Review: Fleetwood Mac North Little Rock, AR - April 19, 2015

Fleetwood Mac fans flames of past in NLR
By JACK W. HILL
Arkansas Online

Sunday night proved better late than never for Fleetwood Mac fans, who had been waiting since March 11 to see the legendary band of men and women who have somehow managed to keep their long-running band afloat, despite what the group's guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham, described as their "well-documented ups and downs."

Before the 12,844 fans who came close to packing Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Fleetwood Mac showed over the course of a 2 1/2-hour show that its members can still rock with the best of anyone, past or present. Postponed on March 11, due to an undisclosed illness of an unidentified member, the "On With the Show Tour" -- arrived in Little Rock, finally, for the 81st and final show in the United States before a break followed by the European leg of the tour.

Though the band had played at Verizon in June 2013 and 15 of the 22 songs they performed Sunday night were also performed at that 2013 show, there was one major difference between the two shows: singer/keyboardist Christine McVie ended her 18 years of retirement and rejoined the band, giving them the lineup that had been responsible for hit after hit.

McVie soared on "You Make Loving Fun," "Say You Love Me," "Little Lies" and especially, "Over My Head" and even played accordion on "Tusk." Stevie Nicks, seeming to be in better condition or spirits than two years ago, served up fine versions of "Rhiannon," "Sisters of the Moon," "Landslide," "Gold Dust Woman," "Gypsy," "Go Your Own Way" and "Never Going Back Again."

McVie, Buckingham and Nicks, who were all wearing black outfits, provided vocals, and drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, though more colorfully attired, provided a firm foundation for the singers.

Buckingham's guitar skills were again on display as he prowled the stage like a feral cat. Indeed, Buckingham, who has a fine voice, could have almost been the show all by himself. Whether he was playing acoustic or electric guitar, Buckingham delivered perhaps the finest display of guitar prowess ever on display in Verizon Arena, and threw in some body language that could have originated in the worlds of athletics or dance.

Fleetwood showed off his drumming skills throughout the show, especially on "World Turning," the first of three encore songs that also included "Don't Stop" and "Silver Springs." The concert was further enhanced by some of the best light show and camera work ever seen in a rock concert this side of Pink Floyd.

Savoring the moment, after the last note, Fleetwood promised that "The Mac is back," perhaps hinting that more new music would someday emerge from the talented songwriting triumvirate of Buckingham, Nicks and Christine McVie.

77 Photos: Fleetwood Mac Conclude North American Tour in Little Rock, AR - April 19, 2015

Fleetwood Mac Live in North Little Rock, AR
April 19, 2015

77 Photos by: Nelson Chenault
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Review: Fleetwood Mac Oklahoma City - April 17, 2015

With Christine McVie's return, Fleetwood Mac electrifies Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena
by Brandy McDonnell
Newsok.com

Crowd: Sellout, about 13,000 strong and adoring.

Early highlight: Even if it isn’t your favorite Fleetwood Mac song (the eerily extended version of “Gold Dust Woman” and crazily energetic version of “Secondhand News” were more my speed), there’s just something about a big fan sing-along on “Go Your Own Way” that makes it the instant, undeniable highlight of any Fleetwood Mac show.

Reviewer’s take: “Our ‘Songbird’ has returned,” drummer and bandleader Mick Fleetwood declared, and he was right in declaring that Christine McVie completed the lineup. Not only did she round out the trademark three-part harmonies with her smoky voice, she also brought a rightness and energy that galvanized the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.

"The Chain" is at last mended, and unbroken, it's as strong as ever.

Fleetwood Mac made its delayed yet triumphant return to Oklahoma City Friday night with its full, five-star iconic lineup, including singer/keyboardist Christine McVie, whose significance in the band becomes even more apparent once you witness live the way she both energizes and eases her cohorts.

