STEVIE NICKS INFO

Category: 2013 Rumours Tour

  • Retro rock is hot

    Bands from the ’60s to the ’90s enjoying chart and touring success

    Stevie Nicks, left, and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac perform at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 3, 2013. (Associated Press)
    Stevie Nicks, left, and Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac perform at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 3, 2013. (Associated Press)

    On the fringes of computer science, a prediction exists that within the next century, every human will be able to upload the entirety of his or her genome to a computer program. The upshot: We’ll all live forever in virtual reality.

    The prediction might be far from the mainstream, but what naysayers fail to recognize is the Internet has already begun the first phase of human immortality. As comedian Patton Oswalt put it in an editorial for “Wired” magazine, “We’re on the brink of Etewaf: Everything That Ever Was — Available Forever.”

    Yes, in the Internet age, nothing has to die, which is particularly good news for aging celebrities whose best work is far behind them. After all, with our endless market for nostalgia and ability to access just about anything from the past — from “Leave It To Beaver” episodes to footage of Fats Waller to 1980s Pepsi commercials — past glories can now be raised from the dead like so many zombies and made present again.

    So it is with the ever-changing pop music landscape. While video may have killed the radio star, the Internet certainly has repurposed the classic rock star. Your grandfather’s rock band is now a Rock Band video game.

    Older acts are hot these days. Classic albums are topping iTunes charts, and bands with AARP cards are embarking on successful tours filled with fans of many ages. Heck, even Black Sabbath had a No. 1 album on Billboard last month.

    In fact, according to Pollstar, a group that tracks concert earnings, out of the top 20 grossing tours in the world right now, nearly half are acts that peaked at least 30 years ago. Next to Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, for example, are Styx and New Kids On The Block, which makes quite a motley crew. Speaking of which, Motley Crüe recently ranked at No. 13.

    Silver Springs attraction in recent years has added many classic rock bands to concert seasons traditionally powered by country acts. The Marion County park has presented Styx, Foghat, Night Ranger, Kansas, Foreigner, KC and the Sunshine Band, .38 Special, Loverboy, Joan Jett and REO Speedwagon. The concerts attract tens of thousands from around North Central Florida.

    “We’re going after that 35-to-45 age demographic, and they like to rock,” said the park’s marketing director Brooks Jordan a few years back, shortly after the park booked Eddie Money and Rick Springfield.

    Next up at Silver Springs: 1980s metal-pop band Whitesnake.

    “It’s all about connecting people with some memory of a happy time in their life,” said William McKeen, former professor and chairman of the journalism department at the University of Florida (and currently holding that position at Boston University).

    McKeen also has published many acclaimed books on music, including 2011’s “Mile Marker Zero.” He said he recently saw Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons in Boston and that there seems to be an active circuit for nostalgia acts.

    “I think they’re playing on the nostalgia of the Baby-Boomers,” he said. “I was a young swain in the early-’70s when we were going through that first great rock ‘n’ roll revival. Chuck Berry and Little Richard, and all those people were touring again and they weren’t selling new product. They were selling the nostalgia.

    “And the funny thing was, all these kids like me who were born in the ’50s and therefore couldn’t remember the originals, we embraced that time and that culture. My wife was born in the ’70s, and she loves disco because that was the music around the time of her birth. It’s kind of like everyone tries to fall in love with maybe the music we were conceived to.”

    Silver Springs resident and rock ‘n’ roller Pam DaCosta is a regular concertgoer, although she says her reasons go beyond simple nostalgia.

    “I’ve been this way forever,” said DaCosta, who grew up in the 1980s. “My sister thinks I’m going through a midlife crisis, but I said to her, ‘You know I’ve always been this way. I just love going to concerts.’”

    DaCosta favors the bands that were popular when she was a teenager — groups such as Kix and Tesla, both of which she saw on the Monsters of Rock Cruise, a four-day jaunt from Miami to the Bahamas and back. DaCosta went on the cruise in March and is planning on going again next March, when the cruise will feature Cinderella, Winger, Ratt and many others of the 1980s hair metal period.

    “It brings you back to another time, reliving your youth so to speak,” said DaCosta, who also attended the packed Styx concert at the Ocala Entertainment Complex in 2011. The gold-and-platinum selling band returned to Marion County about a year later for a packed gig at Silver Springs.

