Stevie Nicks has talked to MOJO about Christine McVie’s on-stage return to Fleetwood Mac last night at London’s O2 Arena.
Speaking in an interview to be published in MOJO 241 (UK shelf date October 29) the diminutive Mac singer confirmed that while McVie, who left the group in 1998, has “just returned to do one song” it could have been “a few songs” if it hadn’t been for one particular stumbling block.
“Lindsey [Buckingham] is very funny about that,” Nicks told MOJO’s James McNair. “I think his words were ‘She can’t just come and go’. That’s important to him, but it’s not quite so important to me. Much as Lindsey adores her; and he does – she’s the only one in Fleetwood Mac he was ever willing to listen to – he doesn’t want the first night reviews to be all about Christine’s one song, rather than the set we rehearsed for two months.”
McVie was met with rapturous applause last night when she joined her old band to play keyboards and sing Don’t Stop, and she will be appearing with the group again at their final O2 show tomorrow. But, while the route to the stage hasn’t necessarily been a smooth one, Nicks also added that “it will be wonderful to have her back up there with us. And from there who knows.”
In a candid, funny and emotional interview, Nicks goes on to discuss her childhood, her solo career (“Fleetwood Mac weren’t that impressed”) the “unresolved” aspects of her and Buckingham’s relationship, and the bizarre night she slept on the floor of Prince’s purple kitchen.
... I knew it! I had a feeling there was something behind Chris only doing one song! Wish I had of known this earlier today when I passed Lindsey outside of Harrods... I would have asked him about it. (That's him in the green jacket). I like the way Stevie says "and from there.. who knows" I think if we as a fan community could somehow make our voices heard - encouraging them to reunite to record again... It just may happen!
In a just-published interview with M Music & Musicians, Lindsey Buckingham said, “The way we do things in Fleetwood Mac is always a political mine field. If it’s not Stevie, it’s me—someone is always causing trouble. [laughs] I know Warner Brothers is dying to get an album from us, even though we’re not signed to them anymore. Stevie needs to come to the table with some material. In order to contemplate a new album, she has to want to do it.”
Buckingham went on to say that Nicks’ positive experience making In Your Dreams, her 2012 solo album, complicates the prospects for a new Fleetwood Mac LP. “She had a wonderful experience making that album,” he says. “She hasn’t said this—this is just me—but knowing Stevie, she’s probably thinking, ‘If I have to write five new songs, do I want to give them to Fleetwood Mac?’ And that’s fair enough. I think she’s feeling a bit protective and territorial about the experience she had doing her solo project. And I can totally relate to that.”
Fleetwood Mac is currently on the European leg of their 2013 tour.
You wouldn't think anything special was going to happen... But it did and I'm glad I was there to witness it. This is historical! The show was great... No different then any other. You wouldn't even know something big was about to happen. Stevie dedicated Landslide to Peter Green who was in the audience saying some really nice words about him and thanking him for Fleetwood Mac.
The show progressed as per usual, and right at the end of Mick's intros to the band members they whisked Christine's keyboard up on stage from the side... and Lindsey, Mick and Stevie made some jokes about the commotion that was going on wondering what was up. Lindsey's saying it looks like a very familiar spot. Stevie going over to the keyboard to act as if she was going to play a little something. The audience started to stir when Mick started his intro by saying "this lady's songs echo throughout Fleetwood Mac's history", calling her "our song bird" then said "without further adieu London, give it up for Miss Christine McVie".
The place went mad as you would expect. It was so loud! I was in the upper section and it seemed like in unison that everyone leaped to their feet when Mick said her name. Then they launched into "Don't Stop". Christine sounded great, looked great up there on stage and played the hell out of her keyboard. In many ways, it looked so normal to see her there playing... but in reality, its been close to 16 years that she's been gone.. After the song they took her keyboard off the stage and all 5 stood in front of Mick's kit, took a bow and Christine left the stage down John's stairs. She did emerge from the back of the stage for the final bows of the night with the rest of the band, then the show was over.