Fleetwood Mac Billboard Boxscore 'On With The Show' Tour Stats to date

Review: Fleetwood Mac Live in Las Vegas - April 11, 2015

A REUNITED FLEETWOOD MAC PROVES ITS CONTINUED VITALITY AT MGM
by Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Fleetwood Mac April 11, MGM Grand Garden Arena

A few songs into Fleetwood Mac’s concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday, singer Stevie Nicks noted that it was the 78th show on the band’s current tour with returned singer/keyboardist Christine McVie. Having McVie back after a 16-year hiatus seems to have reinvigorated the group, and they played with the enthusiasm of the first show on the tour, along with the confidence of experienced veterans.

Full Review at Las Vegas Weekly

GOLD DUST WOMAN

Review: Fleetwood Mac Live in Los Angeles - April 10, 2015

Fleetwood Mac adds another chapter to their storybook with a career-spanning show at the Forum
by KELSEY HENG
Buzzbandsla.com
Photos by Kelsey Heng

Following up last November’s stop in Los Angeles, iconic rockers Fleetwood Mac returned to continue their “On With The Show” tour. On Friday night, the Forum celebrated the idolized lineup that created “Rumours,” one of the era’s greatest albums and cemented the band’s place in history. 

With a 16-year retirement now behind her, Christine McVie has returned to the band for a reunion worth witnessing. Her sweeping alto harmonies and beloved love songs were a glaring missing piece for so many recent years. Now with her return, Lindsey Buckingham cheerfully declared this night a “circular karmic moment and new chapter in the story of this family.” - See more at: 

And it’s a family with plenty of story — one that has been anything but hidden to the public eye. Buckingham paused the show to emphasize that fact, saying, “We are a group of individuals and a band that has seen its ups and downs, but that is what makes us who we are. And we have been able to prevail through the good and the bad.”

The comings and goings of members is nothing new to the group or its fans, as toxic relationships and dark periods plagued years of the band’s monstrous success. The bands survival through all the rifts and rivalries is one thing, but the ability to now continue their story 41 years later (and all over the age of 65) is a chapter worth equal acclaim.

The 2 1/2-hour show included more than 24 songs, many of which highlighted McVie’s vocals and her own writing, including “Everywhere” and “Say You Love Me.”

Gypsy style icon Stevie Nicks and guitar legend Buckingham have enough stage presence to drastically contrast that of McVie’s spotlight-averting demeanor. Nicks, clad in her usual dark flowing mystic attire with ribboned tambourine in hand, twirled through “Dreams” and “Rhiannon” early in the set. She handed off the audience’s attention to Buckingham for “Second Hand News,” “Tusk,” and his personal mantra “Big Love.” All three drenched with youthful high-energy and guitar solos perfected over a lifetime.

Joining then on stage together, Nicks and Buckingham seemed to turn back time with Landslide as they slowed to the ending gripping each others hands as only former lovers could before letting out the last lyrics.

With the past so fresh in the minds of everyone, Nicks spoke eagerly of the bands early San Francisco days, going from neighbors to band mates, quickly opening for the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Santana, her own Velvet Underground clothing store backstory to Gypsy,” and her days dreaming of moments and success like they have now.

The first encore opened with World Turning with Fleetwoods comically energetic audience participation drum solo that concluded with his arms outstretched and his grin declaring, much fun was had by all. Following the stadium sing along of Dont Stop, they slowed to an end with Silver Springs and its fitting spellbinding lyrics you won’t forget me.

The real encore immediately followed as the nights prodigal McVie returned alone to the stage at a piano for Songbird,” a storybook ending that, as Fleetwood said, makes this all so complete.

Full Review with Photos at Buzzbandsla.com

CHRISTINE McVie’s return to Fleetwood Mac has made many people extremely happy

Christine McVie rejoins Fleetwood Mac for On With The Show tour
CAMERON ADAMS NATIONAL MUSIC WRITER

HERALD SUN

CHRISTINE McVie’s return to Fleetwood Mac has made many people extremely happy — none more so than the other members of Fleetwood Mac.