    Yet, many artists contend, the adults who grew up with them decades ago are not the only ones fueling the retro resurgence.

    Mike Reno, lead singer of chart-topping ’80s band Loverboy, noted the band’s music continues to resurface in modern pop culture. Twentysomethings also flock to Loverboy concerts.

    “I guess they just love the energy, you know? That’s the only thing I can imagine,” Reno told the Star-Banner in 2010. “They come in droves. It’s really quite amazing.”

    Facts

    TOP CONCERT TOURS
    (The Top Concert Tours as of July 8, 2013. Data provided to Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers.)

    1. The Rolling Stones
    2. Taylor Swift
    3. Kenny Chesney
    4. Fleetwood Mac
    5. Dave Matthews Band
    6. Justin Bieber
    7. New Kids On The Block
    8. Tim McGraw
    9. Brad Paisley
    10. Jason Aldean
    11. Carrie Underwood
    12. Widespread Panic
    13. Barry Manilow
    14. Motley Crue
    15. Styx/REO Speedwagon/Ted Nugent

    Travis Atria / Gainesville Sun / Sunday, July 28, 2013

  • 2013 TOUR EXCLUSIVE: Come inside

    Outdoor festivals and shed tours usually dominate the summer, but indoor arenas are holding their own.

    Fleetwood Mac In Concert - Anaheim, CA
    (Gabriel Olsen / FilmMagic / Getty Images)

    Venue managers, talent bookers and operations pros have made their travel arrangements for VenueConnect, the 88th annual conference and trade show for the International Assn. of Venue Managers, set for July 27-30 at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. IAVM meets in the summer for a reason: IAVM members and VenueConnect attendees are largely made up of reps from indoor venues, specifically arenas, auditoriums and theaters/performing arts centers. And summertime is outdoor concert time, especially since the late- ‘80s/early-‘90s shed-development boom, and even more so since the growth of the North American festivals business.

    Conventional wisdom is that about 70%-75% of annual touring activity takes place between April and September, a natural situation that quickly grew following the promoter consolidation that led to the creation of Live Nation Entertainment, which owns the majority of North American sheds. After an industrywide slump in 2009-10 that hit the amphitheater business particularly hard, not only is the live business fully recovered, but Live Nation says that amphitheater ticket sales are up more than 25% over this same time period in 2012, which in itself was up double digits from the previous year. Add to that the growth of festivals, which draw from 10,000 to 80,000-plus per event, and the wealth of talent those fests showcase, and one might assume that at least some of this gain in outdoor business comes at the expense of the indoor business.

    One would be wrong, or at least no completely correct. Based on numbers reported to Billboard Boxscore April 1-June 30, gross ticket revenue for U.S. arenas is up more than 21% from the same period last year. One the other hand, ateendance is down almost 11%, and the show count is down nearly 30%. This means at least two things: Quantity may be down, but quality (acts that command higer ticket prices) is up. It also means that Boxscore reports, as usual, are skewed toward later in the year for inclusion in Billboard’s year-end tallies.

    Those shows that are playing indoors in the first half of the year (and, for some, all summer) in large part represent high quality in terms of price or demand, or both. Making the arena rounds so far this year are the Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Beyonce, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Fleetwood Mac, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Maroon 5 (which is now in the sheds after an arena run earlier this year), Rascal Flatts and others.

    Most of those shows stick to primary markets, but a Fleetwood Mac show at the Global Spectrum-managed Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa, topped $1 million at the box office. “They crushed it, dude,” says Brock Jones, VP of booking for facility management firm Global Spectrum. Fleetwood Mac, like several others playing indoors this summer, has a fan base demo that often prefers reserved seating and the air conditioning that arenas provide.

    Jim McCue, senior VP at facility management firm SMG, has strong outlooks from SMG buildings in secondary markets. McCue says tours like Kenny Chesney, Beyonce, Fleetwood Mac and others are indeed visiting some SMG buildings in such secondaries as Albany, N.Y.; Wichita, Kan.; and Oklahoma City. Country music is always hot in secondary markets, and this year is no exception.

