Best Day of My Life

I went to the St. Louis show last night. And I had a front row seat..right in front of Lindsey. If i took a step forward and outstretched my arm i could have touched his ankle. I have never been so overcome with emotion in all my life(even though im only 15) This was absolutely the best day of my life. And im afraid to say nothing will ever compare to yesterday. And then why am i so depressed today? For 2 and 1/2 hours i was living a dream come true, it couldnt have gotten better than this. If someone told me i could do anything for a day..I would say i want front row seats to a FM concert. And there i was. So how am i supposed to return to normal life after that?! They were right there 15 feet in front of me, the music was SO increadibly AWESOME. When they first came up on stage,(after about a 55 minute delay), and the Chain began, I totally lost it. I tried to contain myself but i couldnt. And the guy sitting next to me apparently knew Lindsey. So during the Chain Lindsey waved at him...and then smiled at me, and nodded his head. I froze, stunned. But it gets better. 3 more times Lindsey looked at me. The first was during Landslide. He looked at me and smiled. I was singing along. And i stopped and smiled back. He shoke his head back and forth and finally, i suppose thinking 'shes not going to look away' he bent forward and gave me this stare. You all know what im talking about. I hardly believe it myself, thinking about it now. He wasn't really looking at Stevie during this song, as you can tell from other St. Louis reviews. You can tell Lindsey is more connected to the audience than Stevie or Christine. He was the only one who signed the only autograph, for the guy sitting next to me, in his book. I guess i could have got one but i didnt want to jump up there and shove something in Lindseys face. (He was leaving the stage, before the first encore) Im glad the security was tight, anyway. It made it more enjoyable for everyone. Lindsey also did an interview for my local news station. And the interviewer reported later that President Clinton was in town for another event, and had seats reserved at the Keil Center, but wasn't able to make it. He invited the band to dinner but they declined. And he met them before the concert, and thats why there was a delay. I feel like this whole thing was a dream. A figment of my imagination. There are no words to explain how good the preformance from all 5 of them was. It was perfect..it couldnt have been better. They played the whole set list even though Lindsey said they might have to get out of there early.(and got booed!) Every song heightened my excitment. I have been listening to these songs for years, and to see them preformed live, feet in front of me was too much to handle. How can 5 people be so increadibly talented? Here's my review of the songs....

The Chain- the lights were awesome but it was hard to concentrate because 'its them...its really them..' kept running through my head among other things.

Dreams- wow, this was my dream come true and it was only the beginning.

Everywhere- Christine has such a wonderful voice. Everyone really was into it by this one. And i still couldn't believe my eyes..and ears. Gold Dust Woman- one of my favorites. Stevie is such a great preformer. She of course had her gold shawl and twirled..the whole thing.

I'm So Afraid- Man, he really let loose..he was so into it..as everyone else was. And i was right in front of him. I could see the sweat running down his face, and his expression as he did the powerful solos. oooh man. It was sooo cool!!!!

Temporary One- Oh it was so fun. I love this song. And it sounded better than ever.

Bleed To Love Her- AWESOME. absolutely awesome.

Gypsy- Stevie is the Queen of Rock. Lindsey did the stare thing with me again, and this time he was directly in front of me, so the end kind of trailed off for me. (!!!)

Big Love- again Lindsey put all his strength into this. (I could even see the vein in his neck)..and his fingers as he plucked away. Pure talent.

Go Insane- I strained my ears to hear his poem. It went by so fast. What i caught I cant remember, but i do remember thinking WOW. And this also was a version i had not heard before. It was wonderful.

Landslide- before starting Stevie said 'this is for you guys, since your the only reason we still play it, for you'. And everyone went nuts. Lindsey stood behind her and off to the right just like on the Dance. They didnt really make eye contact, excpept for at the end, when they hugged of course, and he kissed her cheek.

Say You Love Me- It was cool to hear John singing. Especially since this was the only time i really saw him since he was over on the other side of the stage the rest of the time. :(

Sweet Girl- I LOVE this song. It seemed to go by so fast. I just wanted her to keep on singing. I can't remember the details.

