Wednesday, July 16, 2008

10 Shows... 3 Million Bucks Gross!

Updated numbers for Stevie Nicks' short 2008 Spring/Summer Tour....

Only 10 shows out of the 17 shows she performed from April 18th to June 29th have been reported so far. The average attendance this year at 64% is down 1% compared to last years reported numbers... and the average attendance last year of 6,545 per show is above what her numbers are showing this year of 5,864. The average ticket price last year based on 24 reported shows was $59.35. This year the average ticket price based on these 10 shows increases to $68.57. All in all, it looks pretty consistent in terms of audience size compared to 2007. And for a performer that hasn't released any new material since 2001 and only 2 solo albums of all new material since 1994, not to mention it's her second summer of promoting a Greatest Hits collection released in March, 2007 - it's not so bad.

Stevie Nicks, Matchbox 20 up next on WTTW11's Soundstage

By Jennifer Thomas on July 16, 2008 12:47 PM

So you're channel surfing, and all of the sudden you realize you're watching an hour's worth of Stevie Nicks singing favorites like "Landslide" and throwing in covers like a brilliant version of Dave Matthews' "Crash."

That's coming up at 9 p.m. CST July 17 as PBS station WTTW11 continues its Soundstage series, taped concerts by big-name acts, most filmed on the station's intimate concert stage in Chicago.

The series runs on Thursday nights and has already featured Josh Groban, REO Speedwagon and Bon Jovi. Part II of the Steve Nicks concert is July 24. Matchbox 20 airs July 31 and Kenny Chesney on Aug. 7. Repeats are shown at midnight on Saturdays.

The series was resurrected in 2001 and has featured a mixture of acts including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Trisha Yearwood, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, Alanis Morissette, Joan Baez, Michael McDonald, John Mayer, The Wallflowers, Heart, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Train, The All American Rejects, Dashboard Confessional, Macy Gray and Jewel.

Looking at the advance copy of the Stevie Nicks show, she sounds fantastic in her first taped solo concert since 1987. The concert offers some unique material including Nicks performing "Sara," a song she doesn't usually do solo since she considers it "a signature Fleetwood Mac song" and her calling "Fall From Grace" the meanest song she's ever written.

Nicks also performs fan favorites like "Rhiannon" along with a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll." The crowd wasn't especially energetic, but that also means they're not interfering.

The Matchbox 20 show includes selections from the band's new album, "Exile on Mainstream." Rob Thomas and crew also throw in hits "3 AM," "Unwell" and "How Far We've Come." The musicality and vocals are strong, and there's a short, off-stage interview with the band.

Watching a concert on TV is no substitute for the real thing, but it has its perks, including more interaction with the performer. You get more than the "How you all doing tonight?" type of yell-outs at concerts, and instead get a little background behind the performer's work.

Stevie on Soundstage... (Part 1) July 17th

Like anyone in the know needs a reminder... But the first part of this two part show begins tomorrow! Sadly my local PBS station isn't airing the first part until July 26th... BASTARDS!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Reprise Records Press Release

Lindsey Buckingham to Release New Album -- Gift of Screws -- on Reprise Records September 16, 2008
Singer-Songwriter/Guitarist Begins U.S. Tour This Fall

BURBANK, Calif., Jul 15, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Warner Bros. Records will release the fifth solo album from singer, songwriter, and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, entitled Gift of Screws, on Reprise Records September 16, 2008.

Gift of Screws unites the broad appeal Buckingham showed as the main musical force behind Fleetwood Mac with the restless spirit of experimentalism he's shown on landmark Mac albums as Rumours and Tusk, and on his own visionary solo albums. It's the sum of Buckingham's labors of musical love and dedication, with all the joys and struggles that have come along the way.

"I'd say this album distills several periods of time," Buckingham says. "It has false starts to make albums, songs that go back a number of years that took a while to find a home, and brand-new songs. I wanted to bring it all together in one place. As an artist I'm still, for better or worse, clinging to my idealism and to my sense that there is still much to be said. This album is a culmination of that."

Gift of Screws is a rocking complement to Buckingham's previous album, 2006's acoustic guitar-driven Under the Skin, balancing such layered guitar-and-voice contemplations as "Time Precious Time" and "Bel Air Rain" with the seductive rush of the title song and the opener "Great Day." In some ways it's also an extension of his Fleetwood Mac legacy as Mick Fleetwood and John McVie provide the unmistakable foundation on several songs, including the embracing "Wait for You" and the gloriously mad title song. Showcased throughout are Buckingham's noted virtuosity as a guitarist, as well as his expressiveness as both a singer and writer.

Largely written and recorded both at his home studio and in solo hotel room sessions during his Under the Skin tour (an electrifying set of concerts documented on the 2008 DVD/CD package Live at the Bass Performance Hall), Gift of Screws was produced by Buckingham, with the exception of two songs -- "Wait For You" and the title track -- that were co-produced by Rob Cavallo (Green Day, Jewel, Dave Matthews Band).

Last fall, Buckingham embarked on his first U.S. solo tour in nearly 14 years, which continued through the summer. He will tour the U.S. in support of Gift of Screws through September and October. Please visit Buckingham's website, http://www.lindseybuckingham.com/, for details.

