Thursday, March 27, 2014

"Being back is really a time warp," Christine McVie tells Rolling Stone #FleetwoodMac

Fleetwood Mac Announce Reunion Tour Dates With Christine McVie
By ANDY GREENE
Rollingstone

A little over a year ago, Stevie Nicks told Rolling Stone there was "more of a chance of an asteroid hitting the Earth" than Christine McVie returning to Fleetwood Mac. Well, it might be time to prepare for armageddon because the Mac's keyboardist and singer - who quit the band in 1998 after a three-decade stint in the group - is returning for a world tour beginning this September and a possible new album. 

The tour, entitled On With the Show, will kick off on Tuesday, Sept. 30 in Minneapolis, Minn. at the Target Center, with the band performing 34 shows in 33 cities across North America. American Express® Card Members can purchase tickets before the general public beginning Monday, March 31 at 10 a.m. through Sunday, April 6 at 10 p.m. Tickets go on sale beginning Monday, April 7 through the Live Nation mobile app and Live Nation's at website.

McVie says that her decision to leave the band was very simple. "I had some deluded idea that I wanted to live the 'country lady' life," she tells Rolling Stone. "But I went through a divorce and I felt isolated in the country. I grew quite ill and depressed." McVie realized the best way to fix her life was to rejoin Fleewood Mac, though Lindsey Buckingham admits he had some reservations when he first heard she wanted back in. "I wanted to make sure she grasped the weight of would it would entail," he says. "She also had to understand that if she was coming back that, basically, she has to stay. She wants to do it."

With McVie back in the band, the group will be able to perform songs like "Little Lies," "You Make Loving Fun," "Everywhere" and many other songs they haven't been able to play in nearly 20 years. "Being back is really a time warp," she says. "The tour is going to be great fun. I feel like a pig in poo right now."

Fleetwood Mac toured last year without Christine, though they had to stop short after bassist John McVie's cancer diagnosis. "His health is on the up," says Christine. "He's still doing chemotherapy. He just came in to do his bass parts, so everyone is real excited about that. He gets tired quickly, but he's definitely been on the mend. He's been such a man about this whole thing. I have renewed respect and love for him." McVie reunited with the band last year to perform "Don't Stop" in London.

The group spent time in mid-March working on new songs, though they don't plan on releasing anything until after the world tour. They have yet to sketch out an exact setlist, though Buckingham has a good idea of what they'll play. "It won't be too hard to figure out," he says. "Stevie and I both have songs we pretty much have to play. When you add in Christine's hits, you pretty much have a set, though that's not to say there won't be a few little surprises around the edges."

Q&A: Christine McVie Can't Wait for Fleetwood Mac World Tour

Photo: Matt Mindlin
"I had some deluded idea that I wanted to hang out with my dogs and bake cookies. I don’t know what I was thinking"

By ANDY GREENE
Rollingstone

The return of Christine McVie to Fleetwood Mac has been a poorly kept secret over the past few months, but it's still shocking to hear her voice on the phone for an interview about the group's upcoming reunion tour. She's the songwriter and vocalist on some of Fleetwood Mac's most enduring hits - including "Don't Stop," "Little Lies," "Everywhere" and "You Make Loving Fun" - but she quit the group in 1998 and disappeared completely from the scene. The remaining members said over and over again that she'd never return. 

Rolling Stone spoke with her about leaving the band, what she's been up to during the past two decades and what the future holds for Fleetwood Mac.

Let's go back to 1998. Why did you quit the band?
Well, I initially developed a great fear of flying. It was a real phobia. I also bought a house in England and decided, to a degree, I was really tired of the road. I wasn't just burned out, but I was tired of traveling and living out of a suitcase. I’m quite a domestic person by nature and the nomad thing had got a bit stale on me, really.

It was never anything personal between the five of us.  It was just that I felt my time had come and I just thought that I really wanted to leave Los Angeles and make a home in England. That was the root of it, really. And the earthquakes—I was terrified of the earthquakes. So I came back at the right time because we just had one [laughs]. Good timing.

Leaving when you did must have been a hard decision since the group had just wrapped up such a hugely successful tour and you'd stuck around through some pretty lean years.
It was a hard choice, but I made the choice a few months prior to that. Like I said, I had already bought the house in England and I was having it restored. I had planned to move at some point back there, but I hadn't because of the band touring. I did say to them at the beginning of the last tour we did that this would be my last one.

When you left, did you think there was even a tiny chance that you'd return?
Not as I left, no. But as the years went on, I had some deluded idea that I wanted to live the "Country Lady" life — basically hang out with my Range Rover and my dogs and bake cookies or something. I don’t know what I was thinking, really. I just wanted to live a normal, domestic life with roots.