You Make Loving Fun- the band really got into it and so did the crowd.

My Little Demon- Lindsey did his speech (shorter i think)and said 'I originaly wrote this about my demons, but now i think its about Mick's.' and Mick hit the drums. :D

Stand Back- everyone was on their feet. Why does this song get such a strong reaction? The guy behind me was crazy. He took time out from screaming 'Stephanie!!!' (soo rude, she didnt look at him once. And im glad. She must have trained herself just to tune out those people)and he tried to run to the stage with a rose i think, but was stopped by security, like everyone else was) Stevie put her all in this song too. (where was the male dancer? :) just kidding) I love that song.

Oh Daddy- I'm so glad this was on the set list. Such a wonderful song!

Not That Funny- Damn, what a performance! Lindsey even broke a string! And the middle he collapsed on stage while Mick drummed and pumped up the crowd, and then he left (i suppose to restring) while Mick did his vest thing. Mick gets into it so much, it was so fun. If i would have been sitting on the other side, by Christine, I would have been spit all over. And i would have loved it. Lindsey came back out and they chased each other for a bit. Guitar against drums. It was awesome.

Rhiannon- During this song i totally lost it again. I just remembered all the times i have listened to this song, soo many times off soo many albums, and its one of my favorites, and reality hit.(where i was, what was actually happening) So it seemed to go by really fast, but it was Wonderful.

Silver Springs- Stevie almost got into it as much as on The Dance i think. They did look at each other a little, but not as intensely. And at the end Lindsey stood behind her and she turned to face him and sung 'you could be my silver springs, blue green colors flashing'right into his face. And he smiled.

Second Hand News- so cool.

Tusk- totally cool. I was right in front of a speaker so the drums shook my whole body. Stevie sung loudly, they all sung loudly.

Go Your Own Way- It Was soo coooool, and during the middle he came and stood out on a little outlet on the stage directly in front of me, and played really intensly. He didnt open his eyes..he was so into it.

Don't Stop- it was so fun and powerful.

Songbird- Christine said they would play two more songs, and introduced it, everyone went nuts. And of course she got a standing ovation at the end.

The Farmers Daughter- a great way to end it, if there was one. The harmonies were wonderful. And Lindsey smiled at me again. What a way to end the best day of my life.

Begin

There were actually two highlights for me this entire weekend: a getaway from all the hustle and bustle of college with my fiancee Jennifer in St. Louis and the Fleetwood Mac. For the sake of time, space, and, for that matter, interest, I shall spare 99% of the details of the former, only mentioning that we saw many sights and overall had a good time.

After dinner at the McDonald's along the riverfront (overpriced, but what are you to expect from "The Only Floating McDonald's in the World"?), we dodged our way through downtown St. Louis and parked about five blocks from the Kiel Center for a reasonable price. The night was crisp but not overwhelmingly cold; a definite chill was in the air, though, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't caused by the weather!

We walked into the Kiel Center to find a barrage of people waiting to get in. Gates opened at 7, and it was 6:35. No matter; we patiently waited, chatted with a couple people, and were finally let in at 7:04 Kiel Center time. On the way in, we were notified that we could not be let in for about ten minutes, saying that the band was just now warming up after their visit with Bill Clinton. I had no idea he was anywhere NEAR St. Louis, but I thought it was kinda cool. He's gotta visit his favorite band sometime!

Jen and I spent most of our last dollars on one T-shirt (which we shall share :) and rental binoculars, having foolishly forgotten mine. I at first felt binocs were unnecessary, but they proved to be beneficial. We sat in Section 318, Row L, seats 14 and 15. It was a bit high, but not that bad. Faces on the stage would still have been distinct, but we both knew we would miss every Mick expression without the aid of the binocs.

We went to section 104 and 105 to look for SRhiannon, but were unable to find her (if we had the wrong section, we were one over. I was the idiot who got my foot caught in the seat climbing into the section and had to take off my shoe to get out). 8:00 came, and no concert. People behind us started to get restless, but I knew it would be a while. Time ticked on; the light crew gave us a show playing monkey to rope ladders and scaffold. It was really interesting to watch.

