Saturday, April 27, 2019

INTERVIEW Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie speak with the UK's Independent

Fleetwood Mac: ‘We’ll burn in hell if we don’t play Glastonbury one day’
Cocaine, fights, love affairs and break-ups. Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie speak to Chris Harvey about the success, the hardship and the torment of the band as they prepare to play Wembley in June

The Independent






This strange, funny band is complicated,” says Mick Fleetwood. “It’s all about people, it’s not horrific.” I’m talking to the man who has been the only member of Fleetwood Mac to appear in every line-up of the band since they were formed. When they step out on stage at Wembley Stadium in June, that will be coming up to 52 years ago.

We’ve been chatting about the period when Fleetwood Mac moved from stars to superstars with the release of Rumours in 1977. It was during the era of Seventies rock excess, when band mythologies are wreathed in tales of groupies, sexual exploitation, drug addiction and death.

Fleetwood Mac were no strangers to drugs: LSD had cost the group its original leader, Peter Green, at the end of the Sixties, and cocaine was an integral part of the band’s Seventies. Fleetwood wrote in his autobiography that Rumours was written with “white powder peeling off the wall in every room of the studio”.

“I think we were damned lucky that our music never went down the drain because we went down the drain,” the 71-year-old drummer says now, “and I think in truth there are moments where you could have said we got pretty close, you know.

“Cocaine was everywhere, people who worked in banks [used it]. Personally, I had a run on that lifestyle, but fortunately, I didn’t get into any other type of drug that would have been more damaging – I don’t even know why, but I’m very thankful. Brandy and cocaine and beer,” he says, naming his poisons, as he describes the 20 years of “high-powered lunacy” that he put his body through. “That lifestyle became something that had to come to an end… hopefully, you come out of it with your trousers still on, and not taken out in a plastic bag.”

Running Order of Rock Hall of Fame Show April 27th

They fixed it in the mix.

Stevie opened the show when they taped the special and it looks like all her performances will air and she will open the show when it airs tonight on HBO.

Stevie Nicks
Induction: Harry Styles
Performance: Stevie Nicks performs "Stand Back," "Leather and Lace" (with Don Henley), "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" (with Harry Styles) and "Edge of Seventeen."



Cleveland.com
By Chuck Yarborough

How fitting is it that one of the most cliched phrases in the music business applies to a show honoring the best in the music business, HBO’s production of the 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

The result: a tighter, better-sounding version of the bone-wearying actual ceremony held in March in Brooklyn, New York, at the Barclays Center. The program premieres at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27, on the cable network, and will re-air throughout the month.

But to understand how we got there, take yourself to Brooklyn and pretend that you are the person in charge of that as-it-happens event. Consider:

This is a live show that honors seven acts, with the accompanying egos that exist despite what the press releases and online bios say. Who goes on first? Who goes on last? Who wants to go on first and who wants to go on last? Who gets the preshow sound check? Who just has to plug ‘n’ play? How much of the allotted chunk of time do you give one act over another? And how do you expedite the changeover from one act to the next, getting all the instruments set up, miked, etc?

This time around, those acts are the Cure, Def Leppard, Janet Jackson, Radiohead, Roxy Music and the Zombies, the Class of 2019 for this year’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Now, I can get around the egos of the artists and their management just by listing them alphabetically, as I’ve done here. Good luck doing it in real life, in real time.

The first thought is that you should get everything in within the five hours or so that’s allotted for a show that begins at 7 p.m. Somebody gets paid to make the decisions, so whoever that was in New York decided that the order would be Nicks, Radiohead, Roxy Music, the Cure, Jackson, the Zombies and Def Leppard.

At the surface, that made pretty good sense, as Radiohead and Jackson opted against performing. That meant structuring it this way – and with a killer opening set from Nicks, the first woman to be twice inducted into the Rock Hall – it should have worked out just fine because it left plenty of time for stagehands and instrument techs to do their thing.

So what if it took a full five hours-plus, with all the inductions, performances and a final jam with Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter fronting a show-ending all-star jam to “All the Young Dudes?” It only seemed like 10 hours.

Now, let’s redo it for TV. That job fell to director-producer Alex Coletti from HBO and the editors under him, and frankly, they succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations.

The first and best move was cutting that five hours to three. Yep, three. And trust me as one who was present for those original five-plus hours, nothing worthwhile ended up on the cutting room floor.

Nicks got her 37 minutes, by far the largest chunk of time. None of the other inductees got more than 30 for their closeups, Mr. DeMille. But again, the only thing you missed (but didn’t really) was drag-on speechifying so common in awards shows.

