The return of Christine McVie to the Fleetwood Mac lineup earned a lot of fanfare and it was a bonus to some other good news. That the band was touring at all was a sign that John McVie’s cancer treatment was successful as well since they had been forced to cancel shows in Australia at the end of 2013 due to his illness. The singer-songwriter and keyboardist Christine had spent time apart from her bandmates for over 16 years, while the rest of the group, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham worked and toured (additional musicians onstage included three backup singers, a drummer and more). But with the group reunited and in good spirits, Fleetwood Mac set off on a half-year-long tour, dubbed ‘On with the Show’, that passed through Hartford, Connecticut on November 1st 2014.
It may not have been a sold-out show, but the two and a half hour performance was an invigorated showcase of epic and classic Fleetwood Mac songs. Although I never had the privilege of seeing the band before, I was very impressed by the overall performance, whether it was a radio hit I knew or a song I hadn’t much knowledge of. They opened strong with “The Chain”, a dramatic and powerful rock song that had the floor audience riled up in their seats. “Seven Wonders” was dedicated by Nicks to the TV show American Horror Story for bringing it back. Nicks also shared a lengthy story about the Velvet Underground store where famous musicians shopped and where she had a premonition about the Fleetwood Mac coming together. The stories and songs, like any well-produced show, were tied together with the lights and projections, so the visuals for “Gold Dust Woman” featured the yellow color prominently for example.
My favorites (and surely many others’) included the “Rhiannon” and “Everywhere” combination; the Buckingham solo, “Big Love” before Nicks returned for “Landslide” and the pre-break set closer “Go Your Own Way”. From my higher up tier vantage, I hadn’t seen many many people standing in the bowl but for the latter song, many people changed their attitudes and rocked out. Given the strong performance from Fleetwood Mac now, I can only imagine what seeing them in their heyday would have been like but I’m just happy I got to watch and sing along to them at least once in my life. The legendary band is in fine form and as a musical experience, they are a must to catch.
SETLIST
The Chain
You Make Loving Fun
Dreams
Second Hand News
Rhiannon
Everywhere
I Know I’m Not Wrong
Tusk
Sisters of the Moon
Say You Love Me
Seven Wonders
Big Love
Landslide
Never Going Back Again
Over My Head
Gypsy
Little Lies
Gold Dust Woman
I’m So Afraid
Go Your Own Way
[break]
World Turning
Don’t Stop
Silver Springs
[break]
Songbird
TOUR DATES
Nov. 12, 2014 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
Nov. 14, 2014 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
Nov. 15, 2014 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
Nov. 18, 2014 Vancouver, BC Rogers Arena
Nov. 20, 2014 Tacoma, WA Tacoma Dome
Nov. 22, 2014 Portland, OR Moda Center
Nov. 24, 2014 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Arena
Nov. 25, 2014 San Jose, CA SAP Center at San Jose
Nov. 28, 2014 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
Nov. 29, 2014 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
Dec. 02, 2014 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena at San Diego State University
Dec. 03, 2014 Oakland, CA Oracle Arena
Dec. 06, 2014 Los Angeles, CA The Forum
Dec. 07, 2014 Anaheim, CA Honda Center
Dec. 10, 2014 Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center
Dec. 12, 2014 Denver, CO Pepsi Center
Dec. 14, 2014 Dallas, TX American Airlines Center
Dec. 15, 2014 Houston, TX Toyota Center
Dec. 17, 2014 Atlanta, GA Philips Arena
Dec. 19, 2014 Ft. Lauderdale, FL BB&T Center
Dec. 20, 2014 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Times Forum
Jan. 16, 2015 St. Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
Jan. 17, 2015 Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena
Jan. 20, 2015 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
Jan. 22, 2015 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Jan. 24, 2015 Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall
Jan. 25, 2015 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum
Jan. 28, 2015 Providence, RI Dunkin’ Donuts Center
Jan. 31, 2015 Buffalo, NY First Niagara Center
Feb. 03, 2015 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Feb. 05, 2015 Montreal, QC Centre Bell Centre
Feb. 07, 2015 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb. 08, 2015 Newark, NJ Prudential Center
Feb. 11, 2015 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
Feb. 12, 2015 Milwaukee, WI BMO Harris Bradley Center
Feb. 14, 2015 Chicago, IL Allstate Arena
Feb. 17, 2015 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
Feb. 18, 2015 Cleveland, OH Quicken Loans Arena
1-Mar-15 Austin, TX Frank Erwin Center
7-Mar-15 Charlotte, NC Time Warner Cable Arena
8-Mar-15 Knoxville, TN Thompson–Boling Arena
11-Mar-15 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
12-Mar-15 Oklahoma City, OK Chesapeake Energy Arena
March 15, 2015 Charlottesville, VA John Paul Jones Arena
17-Mar-15 Greensboro, NC Greensboro Coliseum Complex
18-Mar-15 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
27-Mar-15 St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center
March 28, 2015 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
March 31, 2015 Wichita, KS INTRUST Bank Arena