events — by Christine McVie, who hamstrung the set list by having annoyingly left the band 15 years ago. But it was hard to know what would have been cut to make room for her. Buckingham spat through the clamorous new wave garage rock of “Not That Funny” with vigor and rode out the pained, lumbering “I’m So Afraid” with an increasingly intense guitar solo. “Sara” found Nicks singing to Buckingham, then taking his microphone before peeling off into a small but sweet dance with him.

Save for the riff setting up the coda of “The Chain,” bassist John McVie did all he could to avoid calling attention to himself. Mick Fleetwood took a drum solo during “World Turning,” but he hardly needed it; the off-kilter thumps pushing each song forward and the fervor with which he attacked them were spotlight enough. He seemed to know it, too, capping a ferocious “Tusk” — its glowering paranoia writ arena-sized — by leaping to his feet and throwing his arms into the air.

But songs like that one, “Big Love,” and “Gold Dust Woman” notwithstanding, Fleetwood Mac wasn’t just about tension. Buckingham and Nicks harmonized ebulliently on the chorus of the fine, upbeat new “Sad Angel,” while the rolling drums gave “Eyes of the World” a headlong drive. And the elegiac “Silver Springs” helped draw the show to a close with its slow rise and reset, and slow rise again. As Fleetwood Mac knows quite well, singing together can get people through plenty of difficulty.

Last Best Show: Fleetwood Mac

By Bill Brotherton
Boston Herald (Guestlisted with Jed Gottlieb)
Friday, April 19, 2013

Fleetwood Mac did Boston proud! There was certainly a lot of love for the city and its people radiating from the TD Garden stage Thursday night.

After the electric opening one-two punch of “Second Hand News” and “The Chain,” vocalist Stevie Nicks addressed the near-capacity crowd. “When I was young and I was sad or blue because of hard times, my mama told me to sing, that it would make me feel better. And that’s what we’re going to do for two-and-a-half hours. We’re going to sing the blues right out of Boston.”

Later, Nicks dedicated ‘Landslide” to a soldier, Vincent, she met at Walter Reed hospital, and his Boston family. “They are Boston strong,” she said. Drummer Mick Fleetwood introduced “Don’t Stop” thusly: “Boston. What a city. Goodness, we know what you’re going through. Remember the message of the song, ‘Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow. It’ll be better than before. Yesterday’s gone. Yesterday’s gone.” The audience joined in on the chorus, turning it into an empowering cathartic experience. That song, of course, was written by retired member Christine McVie. The band certainly has a different dynamic in concert without her. Not better, not worse, just different.

Fleetwood Mac these days has evolved into the Lindsey Buckingham/Stevie Nicks Show with founding members Fleetwood and bassist John McVie relegated to backing-band status. If Nicks is the caring, new agey earth mother, guitarist Buckingham is the mad genius who orchestrates everything. He stayed on stage for the entire show, delivering one spine-tingling guitar solo after another. He is a bit show-offy, but the guy ranks with the all-time great guitarists and I dare say his 10-minute blast through “I’m So Afraid” will likely be the best shredding a Boston audience will see this year. This is the riff that launched 1,001 air guitar solos in front of bedroom mirrors all across America in the mid-‘70s and it remains totally awesome. And Buckingham does it all on an undersized guitar that’s not much bigger than a ukelele.

This is the Mac’s first tour in three years and the band was firing on all cylinders. So many great songs, all delivered with gusto: “Rhiannnon,” “Gold Dust Woman,” “Gypsy” and the solo hit “Stand Back” from husky-voiced, whirling dervish Nicks; “Go Your Own Way,” a solo acoustic “Never Going Back Again” and “Tusk” from Buckingham. More than half of the 23 songs performed came from those three masterful 1970s albums “Fleetwood Mac,” the 35-year-old “Rumours” and the indulgent, underappreciated “Tusk.”

Although the crowd came to hear the hits, this is no mere nostalgia act. A new song, “Sad Angel,” from an upcoming EP, rocked with abandon and featured the familiar, glorious Nicks/Buckingham harmonies. It was also endearing to see the two former lovers walk on stage holding hands.

Fleetwood Mac will return to Massachusetts on June 21, at Mansfield’s Comcast Center. By then, the heavy hearts of the band and its Boston Strong fans should be less dark. Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, indeed.

Fleetwood Mac performed in concert on Thursday night at the highly-secured TD Garden in Boston. The Garden staff had asked concert goers to arrive early to the venue due to the increased security measures it had taken, such as prohibiting attendees from bringing bags into the venue. Most in attendance seemed to appreciate the added security, if not only to calm rattled nerves.

The city of Boston has still been reeling from Monday’s tragic events at the Boston Marathon, and the mood of the people has been understandably somber. In this situation, Fleetwood Mac could only do what its members knew how to do best: play their hearts out for the city of Boston. And that’s exactly what they did, as Stevie, Lindsey, Mick, John and the rest of the band gave Bostonians a few hours of melodic distraction to let their minds drift from the sadness that has cast a powerful spell over the city in recent days.