What filled up your days during all those years?
Looking back at it now, I guess there was an awful lot of restoring going on, a lot of building work, a lot of making the house just as I wanted it, which took a couple of years. There wasn't really a lot of writing involved at that time — I didn't really do much playing.

Did you ever sing, even just for fun? 
Well, music left my life for a while, to be honest. It wasn't that I didn't like it, but you know, I’m not really a solo player. I have always needed other musicians to bounce off. And of course, the ultimate band being the band that I have just rejoined, so, I couldn't imagine doing anything with anyone else.

I did make a solo album in my house when I was there. And because I was just afraid of flying, I wouldn't promote it and I wouldn't tour. Actually, it wasn't a very good album anyway — it got buried underneath the pits of Hell, I suppose [laughs].

Were you talking to your bandmates during this time?
Well, when they came to England, I did. John and myself have stayed in touch. Mick and I have stayed in constant touch over the years. I had also gone through a divorce and got very isolated and hardly ever went to London. I found that I was spending a lot of time in the country on my own and it started to play tricks on me and made me quite ill and depressed. This had all happened about five years ago, really. I’ve gravitated back to the piano and started diddling around. I don’t think talent or the gift ever goes away. I just think that it had got so buried.

Did you watch Fleetwood Mac play during this time?
Yeah, quite a few times.

That must have been weird for you.
It was weird, but it was fantastic at the same time to be a fly on the wall watching them without me. I went down to the soundboard and watched with the sound guy. They just sounded fantastic; as good as they ever were.

How long ago did you start feeling the first inklings that you might want to come back?
About two years ago. I started to think, "What am I doing? I really miss that camaraderie with those four people. I miss everything about it." I missed the music, to be able to create again. I couldn't imagine doing it with anyone besides Fleetwood Mac. I knew that they were my musical family.

How did you get the ball rolling to come back?
It was an epiphany because I suddenly knew I wanted to join the band again. Obviously, my muscle memory was a bit challenged, but I just thought, "I got to go for it. I can’t just sit here in the country rotting away. I have to do something, and something special."

I’d finally went to a therapist to talk about my fear of flying—and as serendipity would have it, Mick was happening to be coming to London to promote the upcoming Fleetwood Mac tour in Europe. He lives in Maui. The therapist said, "Where would you like to go most of all, if you could get on a plane now? Where would you go?" And I said, "Maui." So I got on the phone to Mick and said, "Hey Mick, I’m going to come to Maui, I’m going to get on a plane." And he said, "Fantastic, fantastic. But listen—I’m coming to England, blah blah blah, so why don’t we just go back together?"

I played in Mick’s little blues group on the island and the ball just started rolling, one way or another. Neither of us can remember just quite how it happened, but it eased into the situation where Mick spoke for the rest of the band and we had conference calls with Lindsey and Mick. I called Stevie, spoke to John, and they obviously were saying, "If she does rejoin, she has to commit and understand and remember how hard the work is. Can she physically do it?". I just said with a big capital "Y," "Yes—I’m going to challenge myself and I want to do it more than anything in the world." It’s just such a joy. It’s an affirmation of something so magical, there’s just a chemistry between us that’s just phenomenal.

Going back a bit, how was the flight from England to Hawaii? That's a long time on a plane.
Well, it was with Mick, and I don’t mind jumbo jets [laughs]. I did, but I had this sort of therapy and I knew how to breathe and what to think when there were bumps, and la-dee-da-dee-da. But I was with Mick so we chatted the whole way there. It took all the pain out of sitting on my own. Since then, I went to Africa, and flown around in 12-seaters in safaris, of all things.  I don’t even think about it now.

The band toured last year. At what point was it firmly decided that you were coming back?
I went over to Dublin and it was decided that I would go on stage and do "Don’t Stop" with them at the O2. We rehearsed it in Dublin and everyone was looking over at each other smiling thinking this was fantastic. For me, I was looking over at my family again and it was effortless. I don’t know. It felt comfortable. It felt right.

What's the plan now?
Well, the plan is we’re going to start rehearsing in July and go on the road in September. The tour starts in Chicago and we head west and come back east again, finish at Christmas and pick up end of January and complete America and we can do the world, really. And there’s a studio album somewhere in the mix too. We’re playing around in studios now.

How has John's health been since his cancer diagnosis?
John’s health is on the up. He’s still doing chemotherapy and gets tired quickly, but he’s definitely been on the mend. He’s been such a man about this whole thing. I have renewed respect and love for him.