At one point during her 16-year sabbatical from Fleetwood Mac bandmate Stevie Nicks straight up offered McVie $5 million right there and then if she’d rejoin the band.

“I said ‘Is that all!,” McVie laughs. “I’m only worth $5 million?!”

It’s worth noting that 40 US dates of their On With the Show tour since McVie officially rejoined in January 2014 generated over US$74 million, and they’ll at least triple that when they spend most of this year touring before winding up in Australia and New Zealand in November.

Once she was back in Mac, Nicks gave her friend a silver chain, a metaphorical gift that McVie says echoes the sentiment of the band’s classic The Chain because “the chain of the band will never be broken” then she adds “not by me anyways. Not again by me”.

Full Article

3rd Fleetwood Mac Shows added for Sydney and Melbourne PLUS Adelaide finally secures a show!

Fleetwood Mac add 3rd dates in Australia in Sydney and Melbourne plus finally added a date in Adelaide. 

American Express Cardholders have first crack at tickets beginning April 9th. The Live Nation pre-sale begins April 13th and the general on sale date is set for April 15th. 

October 25th - Sydney, AU - Allphones Arena (3rd show)
October 28th - Adelaide, AU - Coopers Stadium
November 6th - Melbourne, AU - Rod Laver Arena (3rd show)

Tickets on sale via Live Nation

Review: Lindsey Buckingham was the undisputed star of the evening

Fleetwood Mac deliver 'Second Hand News' in Vancouver
By Robert Collins
CTVNews.com

Attending fans’ opinion of last night’s Fleetwood Mac concert at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena

depended entirely on whether or not they were present at the same venue four and a half months ago, the last time the band graced the city.

VIEW GALLERY

For those for who last night was their first taste of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘On With The Show’ tour, their senses are still tingling from the experience today. The Kings and Queens of Soft Rock still reigned, cranking out two and a quarter hours of gems with energy and style.

The long absent Christine McVie, now firmly re-entrenched in the line up, gave the band the vocal ammunition to roll out classics like “You Make Loving Fun,” “Little Lies” and “Say You Love Me.” After a touch of trouble on certain high notes early on, she soon slotted into her musical groove, finishing the night strong with a honky tonk piano solo adding an extra sheen of fun to “Don’t Stop.”

In terms of vocals, Stevie Nicks was in richer form than on her previous visit to Vancouver, wisely navigating her way around the high notes during “Rhiannon,” “Landslide” and her opus, the lyrically merciless “Gold Dust Woman.”

Stealing the show throughout, Lindsey Buckingham was the undisputed star of the evening, his guitars taking centre stage through opener “The Chain,” the perfect power pop of “Second Hand News” and “I Know I’m Not Wrong,” and hosting finger picking acoustic wizardry on “Big Love” and “Never Going Back.”

Those who were lucky enough to be at Rogers Arena back in November probably have a different view of last night.

Review - Fleetwood Mac Live in Vancouver - April 4, 2015

Fleetwood Mac brings crazy-ass fingerpicking and monster drums to Vancouver
by Steve Newton
The Georgia Straight

Fleetwood Mac must really love Vancouver. The Anglo-American pop greats played Rogers Arena less than five months ago, on November 18, before returning for last night's gig at the same venue.

Apparently the feeling is mutual, because hordes of Vancouverites were willing to drop $199 (plus service charges and fees) for the best seats at the quintet's latest appearance. Who knew that Christine McVie had that much drawing power?

Last year saw the return of keyboardist-vocalist McVie to the concert stage, reuniting her with singer Stevie Nicks, guitarist-vocalist Lindsey Buckingham, drummer Mick Fleetwood, and bassist/ex-hubby John McVie. That's the same lineup that ruled the charts and airwaves in the seventies during its Rumours-era heyday.

Tomorrow is here: Mac are back

Here comes another, yes, another Fleetwood Mac reunion gig.