Crickets . . . THUMP-THUMP!

At around 8:50, the music playing in the background ceased once again. People around us would cheer every time there was a break, but the applause was quite more thunderous this time. Then, the sound of crickets filled the air. I remarked to Jen that it was about time.

Suddenly, the first set of lights went out. The crowd exploded!!!! I began to tense. I had been waiting for this moment every since the day two-and-a-half months before when Jen had given me an early birthday gift that came in the form of two tickets. I glued myself to the binocs, desperately waiting for them to come. Then . . .

The second set of lights went. Mick, Christine, and John took the stage. Then came Stevie to Center, her mike decorated in streamers. Finally, Lindsey, who remained by my view somewhat shadowed. Then, the ever-recognizable THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. The chain was beginning, the first chords played, they stepped to their mikes, and magic began.

"I can still hear you saying . . ."

I will spare the monotonous run of review of song and gives highlights of each one.

"The Chain"--I immediately noticed the bass and bass drum cranked WAY HIGH! Part of it could be because we were sitting on John's side. Lindsey seemed, to me, a little out of it at first (concurs with remarks about him appearing tired), but my view could have been different too. Stevie looked gorgeous, about the same weight as in the Dance video (but who the hell cares???). John was John. Mick was Mick, though he ditched the hat mid-song and I didn't notice. Christine's hair was longer, and she didn't seem to be wearing as dark of eye shadow as she usually does (could have been the lighting), but she looked fabulous!!!! The song was quite good, bass at hearable level compared to video. The audience sang along on this one, which prevented me from hearing some of the harmony from the background singers (I'll talk about them later).

"Dreams"--no change from the Dance. It sounded just fine. Lindsey again seemed a bit withdrawn, though he would duck walk on occasion. Here is where I started to watch John, and I will talk about John in-depth later.

"Everywhere"--the harmonies were mixed WAY TOO LOW!!! all I heard was Christine's voice most of the time. Lindsey's guitar also seemed mixed low, and this would not be the first time

"Gold Dust Woman"--Done near perfectly. This was the first time I noticed Lindsey starting to loosen up a bit in the background. He would smile to himself on occasion. It seems like the general mood of the first half of the show was darker, more foreboding, then the latter half lighter, more fun. Stevie missed her "Rock on ancient queen" cue and picked it up on the next riff, or at least it sounded like she did.

"I'm So Afraid"--Definitely the Lindsey moment of the night. Though he still was a bit subdued, his guitar was not. He was God in the persona of guitarist. This has always been one of my favorite songs by him (live, not studio), and I was not disappointed. Stevie faced the back towards Mick and delivered her harmony leaning back. A brief note: there was actually sitting BEHIND the band, which I thought was odd, since mainly all they'd be seeing was the musician's butts . . . oh wait, never mind.

"Temporary One"--this like all the new songs that night received a warm reception. No noticeable flaws here.

"Bleed to Love Her"--Lindsey's intro seemed even more different than has been remarked previously. He still called their reunion an accident (kinda negative connotation there; I prefer organic) saying that Mick was only supposed to be working with him for a few days, then six months, and then . . . Guitar seemed loud until rest of band started playing, then it was too soft. His voice sounded fine; actually, much better than on the Dance.

"Gypsy"--No real surprises. "Lighting strikes . . ." was delivered a bit too loud by Lindsey. Actually, there were sound problems all night. I wonder if most of them were due to my sitting. We seemed to be getting occasional echo when people were more center, but it wasn't all that noticeable.

"Big Love/Go Insane"--actually disappointing for me but not for any fault by Lindsey. People were talking around me, which enabled me to not hear quite as much. The acoustic was not producing enough sound, at least in my section. "Oohs" and "Aahs" gave me shivers!!!! "Go Insane" sounded better. Being a fledgling actor myself, I thought he delivered it quite well, hand gestures and all. Reverb prevented me from getting most of it, but it's printed here in the reviews. Sounded like he totally missed a high note in the last chorus (either that or he was faking so he wouldn't blow his voice like before Vancouver). He held end out longer, good effect.