    So, in a nutshell, the arena business is doing fine this summer, even in the smaller markets. “In the secondaries, if you’re willing to hustle, there are some strong acts that you can pick up that will do very well, because a lot of those markets are underserved right now,” Jones says. “Gary Allan is doing some great business in the secondaries. He’s one of those acts that is a very reasonable risk in a secondary or tertiary market; you have the potential of doing very well.”

    Both McCue and Jones say the fall and first-quarter 2014 are shaping up nicely.

    TAKEAWAY: Don’t fixate on outdoor venues for summer concerts. There’s solid potential for quality indoor plays, even in secondary markets.

    On the Road with Ray Waddell / Billboard Biz / July 27, 2013

  • Paul Guthrie’s impression X4s on Fleetwood Mac

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    Designing shows for artistes ranging from Sheryl Crow to Fleetwood Mac over a long period, experienced LD Paul ‘Arlo’ Guthrie has been increasingly finding GLP’s impression X4’s an essential component in his touring inventory.

    Earlier this summer, PRG supplied production for the evergreen Fleetwood Mac’s LIVE 2013 48-city Stateside arena tour — and this time Guthrie requisitioned 36 of the new generation LED moving heads.

    The impression X4 itself features 19 of the new Osram Quad Optic 15W RGBW LED’s in a slimline body with no base unit weighing just 17.5lbs. The fixture offers a 7° to 50° zoom range for variable beam spread and matrix effects, and full color mixing including CTC and customizable pixel patterns across its front face — all essential attributes for a forward thinking production designer.

    The association between Paul Guthrie (of Toss Film & Design) and Fleetwood Mac dates back to 1999 when he worked with lead singer Stevie Nicks, before co-designing the band’s 2003 tour with their veteran LD Curry Grant and Bruce Rodgers (of Tribe Design). He then took over the reins entirely for their 2009 and 2013 tours.

    Curry’s own history with the band dates back to 1974, and since he had always used PRG as his preferred service provider Guthrie saw no reason to break with tradition. “I love their attention to equipment, service and crew,” he says.

    Sensitive to the persona of the band, and their desire to carry the show themselves rather than being driven solely by the stage dynamics, the LD concedes that each member first needs to be individually catered for, before everything combines into a single production. “We try not to revisit things each time, but each member has his or her own likes and dislikes, plus there are a number of basic principles we need to adhere to on each production — such as how we light them for camera and the fact we can’t use any haze.”

    2013-0724-live-design-online-paul-guthrie2

    With a pedigree extending over two decades Paul Guthrie had become an early adopter of GLP’s pioneering LED technology, using the original impression 90’s soon after they were released and moving onto the impression 120 RZ zooms in 2010, when Sheryl Crow went on tour. “I had been looking for a small LED wash light at the time, and these made exactly the right impression,” he said.

    But as time marches on so product technology evolves. And when it came to speccing the latest Fleetwood Mac tour a number of attributes attracted him to the new generation impression X4 — notably the obvious economies to be had from the size, weight and power draw as well as the quality of colors and dimmer curve, he says. “The pixel effect of the X4’s is the most unique attribute used.”

    This versatility has enabled them to perform different functions, as the LD explains. “I had some X4’s rigged high in the mother grid — for overhead effects, 16 on an upstage truss to provide upstage wash and also tone a white drape that is used for the middle section of the show … and then some on the floor under the band risers. They integrate perfectly with the conventional 1200W and 1500W [discharge] fixtures.”

    Getting them to and from a gig is also a breeze, he notes. “The packaging is great — having six heads fitted in each small road case that would normally hold two lights is a great advantage.” And he confirmed that every fixture worked from first show to last without issue.

    Board operator Rich Locklin also adds his endorsement that the lights are both easy to programme and fast to respond.

    The two and a half hour show itself, which resumes in Europe in the Fall, is built very much around greatest hits — but the band is also promoting its current four-track EP Extended Play — their first new recordings in over a decade.

    Overall, Paul Guthrie says he has been “extremely happy” with the performance of the impression X4’s on the road. “Now that the marketplace is flooded with choices for LED lighting it is difficult to criticise a light that is well designed and well built with feature sets catering to users that want good color rendering and smooth transitions,” he says.