DON’T STOP thinking about tomorrow. Don’t stop – it’ll soon be here. That’s right:

Sunday Star Times - New Zealand Apr 5, 2015

The future is hurtling towards us at high speed, and for those with the inclination and the cash, that future may well include a Fleetwood Mac concert.

All five members from the band’s golden period have regrouped and are about to descend upon our shining shores, with singer/keyboardist Christine McVie back in the fold after a 16-year absence. Their world tour hits Dunedin’s Forsyth Barr Stadium on November 18 and Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium on November 21.

Dreams. The Chain. Go Your Own Way. Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album Rumours got a thrashing when I was in my teens. Recorded during a time of wholesale disharmony and clandestine rooting within the band’s ranks, its mix of burnished Californian melodies and emotionally overwrought lyrics somehow made perfect sense to me as I rode the rapids of puberty.

Back then, Stevie Nicks, a vision in chiffon and lace, was a regular visitor to the very rudest of my dreams, swirling around so vigorously that her crooked gypsy hemline encountered unprecedented wind resistance, causing her dress to disintegrate before my thankful eyes. But when I got her on the phone in 2009, I was the very soul of professionalism, and so was she. ‘‘ Rumours came out of a very dark period,’’ she told me from her home in Santa Monica.

Reviews, Videos, Photos: Fleetwood Mac Live in Denver - April 1, 2015

Fleetwood Mac at the Pepsi Center in Denver
by John Wenzel
Reverb

If you’re like me, and it’s not impossible that you are, you grew up vaguely aware of Fleetwood Mac. You thought of the band’s music as something primarily designed for parents, like chardonnay or station wagons. It wasn’t until you listened to it at a party in college, surrounded by people who were a bit older and cooler than you, that you realized it was also something for you. Something that deserved the critical praise and karaoke treatment it always got. Something really good.

Those thoughts wouldn’t leave me last night as I watched the band play its second, capacity Pepsi Center show in the span of four months. The “Rumours”-era lineup, which includes recent and utterly indispensable returning member Christine McVie, plowed through a 22-song set like gleaming pros. Most of the audience was middle-aged and seated, and happily so. But despite the frequent, between-song nostalgia from Stevie Nicks (resplendent and witchy), Lindsey Buckingham and a circumspect McVie, the band proved its music doesn’t belong to one generation. We all own “Rhiannon,” is what I’m saying. And it owns us.

Continue to the full review at Reverb

Fleetwood Mac Remains a Strange and Potent Musical Family
by Alex Warzel
Westword.com

The Pepsi Center was moving and shaking on Wednesday evening to the smoky sounds of the infamous Fleetwood Mac. The night was filled with velvet-draped microphone stands, beards, vests and the crackle of big personalities.

Although the group seemed to be in high spirits, there was a suggestive tinge of emotion drifting between the bandmates throughout the show. Christine McVie, once married to bassist John McVie, has not been a part of the band for over sixteen years, but she began touring with it again in September. The event mainly focused on Christine McVie and her return — something Stevie Nicks seems to have had enough of. 

Continue to the full review at Westword.com

Below photos by Daniel Petty - View Gallery

THE CHAIN

SAY YOU LOVE ME

28,000 Fleetwood Mac tickets gone in a flash

Fleetwood Mac tickets gone in a flash
Otago Daily Times

Tickets to the Fleetwood Mac concert at Forsyth Barr Stadium sold out in minutes yesterday but a second Dunedin concert is unlikely, the promoter says.

Live Nation Australasia chief executive Michael Coppel said it was ''hugely gratifying'' to have Fleetwood Mac's Dunedin concert on November 18 sell out in less than an hour after tickets went on sale at 10am yesterday.

More than 28,000 tickets were sold but a second Dunedin show was unlikely, Mr Coppel said.

However, the entertainment company was working to make more tickets available for the South Island show and hoped to have ''good news'' to announce in a couple of weeks.

