Review: Fleetwood Mac Live in Charlottesville, VA March 15, 2015

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BY HAYS DAVIS
Richmond Times Dispatch

In pop music, lightning occasionally strikes twice. In the case of Fleetwood Mac, their smash 1977 album “Rumours” was closer to lightning striking an earthquake’s epicenter, still ranking as one of the top-selling albums in history. Along with other hit albums and a string of enduring singles, word of a Fleetwood Mac tour to those so warmly connected to the band’s music will always be big news.

With the five “Rumours”-era members reuniting, their current “On With the Show” tour is Fleetwood Mac’s biggest news in years. Had the Eagles not previously claimed “Hell Freezes Over” as a tour name, it might have seemed somewhat appropriate here.

A sold-out John Paul Jones Arena erupted with the opening notes of “The Chain,” and suddenly there was the band’s most famous lineup: Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks. With Nicks at his right before a scarf-draped mic stand, Buckingham tore through a fiery guitar solo in one of the group’s hardest-rocking songs.

For those who had seen other touring versions of the band, it must have been a particular buzz for longtime fans to see Christine back at the keyboards. While making a point of welcoming her back, Nicks made reference to Christine’s maiden name, after which the singer/keyboard player joked, “I used to be Perfect before I married John.”

It was a set filled with highlights. A lively “Second Hand News” was followed by a bewitching turn from Nicks on “Rhiannon.” Christine stepped out from behind her keyboard to strap on an accordion and join Buckingham for a crowd-pleasing stomp through “Tusk.” It was still poignant to hear Nicks sing “Well, I’ve been afraid of changes ‘cause I’ve built my life around you” during “Landslide,” especially performing alone with ex-husband Buckingham onstage, and the crowd sang along. Buckingham then slowed “Never Going Back Again” to half its original tempo, underscoring its lyrical impact.

Bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood, one of rock’s most solid rhythm sections, were content to lay a foundation in the background, though Fleetwood did have his time in the spotlight when he settled onto a mobile drum kit pushed to the front of the stage.

It seemed evident that Christine’s return had the band’s members as excited as their audience. “I think you can say that we’re a group that’s seen its fair share of ups and downs – well documented,” said Buckingham. “With the return of Christine, I think it’s safe to say we begin a beautiful, prolific new chapter of Fleetwood Mac!”

Fleetwood Mac's Oklahoma City Show March 12th postponed to April 17th. Little Rock April 19th

The March 12 Fleetwood Mac On With The Show tour date at Chesapeake Arena in Oklahoma City, OK has been postponed and rescheduled for April 17, due to an illness. The band’s previously postponed March 11 show in North Little Rock, AR has been rescheduled for April 19. All tickets for the two shows will be honored on their new dates.

Fleetwood Mac's March 11th show in Little Rock, AR has been postponed to April 19th

The March 11th, Fleetwood Mac "On With the Show" tour date at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, AR has been postponed to April 19th. All tickets previously purchased will be honored on the new date.

 Verizon Arena

Review: Fleetwood Mac Live in Knoxville, TN - March 8, 2015

Fleetwood Mac Live in Knoxville, TN
Thompson Boling Arena - March 8, 2015
by: Jeffrey Everett
100percentrock.com

Second show where "Songbird" was left out of the set at the end. Christine still dealing with a hand issue.

Rock and roll royalty graced Knoxville on Sunday night. Since forming in 1967, Fleetwood Mac has sold over 100 million records, received Grammy and Brit awards and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Despite lineup changes and temporary break ups, they are still going strong.  The current tour welcomes back Christine McVie after a 16-year hiatus. Mick Fleetwood said, “our songbird has returned and we are now complete.”  The reunion restores the lineup of their heyday in the late 70’s and 80’s.  Stevie Nicks (vocals), Lindsey Buckingham (guitar), Mick Fleetwood (drums) and, John McVie (bass), complete the group. The current world tour “On with the Show” includes 106 shows across the US and UK.

Continue to the full review - with photo gallery

LITTLE LIES

LANDSLIDE (Dedicated to the Smoky Mountains and the people of Knoxville)

GO YOUR OWN WAY

MICK'S DRUM SOLO

Will Fleetwood Mac release a new album with longtime singer/keyboardist Christine McVie?

Will Fleetwood Mac release a new album with longtime singer/keyboardist Christine McVie? That's a question on the minds of a lot of the band's fans.  It's no secret that the group has started amassing some material for a possible new record, but founding drummer Mick Fleetwood admits it may be a "couple of years" before he and his band mates will have the chance to complete the project since they're currently focused on touring and will be for some time.