What music are you recording now?
We’re really running through some demos that I sent Lindsey. My demos are rough, [but] we’re just trying to construct some proper tracks from them and the chemistry is magic.

Is the whole band there right now?
Yes, we’re all here. We’re doing some photo shoots and everything for the tour and getting on with the show really.

It must feel like a time warp for you to be back with them after all these years.
It is a time warp; it is very, very happy. None of the nonsense with the drink and the nasty stuff. We’re all grown up, of course. One thing that we definitely have is chemistry and respect for each other's music, and Lindsey and I play well off each other. We have great rapport; he loves working on my songs and I love what he does with my songs, not to mention the fabulous rhythm section. So I’m a pig in a pile of poo really.

Have you guys plotted out a setlist?
We haven’t actually sat down and written a list. We just know we have so much to choose from. All my hits haven’t been aired for years live, so you have all that chunk. Then you have a whole other chunk of Stevie and Lindsey’s stuff, maybe some more obscure tracks from well-known albums. It's mind-boggling.

Any chance you'll do Rumours straight though at some point?
That’s a concept. I think we probably did think about doing it for a special gig somewhere. Who knows? That's something certainly to think about.

How's your singing voice? Have you been doing any exercises to get it in shape for the tour? 
Yeah, [we have] a guy who’s been on the road for years that does vocal exercises and I’m sure he’ll come with us this time. My voice is hanging on pretty well. I’m not doing lead vocals right now,  but rough vocals and I’m happy with it. My pitching is really on, so I feel no worries about that either.

How long is this tour going to last?
Who knows? This tour will be a world tour. Then we just have to see what will happen after that. A year is a long time. The thing is that we’re all committed to keep on going until one of us says stop it.

The fans are so happy that you're back. This is just so clearly where you belong.
Yeah, I belong here. Not to mention the peripheral people: the managers, the crew, have welcomed me back so warmly. I feel I am in a big family again, it's fantastic. I really had no question that they would want me back. I don’t think I ever worried about it too much. I had e-mails from Stevie offering me money to come back. She said, "Just don’t leave me in this wilderness!" And I know I said to Mick when I left, “Mick, don’t ask me back." And I did mean it then.

Do you regret leaving now?
I don’t think you can spend your time regretting what you did in the past, but you can look to the future and try and glean the very best, sweetest time one has left.

Are you worried the strain of the road is going to drain you?
No, because myself and Mick are on a fitness campaign. We’re working out and doing rigorous training. I need to get my body in shape. I’m doing yoga and breathing exercises—I’m fit as I’ve ever been, so I’m not worried about that.

You mentioned earlier that you had suffered from depression. It's hard to think of a better cure for that than old friends and music.
Music and old friends, and the music happens to be really special in my view. Really lovely songs. As a final note, I'd just like to say, this is unprecedented—band members leave and other people take their place—but there was always that space where the piano should be. I had all my keyboards in storage in Los Angeles. I never shipped them to England. About two years ago, my manager said, "Oh, we should just sell them or give them to the band members." And Stevie said, "I'll take them!" And yesterday, we went to her house for a photo session and went to a room where she kept them safe. She didn't know I was going to come back, but she left them in great shape.

New Fleetwood Mac Album in the works... Details here...

Christine McVie rejoins Fleetwood Mac

"It's like she never left," says guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — "It's like she never left," Lindsey Buckingham says about Christine McVie's return to Fleetwood Mac, the band that sold 45 million copies of 1977's Rumours and spawned almost that many rumors during its tumultuous 47-year run.

Here are the facts: After leaving the band in 1998, singer/keyboardist McVie has rejoined, completing Mac's most popular, successful and creative incarnation.

A world tour is in the works, with U.S. dates starting Sept. 29 in Minneapolis, 17 years after this lineup last hit the road. Tickets go on sale April 4. McVie and Buckingham have been crafting songs for a new album. The last studio release to feature full participation from all five Macsters was 1987's Tango in the Night.

"We've only been in the studio a week, and it's been really beautiful," says Buckingham, 64. "I have very high hopes for all of this. It took getting into the studio before we started to see things unfold in an effective and comfortable way. Christine was not sure how her voice was going to be. It will be a little bit of a slow process with her piano chops. But all the stuff inside her is still intact, and she's getting in touch with a process that's been lying dormant for a while."

During her 15-year retreat, "there were times I didn't touch a piano for months," says McVie, 70. "There were dry spells, but I'm not worried about it. The chemistry is great. Obviously, I've got to relearn all those songs to get my muscle memory working."

Drummer Mick Fleetwood, 66, says McVie's muse and skill required a simple kick-start.