Amazing ending tonight Fleetwood Mac!! And THANK YOU Christine for coming back... even if for just one song, it was so cool too see the 5 of them together again.
After all these years, something still gets Lindsey Buckingham’s goat. Fleetwood Mac’s guitarist and front man tore into “Second Hand News”, barking the words and spitting out the “bams” of the chorus’s vocalese like repeated slaps in the face. Rumours, the gazillion-selling “soft-rock” album that chronicles the band’s – and their generation’s – relationship traumas was given its 35th anniversary reissue in February. There was little soft about this near three-hour show, the first of three nights of controlled catharsis in London.
Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, his former girlfriend and the fans’ erstwhile hippie siren, held hands as they emerged. Their harmonies were on point for “The Chain”, the sound lent a doomy toll and twang like a gothic Creedence Clearwater Revival. When they turned to each other, you couldn’t tell if their deliveries were taunting or imploring. “You know what you lost,” sang Nicks on “Dreams”, the line hanging rueful and accusatory in the air, her voice deeper than in her prime and approaching a Patti Smith-like gravitas. In waistcoats and flat caps, the rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie looked like upscale Wurzels, somewhat baffled by the continuing psychodrama unfolding before them, but grateful for its endlessly fascinating power.
For all their colossal self-importance, Buckingham was right to insist there were “still things to discover” about Fleetwood Mac. Not least how time does or doesn’t heal and, as Nicks would sing on the sore, regretful “Landslide”, “Can I handle the seasons of my life?” The woozy rites of “Rhiannon” seemed more curse than enchantment now. Four songs from Tusk, their “difficult” follow-up to Rumours, were prefaced by a self-justifying but apt lecture from Buckingham about the incompatibility of art and commerce. They were played with a kick-against-the-pricks intensity and when they were done, Nicks gave Buckingham a brief, battle-weary hug.
The mooted guest spot for Christine McVie didn’t materialise. Perhaps that’s for another night. This really was Buckingham’s gig. He doesn’t so much solo as argue his case with his guitar. And it’s a knotty, consuming one at that. Alone and acoustic, “Big Love” was haunted, almost hysterical, as spooked as a wild horse. This was the most extraordinary, and impassioned, part of an evening that was sometimes as arduous as it was enjoyable, if mostly riveting nonetheless. Many people took a comfort break during “Without You”, built up by Nicks as a “lost” classic but rather soppy in the event.
The finale, “Go Your Own Way”, felt like the first unfettered singalong. Yet even this was driven by a dark rhythmic energy that pushed the melody uneasily ahead. The honky-tonk gallop of “Don’t Stop” in the encore was preceded by a preposterous mugging of a drum solo from Fleetwood. When, at the last, someone made a request, he was chastised for “vibe corruption” by Nicks and Buckingham, who wanted to finish on the gentle “Say Goodbye”. In this soap opera, the principals write the script.
A blissful opening hour of punchy self-confidence is undermined by Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham's strange stage intimacy – they need Christine McVie to make it all gel
★★★★/5 Stars
Those who have watched just a small selection of the many documentaries about Fleetwood Mac will know their two singer-songwriters, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, don't have a lot to do with each other. In one, Nicks said she'd never even been to her ex's house. But the narrative of the group insists they must forever be remembered as the tragic, star-crossed lovers, and so they are last on stage at the O2, strolling on hand in hand; during Sara they coo choruses to each other, then embrace and slow dance as the song comes to an end.
What makes this forced intimacy even odder is that without the third songwriter, Christine McVie – who seems likely to make a cameo appearance at their next two O2 shows – the dichotomy between the pair's writing is so stark. Buckingham's songs, for all their melodic beauty, are often harsh and angry, and his between-songs banter could have been scripted by a therapist; Nicks's are soft and pillowy, a Laurel Canyon prefiguring of goth, and her chat is rambling and charming.