Coletti’s other move was something you couldn’t really determine till after the fact: Putting the show in order of quality. Yes, Nicks opened the show, so yes, her position was a necessary lock. But it was also far superior to some of her latest gigs with her usual band, Fleetwood Mac, especially with an appearance by Eagle and Hall of Famer Don Henley on her hit, “Leather and Lace.”

But by far, though, the performance of the night from opening note to final round of applause came from Robert Smith and the Cure. Best music, best vocals, best best.

So Coletti re-structured the show so that the order of appearance was Nicks, the Cure, Jackson (who was probably the most boring presence onstage the entire night), Roxy Music, Radiohead, the Zombies and Def Leppard.

And it all took away from the real tedium of a pure awards show and turned it into a performance. I can’t say that the three hours flew by, but it didn’t feel like a root canal.

Ah, and that fix it in the mix thing? One of the issues many had was in the somewhat shrill tones of Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone during the 1960s’ band’s big hits “She’s Not There” and “Tell Her No.”

Now in his 70s, Blunstone no longer has the voice of an 18-year-old (do any of us?). But he knows to treat his vocal chords as an athlete would treat his body, which means warming up. Sitting in an audience for four hours as he did, there was no way he’d be able to hit all those melodious notes from five decades ago.

But Coletti and his engineers were able make the right adjustments. Perfect? No. But not nearly as shrill as it was live, which turned a respectable performance into a respectful one.

Fix it in the mix, indeed.

2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
When: Premieres at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27.



Thursday, April 18, 2019

Fleetwood Mac Announced Rescheduled Tour Dates + Add Quebec City!




Oct 28 - Boston, TD Garden
Oct 30 - Quebec City, Videotron Centre *NEW
Nov 01 - Toronto, ON, Scotiabank Arena
Nov 03 - Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
Nov 07 - Winnipeg, MB, BellMTS Place
Nov 10 - Calgary, AB, Scotiabank Saddledome
Nov 12 - Edmonton, AB, Rogers Place
.
Tickets: Fleetwoodmac.com or Ticketmaster

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Fleetwood Mac Postpone The Remainder of North American Tour Dates

Fleetwood Mac is postponing four Canadian tour dates as singer Stevie Nicks deals with the flu.



A statement issued by the band says this week's concerts will be rescheduled including a show in Toronto tonight, Winnipeg on Thursday, and Edmonton on Saturday. A stop in Calgary on April 15 will also be pushed.

The Edmonton and Calgary dates were previously postponed last November when an unnamed band member fell ill.

Concert promoter Live Nation says ticketholders will receive further details shortly and refunds will be made available.

Fleetwood Mac is also cancelling their gig as headliners at Jazz Fest in New Orleans on May 2. They were brought in as a replacement for the Rolling Stones last week after Mick Jagger announced his heart surgery.

Mick Fleetwood says in a statement his band hopes to reschedule all of the Canadian dates in October and November of this year.

"The flu has sidelined Stevie for a couple of weeks but she is on the mend and we look forward to getting back out on the road," he added.

Two US dates, Boston and Philadelphia were also postponed and those are expected to be rescheduled as well.

  • Boston TBA
  • Philadelphia TBA
  • Toronto TBA
  • Winnipeg TBA
  • Edmonton TBA
  • Calgary TBA


Saturday, April 06, 2019

TRAILER Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - April 27, 2019


One week after the 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony invaded Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, HBO has shared the first trailer for their annual Rock Hall special.

The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees are Stevie Nicks, Janet Jackson, The Cure, Radiohead, Roxy Music, The Zombies, and Def Leppard. With appearances by Harry Styles, Janelle Monae, Don Henley, Brian May, David Byrne, Simon Le Bon & John Taylor, Trent Reznor, Stevie Van Zandt, Ian Hunter, and Susanna Hoffs.

The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony premieres on April 27, 2019 at 8pm ET.


Friday, April 05, 2019

FLEETWOOD MAC POSTPONED PHILADELPHIA SHOW

PHILADELPHIA SHOW POSTPONED


Due to a band member illness, the Fleetwood Mac show scheduled for Friday, April 5th, in Philadelphia will be rescheduled. The band apologizes for the inconvenience to their fans. Ticket holders should retain their ticket for the new date, alternately refunds are available at point of purchase. Please note that rescheduled Fleetwood Mac show dates will be announced shortly pending forthcoming sports Playoff schedules in both Boston and Philadelphia. We will provide updates as soon as possible.