    And for lower budget tours such as Sheryl Crow — which combine promoter supplied lighting rigs with a touring floor package — they can be even more valuable. “I am using ten X4s with Sheryl and these additional impressions provide me with a super versatile effect light as well as a great wash light — taking up minimal truck space and requiring minimal current draw.”

     

    Live Design Online / Wednesday, July 24, 2013

  • The List: Top 10 Christine McVie songs

    Christine McVie

    Happy birthday Christine McVie. The former Fleetwood Mac keyboardist, vocalist and writer of some of the band’s biggest hits, notably “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow),” celebrates her 70th birthday on July 12. Raised in Birmingham, England, Miss McVie joined the band in 1970 after marrying founding bassist John McVie. She left the group in 1998 after Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The List this week looks at the Top 10 songs Miss McVie wrote for the group.

    10. Songbird (1977) — Written and performed by Miss McVie, this beautiful and touching ballad was often played as the encore of many Fleetwood Mac concerts. It was one of her four songs on the huge-selling Rumours album. A version of the song by American singer Eva Cassidy of Bowie, Md., was released in 1998 on a posthumous album of the same name and reached No. 1 in Britain.

    9. “Warm Ways” (1975) — This beautiful song was the first single from the 1975 Fleetwood Mac album in Britain but it was not released as a single in the U.S.

    8. Everywhere (1987) — This song from the Tango in the Night album reached No. 14 in the U.S. and No. 4 in Britain. It was re-released in the Britain in March this year and reached No. 15 after it was used in a cellphone TV commercial with Socks, a moonwalking Shetland pony dancing to the tune.

    7. “Think About Me” (1979) — It was the third Top 20 single released from the Tusk album and reached No. 20 in the U.S. in 1980. In 2010, Alfred Soto of PopMatters described the song as “the unlikeliest of things: a McVie rocker.”

    6. “Say You Love Me” (1976) — This was the band’s third hit from the 1975 self-titled album. The song reached No. 11 in the U.S. but only hit the No. 40 spot in Britain.

    5. “Don’t Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow) ” (1977) — This was probably Miss McVie’s biggest song for the band. She wrote the song for the 1977 mega hit album Rumours which has sold an estimated 40 million copies and is the sixth-best-selling album in U.S. history. The song reached No. 3 on the Billboard charts. Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton used it as his campaign anthem in 1992.

    4. “You Make Loving Fun” (1977) — This was another hit from the Rumours album and reached No. 9 on the Billboard charts. An on-the-road affair with the band’s lighting director is said to have inspired Miss McVie to write this song.

    3. “Little Lies” (1987) — This song was the third single from the Tango in the Night album and reached No. 4 in the U.S. and No. 5 in Britain. It was the band’s last Top 10 hit. Miss McVie wrote the song with then-husband Eddy Quintela.

    2. “Over My Head” (1975) — Miss McVie penned this song for the Fleetwood Mac album, the band’s second eponymous album and 10th overall. The single became the band’s first radio hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

    1. “Hold Me” (1982) — Miss McVie co-wrote this song with Robbie Patton who was an opening act for Fleetwood Mac in 1979. It reached No. 3 in the U.S. and was one of the band’s biggest hits. The song is reported to have been inspired by Miss McVie’s relationship with Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson.

    What’s your favorite Christine McVie tune?

    John Haydon / Washington Times / Friday, July 12, 2013

  • 'Stevie's great. She's just one of the girls'

    2013-blog-news-talk-jill-focke-johnny-deppWardrobe specialist Jill Focke talked to Blog Talk Radio’s Lanea Stagg about touring and working with some of the biggest names in rock, such as Chris Isaak, Lenny Kravitz, and Jennifer Lopez. She recently toured with Fleetwood Mac on the North American tour, serving as the band’s wardrobe supervisor.

    During the 30 minute interview, Focke described her duties involved in getting the band ready for the show. “For Fleetwood Mac, I’m actually a one-woman operation,” Focke explained. “I do the wardrobe for the band members and Stevie, and Mick, John, and Lindsey, just by myself. I don’t have any local help with them. In the grand scheme of things, they’re a fairly small entity. They wear one outfit, usually. Stevie changes a few things, but her basic outfit is the same. She’ll change a jacket, put a different skirt on, or something. For that scenario, once they’re onstage, that’s it; they’re done. And then I can start loading out and cleaning up dressing rooms.”

