Theatrics

I felt like I was watching "The Dance" on MTV, but without the marching band during Tusk, the great sound system, the seemingly "spontaneous" kindness between Lindsey and Stevie. Their voices sounded great, Christine's "Songbird" was beautiful, the harmonies on "Farmer's Daughter" sounded great, and Lindsey was going nuts on guitar - he was very into it! I was right up front so I got to see what was goin' on - and I am telling you that some of that hugging and kissing going on up there between certain band members is purely theatrics. Good marketing on their half though - they know that people get a kick out of seeing that they "still love" their ex lovers.....some of us are not so easily led though- I know a genuine look when I see one, and that was forced. I'm sure that they are getting along pretty well enough to do an entire tour together, but let's not go overboard, shall we' And Stevie sounds great, but has got to move around a bit more on stage - it is not as if she is behind a keyboard like Christine.

Nassau Coliseum

After using this great site to get a lot of info over the past few months, I figured it was time to give something back. Therefore, what follows is a detailed review of the Fleetwood Mac show at Nassau Coliseum on September 23, 1997. Keep in mind that this is just one man's opinion. I am sure everyone walked out of there with some similar impressions, and some different ones as well.

The set list was the same as the latest list on this board (with the afore mentioned omissions from the earlier shows, and additions to the later shows). Being that I am a big concert fanatic, as well as having a keen interest in concert sound and lighting systems, some of the technical details of what follows may be slightly hyper-critical. The average person might not have even noticed some of this stuff (although some of my friends said they did).

The show was scheduled to start at 7:30, and I believe it started somewhere in the neighborhood of 8:20.

First, the players.....Everyone was in fine form, as expected. Everyone looked good, had plenty of energy, and was eager to get to the business at hand. Lindsey Buckingham was fantastic on guitar. A vocal note: Stevie Nicks' voice sounds BETTER now than it does on 'The Dance' video and CD. Reportedly, she has been working with a vocal trainer since the MTV shows, and this coach has come along with them on tour. The daily 45 minute workouts show. Stevie sounds a little 'throaty' in some sections of 'The Dance', not quite able to reach some of the notes she would have knocked off years ago. Last night, she shined. Her voice was up front, shimmering, and wonderfully powerful. The occasional raspiness from 'The Dance' was gone. Too bad they can't go back and re-record it! Christine's voice was as smooth as silk (as usual). Lindsey's voice was more powerful and potent than ever. A pleasant surprise. Mick and John were Mick and John. What a great rhythm section. Playing together for 30 years, and it shows. They absolutely LOCK on most of the songs, but let it hang a little loose when required. John is a wonderful bass player. He ALWAYS seems to be doing the right thing at the right time. Mick is not just a drummer. He is a true percussionist, in every sense of the word.

The lights and set......The set was sparse, as were the lights. There were a few 'tricks of the trade' in there, but for the most part, the band was the center of attention (as they should be), not the lights. In fact, there really wasn't a "set". It was just the band, their equipment, and that's pretty much it. But that is the way Fleetwood Mac has always been.

The sound......It started out pretty poor. And I do mean poor. Makes me wonder what the sound crew was doing during the sound check. 'The Chain' was muffled, Mick's drums were thin, and John's bass was lost in the mix. Pretty disappointing. However, never fear! Song by song, they dialed in the sound, and by the time they rolled around to the fourth song, 'Gold Dust Woman', it was good. They continued to refine it throughout the first half hour, and it was shimmering by the time 'Big Love' and 'Go Insane' rolled around. The difference between the sound for the first song, and the sound by that point, was nothing short of night and day. One other sound comment: They lost Lindsey at a few critical times during the concert. For example, his melodic guitar playing during 'Bleed To Love Her' was obliterated from where I was sitting (28th row, on the floor). It turned that song from a nice, sweeping, flowing song into a muddle of bass, drums, and his vocal. The guitar (which MAKES that song) was waaaaaaaaaay down in the mix, and could hardly be heard at most points. Here and there, this happened for short periods of time throughout the night. Keep in mind that sound problems can be isolated to certain locations of an arena. People sitting in different locations may not have heard any of these anomalies, which is exactly what makes the sound engineers job so hard. Basically, they are trying to control beautiful music in a loud, echo filled, concrete box. Not an easy task!

The muuuuuuuuuuuuuusic! The songs were, in general, reproduced with accuracy and energy (energy being the key word). The band genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves, occasionally laughing, throwing glances around, and enjoying the spotlight. The chemistry between Stevie and Lindsey, some of which one could successfully argue is second nature and reflex at this point, was palpable.

The band did indeed seem to be overwhelmed by the very loud applause that the crowd showered them with at every turn. At one point, Lindsey remarked that they are 'very pleased with the way this project is going......', and 'we simply had no idea how much interest there would be in this.......we are very happy to be back.....'.

Highlights: As expected, 'I'm So Afraid' absolutely soared. Lindsey's guitar work (which has unfortunately been terribly underrated throughout his career) was burning hot. He blew out the closing guitar solo. A pleasure to hear! Loud! The man is a great guitar player, period.

I really like 'Temporary One', but the screwed up sound at the beginning kind of blew this song for me.

'Big Love' and 'Go Insane' were wonderful. Spotlight on Lindsey, where it is deserved, front and center. His voice was powerful, his acoustic guitar work was great. I play in a local rock band, and I can appreciate the complexity of what he was doing up there. Great work!

The new, rompy version of 'Say You Love Me' was fun, and greeted warmly by the crowd.