"Landslide"--one of Jen's favorite songs, and she wasn't disappointed. Actually was very moving for me. Lindsey and Stevie had little interaction until the end, when Lindsey put his hands behind his back and "conducted" a bit with his right hand. They hugged and kissed afterwards, kinda sweet.

"You Make Lovin' Fun"--Jen's favorite song, really well done. Lindsey was REALLY starting to get into it now. All his solos from here on out were genuine, original--he was king, and he interacted with the audience well (more so that with Stevie, in fact). Afterwards, Lindsey gave a big "CHRISTINE MCVIE" much in the same manor as she did for him after "I'm So Afraid".

It is here that the order goes hazy for me, since I was going off of the Dance for the previous songs. Every song was a surprise for me up until encores. I will go in no particular order here.

"Sweet Girl"--by far, the best performed song of the night! Flawless, beautiful, Stevie's real highlight. Mick's bass was still turned up, and it added a rock beat which really works for this song (can anyone say single???). It would not work later on, though.

"My Little Demon"--Lindsey delivered his usual spiel but mentioned that it was about Mick's demons too and he did a little drum riff. Sounds like it sounded so good from the Dance that they had to do it over and over again. Anyway, Lindsey sang the opening chorus softer, more hushed and mesmerizing. The song sounded okay, mixed a little low until Lindsey's solo, which was incredible as usual. He did the speaking chorus only with the background singers (I miss Stevie on it).

"Oh Daddy"--Again, the rock beat really added to this song. It sounded interesting live, and really added a lot to the show. A great addition from "Rumours" as opposed to . . .

"Second Hand News" which was Lindsey's low point, IMHO. The song just didn't quite gel live and on electric. Acoustics should have been mixed higher here. The beat, however, seemed closer to what they originally wanted (see making of Rumours special from VH1)

"Rhiannon"--the low point in the show for me. It sounded good, it just was still missing that added oomph which made all the old live versions sound better.

"Not That Funny"--probably the most memorable moment from the show, although not the best one. Lindsey's guitar at the beginning almost sounded as if he was about to play "Don't Let Me Down Again", same riff and everything! He then coughed into the mike, yelled, and then Mick's famous thumps. Mick's solo went on about five minutes too long. Some funny antics between him and Lindsey, though. Lindsey broke a string on his guitar. When he was supposed to be laying down (which he did for about five minutes), he ran off for most of the solo and restrung (or switched guitars).

"Silver Springs"--sounded exactly like the Dance version. Very good performance of it. Lindsey didn't really interact w/ Stevie until the end, when he put his forehead to hers. Sweet, cute, but definitely staged. Mick's bass drum annoyed me here. It didn't fit the song and took it to a rock level it didn't really belong.

Before "Tusk" Lindsey announced they were running out of time and were only going to play two more songs. He was booed!

"Tusk" was fun, but the added horns by the keyboard seemed a bit contrived. I would have preferred they left the keyboards out and just went with the guitar, which was mixed low. Lindsey, John, and Christine were together, talking and jamming.

"Stand Back"--almost forgot about it. I glued to Lindsey during the whole song. Him and Christine played off each other facially. He also reacted a guy dancing about third row quite often.

"Go Your Own Way"--by far the highlight of the show! Lindsey was top-notch (only faking the high note once or twice). His solo was . ... oh, there is no words for it. At the end of it, he went to each member and put his head on their shoulders. so sweet!!!!! This moment will be marked on my memory forever.

Encore

"Don't Stop" was "Don't Stop". It was performed quite well. I liked it, odd since it's not one of my favorite songs. "Songbird" was elegant and beautiful. Jen and I kissed on this one, since it has become "our" song. "Farmer's Daughter" was the second highlight, and, sadly, it came at the end. The harmonies were beautiful, almost tear-jerking. I knew it was the end, but I smiled, knowing it would be one of the greatest moments of my life.