The band started the night off upbeat with “Second Hand News” and “The Chain,” which energized and pleased the crowd. Just before starting “Dreams,” Stevie briefly alluded to the tragedy.

“When people went through hard times when I was young,” Stevie said, “I used to ask my mother what I should do. She said, ‘sing for them.’” The crowd roared in approval.

As the band played, the projection monitor behind the stage displayed an illustration of hands forming a heart over the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, created by New England folk musician and artist Dan Blakeslee in response to the Boston Marathon bombings. Fleetwood Mac and its production team clearly had Bostonians in their hearts and minds this evening.

Stevie was also thinking about a solider that she had a visited at Walter Reed Medical Center many years ago. At the time, Stevie wasn’t sure if the solider, named Vincent, would recover, but he somehow pulled through and was present in the audience. Stevie continued by expressing her adoration for Boston, saying “I would love to be in this city — I love this city.” She then proceeded to dedicate “Landslide” to Vincent, his parents, and the audience.

Mick made one additional dedication at the end of the show.

“Guys and girls, families, everyone here tonight… Boston, the city of Boston, goodness, we know what you’re going through. And this next song is all about just what it says, ‘don’t stop thinking about tomorrow.’ We love you so.” The band then played their ubiquitous hit song “Don’t Stop.”

Without an opening act, Fleetwood Mac treated Bostonians to a full two-and-half hour concert, performing a 23-song set list, which included Fleetwood Mac classics “Landslide,” “Sara,” and “Go Your Own Way” and new songs “Sad Angel” and “Without You.” The band has yet to drop a song from the set list since the tour began in Columbus, Ohio, on April 4.

At the end of the show, Stevie made some final comments about the tragedy (video of these comments is posted below):

“I want you to know that we are right there with you. And in my opinion, this is probably, you know, you and New York, you are the strongest cities in the world. You always have been. And you’ll get through this. And next year your fantastic race will be run like always. And we want to send out our total sorrow for the people that were hurt, for the people that we lost, and for the people that were just watching, for the people that were watching on television. All, everybody suffered through it, and we know how strong you are. You are “Boston Strong” and you will make it! So God bless all of you. Keep your chin up. We love you.”

After the band members took their final bows, drummer Mick Fleetwood advised the crowd to take care of themselves and each other, a sentiment that probably resonates stronger than ever to most Bostonians today.

Fleetwood Mac performs next at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Saturday. The venue is approaching capacity, but tickets are still available through Ticketmaster.

Boston set list

1. Second Hand News
2. The Chain
3. Dreams
4. Sad Angel (new song)
5. Rhiannon
6. Not That Funny
7. Tusk
8. Sisters Of The Moon
9. Sara
10. Big Love
11. Landslide
12. Never Going Back Again
13. Without You (new song)
14. Gypsy
15. Eyes Of The World
16. Gold Dust Woman
17. I’m So Afraid
18. Stand Back
19. Go Your Own Way
20. World Turning (first encore)
21. Don’t Stop
22. Silver Springs (second encore)
23. Say Goodbye

Fan reaction (via Twitter)

@NancyRoxo
#Fleetwoodmac just soothing my soul tonight at the @tdgarden #Steviefanforlife #Chills

‏@KerrenLE 
Stevie Nicks’ voice is so angelic #amazed @ TD Garden

@bostonbella
Fleetwood Mac is putting on such a badass show! #boston #fleetwoodmac #StevieNicks always a good time with @FastFreddyMurph ! 🙂

@apthompson10
Best night of my life #fleetwoodmac

@JohnnnyWhite
@CraigHughey fleetwood Mac is awesome

@lou
Had a great time tonight @fleetwoodmac #boston. Amazing show and great distraction. Thanks.

@edrusmel
I’m still immensely happy I saw Fleetwood Mac in concert. I can’t get over it.

@SandriValente
Stevie Nicks, you are a goddess. i love you! Best concert ever. #fleetwood Mac #tdgarden #ballingmyeyesout

@MissDeeBear
@fleetwoodmac Amazing show in Boston tonight!

@JillyDSkilly
Fleetwood Mac was a class act tonight. So many sweet words for the great city of Boston. Amazing show that rocked to the core. #FleetwoodMac

@wordvomitfromJR
That concert was just what I needed. “Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, Boston!” #FleetwoodMac #2013tour

@cincam1
Fleetwood Mac’s show in Boston was off the hook!! Amazing as always, talented as ever!

@aligill82
@fleetwoodmac Amazing concert in Boston tonight! It was done with such perfect sweetness. Thank you.

@SecretlyObese
Thank you for making it a special night in #Boston @fleetwoodmac. I cried like a baby during Landslide.

@kgusci_kg
Fleetwood Mac……Boston tonight……..great show…….gold dust woman is the best song EVER!

@TheGuruBand
@fleetwoodmac you guys were amazing in Boston tonight!

