Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Fleetwood Mac's original songbird is to rejoin the band, and will bring optimism, beauty and bittersweet melancholia

With Christine McVie back, Fleetwood Mac will return to their magical best
The Guardian
by Tim Jonze

When Mick Fleetwood announced to a Hawaii audience that Christine McVie would be rejoining Fleetwood Mac on a permanent basis, you couldn't really argue with his assertion that it was the "the worst kept secret there is". During an interview in December 2013, McVie surprised me by saying she would be "very delighted" to reclaim her place in the group she left in 1998. Not long after, Steve Nicks responded by telling Billboard that McVie "didn't need to ask". You hardly needed Hercule Poirot's mobile number to work out what "woman wanting to rejoin a band" plus "band happy to let woman rejoin band" might equal.

Still, the fact that McVie, who turned 70 last year, wants to renounce a hermetic life in a mansion in Kent, which seemed to consist largely of cooking, gardening and looking after dogs, in favour of stepping back on the road with one of the best and most dysfunctional bands of all time is cause for celebration.

It's pointless to talk about a "best" member of Fleetwood Mac, for without any of them the band are significantly depleted. But McVie was always my personal favourite. Compared to the other two songwriters – Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham – her songs had a simplicity and clarity to them. This was partly down to the fact her music stemmed from the blues she played growing up: Don't Stop and Say You Love Me, the band's first top 40 hit with the classic 1970s lineup, both get their momentum from what McVie terms "that left-hand boogie bass thing".


Monday, January 13, 2014

Welcome Back Christine McVie! Fleetwood Mac hope to make a tour announcement in 2014

Christine McVie is back with Fleetwood Mac officially.

The band's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, has confirmed to Billboard that McVie has rejoined the band after departing the group in 1998.

Rosenberg says that McVie "has indeed re-joined Fleetwood Mac and we are hoping to make an announcement about a possible tour for the full tilt Macsters some time in 2014."

Billboard

Welcome back Christine!!

Fleetwood Mac had the 7th highest grossing North American Tour of 2013 earning 67m from 47 shows

Pollstar have released their year end 2013 North American Tour Numbers and Fleetwood Mac as expected were one of the top grossing North American tours from 2013. With gross earnings in North America of just under 67 million derived from 47 shows in 46 cities, playing to 604,000 people, the band came in at No.7 on Pollstars Top 200 listing.

On the world-wide stage, they ranked 14th with total gross box office receipts totaling 94 million.  To view the complete Top 200 North American Tour Numbers and the Top 100 Worldwide Tour Numbers, head on over to Pollstar


Sunday, January 12, 2014

Stevie Nick sat down with Ultimate Classic Rock to speak about her new documentary "In Your Dreams"

Stevie Nicks Explains How Dave Grohl Jump-Started Her Documentary

Stevie Nick sat down with Ultimate Classic Rock to speak about her new documentary "In Your Dreams". part of the group of interviews Stevie conducted in early December right around the release of the film.

Continue at Ultimate Classic Rock

Clearly all these little video interviews are longer than 2 minutes. It's unfortunate that those that conducted the interviews don't post the full version... looks a little disjointed when it's only one segment.

Chart Update: Fleetwood Mac back on US Charts, No.1 in Austrlia + Stevie Nicks is up on US charts

USA - January 18, 2014
Fleetwood Mac re-enter the Top 200 Albums Chart in the U.S. this week with "Greatest Hits" coming in at No.192. The album also moves back into the top 40 on the 50 top selling catalogue titles.

On the Top 40 Music Video Sales Chart Stevie's "In Your Dreams" DVD logs a 5th week on the chart up one place to No.21.

BILLBOARD TOP 200 ALBUMS CHART
# 192 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac "Greatest Hits"

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART

# 40 (R/E) Fleetwood Mac "Greatest Hits"

TOP 40 MUSIC VIDEO SALES CHART
#21 (22) Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams DVD

Chart run thus far:
TW     LW    Weeks On
21       22      5 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
22       18      4 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
18       12      3 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
12         7      2 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
  7         -      1 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks

UK - January 18, 2014
Second week in a row "The Very Best Of" is up on the charts in the UK. Two weeks ago it was No.70, last week No.60, this week up seven spots to No.53.

TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 53 (60) Fleetwood Mac "The Very Best Of"

Mick Fleetwood Announces Christine McVie's return to Fleetwood Mac

[updated 6:00pm Monday, Jan 13th]

It's Official: 
Christine McVie is back with Fleetwood Mac
The band's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, has confirmed to Billboard that McVie has rejoined the band after departing the group in 1998.

Rosenberg says that McVie "has indeed re-joined Fleetwood Mac and we are hoping to make an announcement about a possible tour for the full tilt Macsters some time in 2014."

Billboard

Original Post:
It's no secret that something has been brewing with Christine McVie and the possibility of her return to Fleetwood Mac. If you're a fan of the band and have been following along this past year, it's clear Christine underwent some sort of transformation and a big shift in terms of mindset. She's kind of been everywhere (no pun intended) when you consider Christine's basically been out of the spotlight since 2004 after her last solo album was released and hasn't performed with Fleetwood Mac since she retired from the group, sold her piano and her house, and packed her bags and moved back to England in 1998. Except for a couple of public appearances in London over the years at one or two award ceremonies, she's been completely under the radar.

Well this past year Christine put travel anxiety aside and returned to the stage for the first time in 15 years, visiting with Mick and John in Hawaii she performed with Mick and his blues band on Maui (Maui in February, 2013) and again appeared with Fleetwood Mac live in London in September, 2013), plus she traveled to Dublin for rehearsals and also to Amsterdam, although she did not perform. She also granted new interviews to the british press and BBC radio indicating that she's had a change of heart (and possibly some therapy) and would like to rejoin her band mates, if they'll have her. This news was huge and made headlines around the world and made fans extremely happy and hopeful! Subsequent interviews with Mick, Lindsey and Stevie haven't been so clear on the subject with all three hesitant in saying whether this was a definite go or not - only indicating it was Christine's decision and that she is more than welcome to return and that they were looking forward to the year ahead and what the possibilities could bring.

Both Stevie and Lindsey made it clear in Las Vegas in December that Fleetwood Mac will be going back out on the road in 2014 with Lindsey being a little more specific telling people in the front row they'll be touring this Summer. Prior to this, Rumours producer, Ken Caillat also indicated in a 2013 radio interview that it looked like Christine would be joining the band for more tour dates on the summer leg (2014).

From my point of view, if the band and more specifically Christine is going to go through all this effort of putting this type of information out there to begin with to a fan base that has largely been begging for her return, and with Fleetwood Mac adding more dates this year (yet to be announced), then it's basically going to happen and everything else from here on out is just formality.

MICK FLEETWOOD - January 11, 2014
During last nights Uncle Willie K's BBQ Blues Fest on Maui at the Maui Tropical Plantation, Mick Fleetwood and Willie K. performed an acoustic version of Christine's "Songbird".  Following the performance, Mick apparently let the audience, and essentially the world know, that Christine will be rejoining Fleetwood Mac! His exact phrase below, was from someone in attendance. Obviously something a little more official will eventually be provided... but this is probably the clearest sign the Rumours line-up has reformed:

"This is the worst kept secret there is, 
but Christine McVie will be rejoining Fleetwood Mac!"