I just watched 5 minutes of Fleetwood Mac at this year’s IOW Festival. That was about 4 minute 40 sec too much. A tour (or two) too far I fear.
Shaky vocals, harmonies and timing – they looked like a bunch of skeletons that had been woken from the grave, dressed and pushed on stage – with the exception of the slightly more well-upholstered Ms Nicks, but she looked like an over made-up old aunt. What a bunch.
Very scary – do not look at the stage!
Didn’t watch but the reviews I’ve read of the tour so far from both critics and gig goers have been seemingly universally positive/fawning.
Nostalgia juice kicking in?
Was tempted to take the GLW to the O2
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Didn’t they cancel a few dates in the run up to headlining IOW due to a band illness. Sounded like one or two croaky voices so not at 100%. They didn’t sound great to me.
Nicks did look old, but then they are. I only saw Little Lies and Go Your Own Way which they showed at the end of the highlight programme but apparently Sky Arts also showed Dreams earlier in the 3 hour broadcast. Think its repeated during the day later this week.
I still love the Mac but I think I can now live without paying big bucks to go seem them live in concert.
At some point these types of artist become national treasures and may not be used for any semblence of critical feeling. They are alive, they once had a few tunes, must be best thing EVER. And suddenly all agree about it. Most certainly a mirage and a way for the correspondents to feel good about their own advanced years while there is this half passed mediocrity on stage. The financial transaction also ensures positivism.
The punk wars were fought in vain, but there are still great bands out there with energy, dexterity and love. You won’t find too many topping festival bills or headlining appalling destinations like the O2.
Got to agree, I saw the opening number and was horrified, more so as all of the reviews I’d seen were entirely positive. The live sound was dreadful ( the band that is, not the BBC transmission) with Nicks droning in the manner of a second rate Karaoke singer against a wafer thin backing sound – with the exception of Mick Fleetwood whose drumming I was quite impressed with. I can’t improve on the description above so I’ll repeat it here
‘ they looked like a bunch of skeletons that had been woken from the grave, dressed and pushed on stage – with the exception of the slightly more well-upholstered Ms Nicks, but she looked like an over made-up old aunt. ‘ Spot on. Time to call it a day, Mac.
If Lindsay Buckingham was a shoddy singer at the best of times (I saw them on the Rumours tour and he was borderline-crap then), it’s no real surprise that he’s now a well-past-it shoddy singer. Any doubters should seek out recent footage of performances of “Go Your Own Way” and get ready to wince.
Fwiw, I saw them in Dublin two nights ago. Was standing down the front and centre, about 8 foot from the barrier. They were fantastic. So there.
I saw them summer 1988 on the no-Lindsey Tango tour – dire beyond belief.
I am sure the live show is an experience, but I heard a live track from the current tour on R2 and I have to say Stevie Nicks youthful vibrato now sounds like an old bat fighting to compete with a karaoke machine on a damp Thursday night in a pub in Batley.
Saw them in Glasgow (as reviewed here: https://theafterword.co.uk/fleetwood-mac/) and they were fabulous.
This from Popbitch…….
>> Rumours <<
Taking the Mick
Good to see Fleetwood Mac
still going strong and playing
the Isle of Wight festival.
Mick Fleetwood's drumming
sounds as powerful as ever,
which we're sure isn't anything
to do with a second drum
kit hidden from view by a
curtain at the back of
the stage.