“I walked out of there with not much, except a feeling in my heart that it was all going to work. And the reason that I tell you this story, is that I want you to know that if you have a dream, and you believe in yourself, and you believe something that you really want, don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t have it. Don’t ever let anybody get in your way, because you can have it, and we are living proof of that…” Optimistic words spoken by Stevie Nicks at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento last night, joined on stage by the core members of one of the best rock and roll groups of all time, Fleetwood Mac. I think we collectively need more optimism in the world today, but not just lofty words and sentiments, but used to power individuals to look to themselves and their own abilities and opportuities to make their dreams come true. Somehow, this collection of gifted artists – Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, and Christine McVie – all found one another back in the 70s and made music that has endured as classics to this day. I first saw Fleetwood Mac with their tour in 2013, and marked it as one of the best shows of the year. As that tour did not include Christine McVie, with her return on this year’s tour, I marked this show as my top “must see” concert of the year. It did not disappoint. All of the players sound like they are truly at the top of their game, and they seemed to love performing as much as the audience loved watching it. It was also a bit different than last year’s tour, with even higher production standards and maybe the best sound quality I’ve ever heard in a sports arena. It was truly an epic show, and Fleetwood Mac is one of those rare bands that can make playing to a large indoor arena work (I rarely go to such shows because they typically do not work on many levels). They really exceeded my expectations with their nearly three hour show, and I think the highlight for me was “Little Lies”, with Christine McVie’s beautiful voice and the overlapping chorus with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham – a real showcase for the distinct character in each of their voices but how well they harmonize and blend together to such effect.
Fleetwood Mac “On With The Show” 2014 North American Tour Adds Second Leg for 2015
Rock and roll icons Fleetwood Mac and their “Own With The Show” tour is heading west later this month, with a second leg of shows added for January, February and March of 2015 as part of their extensive North American tour featuring their historic line-up of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Stevie Nicks. [Read more…]
The Rock Subculture Journal 2013 Year In Review (Top 10 Live Music Concerts, Top 10 Albums, Top 100 Songs, and more…)
As with last year’s 2012 Year In Review, reflecting on the many shows attended in 2013 and trying to make some sense of it all was a challenge. Having attended nearly 100 events, which usually includes at least one supporting act and a headliner, as well as one 10-day festival and many multi-artist shows, I saw literally hundreds of sets. Miraculously, I can probably count on one hand the number that were “bad”, and the majority were awesome in one or more ways. Still, I feel it is important to highlight the best of the best of the best, in an attempt to celebrate an amazing year of music. You can also check out my Top 100 Concert Photos of 2013 in that separate article.
Fleetwood Mac “Fleetwood Mac Live 2013 Tour” at Sleep Train Arena | Sacramento, California | 7/6/2013 (Concert Review)
It isn’t often that real, genuine rock and roll legends come into my hometown of Sacramento to perform in concert, but after last night’s Fleetwood Mac show at Sleep Train Arena, they’ve set the bar quite high for any act to follow. Have loved this band since I was a kid, but have never seen them live, so this was an eagerly anticipated show for me. I did see Lindsay Buckingham on his own last year, and Stevie Nicks with Dave Grohl’s Sound City Players earlier this year, so have had bursts of greatness, which really fed my desire to see them together as Fleetwood Mac even more. As amazing as those other performances had been, they did not prepare me for the magic of having their best line-up (unfortunately sans Christine McVie) on stage together. I think it cements Lindsay Buckingham as the true rock God of the 70s/80s generation and Stevie Nicks, fittingly, as the rock Goddess. Mick Fleetwood is like Zeus (or maybe a mad pirate), with twin balls hanging (in a dangling/dancing sort of way) from his belt. John McVie is content to leave center stage to the others, throwing down his bassline and keeping everything on the tracks as much as possible. This is a band who know who they are, and haven’t strayed from their identity in sound or fashion. What really hit home is how much they appreciate their fans, which was expressed not just in the performance but in eloquent statements from Nicks and Fleetwood to close out the show, calling us their “Dreamcatchers”, and really articulating the music fan/musician dynamic better than I’ve ever heard before. This date closed out the U.S. leg of their tour, and certainly inspires one to start following them around Europe later this year…
Fleetwood Mac Announce European and UK Arena Dates for 2013 World Tour
As reported in recent months, with 2013 Fleetwood Mac is touring together with their first concert performances since 2009. The band today announced their first set of dates outside of North America, with concerts now scheduled for Europe and the UK in the Fall, beginning in September, following the 47 shows already on sale in the U.S. Additionally, last week Rhino Records released several different versions of Rumors, one of the all-time classic albums produced in all of rock and popular music. Celebrating 35 years since its release, a number of deluxe versions of the album will be available with incredible extras. [Read more…]
Sound City Players at Hollywood Palladium | Hollywood, California | 1/31/2013 (Concert Review)
Last night Dave Grohl brought together some of his music icons from his newly released Sound City documentary on stage as part of his Sound City Players concert at the Hollywood Palladium. The concert followed the Hollywood premiere of his film, just down the street earlier in the evening, and the legacy lived on with an epic show played before fans and VIPs in the upper levels of the packed venue. It was nothing short of one of the most creative celebrations of rock music I’ve seen, with Stevie Nicks fronting the Foo Fighters-based group closing the night out with the powerful Fleetwood Mac hit, “Gold Dust Woman” (a track from one of the best albums of all time, Rumors, which itself is celebrating its 35th anniversary this week with a series of special reissues). What an amazing concert, and one that will be long remembered by those in attendance at the show, which ran nearly three and a half hours. [Read more…]
Fleetwood Mac Add More U.S. Dates to 2013 World Tour; “Rumors” Reissue Coming from Rhino Records January 29th
As reported last month, Fleetwood Mac will be launching their world tour in Ohio in April, as part of their first set of concert performances since 2009. The band today announced the addition of 13 more dates to the 34 for which tickets have been on sale in the U.S., with the new tickets mostly going on sale February 1st or 2nd. Additionally, Rhino Records will be releasing several different versions of Rumors, one of the all-time classic albums produced in all of rock and popular music. Celebrating 35 years since its release, a number of deluxe versions of the album will be available with incredible extras. [Read more…]
Fleetwood Mac Announce 2013 World Tour, Starting in the U.S.
Launching in April in Ohio, Fleetwood Mac has announced their 2013 world tour, the first since 2009. The tour will begin with 34 dates in the U.S., with tickets going on sale December 14th. Co-founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie will join Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (Christine McVie is no longer performing with the band). [Read more…]