"In the past, Chris would get into the creative mood when we were actually going to do something," he says. "It hasn't gone away. It was waiting to be accessed and just needed to be switched on.

"Chris has been in a very different world for years, but things that were daunting for her are going away," Fleetwood says. "We're recording at The Village (in Los Angeles), where we made Tusk, and it's like nothing ever changed."

The band has remained a formidable draw during McVie's absence, ranking 10th last year in Billboard's moneymakers tally with earnings of $19.1 million. Her homecoming is stoking Mac fever.

"I know it's huge and people are thrilled," Fleetwood says. "There's a whole litany of songs we haven't done live in 20 years. If I were a fan, which I am, I'd have a lot to look forward to."

That includes the return of bassist John McVie, whose cancer​ diagnosis in October forced the band to scrap dates on last year's world tour.

"He's threatening to come into the studio any day," says ex-wife Christine.

Fleetwood adds, "His prognosis is good. He's such a dude, so not like me, not a drama queen. 'I'm ready,' he says. So much grace and no huff and puff."

The timetable for new singles and an album depends in part on when Stevie Nicks rejoins her bandmates in the studio, Buckingham says.

"Stevie's been not sure how she wants to approach recording or when," he says. "Mick, John and I have cut great stuff with (producer) Mitchell Froom and now I'm producing Christine's stuff.

"The next album will be a mix of things. We've done some strange things with one of Christine's songs already. It's going to sound like Fleetwood Mac but not overly retro. It's not that we're making any bold effort to sound like somebody else. Some of what we've done in the past has reference points that have come back, and what might have seemed retro is more relevant in today's market."

USA TODAY

Fleetwood Mac "On With The Show" Tour Dates Announced

Fleetwood Mac will announce a new UK tour on Monday (November 10th) at 9:00 AM - Glastonbury ruled out.


Fleetwood Mac will announce a new UK tour on Monday (November 10th), but drummer Mick Fleetwood has ruled out the band headlining next summer's Glastonbury Festival.

The band are in the midst of a huge US tour, their first with Christine McVie since 1997 and look set to announce a new batch of UK dates for next summer.

Fleetwood Mac will be touring through May and June in 2015, the full dossier will be announced on Monday. 


FLEETWOOD MAC HAVE ADDED 
28 NEW SHOWS TO THE
"ON WITH THE SHOW"
FOR 2015


Today Show Video
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mick Fleetwood VIP Meet and Greet Tickets available through Ticketmaster.


All Fleetwood Mac Tickets Available Through Ticketmaster OR Live Nation

DATE CITY VENUE GENERAL ON SALE
Sept 30
Target Center
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United Center
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United Center
Oct 6
Madison Square Garden
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Madison Square Garden
Reviews | Photos
Oct 9
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Today Show Plaza
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Oct 18
Air Canada Center
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The Fieldhouse
On Sale Now
Oct 22
Palace of Auburn Hills
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Oct 25
TD Garden
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Oct 26
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Oct 29
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Oct 31
Verizon Center
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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

@CarsonDaly will interview Fleetwood Mac exclusively Thursday March 27th on Today Show

Photo provided on Twitter by NBC's Carson Daly
Photo taken at Stevie's "In Your Dreams" home


Today Show Interview scheduled with Carson Daly for Thursday morning. Tune in Thursday, March 27th.

It's scheduled to air at 8:15AM.


In an exclusive interview on TODAY Thursday, Carson Daly will talk with members of the legendary group Fleetwood Mac about their many hits and plans for a reunion.

The interview was filmed in Los Angeles within the last week.






Tuesday, March 25, 2014

New Photo: Your first look at Fleetwood Mac with Christine McVie... 2014 Tour Dates TBA

Here they are!... It's a small photo marking the Ticketmaster Fleetwood Mac page, but this is the first professional band shot taken since 1997!! They look great!  2014 tour dates shouldn't be far behind.... Are you ready?

Fleetwood Mac on the Today Show Thursday, March 27th in an exclusive interview with Carson Daly.


Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Stevie Nicks re-enters US Top 40 DVD Chart + Fleetwood Mac have 2 albums in the UK Top 50

CANADA - March 16, 2014
TOP 150 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 47 (41) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

TOP 50 DVD MUSIC
# 35 (50) Fleetwood Mac - The Dance

IRELAND - March 20, 2014
TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 65 (59) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

AUSTRALIA - March 24, 2014
TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 88 (77) Fleetwood Mac - 25 Years The Chain

TOP 50 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 15  (9)  Fleetwood Mac - 25 Years The Chain
# 23 (30) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of
# 40 (33) Fleetwood Mac - The Greatest Hits

USA - March 29, 2014
Stevie's In Your Dreams DVD re-enters the Top 40 DVD Music Sales Chart this week at No.40 after being absent for the last two weeks.