    Focke has enjoyed working with Stevie, saying the following about their time together on the tour:

    “Stevie’s great. She’s just one of the girls. I mean, we just all sit around in her dressing room and talk. You know, we just talk about anything. She’ll come up to you and say something to you that’s like so…she has to tell you this right now, and it’s really cool. Stevie Nicks thinks I’m important enough to talk to. This is great!”

    Focke has a BA in costume design from the University of Pittsburgh. One of her first jobs after college was working for Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus, where she was in charge of the costume shop for the clown college. She also managed the costume department for the Houston Grand Opera for six years.

    Focke celebrates more than 20 years of wardrobe experience in the entertainment industry this year.

    Hear the entire interview

  • Stevie's wardrobe supervisor to be interviewed on Blog Talk Radio

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    (Betsy Denson)

    Wardrobe supervisor Jill Focke, who has been touring with Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac on their current tour, will be interviewed tomorrow (Thursday, July 11) on BlogTalkRadio at 10:00 am (PT) / 1:00 pm (ET).

    Nobody can cater to the demanding needs of rock stars and their tedious wardrobes like Jill Focke! She has assisted the greats, such as Bette Midler, Jennifer Lopez, Fleetwood Mac, Lenny Kravitz, and Chris Isaak, among many others. You’ll need a seamstress to remove the smile from your face after hearing her tales.

    To ask Jill a question, call (347) 857-3983 during the show.

  • CONCERT REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac wraps up US tour in Sacramento

    SACRAMENTO, CA – Fleetwood Mac brought their A-game Saturday night as they played to a sold-out crowd at Sacramento’s Sleep Train Arena, (Arco Arena, Power Balance Pavilion).

    Bringing a roar from the crowd, 65-year-old Stevie Nicks and 63-year-old Lindsey Buckingham came out onstage hand-in-hand, as they kicked off their final performance of their US tour, in support of their first ever EP Extended Play.

    Joining the duo was, 66-year-old Mick Fleetwood and 67-year-old John McVie, as they started the show off with hits from their famous Rumours album including “Second Hand News” and “The Chain.” The album was originally released in 1977. Christine McVie was not present, she retired from music after their album The Dance.

    The group performed for close to three hours, including two encores, with the mostly standing crowd of hungry fans cheering them on.

    Yes, this was a Fleetwood Mac concert, but at times it felt more like the Lindsey Buckingham show, with special guest Stevie Nicks. Buckingham remained onstage throughout the performance, giving other members a break. There were some songs where Buckingham was lacking vocally, but his guitar skills more than made up for it.

    Mick Fleetwood, drummer and founding member of the group, did a great job on drums, including a wonderful solo routine. Our seats were off to the right side of the stage and from our angle we could just glimpse another drummer that was hidden from view. It appeared the hidden drummer was mimicking the same sound as Mick on some songs, and adding to the mix on others. Towards the end of the show when backup singers and other band members were introduced, the lone drummer was left out. Could this be lip-syncing for drummers? Regardless, Mick was in top form with his mannerisms and facial expressions as he entertained the crowd.

    Buckingham stole the show with his blazing fingerstyle guitar as he plucked melody lines over bass notes with blinding speed. You would have thought there were three guitar players onstage with the two drummers.

    Stevie Nicks dusted off an old song “Without You,” that she wrote years ago and recorded as a demo. According to Nicks, the demo was taken from her and returned years later. After getting it back she lost it, so between her and Buckingham they have pieced it back together and were able to stay true to the demo version.

    For their final encore of the night Buckingham responded to Nicks’ “Without You” with one he wrote a decade ago about the couple, “Say Goodbye.”

    For those of you who may not know the history of the band, Buckingham and Nicks were lovers back in the day and just as the band broke up, so did the they. Their relationship led to a number of songs, both as Fleetwood Mac and in their solo careers.

    There were a lot of rumors that band mates were having affairs with other band mates. That was back in the mid-seventies when they were working on, what was to become, their most popular album. Because of all the rumors flying around they decided to call their album – Rumours. Go figure.