Afterthoughts

The background singers really added a lot to this band. They and the added musicians is what made The Dance a classic album compared to Live. The sound is much more fuller. some of the added arrangements didn't quite mesh (like in Tusk) but it overall added a lot to the night. One of Stevie's singers (Mindy Stein, I think) looked a hell of a lot like old Stevie; her hair was even crimped!

Tonight I grow a firmer respect for John McVie. I always thought he stood in the shadows placid, not really reacting to the songs, just concentrating on the bass. He was all over dancing! He moved with every song, really getting into it. I found myself watching him at times in amazement--this was the sedate drum player who we accuse of looking bored?! Facially, he stays the same, but he gets into it. Those of you in concerts only a couple of days from now---WATCH JOHN!!! You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Endgame

The night ended at 11:14. Jen and I packed, headed to our cars, and drove two hours home, singing FM and talking to keep me awake. though my eyelids were heavy, and the pillow felt good that cold night, my heart felt alive and fulfilled by two thoughts: I had the greatest woman I could ever be with at my side, and I had experienced Big Mac.

UNFORGETTABLE

In a word: AMAZING!

I happened to get lucky and get about the 60th row on the floor on the day of the concert (I cut 3rd class to get the tickets but it was worth it!). The show started about 15minutres late due to technical problems with one of the cameras, which made the crowd very antsy. It mostly consisted of middle-age fans, many dressed up like Stevie and Christine. This was a bit of a problem to me because they were all tall and I'm only medium size, I spent the majority of the concert in the aisle trying to see.

Lindsey Buckingham: What a playful guy! He was wonderful! I had binoculars with me and he is even cuter in person! He's a bit of the flirt with the audience and background singers but most of all, it's apparent how much he still adores Stevie. He spent the majority of the time looking at her and would occasionally give her a thumbs up in between guitar strums. The traditional Landslide hug left as all standing up cheering and sighing happily. Silver Springs left us all puzzled. Lindsey went over to Stevie for the last lines of the song and they got VERY close. Stevie's back was to me, so we couldn't tell what happened, but Lindsey walked away afterwards scratching his head. Also, during Go Your Own Way, he ran up to her and nuzzled against her- VERY CUTE!!! I Go Insane was my favorite song that he did, it was so beautiful my heart melted. I'm So Afraid easily came in second best. At the end of Mick's solo, he got up there and played around, it's evident they had fun.

Stevie Nicks: WONDERFUL! She has GREATLY improved since MTV's The Dance 1hour performance. She looks spectacular now. Both her looks and her voice have regained their youth and she was absolutely mesmerizing! She didn't seem very thrilled with Lindsey's constant flirts with her, but would face him several times during songs that could be related to them, but not nearly as many times as Lindsey looked at her. Even still, she gave a great performance!

Mick Fleetwood: This was a man who was having too much fun. Great drumming, especially during his solo. He obviously enjoyed himself.

Christine McVie: Beautiful in both looks and voice. She had us all in awe with her songs- especially Oh Daddy and Songbird. We were all swaying along holding up our lighters (my thumbs were purple at the end of the concert- OUCH!). Wonderful performance!

John McVie: Still seems to kinda hang in the shadows, but Lindsey would occasion run over and force him out. VERY good bass though, the floor was pulsing!

Overall- PHENOMENAL performance and worth every penny. The lighting was magical and added the wonder and mystique of it all. Bill Clinton was rumored to be there because he was in town that day for some meeting. Security was kinda mean, we all tried to rush to the front during The Chain, but they hauled us all back. During the encore, they kinda gave up, but they wouldn't let us move up a section (I was in Section B, row 31, seat 9). I think I caught a glimpse of their limo because we saw limos en route to the Ritz Carlton (ritziest hotel in St. Louis), we were VERY tempted to follow, but couldn't 'cuz of time. I sure hope that Lindsey Buckingham will tour with his new solo album when it comes out, and that Fleetwood Mac will tour again in a few years or so, they were UNFORGETTABLE.