TOP 40 MUSIC VIDEO SALES CHART
# 40 (R/E) Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams DVD

"In Your Dreams" Chart run thus far:
TW      LW      Weeks On | Title
40         -      15 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
-           -      14 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
-         30     13 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
30       24     12 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
24       16     11 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
16       27     10 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
27       22      9 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
22       17      8 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
17       18      7 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
18       21      6 In Your Dreams Stevie Nicks
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 (Debut)

UK - March 29, 2014
TOP 100 ALBUMS CHART
# 47 (34) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of
# 50 (50) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours - 35th Anniversary Edition

TOP 40 DIGITAL ALBUMS CHART
# 40 (29) Fleetwood Mac - The Very Best Of

TOP 40 CATALOGUE ALBUMS CHART
# 3 (4) Fleetwood Mac - Rumours

Mick Fleetwood Goes His Own Way: On the road

ON THE road again - Just can't wait to get on the road again.
By: Mick Fleetwood
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Sunday Express (UK)


The life I love is making music with my friends, and I can't wait to get on the road again - Willie Nelson, On The Road Again.

All of us are familiar with my friend and comrade Willie Nelson's lyrics. As far as I am concerned, there's never been a truer sentiment written, since I love all those old feelings of excitement that ramp up before any tour starts.

My first real tour started with the release of our hit record, Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. We toured throughout Europe. Lugging equipment, setting up stages, taking small planes, ferries and buses, we had an itinerary of crummy, shared motel rooms, often sneaking five to a room and using overcoats for blankets. We travelled on no sleep and bad food, in broken-down vans, sometimes even hitchhiking to gigs. I loved every minute of it.

I adapted to the rhythm and the chaos of travelling so well because it was in my blood, having been raised in the Air Force. For me, it was the birth of the "Road Dog" - the bloke who is happier and more comfortable on the road than at home. I developed my skills as a ringmaster, organising and taking control of getting that circus out on the road.

I was in my element, channelling the spirit of the troubadour as we adhered to rigorous touring schedules. By the early 1970s Fleetwood Mac had started touring America. We were still driving ourselves to our gigs, sometimes through rain and snow storms.

Everything was low budget. We stayed at Holiday Inns. We did all our travelling in three large station wagons, now with a baby and wife in tow! Even as we hit the "Big Time" with the release of the album Fleetwood Mac.

I remember the last time we drove those station wagons, in Texas, on our way to play a huge festival. We were fighting our way through terrible traffic. Everyone on the highway seemed to be headed to that same location, and the traffic was getting worse. That's when our friend and road manager, John Courage, took control and said: "Whatever you do, Mick, don't stop following me!" Our cavalcade went rogue. We broke every law in the book as we climbed up on the kerb, leaving a 15-mile sea of solid traffic in the dust.

We arrived in time, panicked and breathless. I walked into The Eagles' dressing room; they had been convinced we weren't going to show up. Imagine Glenn Frey's surprise when I told him how we got there in our three station wagons! (The Eagles were at that time enjoying the same level of success as Fleetwood Mac). The penny dropped, it was time to upgrade! The Eagles had all arrived in helicopters!

After that, all hell broke loose; we were like kids in a candy store, limos, private jets and all the rock 'n' roll excesses imaginable. Long gone were the innocent days.

The truth is, what I do is simple.

I play the drums. It's the only thing I am trained to do in life. The second I set foot on stage, sit down and play my drums, everything else melts away.

Today, to walk out on that stage takes a little more support than it used to in those sparse, early days. Now we have all the modern comforts; luxury hotels, first class travel, a team of amazing costumiers, make-up artists, assistants, lighting and sound engineers, techs, etc.

But I know it's our years of commitment and training, combined with all the lessons we learned in our time on the road, that have taught us that no matter what trials and tribulations that went before, we really know how to get "on with the show".

Check out Mick's 4 previous articles in the Sunday Express

Saturday, March 22, 2014

"Stevie Nicks" Shailene Woodley when asked what character she'd most like to play

Shailene Woodley was asked during an NPR interview what character she'd most like to play.

Her answer:

"Stevie Nicks," she responds immediately. "She's my dream. My dream! My dream!"

She could do worse than look to someone like Nicks — someone who found success by subverting the expectations of the traditional ingénue and playing more or less on her own idiosyncratic terms.

Full interview print or audio at NPR