    Ruth Perryman / Randy’s Fine Art (Photos) / Celebrity Examiner / Monday, July 8, 2013

  • CONCERT REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac takes America by storm once again

     

    On tour for the first time in three years, Fleetwood Mac played Sleep Train Arena Saturday night, and it is now safe to say they made up for their cancelled show four years ago. Sacramento was the last stop in the U.S., so the group was ready for a much-needed break, and this fueled them to play a great show.

    Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham played for almost three hours, even after starting the show a little late. At the end of the show and after two encores, Nicks and Fleetwood remained onstage and spoke, both loquaciously grateful to their lifetime fans. Those in the crowd were just as appreciative to have another chance to hear such a classic group from their past.

    To start the show, Buckingham and Nicks walked out onto the stage hand-in-hand, much to the delight of the audience. Everyone looked happy to be on stage performing again, and Buckingham even went as far as to vocalize it.

    “…It appears that there are still quite a few chapters left in the book of Fleetwood Mac!”

    Since “Fleetwood Mac Live 2013” marks the 35th anniversary of Rumours, the group made sure to play from the album right off the bat. They didn’t stop there, but also included songs from their many albums, Tusk, The Dance and their new EP, Extended Play, among them.

    Everyone in the audience had a favorite song, and what was amazing was that it was never the same as the person next to them. Drummers loved Fleetwood’s enthusiastic drum breaks, and those who had a hankering to play guitar — either now or in earlier years — loved Buckingham going solo in “Big Love.”

    Buckingham gave it his all and the audience just ate it up. He rarely left the stage, and when he did, it was for just seconds and a guitar switch. Overall it was really Buckingham that ran the show. Whether alongside Fleetwood Mac or touring on his own, he is clearly still at the top of his game.

    One after another the hits came, and during “Landslide” everybody took a moment to remember. All around it was still, and people were somewhere else, in another time and possibly with another person. There was a sway to the audience and dreams, past or present, floating about in the air. We are getting older, yes, but that voice hasn’t changed a bit. If anything, it’s getting richer.

    The moment was only somewhat repeated during “Silver Springs.” Audience members were so riled up by that point that the cheering didn’t fully cease. The ballad was sung during the second encore and at the end of a memorable night, everyone was appreciating what Fleetwood Mac, and in particular what Nicks’ voice, could do.

    This was my moment to think back, although admitting exactly how is certainly going to date me — and not in the way you’d expect. “Silver Springs” was the one that made me a convert. I remember thinking, “Who is this?”

    Like so many others in the crowd around me, I was taken back to the moment when I first fell in love with the voice of Stevie Nicks. I was back shooting hoops in the barn in middle school, the smell of dust on my fingers — half soil, half WD-40.

    “Gypsy” was another great moment. It was then that Nicks really let go. Instead of a drum break, there was a lovely dance break, enchanting witchcraft gypsy style.

    An acoustic Nicks and Buckingham duet, “Say Goodbye,” sent everyone home. Throughout the show, Nicks was affectionate towards Buckingham in a sweet and intriguing way that made you wonder if their relationship was really over. It was during this last song that it really hit a chord. Perhaps this is just how rumors start, but there seemed to be a sad tune of unrequited love in the air. Let’s hope they make one more album about it.

    Their current world tour began in April and will continue to Europe, after which the group will carry on to Australia for the end of the year. Continue to follow the tour on Twitter with the hashtag, #FleetwoodMac2013. Their new EP, released in April, can be purchased on iTunes. The release of “Extended Play” is in addition to the re-release of Rumours in the form of a deluxe edition that includes live tracks. Watch their website for more updates because they’ll be back, Fleetwood said so.

    Patricia Willers / Sacramento Press / Monday, July 8, 2013

  • CONCERT REVIEW: Fleetwood Mac steamrolls Viejas Arena

    Fleetwood Mac electrified the fans at their sold out show at San Diego’s Viejas Arena on July 5.

    (Arlene Ibarra / U-T San Diego)
    (Arlene Ibarra / U-T San Diego)

    Concert reviews generally don’t write themselves. But what better time to let go of the wheel than a surefire, fired-up, three-hour detonation from a group of million-record-selling, Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Famers?

    But the problem with any spontaneously combusted recap of Fleetwood Mac’s July 5 Viejas Arena show is that it would focus entirely on the band’s earth-shaping popular music — Stevie Nicks’ whimsically whisky-voiced rendering of their “all-world” chart-topper, “Dreams,” or her equally splendid delivery of the spellbindingly lyrical “Gypsy” for instance.