Nevertheless, for the opening hour, it's blissful – an opening of trio of Second Hand News, The Chain and Dreams is jaw-dropping in its self-confidence. Nicks may no longer be able to reach the high notes of Rhiannon, but the song's construction is sturdy enough to survive the removal of its ornaments. And a one-two punch from the extraordinary 1979 album Tusk is simply jaw-dropping: Not That Funny echoes around the vast room like an invitation to step outside, and Tusk itself is eerie and uneasy and wonderful.
But there's a distinct and rather long sag as the main set winds down – looking down from the top tier, one can see mobile phones being checked on the floor as I'm So Afraid meanders on – and the relief that greets Don't Stop is palpable. It's a victory in the end, but it's a set that would be so much stronger at half an hour shorter.
The four ongoing members of Fleetwood Mac performed for the first time since 2009, with an epic set list drawn from the late Seventies. While Stevie Nicks still possessed a voice that bewitched, Lindsey Buckingham was a fiery leader, thumping his chest to celebrate every new solo accomplished
Though a rumoured reunion with the long-absent Christine McVie did not materialise last night, the four ongoing members of one of rock's most turbulent bands looked like firm friends as Fleetwood Mac played in London for the first time since 2009.
It was all gushing introductions, a long hug for Lindsey Buckingham from Stevie Nicks, much hand-kissing and warm saluting. Given that most of their finest songs come from a period when their various couples were splintering painfully, time really is the great healer.
Most of an epic set list was drawn from that peerless period of the late Seventies when the Americans Nicks and Buckingham arrived to turn the bluesy Brits into superstars — The Chain, Tusk and Go Your Own Way all had energy to burn.
Nicks still possessed a voice that bewitched, especially on the acoustic Landslide. While even the engine room of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie had the occasional break, Buckingham was a fiery leader, thumping his chest to celebrate every new solo accomplished.
"There are quite a few chapters left in the book of Fleetwood Mac," he claimed, airing one likeable new song and a long lost rarity. It's been a fascinating read so far.
SECOND HAND NEWS
THE CHAIN
DREAMS
SAD ANGEL
GO YOUR OWN WAY
BIG LOVE
More Video - Thanks to Kristianlw for the quick uploads
Well, one down... two to go London... Great show tonight Fleetwood Mac!
Nothing out of the ordinary happened tonight when comparing the show to most of the North American dates. The band was clearly happy to be back playing London.
Stevie made note that there are two places she deems really important places to play, one of them being MSG in NYC and the other being London. With that, they got the party started!
It looked like there were a couple of technical issues causing a couple of extended delays between a couple of songs... Nothing too noticeable, but still noticeable. Lindsey's guitar tech jumped up on stage at one point and ran over to him... Don't know what that was about. One noticeable design change on stage. During Landslide and Big Love they got rid of that drop down drape and now their images are projected on the big screen behind them which I think is a lot better and utilizes that screen to show the band members larger than life a lot earlier then waiting for practically the end of the show.
Stevie whipped out the new boots she's been sporting on this leg during Stand Back, and they were on until the end of the show... She was her usual hilarious self during the "Without You" intro. It was still long, but she didn't go into the part where she thanks Mick, John and Lindsey for taking her along. It'll be interesting on the nights Christine is there to see what she says. And speaking of Christine... You all know by now she wasn't there tonight, but what would be even more perfect (see that) then having Christine there for just "Don't Stop", wouldn't it be cool if she partook in "World Turning" and also did the keys on "Silvery Springs". All the songs are in a row in the overall set - with the intros mixed in there as well... I think that would be a cool segment of the show.... Looking forward to see if they really play this up and how they treat her re-appearing with the band.
FINALLY they have a tour book! And it looks great! ! (15 pounds) Neal Preston did all the photography. The book is all photos, with the only writing being the tour credits at the end. Its basically the size of a calendar, big and square.
Fleetwood Mac The O2 Arena, London
By Will Hodgkinson The Times
Thirty-six years after Rumours became the soundtrack to the age of divorce, four of the five people that made it are reliving their personal dramas once more. With their soft rock masterpiece from 1977, Fleetwood Mac articulated the new rules of relationships, capturing the reality of affairs, tensions, betrayals and break-ups and selling over 40 million
copies in the process.
