Fleetwood Mac in Manchester

I've been to a decent number of concerts in my life. Some had pyrotechnics, others had dancers/choreography, one even had a huge inflatable pig. I once was working on a list of all the shows I've gone to, but it looks like I never posted that list...

In any event, none of them can compare to the Fleetwood Mac show this past Tuesday in Manchester, NH! I wish I had seen Fleetwood Mac shows over the years to compare one to another, but this was powerful!

I had read various reviews so I knew what to expect (nice Lindsay/Stevie moments, McVie being a somber bass player, Mick going nuts on his solo and speaking unintelligibly at times). But, my expectations were far exceeded by the actual performance!

It's probably that I'm such a huge fan, and I have been since the 60s. *laugh* Well, I've been a fan since 1997 but I enjoy the various types of music put out by Fleetwood Mac starting in the 60s (long before Buckingham Nicks ever came on the scene). As a short history lesson, Fleetwood Mac was originally a British blues band, and a very good/popular one at that. At one point they were promoted as "Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac".

So, I had been waiting for years to see Fleetwood Mac in concert. I missed their late 90s tour, was in Egypt for the one in 2005 (?) and then I finally got my chance on Tuesday.

None of the songs by themselves were fantastic, though the arrangement of a couple of them was surprisingly different from what I expected. The best thing about the show is that they don't have a new album to promote (yet), so it was a "best of" performance. I think almost everyone in the audience knew the words to all the songs.

Stevie is still beautiful, but she seemed tired/worn out. She's allowed...and still gave a good performance.

McVie is a bass player. A good one, but still a bass player. Not much energy from him.

Mick really rocked, especially on his long drum solo. The only thing missing was something that used to be attached to one of the drum heads years ago which would flop around while he played.

Lindsey Buckingham IS the driver of Fleetwood Mac. Maybe it's been that way all along more than I wanted to admit. I always thought he was soft and that he took them in directions I didn't like. But these days, he makes the shows. He's stomping his feet, jumping around, firing up the crowd. He's also the only one who shakes hands with fans, signs autographs, and lets his guitar be touched.

Well done, all!