    Oh, it might mention the full-throated, 13,000-member backing choir that the Mac brought with them to sing every word on Lindsey Buckingham’s crackling masterpiece “Go Your Own Way” and the musical equivalent of the optimist’s creed, “Don’t Stop.”

    But it would probably neglect to mention the band’s remarkable performance of several “semi-precious” tunes — songs that may not have sold a bazillion copies but are every bit as golden. It would miss Buckingham leading the charge on a spirited “Second Hand News” to light the concert’s fuse — or a compellingly stoic John McVie and an impishly elated Mick Fleetwood pounding the rock legends through a hypnotically angry “World Turning.”

    Of course it would overlook the hauntingly melodic “So Afraid,” highlighted by Buckingham’s confusingly underappreciated guitar brilliance. And as long as we’re discussing Buckingham’s mind-numbing talent, that self-generating review wouldn’t say a thing about the astoundingly frenetic 25-year-old fretwork from his 63-year-old fingers on “Big Love.”

    A self-written review would likely disregard the splendidly peaceful, easy Buckingham/Nicks acoustic interlude on “Landslide” — leaving the masses to wonder why the Dixie Chicks would have even considered remaking an already perfect tune.

    It would most definitely have ignored the foursome’s four-song mini-set of tunes — “Not That Funny,” “Sara,” “Sisters Of The Moon,” and the title cut — from the band’s artistically fulfilling, record company disappointment of a follow-up to Rumours, the elephantine Tusk.

    Of course that omission might make sense given that even Buckingham confessed during the show that the commercially disappointing album was a “violation” of the record industry’s “golden rule” — namely that “if it works, run it into the ground.”

    And if it wouldn’t mention one of the band’s critically panned efforts it probably wouldn’t have said anything about the two impressive songs from the Mac’s new self-titled EP, “Sad Angel” and “Without You” — a tune that B/N “lost” almost 40 years ago only to have it resurface in 2010 on YouTube of all places.

    So what are the chances that the review would comment that after thousands of fans had blissfully absorbed three hours of Fleetwood Mac’s best, the band closed the exceptional show with the charmingly obscure — and affectingly moving — lyrical message from Buckingham to Nicks, “Say Goodbye”?

    Nicks stayed on stage to thank the fans for treating the music like they were “hearing it for the first time,” even after close to 40 years. But only “experienced” music fans like this one would know that the band sounds even better today than it did almost four decades ago.

    On second thought, maybe I’d better grab the wheel…

    Here’s the complete 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” (lost Buckingham/Nicks track released on new album)

    14. “Gypsy”

    15. “Eyes of the World”

    16. “Gold Dust Woman”

    17. “I’m So Afraid”

    18. “Stand Back” (Stevie Nicks solo song)

    19. “Go Your Own Way”

    Encore

    20. “World Turning”

    21. “Don’t Stop”

    Second encore

    22. “Silver Springs”

    23. “Say Goodbye”

    Kevin Yeanoplos / Examiner / Sunday, July 7, 2013

  • CONCERT VIDEOS: North American tour ends in Sacramento

    CONCERT VIDEOS: North American tour ends in Sacramento

    Fleetwood Mac performed in concert at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento on Saturday, the final show of the North American tour. The air-conditioned indoor venue was a nice reprieve from the intense summer heat, which had reached 100 degrees in the Sacramento area on Saturday afternoon. Temperatures outside were still in the 70s by the end of the concert.

    Stevie dedicated “Landslide” to friends and family in the Sacramento area. Those included Bob Fogle, who has known Stevie since being “a freshmen in college if you can only imagine,” and her late best friend Robin Snyder’s family, Joanne, Emily, Dustin, and Lucas.

    (E Vidal)
    (E Vidal)

    Fleetwood Mac will now take a two-and-a-half-month break from touring before heading to Europe to begin the second leg of the 2013 world tour. The band will perform 19 shows, traveling to 15 cities in 11 countries in the European union.

    The first show will be in Dublin, Ireland on September 20 at the O2, a 14,000-capacity amphitheatre situated at the heart of Dublin’s docklands. It is the largest indoor arena in Ireland.