They also documented their own reality. Singer Stevie Nicks was splitting up from guitarist Lindsay Buckingham, songwriter Christine and bassist John McVie were getting divorced, drummer Mick Fleetwood was stuck in the middle, and they dealt with it all in the best way Seventies rock stars in Los Angeles could: by taking huge amounts of cocaine. Now all but Christine McVie have come back for more. Without the cocaine.
Buckingham said that Rumours “brought out the voyeur in everyone”. It also spoke to millions: the emotional truth of the music jumped out of the grooves. Judging by the hordes filling a packed O2 arena, it still does. Floaty scarves hung from Nicks’ microphone, but beyond that the stage was bare: fitting for a concert dedicated to an album defined by its simplicity.
Nicks channelled her inner hippy witch in a black sequinned ensemble, emerging from the shadows to launch into Second Hand News, one of the many songs on Rumours expressing the bitterness of being a cast-off lover. Then it was time for The Chain, the most starkly autobiographical song about the love tangle, its irresistibly simple beat sounding as fresh as ever.
After all these years, it was strange to watch Nicks singing Dreams as Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac’s resident tortured artist and the subject of the song’s words, played guitar next to her. Fleetwood, cocooned behind an enormous drum kit, looked, with his flat cap, black tights and lolling tongue, like a cockney jester on day release.
“Every time we come back together it’s different . . . it appears there are still a few chapters left in the story of Fleetwood Mac,” said Buckingham, before giving the audience their cue to rush to the bar: a new number. In the event, Sad Angel was a pretty decent slice of California rock, and Nicks followed it up with Rhiannon, her song about a Welsh witch that put her on the map. Her throaty delivery was perfect for the song’s combination of spooky mystery and Top 40 appeal.
Buckingham gave himself a metaphorical pat on the back when he introduced a few songs from Tusk, the non-commercial follow-up toRumours and very much his album.
“I’d like to have been a fly on the wall when Warner Brothers first heard Tusk,” he chuckled, before celebrating his uncompromising genius by singing It’s Not That Funny.
“That electric crazy attraction between Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks never dies,” Nicks said recently. Whether Buckingham, married with kids, would agree with her is debatable, but the pair did play a touching, tender version of Landslide together. Buckingham managed to silence the arena with a solo acoustic rendition of Never Going Back Again.
As a testament to the power of mainstream rock, it was hard to beat. And after Fleetwood played a drum solo while muttering something unintelligible, the band launched into Don’t Stop, proving there is nothing more powerful than a perfect song.
She’s a drama queen and she knows it. But we love Stevie Nicks all the more for it. At 65, this hot hippie is still able to hold an audience spell-bound.
It’s the perfect couples night out – with Nicks keeping the mid-life crisis men enthralled and Lindsey Buckingham, a very youthful 62, looking hot in his skinny jeans and leather jacket.
“I think Dublin is the best place to start up again after 47 shows in the US,” says Nicks, and we really believe her.
This could easily be dubbed a Greatest Hits tour – such is the outpouring of chart successes over five decades, with staples, ‘Gypsy’, ‘Tusk’ and ‘The Chain’ all featuring in a song list of favourites, with just a few gentle nods at more recent recording sessions.
The bizarrely complicated love triangles and trysts the members of Fleetwood Mac engaged in down the years have been played out in public, but neither Buckingham nor Nicks seem able to let it go. In what seems an almost therapeutic sharing with the 13,000-strong sell-out audience, the duo reference the troubles in their past several times over. Could they be wearing the band’s dysfunctional history as a badge of rock honour?
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To celebrate their new gloss GT Magazine, the Geelong Advertiser is giving you the chance to win one of ten silver reserve double passes, valued at $300 each.
For your chance to win, pick up the Geelong Advertiser on Saturday, 28 September.
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