"This whole touring stuff is getting sort of totally, in a good way, out of control," Fleetwood tells ABC Radio.  "We're going all over the world now, so we don't quite know how we're gonna finish this [album] out."

Fleetwood Mac is in the middle of its second North American tour leg since Christine McVie officially rejoined the band last year.  The current trek is scheduled to run through an April 14 concert in the Los Angeles area, and that will be followed by a European outing that runs from late May until the middle of July.  The group also is expected to visit other parts of the world before wrapping up the tour.

As for the new music Fleetwood Mac has been preparing, Mick tells ABC Radio, "We're building up this whole sort of dossier of material, a glut of stuff."  He explains that singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham "has a great chunk of wonderful songs, [most of which are] pretty flushed out and finished," adding that the band also has "been in the studio with Christine in months gone by [and that] worked out amazingly well."

Fleetwood says the only element that really is missing from the project is some new original songs from Stevie Nicks.  For her part, Nicks told ABC Radio late last year that she was unsure whether, after the band wrapped up its tour, she would be willing to keep her solo career on hold and "sign up for another year of making a record."

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And what are Mick's feelings about the chances for a new Fleetwood Mac album?  "I hope it happens," he says.  "My inclination is, the music will not be wasted.  It will come out one way or another.  And I truly hope, and I quietly believe it will be Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie will do some lovely stuff and within the next couple of years we will get that done."

Here are the remaining dates on Fleetwood Mac's current North American tour :

3/11 -- North Little Rock, AR, Verizon Arena
3/12 -- Oklahoma City, OK, Chesapeake Energy Arena
3/15 -- Charlottesville, VA, John Paul Jones Arena
3/17 -- Greensboro, NC, Greensboro Coliseum Complex
3/18 -- Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
3/21 -- Miami, FL, American Airlines Arena
3/23 -- Orlando, FL, Amway Center
3/25 -- Atlanta, GA, Philips Arena
3/27 -- St. Louis, MO, Scottrade Center
3/28 -- Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center
3/31 -- Wichita, KS, INTRUST Bank Arena
4/1 -- Denver, CO, Pepsi Center
4/4 -- Vancouver, BC, Canada, Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
4/6 -- Bakersfield, CA, Rabobank Arena
4/7 -- Oakland, CA, Oracle Arena
4/10 -- Inglewood, CA, The Forum
4/11 -- Las Vegas, NV, MGM Grand Garden Arena
4/14 -- Inglewood, CA, The Forum

- ABC News Radio
Van 92.7

Photos | Video Fleetwood Mac Live in Knoxville, TN

Fleetwood Mac Live in Knoxville, TN
Thompson Boling Arena - March 8, 2015

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DREAMS
I'M SO AFRAID
TUSK
EVERYWHERE

Houston Review: "Fleetwood Mac have crafted enough quality music to last them a lifetime."

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Fleetwood Mac Gives Houston an Extended Encore
By Corey Deiterman
Houston Press

Honda Center - March 3, 2015

Tuesday night marked, according to Stevie Nicks, the sixtieth show on this string of dates for Fleetwood Mac. It's a hell of a run. It's even the second time they've hit Houston's Toyota Center. How do they maintain the fire? Even 60 shows in, they are just as energetic, just as vital and just as masterful as ever.

Nicks's comment was actually in reference to the fact that she had been welcoming back keyboardist and singer Christine McVie after a 16-year hiatus from the band for 60 shows, and that it was a bit redundant at this point. Put simply, she's back. The same could be said for the entire band.

It's not just that this is their second appearance in Houston in a matter of months. This, as the band stated repeatedly throughout the show, is a new chapter for them. It's the return of the band to their place as a relevant, vital entity in the world of pop music.

After so many years of being largely dormant, there are finally plans in the works for a new album, and with their renewed influence in the world of pop and indie-rock, it is a new lease on life for their career.

That being said, you would never know it from the brilliant set list, a career-spanning overview of their most famous work from 1975's Fleetwood Mac to 1987's Tango In the Night. Just don't go in hoping for a taste of new material. Fleetwood Mac knows where their bread is buttered, and they leave any murmurings of even their 2013 EP off the table.

This shouldn't be a problem for most. The fact is that Fleetwood Mac has more fans in their twenties now, myself included, than they've probably netted since their late-'70s heyday. Most of us haven't had a chance to see them before, so it's well worth our time and money to see them play a greatest-hits set like this, especially when a band is this passionate about its hits.