''The unbelievable response to the reunited line-up has made this the biggest concert event of 2015,'' Mr Coppel said.

Concerts at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium on November 21 and 22 will complete the New Zealand leg of the band's On With The Show world tour.

Review - Fleetwood Mac Live in Wichita, KS - March 31, 2015

Full Mac attack brings the hits to Wichita crowd
By Denise Neil
Kansas.com

The whole Fleetwood Mac lineup was at Intrust Bank Arena on Tuesday night to perform its library of hits for 12,000 appreciative fans.

But the member that original musicians Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood seemed to appreciate most was songbird Christine McVie, who has just rejoined the group after a 16-year absence.

Lead singer Nicks, noting early in the show that Wichita was the band’s 72nd stop on its tour that started last year, said that at the beginning of the tour, she used to welcome Christine McVie back at the top of each show.

“But now that we’re on show number 72, I think we can safely say she’s back,” Nicks said as the crowd cheered wildly.

The concert, a 22-song tour through the band’s almost 50-year career, showcased many of the songs the members wrote about their drama, fights and love triangles.

Now all in their 60s and 70s, the members seemed in sync and warm toward each other, a musical reminder that time heals.

“I think it’s safe to say that we are a band and a group of individuals who have seen its share of ups and downs, all, I’m afraid, very well-documented,” Buckingham said from the stage, adding that the group has also been able to “prevail through the good and the bad.”

The band opened with its 1977 hit “The Chain” from its album “Rumours.” The house lights went down, and after several anticipation-building minutes, the shadow of a woman in flowing clothes appeared.

When the lights went up, it was Nicks, dressed in her signature fringe, holding a scarf-laden tambourine with Buckingham to her left on guitar, Christine McVie to her right on keyboards and vocals, John McVie behind her on bass and Mick Fleetwood behind her with his drum set – bearded, ponytailed and energetic as ever.

The crowd members, most in their 30s through 60s, included some who stubbornly remained in their seats and others who stubbornly stood and danced, oblivious to who was behind them.

Highlights of the show included Nicks leading the group through two of its biggest hits, “Dreams” and “Rhiannon.” Her recognizable growl was still firmly intact, though she didn’t even attempt the high notes from days gone by on either song.

Christine McVie spoke a few times also, her velvet British accent adding some class to the proceedings as she introduced some of her songs, including the 1980s hits “Everywhere” and “Little Lies.”(Noticeably absent from the set list: “Songbird,” her big song from “Rumours.”)

When it was time for “Landslide,” the Nicks-penned hit from 1975, only one-time couple Nicks and Buckingham were on stage. Nicks dedicated the song to “girl power” and to two women in the Wichita crowd she said she had learned just before the show were distant relatives. In the pause before the final refrain, she and Buckingham briefly held hands, and she said something in his ear. He nodded in agreement.

Buckingham then launched into a solo, drawn-out version of “Never Going Back Again.” At the end, Nicks reappeared to back him up.

The group also performed hits “Gypsy,” “Go Your Own Way” and “Gold Dust.”

The encore was “World Turning,” “Don’t Stop” and “Silver Springs.”

RHIANNON

Fleetwood Mac add 2 additional shows in Australia / New Zealand

Fleetwood Mac added 2 additional dates today in Australia and New Zealand. The second Brisbane show is November 12th. Tickets are on sale now via Live Nation.  Tickets for the second New Zealand show in Penrose on November 22nd go on pre-sale for AMEX card holders on April 9th with the general on sale date being April 15th.

The 2nd Hope Estates show in Pokolbin was added to the tour on Monday.

November 12 - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, AU
November 15 - Hope Estates, Pokolbin, NSW (Previously announced)
November 22 - Mt Smart Stadium, Penrose, NZ

Fleetwood Mac add second Hope Estates Winery show in Australia. Tix on sale Apr 1st

Fleetwood Mac have added a second date at Hope Estates Winery in Pokolbin, NSW Australia on November 15th. Tickets for this second show go on sale April 1st at Live Nation.

