Week of Fleetwood Mac

     This week I have another classic concert for you. When it comes to band drama, most of the classic bands have plenty. Whether it's drug overdoses, broken friendships, or changes in lineups. Very few bands have more drama then this band. Sometimes called the most dysfunctional band in rock. This week I will be reviewing Fleetwood Mac live in concert. So get ready for a drama ridden tale of one of the most classically heartbroken bands still around.

     On June 26th I went to see Fleetwood Mac at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines. I barely got to see them actually. The tickets were running around 50 dollars a piece for the cheap ones and I am not rich. However I am a huge fan or the album Rumours witch was celebrating its 35 anniversary this year, and they were going to mark that by playing most of it live, so I had to go. I got my ticket on the day of the show, which was lucky because it was 98%. Off I went to see how Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie could perform now a days. There was to be no opener and I was running late for the 8:00 start time, I finally got there at 8:20 just in time to hear "Second Hand News" coming on as I made my way to my seat way back in the nosebleeds.

     One of the things I was curious about was how the members of Fleetwood, specifically Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks interacted with one another. They have had one of the roughest relationships ever. They started off even before joining Fleetwood Mac as boyfriend and girlfriend and broke up right before the recording of Rumours. Which happened at the same time as the McVie's marriage ending and Mick Fleetwood divorcing his wife. Not a good time for romance in Fleetwood Mac. Actually most of the songs on Rumours are about the failing relationships. They were writing out their pain in their songs. They were also using drugs to overcome their pain. So throughout the Rumours process they were forced to be with the people they separated from, all while also being high on multiple drugs at the time. This is a combinations that lead to years of being traumatized by love and loss, but it also leads to some really good music.
                                            My Favorite song, The Chain- Fleetwood Mac

      They show started at 8:20 and lasted almost three hours. They didn't use a lot of special effects just a couple of video screens on the sides, one main one used later, and a curtain screen that came down near the end. That was it, bare bones rock for close to three hours. Take note up and coming bands this is how its done. They were all in top form, just experts who love playing music and have been doing so for years. It just floated out of them effortlessly. The one difference is they used to be accused of being in it just for the checks, but I think that is different now. They seemed to genuinely enjoy playing music and even better they that, seem to like playing with each other again. Which is something that hasn't always been true. They were all amazing as a group, but one needs to be praised for being the backbone of the current line up, and that's Lindsey Buckingham. He is in command and on top of everything in this show. He leads the male vocals, he plays lead guitar, and he was on stage almost all night while the others took frequent breaks. Stevie Nicks sounds amazing but seems to have lost some of her highest notes, because some songs were changed to match her aging voice. Lindsay hasn't lost his range at all he hit every note whether he sang it or played it. He owned it and everyone in attendance knew it.
                                             Check out Big Love- Fleetwood Mac Live

     The Started off playing thee Rumours songs in a row; "Second Hand News", "The Chain", and "Dreams". Following that they played a new song, "Sad Angel" off the new ep Extended Play and it sounded great. After that the main screen turned on and "Rhiannon" came on. The crowd went crazy. "Not That Funny", "Tusk",  "Sisters of the Moon", and "Sara" came next in a Tusk set. After that Lindsey Buckingham took the stage alone and played "Big Love". He was later joined by Stevie Nicks for "Landslide". In the next segment the played ; "Never Going Back Again", "Without You", "Gypsy", and "Eyes of the World". For "Gold Dust Woman" they turned back on the main big screen, and sent shivers down my spine as they killed that song. The next three songs were, "I'm So Afraid", "Stand Back", and "Go Your Own Way". "Go Your Own Way" was the high point of the entire night. They played two encores. The first consisted of "World Turning" with a huge drum solo from Mick Fleetwood thrown in and the second song was "Don't Stop". The last huge hit of the night. During the second encore it was just Lindsey and Stevie. They played "Silver Springs", and "Say Goodbye".
                                                     Here is "Go Your Own Way" live

This on again off again band of Fleetwood hasn't always had their heart in their performances, touring very sporadically and doing various solo projects. They hadn't even recorded an album in ten years, but now something has changed. They seem inspired again, their is genuine affection between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham. The music of Rumours no longer echoes purely pain but music from one of rocks best albums being fully embraced. With the new ep out and more writing ahead of them I hope the love for music and inspiration keeps up, because its fun for the fans and even more fun for the band.