SOURCE: Reprise Records
Reprise Records Publicity
Luke Burland, 615-214-1489
luke.burland@wbr.com
or
Nikki Herceg, 615-214-1489
nikki.herceg@wbr.com

Old Friends Lend A Hand On Buckingham Disc

July 15, 2008 , 3:25 PM ET
Billboard Magazine

Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham will release his second solo album in two years on Sept. 16 via Reprise. "Gift of Screws" features Buckingham backed on several tracks by his Fleetwood Mac bandmates John McVie (bass) and Mick Fleetwood (drums).

Whereas 2006's "Under the Skin" was a mostly drum-less album featuring Buckingham's guitar and vocals, "Gift of Screws" is a more rock-driven project.

Label execs initially asked Buckingham to include some of this material on "Under the Skin," but he told Billboard at the time that he felt that album had "much more integrity by keeping it held back in the way it is. It seemed to be more truthful in terms of what the songs were saying and what I was trying to look at."

Buckingham will tour in support of "Gift of Screws" this fall. As for Fleetwood Mac, the artist told Billboard in March that the group is hoping to tour early next year, but downplayed reports that Sheryl Crow would be joining as a touring member to replace the departed Christine McVie.

"We have talked about the possibility of bringing another woman into the scene to kind of give Stevie (Nicks) a sort of foil and shake it up a little bit," he said. "(Crow) was certainly a name that has come up. We'll have to see."

FREE Gift Of Screws with purchase of a ticket

Promo Poster for Lindsey Buckingham's Tulsa Oklahoma show on September 26th at the Brady Theatre.

For every pair (2) of tickets purchased online GetTix.net
you receive a FREE copy of Lindsey's new CD
"Gift of Screws"
due for release September 16th.

Tickets on sale Friday July 18th at 10am in Tulsa at Reasor’s Stores and Starship Records.
In Oklahoma City at select Buy For Less locations.
Charge by phone @ 866.443.8849


Ticket Cost
Section:
Reserved Front Floor & Balcony
Price: $51.50 base price, $7.00 service charge,$2.50 facilty fee = $61.00 total

Section:
Reserved Back Floor
Price: $41.50 base price, $6.00 service charge, $2.50 facility fee = $50.00 total.
A great deal for what will probably be an
exceptional show!

Gold Dust Woman - Soundstage 2008

Lindsey adds Hamilton to Tour, Confirms Lebanon

Two new dates have been added to Lindsey's upcoming Gift of Screws Tour... One date (Lebanon, NH) is actually a confirmation. The date surfaced awhile ago, but was absent from his confirmed list of dates on his site until now.

*NEW DATE*
Tuesday, October 7th
Hamilton, Ontario Canada


*CONFIRMED*
Sunday, October 12th
Lebanon, NH

Monday, July 14, 2008

Stevie Nicks Soundstage Update

The PBS Soundstage website has been updated with Stevie's Bio/Gallery and a complete video of Gold Dust Woman.... This is going to be really great to see... and If I had a choice out of all the pictures I've seen so far of the show... This picture below would make a great cover shot for the DVD, or even maybe the reverse side... It's just a great action shot of Stevie.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Happy 65th Birthday Christine McVie!! (July 12)

Happy Birthday Christine
July 12, 2008
An English songwriter, vocalist, pianist, and synthesizer player who has worked both in bands and as a solo artist, McVie is one of the most highly regarded female musicians in the genres of pop/rock and blues/rock. She is considered a pioneer, and was one of the first female musicians to enter the British blues scene of the 1960s, as well as one of the first to release a solo album. Her soulful alto, keen melodies, sensitive lyrics, and grounding presence were a focal point for nearly 30 years in Fleetwood Mac, a blues band that became a highly successful mainstream rock act.

The Heart of the Group

Christine McVie played keyboards and sang background vocals (sometimes uncredited) on several records by Fleetwood Mac, and she even painted the cover for their album Kiln House (1970). In August of 1970 she was asked to join as a permanent member, replacing guitarist Peter Green as the band's main songwriter. The early 1970s was a difficult period for Fleetwood Mac: they lost several band members and released critically acclaimed but generally unsuccessful records. In addition, John McVie had begun to drink heavily, and his behavior strained his marriage.

In 1974 Fleetwood Mac relocated to Los Angeles. After Fleetwood heard a recording by the California duo Buckingham Nicks in a Los Angeles studio, he invited the pair---guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and vocalist Stephanie "Stevie" Nicks---to join his band. The quintet's first recording, Fleetwood Mac (1975), was a huge success, becoming the top-selling album produced by Warner Brothers up to that point. Three of the four songs that Christine wrote for the record---"Over My Head," "Say You Love Me," and "Warm Ways"---were hit singles, and she also began a fruitful collaboration with Buckingham with "World Turning." Writing in The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Colin Larkin called Fleetwood Mac "a promise fulfilled. The newcomers provided easy, yet memorable compositions while the British contingent gave the group its edge and power." The rest is history... [musicianguide.com]

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Gift of Screws cover & Tracklist

Lindsey's new album Gift of Screws will be released on Tuesday, September 16, 2008.

I love the cover!! (I think)

Gift of Screws Track List:
1. Great Day
2. Time Precious Time
3. Did You Miss Me
4. Wanna Wait For You
5. Love Runs Deeper
6. Bel Air Rain
7. The Right Place To Fade
8. Gift Of Screws
9. Underground
10. Treason

Stevie Nicks 2008 Tour Grosses

These are the numbers I've been able to find so far...