Reviews: Fleetwood Mac Live in Kansas City and St. Louis

Reunited Fleetwood Mac put on exquisite show at Scottrade Center Friday
by Sean Derrick
Examiner.com

Fleetwood Mac concert Friday Night in Saint Louis

Fleetwood Mac, one of the greatest selling acts of all time, brought their most successful lineup back to Scottrade Center for the first time in 18 years on Friday for a stop on their “On With the Show Tour” and the resulting show was a trip down memory lane.

Longtime vocalist/keyboardist Christine McVie had left the band after their successful 1997/98 “The Dance Tour” (Which played at the then named Kiel Center on November 17, 1997) to retire from touring.

While there have been many incarnations of Fleetwood Mac in their 47 year history their most popular and well-known has been with the lineup that was featured Friday night of McVie along with vocalist Stevie Nicks, vocalist/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, bassist John McVie and Founding member Mick Fleetwood on drums.

Each of the band members glowed about McVie’s return and noted that it was her 70th show back with them, bringing the band back to where they are their best.

Full review and photo gallery at Examiner.com



Fleetwood Mac dazzled a (nearly) full house at the Sprint Center last night
By Natalie Gallagher
Pitch.com

Fleetwood Mac - Sprint Center, Kansas City - Saturday, March 28, 2015

“If you would have asked me ten years ago, I never thought I’d be doing this,” Christine McVie announced to the Sprint Center audience last night, before she began “Everywhere,” her first lead song of the evening.

Photo: April Fleming

Indeed, McVie was not alone in that sentiment. The majority of Fleetwood Mac’s throbbing audience – which very nearly sold out the Sprint – had likely never dared to hope the day would come that McVie would once again be taking her place at the keyboard on stage with her former bandmates. After a 16-year absence, this joyful reunion is part of what made last night’s two-and-a-half hour show so special.

The rest was pure nostalgia, with a 22-song setlist packed with fan favorites performed with the kind of enthusiasm artists generally reserve for their freshest material. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were in fine form, the former acting as both a tireless shredder – his agile handiwork was displayed multiple times on the large screen behind the band – and gooey speechmaker. 

Full review and photo gallery at Pitch.com

Fleetwood Mac is proving no matter which way you go, sometimes you can go back again

REVIEW: A reunited Fleetwood Mac gives Sprint Center crowd a dose of nostalgia
By Timothy Finn
The Kansas City Star

Kansas City - March 28, 2015

Photo: Sprint Center - Facebook

This show ended not with a song but with two speeches. One was a short valediction from drummer Mick Fleetwood, a founder of the band, who thanked the huge crowd for its patronage, and the other from Stevie Nicks, one of its three songwriters and lead singers. She recounted the events that led to this reunion tour, which is what this show was: a reunion of this band’s most popular lineup.

Fleetwood Mac never broke up, but in 1998 Christine McVie retired, and for nearly 16 years, the band forged on. But it wasn’t the same without her. Sunday night, for the first time since 1987, the band performed in Kansas City with McVie, nearly filling the Sprint Center and delivering a show that was as rousing and satisfying as it was nostalgic and memorable.

The two-and-a-half-hour show was one steady barrage of hits, and the set list was front-loaded with favorites. The opener was encore-worthy: “The Chain,” a statement about solidarity and a song the crowd recognized from the opening heart-beat thud of Mick Fleetwood’s kick drum. They followed that with one of McVie’s signature songs, “You Make Lovin’ Fun.” Her voice isn’t as glossy or porcelain as it once was, but it handled her leads and harmonies adroitly. Next came “Dreams,” one of Nicks’ best-known songs, then “Second Hand News,” the fourth-straight song from the fabled “Rumour” album, now 38 years old.