    European fans will be treated to a guest appearance from former Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie, who is tentatively scheduled to perform during the encore at two shows in London, according to sources close to the band.

    Videos

    Here is amateur footage from the show. Special thanks to Irene Boehm, concertkid2, FabFields67, Margo Ivester, Eric Nowak, one6gunn, 7mllee, sshaffner930, and Niki Taylor for making these clips available.

    1. Second Hand News – short clip (courtesy of sshaffner930)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laka7IEUveM]

    2. The Chain (courtesy of concertkid2)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wTo-X268ps]

    3. Dreams (courtesy of Margo Ivester)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0hGiXtCXWE]

    3. Dreams (courtesy of FabFields67)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Vr91Dl8nII]

    3. Dreams (courtesy of one6gunn)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzkrjbSCCUA]

    9. Sara – partial (courtesy of Eric Nowak)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvT-J-5dox8]

    10. Big Love (courtesy of Eric Nowak)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOMnPJ9SwSc]

    11. Landslide – with introduction (courtesy of 7mllee)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCpybgSiyxA]

    16. Gold Dust Woman – partial (courtesy of sshaffner930)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95t4ymWLlaI]

    19. Go Your Own Way (courtesy of Irene Boehm)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHaJVjUT_UI]

    20. World Turning – drum solo (courtesy of Niki Taylor)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOHv0ZU0-Tw]

    21. Don’t Stop (courtesy FabFields67)
    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9VUnYNr9ek]

    Fan reaction via Twitter

    https://twitter.com/shawnbrackett/status/353688324784922624


    https://twitter.com/JennyCortez/status/353721797402824706


    https://twitter.com/JennyCortez/status/353754759808811009


    https://twitter.com/scottyreno/status/355508033629065216

    @Miss_Orinda7
    This is happening. OY veh. Song 1 “second hand news.” #FleetwoodMac

    @TweetGuyMark
    Fleetwood Mac in Sacramento. Real talk: I’d let Stevie Nicks sign my boobs. #JustSayin

    @Shanbann
    I may be the youngest person at this Fleetwood Mac concert

    ‏@jadethirlarry
    fleetwood mac is lovely

    @EnigMalnack
    Fleetwood Mac is so damn good.

    @colleenlloy
    My God Fleetwood Mac sounds as good as ever! Pinching myself still that I sang with this legend.

    @luvthalyfeulive
    I love when Stevie starts doin his weird interpretive dance thing that also looks like she’s summoning the spirits lol #FleetwoodMac

    @jesserosato
    #FleetwoodMac holy god. Dear Lindsey Buckingham, please don’t hit on my wife after the show, I don’t stand a chance.

    @PLAYAHK
    This fleetwood Mac concert is turnt.. One of the best guitar solos I’ve ever seen

    @Miss_Orinda7
    Oh dear. Stevie’s brought out the top hat for Go Your Own Way. No turning back #FleetwoodMac

    @jendabz
    I never been in a room with this many white ppl. God damn! Lol #FleetwoodMac

    @Bishop_D_Demps
    Dude. I never realized how dope of a guitarist Lindsey Buckingham (Buckingham Nicks/Fleetwood Mac) is. Dude is fire.

    @Miss_Orinda7
    Not another fucking drum solo! #FleetwoodMac

    @BettenApe
    Spur of the moment Fleetwood Mac concert. They were great. Still got it!

    @krump_princess
    The greatest concert I have ever been to, and probably the greatest I will ever see. #FleetwoodMac

    @Kimmyybarness
    I touched Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar and boot, and he blew me a kiss. Jealous? Or do you fuckers not know who that is.

    @E3Team_
    Had an amazing time at the Stevie Nicks & Fleetwood Mac concert..they are legends and I’m glad I got to see them in their last concert

    @ameliadimz
    Fleetwood Mac were amazingggg omg

    @vintagedoll1990
    Best concert I’ve seen in quite some time. Well done #FleetwoodMac , well done 🙂 #thisgirlispleased

    @ForkOnTheRoad
    Fab Fleetwood Mac still bringing it Big Time! Lindsay’s guitar was smokin’ hot!

    Sacramento 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 (start of first encore)
    21. Don’t Stop
    22. Silver Springs (start of second encore)
    23. Say Goodbye