Thursday, April 04, 2019

Fleetwood Mac Added To New Orleans Jazz Festival May 2nd

Fleetwood Mac to Replace the Rolling Stones at New Orleans Jazz Fest

Fleetwood Mac have been added to the musical lineup for the historic 50th anniversary New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers will play Thursday, May 2.

The band will be replace The Rolling Stones, who were forced to postpone touring due to singer Mick Jagger’s health.

Mac collectively have sold more than 100 million records worldwide with countless hits. The band's current lineup includes Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, along with newcomers Mike Campbell and Neil Finn.

Jazz Fest will also feature Tom Jones, Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples and Regina Carter's Southern Comfort, along with local Louisiana artists.

A day-specific ticket is required for admission on May 2. General admission and VIP tickets are available at NOjazzfest.com and Ticketmaster. Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Smoothie King Center box office. - Billboard

Tuesday, April 02, 2019

NEW RELEASE Fleetwood Mac Before The Beginning - 1968-1970 Rare Live & Demo Sessions

Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac
Before The Beginning - 1968-1970 Rare Live & Demo Sessions 



Recently Discovered 1968 And 1970 Live Recordings To Be Released In 3CD Boxset, Three Volume Triple Heavyweight Vinyl & Digitally - Released 7 June 2019



Two live recordings from 1968 and 1970 have recently been discovered of Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac and will be released as a 3CD Boxset on 7 June 2019 that will include rare band images and a brand new essay. This will be released alongside a single vinyl entitled Volume One consisting of the 1968 recording with Volume Two (the 1970’s recording) being released at a later date, which includes additional previously unreleased demos. Both vinyl releases are on triple heavyweight discs and for any pre-orders, an instant gratitude live version of ‘Albatros’ will be made available upon order.

Not much is know about the live recordings. Discovered unlabeled and by pure luck in the US, their era has been authenticated by experts of the bands blues origins. Fleetwood Mac has given their full approval for the release of these tapes. Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac had a short but hugely prolific career, with the 1968 recording being at the early stages of the band, and the 1970 recording will, in contrast, be one of their final shows before Peter left the band.

Monday, April 01, 2019

REVIEW Fleetwood Mac Live in Boston March 31, 2019

Fleetwood Mac delivers thrills at TD Garden
By JED GOTTLIEB | PHOTOS: JIM MICHAUD
Boston Herald



Fleetwood Mac began a stunning Sunday TD Garden show with “The Chain.” Yes, the band known as much for infighting as perfect pop welcomed the packed house by repeatedly shouting the lyrics “Keep us together” without irony.

Much like “The Chain,” the band draws energy from collecting chaos and synthesizing it into a sublime sound. Whatever the drama, whatever eccentric talents fill the lineup, Fleetwood Mac comes together to make magic. It sounds damn corny, but “Rhiannon,” “Little Lies,” “Landslide” and all that delightful AM gold dazzled the fans.

Now does Fleetwood Mac get to call itself Fleetwood Mac without Lindsey Buckingham? Devotees spent an enormous, possibly inappropriate amount of time arguing about this last year when the band announced they would tour without their longtime singer and guitarist — the tour plays the Garden again tonight. That debate never concerned me. What I wondered was: Would the Mac be any good without Buckingham? The short answer: Absolutely.

REVIEW: If there’s one thing there’s no room for in Fleetwood Mac, it’s hard feelings - Boston March 31, 2019

Fleetwood Mac seamlessly blends old and new at TD Garden
By Marc Hirsh | Photo Josh Reynolds
Boston Globe



If there’s one thing there’s no room for in Fleetwood Mac, it’s hard feelings. How could there be, given that its members were writing breakup songs to their bandmates and love songs to people other than the bandmates they were married to? So even though Lindsey Buckingham unamicably skedaddled last year, it’d be foolish to wager against his eventual return. But on Sunday, the first of two nights at TD Garden (the band returns on Tuesday), Fleetwood Mac proved that it could do just fine without him.

It helped, of course, that the band still had two of rock’s most distinctive voices at its disposal. Stevie Nicks, in her first public performance since becoming the first woman twice inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, still cast a spell with a swirly, tinkly “Gold Dust Woman” whose extended coda brought the song deeper and deeper into the dark. The less-flamboyant Christine McVie’s cagey alto occasionally got lost in the arena setting, but she sold the smooth sting of “Little Lies” and nestled cozily amidst the sparkling California harmonies of “Say You Love Me.”