@DonnaFirsty
Thank you, @fleetwoodmac, for helping Boston start the healing process! The show was a blast! #bostonstrong

@BigDaddyRhi
Fleetwood Mac was amazing, best concert ever, I love Boston, stay beautiful and stay strong!

To read more fan reviews from the tour, visit The Nicks Fix.

Video

Stevie’s final comments to Boston (courtesy of Carrie-Ellen Batcheller)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAZrEPTSerU&feature=youtu.be&a]

1. “Second Hand News” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-pUOZUUzgY]

2. “The Chain” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZlS-bICplE]

2. “The Chain” (courtesy of ArtistMrsKim)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hNdbyqL_g8]

3. “Dreams” -partial (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XonMp9DDIM]

5. “Rhiannon” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxxtI7OsWZU]

7. “Tusk” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=By-7DFTFADw]

7. “Tusk” (courtesy of SKMDC777)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30-13I_NlCw]

8. “Sisters of the Moon” (courtesy of granitedog)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-YSel93ei4]

9. “Sara” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPr2GBFYKJg]

10. “Big Love” -partial (courtesy of Pablo Alcántara Bailey)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5eZrn3lBDY]

10. “Big Love” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekvn5gsqPnA]

10. “Big Love” (courtesy of ArtistMrsKim)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7IebcSVutQ]

11. “Landslide” – partial (courtesy of Pablo Alcántara Bailey)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJR9K432IR4]

11. “Landslide” – with dedication (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzmqewvya7Y]

12. “Never Going Back Again” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfvFlhsR97c]

14. “Gypsy” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4aMihBBr9s]

16. “Gold Dust Woman” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_q2p8wwL5pU]

16. “Gold Dust Woman” (courtesy of Cin CA)
[youtube=http://youtu.be/35EQxchPwuI]

17. “I’m So Afraid” (courtesy of granitedog)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7dfCrexoos]

18. “Stand Back” (courtesy of DGB519)
[youtube=http://youtu.be/U09_m1TKGwE]

19. “Go Your Own Way” (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGeBzJHfugA]

21. “Don’t Stop” & introductions (courtesy of toolfansat)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS2s2sZ-TB8]

Special thanks to ArtistMrsKim, Pablo Alcántara Bailey, Carrie-Ellen Batcheller, Cin CA, granitedog, SKMDC777, and toolfansat for making these clips available.

Fans attending tonight’s Fleetwood Mac concert at the TD Garden in Boston are asked to come to the venue at least an hour early due to increased security measures in and around the building. According to the venue, no bags will be allowed inside the building. As reported by the Boston Herald on Tuesday, the venue has taken extra precautions to ensure the safety of concert goers, in the wake of Monday’s tragic events.

Here is the news article from Tuesday’s Boston Herald, which describes the increased security measures.

Fans asked to come to the Garden early with tonight’s added security
By Mark Daniels
Boston Herald
Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Fans coming to tonight’s Bruins-Buffalo Sabres matchup at the TD Garden can expect a heavy increase of security and officials are asking ticket holders to arrive early.

Tonight’s game, which starts at 7:30, is the first major sporting event in the city since Monday’s Boston Marathon bombings and multiple security measures in and around the building are in effect. Though gates usually open an hour before game-time, doors are opening at 6 p.m. tonight. Fans won’t be allowed to bring in bags to the arena tonight or during tomorrow’s Fleetwood Mac concert.

“We, along with everyone, were devastated by yesterday’s tragic event. Our thoughts and prayers remain with all of those affected,” said Amy Latimer, President of TD Garden. “The TD Garden is working with state and local law enforcement to enhance our already diligent security measures and continue to provide a safe environment at all our events. We are asking our fans, media and staff to allow extra time when arriving due to increased security measures.”

Police officers, police dogs and law enforcement vehicles could be seen outside the Garden. Those parking in the underground garage, below the arena, will have their cars searched – inside and out. Media members and Garden employees were inspected and waved with a metal-detecting wand. One security official told the Herald that people with tickets will go through the same security procedures.

When tonight’s game starts, there will be plenty of support for the victims of Monday’s tragedy. Both the Bruins and Sabres will be wearing ‘Boston Strong decals on their helmets and the Garden will be illuminated with blue and yellow lighting. Prior to the National Anthem, a ‘Boston Strong’ themed video will be played followed by a moment of silence to honor the victims and first responders.

The Bruins organization also recently established One Fund Boston, to raise money to help those families most affected by Monday’s events. Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs has pledged to donate $100,000 and the TD Garden, NHL and NHLPA will be making donations in the amount of $50,000. The combined total of all parties will be $250,000.

There will also be raffles and places to donate money to One Fund Boston during tonight’s game. Brad Marchand will be raffling off his own TD Garden suite for the team’s first playoff game, with all proceeds going to the Richard family of Dorchester, whose son Martin passed away.

Bruins players and staff have also donated 80 tickets for to first responders.