There were many highlights. “Rhiannon,” Nicks’ trademark ballad about a Welch goddess, was one. The title track to “Tusk,” which included a sinister intro, was another. They embellished that with vocal trimmings -- some “da-da-das” that replaced the marching band’s horn section in the original. Lindsey Buckingham’s guitar wizardry was on full display during “Big Love,” which he performed solo. He and Nicks followed that with a lovely rendition of “Landslide.” By the end of that song, the two were holding hands. Then came “Never Going Back Again,” one of eight “Rumours” songs on the set list and yet another that showcased Buckingham’s considerable guitar prowess.

As an intro to “Gypsy,” Nicks told a story. Back before she was famous and wealthy, she went into a store in San Francisco called the Velvet Underground, where the clothes were too expensive for her meager budget. But it inspired her, she said, to pursue her music dreams and to one day return and buy whatever she wanted. “Follow your passion,” was the moral. They played that and “Little Lies” slightly unplugged, with Fleetwood sitting at a “cocktail kit,” as McVie called it.

Throughout the show they got support from three vocalists, a percussionist, a guitarist and keyboard player, all of whom operated in the shadows but added substantial heft to the arrangements.

The only disappointment of the evening: McVie didn’t perform “Songbird,” which was removed from the setlist several weeks ago.

The first set closed with two of Buckingham’s best. First, “I’m So Afraid,” which ended in a furious guitar solo, then “Go Your Own Way,” one of the most ebullient break-up songs ever. On that one, Nicks danced around wearing a big, black top hat. They returned for a three-song encore: “World Turning,” which featured a drum solo by Fleetwood, the ever-inspirational “Don’t Stop,” then “Silver Springs,” the band’s best-known B-side (to “Go Your Own Way”).

Then Nicks emerged and preached about McVie’s return -- at the age of 70 -- and re-dedication to a band that has persevered and sustained so much over more than 40 years: bitter romantic breakups, successful solo careers, McVie’s retirement, bassist John McVie’s battle with cancer. In 2015, Fleetwood Mac is proving no matter which way you go, sometimes you can go back again.

SETLIST:
The Chain; You Make Lovin’ Fun; Dreams; Second Hand News; Rhiannon; Everywhere; I Know I’m Not Wrong; Tusk; Sisters of the Moon; Say You Love Me; Big Love; Landslide; Never Going Back Again; Gyspy; Little Lies; Gold Dust Woman; I’m So Afraid; Go Your Own Way. Encore: World Turning; Don’t Stop; Silver Springs.

REVIEW Fleetwood Mac Live in St. Louis, MO - March 27, 2015

Fleetwood Mac gives fans what they want at Scottrade Center concert

By Kevin C. Johnson
St.Louis Dispatch

It only makes sense Fleetwood Mac would open its sold-out concert at Scottrade Center Friday night with “The Chain,” featuring the key lyric: “Chain keep us together.”

After years full of ups and downs, as singer and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham pointed out, “we’ve grown and prevailed through the good and the bad.”

And these days the band is prevailing with returning keyboardist and singer Christine McVie, making this late-career run of the band, on its “On With the Show” tour, a must-see (16,000 fans attended at Scottrade Center). She’d been out of the fold for 16 years.

McVie’s return reunited Fleetwood Mac’s most popular lineup — Mick Fleetwood, Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and herself.

Backbeat - Photography
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Christine McVie’s presence was welcome, as evidenced by the applause she got with the opening line of “You Make Loving Fun” (missing from the band’s 2009 show at Scottrade Center), allowing songs such as that and “Everywhere” and “Little Lies” into the setlist again.

Buckingham told the crowd McVie’s return presented a “profound, prolific and new chapter in the story of this band, Fleetwood Mac,” while Nicks reveled in girl power being restored to the band.

McVie did come off second fiddle to Buckingham and Nicks, undeniably and not surprisingly. But her presence was an important one, and she held up her role well.

Photos by Jeff Curry
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Over a lean and briskly moving two hours-plus, the great Fleetwood Mac offered fans exactly what they wanted, which was nothing but a barrage of hits including “Go Your Own Way,” “Don’t Stop” and “Never Going Back Again,” performed to perfection with perhaps a few backstories thrown in — including a lengthy one from Nicks about the day she received a call from McVie saying she wanted to come back.

“Dreams,” “Second Hand News,” “Rhiannon” and “Everywhere” kept the show’s early going moving, and the pace never let up. It’s to the band’s credit it could afford to stack hits throughout the entire set without wedging in any filler.

Zach Dalin Photography
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“Tusk” was the percussive delight it always is; “Big Love” was a quick reminder of the power of a solo Buckingham on guitar; and Nicks brought her requisite twirl to “Gypsy.” The psychedelic
finish to “Gold Dust Woman” was appropriately trippy, while Fleetwood on drums is a whole other trip. He was like a beast trying to fight its way out of its cage.

During a middle portion of the show focusing on Nicks and Buckingham, Nicks had a quick emotional moment during the still-exquisite “Landslide” and acknowledged it at song's end.

Fleetwood addressed the crowd at the end of the night, after encore songs “World Turning,” “Don’t Stop” and “Silver Springs,” telling everyone to love each other in this crazy world, and concluded with: “Remember, the Mac is definitely back.”

Truer words couldn’t have been spoken.

Interview: Mick Fleetwood on what the future holds for Fleetwood Mac

Return of the Mac
Mick Fleetwood talks new album, Christine McVie, and the end of Fleetwood Mac

Vancouver Sun - March 28, 2015

By Francois Marchand
Vancouver Sun

Never say die once wrote Black Sabbath.

For pop-rockers Fleetwood Mac, the saying couldn’t be any more true.

The band recently reunited with long gone singer and keyboardist Christine McVie, who rejoined Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood after 16 years away.

If you ask Fleetwood, the founding drummer of the group, reuniting with McVie has reinvigorated the Mac, whose members have had well-documented complex and drug-fuelled relationships, especially around the time of their 1977 classic album Rumours, which remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.

In a recent conversation with The Vancouver Sun, Fleetwood, 67, opened up about returning to the studio with McVie in tow, the band’s most recent string of tour dates, and what the future holds for Fleetwood Mac.

Q: We just saw Fleetwood Mac in Vancouver in November. How does it feel to come back to our neck of the woods so fast?

A: It feels good. You can’t go anywhere unless you’re wanted. (Laughs.) So that’s a good feeling for us old “gigsters.” And we happen to adore that neck of the woods anyhow. We always love coming back (to Vancouver). It’s a beautiful place. It’s one of the towns where you go, “Oof, if only we had two days off there.” As a musician, this tour has unfolded beyond anything anyone might have thought, including ourselves. So it’s gratifying — it’s nice to be loved. Off we go again: It’s the never-ending tour.

Q: So you don’t see an end in the foreseeable future for Fleetwood Mac in its current incarnation?

A: Not in terms of “the end of the band” or saying goodbye. No. Unless I don’t know something. (Laughs.) I feel thoroughly employed. We’re working all the way through next Christmas. That’s almost far enough. We’re talking and feeling really excited about creating new music. It looks like a viable future ahead of us, as far as I can see.

If you want a more philosophical answer as to, “Do you ever see this coming to an end?” Yeah, I think we’d all be fairly crazy at this point (not to think about it). But then you start thinking about the Rolling Stones or Elton John and you go, “Hmm.” And you start looking around — you don’t want to be Tony Bennett touring at 85 years old (Bennett is in fact 88).

Having said that, we’re a working band and we’re working harder than we did when we were in our 30s. So go figure. The enthusiasm to do it is very much alive. But time itself speaks to you and you go, “Do I actually think in all sensibility think that any of us — and I can only speak for myself — that we’ll still be doing this 10 years from now?” No. “Do I visualize I’ll still be a musician enjoying playing in some shape or form?” Yes. It’s what we do.