Thank You, Fleetwood Mac

The Houston skyline on screen

There is little arguing that Lindsey Buckingham is a brilliant musical architect, however, after seeing the newest cast of players join Fleetwood Mac live in Houston, February 5, 2019, I will admit that the house that Lindsey helped build can easily accommodate new players. I did not miss Buckingham.

Don’t get me wrong, I consider him one of the best guitarists on the planet and I’m a fan of his solo work. Of course, the Mac replaced him with two fronting guitarists, and also tours with an extra keyboard player, percussionist, guitarist and Stevie’s staple back up singers. (Have I ever seen the Mac or a Nicks solo tour without Sharon Celani? I don’t think so.) I guess it takes all of that to replace that kind of musicianship.

Mike Campbell

Another thing difficult to debate is the size of Buckingham’s ego- equally as large as is his talent- but with that absent, and knowing that Stevie is handily able to command a stage in front of a sold out arena, it was nice to hear Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie chat a bit.

The Face of Fleetwood Mac

New to the Mac, guitarist Neil Finn, who hails from New Zealand, brings quite a storied past with him of great hits and collaborations with musicians of all walks. Commanding a powerful lead guitar and a wide-brimmed hat, Mike Campbell comes to the Mac from Tom Petty’s band, the Heartbreakers. These two appeared quite comfortable in their new band, and along with their musical prowess, their vocals were really what had me not missing Buckingham. It was refreshing to hear the Buckingham Mac-standards with a bit of a twist with Finn’s vocals filling in just fine.

Opening with one of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, “The Chain,” brought the capacity crowd to their feet. Had the ceiling not been bolted in place, the cheers may have lifted the roof off the house, proving that Fleetwood Mac still has relevance! Going next into “Little Lies” and then “Dreams,” the band made it clear right away that they knew what was expected of them. Hit after hit. Christine looked so at home and happy at her keyboards at stage right. Stevie, as always, held center stage. Mick behind her and John McVie kept to his corner to Mick’s right. Stage left was the domain of Campbell and Finn with the girls singing back up behind them. Between the girls and Mick was the touring percussionist. Behind Christine were the other two touring band mates on guitar and keys.

With a new lineup, the band eager to show off a few of their older tunes, thrilling the diehard Mac fans. Included in the show were old hits, such as “Oh, Well,” “Tell Me All The Things You Do,” and “Black Magic Woman,” as sung from the female’s perspective by Nicks. Having Finn on stage, and to my delight, Mick came forward to introduce a song he once heard on the radio, unsure at that time who the singer or the band was, but knowing that the song was a powerful ballad. Nicks joined Finn in the Crowded House hit, “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” which quite honestly, brought a few tears to my eyes. The other time I was in tears, as were nearly all in the venue, was during the encore, when the band played the Tom Petty hit, “Free Falling,” complete with images of Petty, Nicks and Campbell flashing on the large screen behind them.

The crowd seemed to go craziest when Stevie’s songs came around, such as “Gold Dust Woman” and “Gypsy.” But they also went crazy for McVie’s “Say That You Love Me” and “You Make Loving Fun.” It was in the middle of a powerful rendition of “World Turning” that Mick had fun with his drum solo, shouting incomprehensible words, eyes closed, feeling the beat, knowing where his sticks needed to connect with drums, cymbals or blocks. His enthusiasm at 71 years is amazing. It’s like he leaves his body and a drum spirit takes over.

Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks

Another crowd pleaser was a story Nicks told about coming to Houston to purchase her puppy from a local who had saved many dogs during the horrible flooding of Hurricane Harvey. She then dedicated “Landslide” to her new friend, sung so sweetly with Finn at her side.

Gone were some of the ballads I was hoping to hear, such as “Songbird” or “Sara,” but after two hours of hits, I did not leave the arena feeling gypped. With other hits, like “Hold Me” and “Go Your Own Way,” it was almost like seeing the old band again. One couldn’t help wonder if it’s easier for Nicks to sing along to the old Buckingham hits about their broken love affair without seeing his face staring back from stage left.

Final bow

It was an amazing night without a single hitch that I could see. The band was sharp, happy, close-knit and energetic. They seemed genuinely happy- to be together, to be in Texas, and to hear the crowd roar and cheer.

Mick says thanks and good night

As Mick said the final good night and wishing for us all to be safe and kind one another in this ever-increasingly strange world, there were high fives and hugs from the strangers around me. Before the show, I started a conversation with the man two seats to my right. We both missed the old days of seeing shows at the Houston Summit, and began naming great shows we had seen there...Bowie, Elton John, The Greatful Dead, Peter Gabriel. This led to mentions of other great shows in the many venues of Houston’s mid to late 80s, such as Southern Star Amphitheater, the Music Hall, the Woods Pavilion, Numbers, the old Hard Rock Cafe on Kirby, or the Astrodome and Rice Stadium with bands like Heart, Rush, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones. They were impressed at how many bands that I saw back then, so I had to admit that I used to work concert security, so I actually got paid to see most of those shows!

Enjoying my 10th row seats

As my new Mac friends parted ways to leave the arena, I counted the five favorite things I overheard at the show. In random order:

1. So, Christine McVie’s son is playing with the band? (Not realizing that John McVie used to be Christine’s husband!)

2. You mean Lindsey Buckingham isn’t part of the band of the band any more? (Obviously not a huge fan, who would obviously know that he got the boot last year.)

You can always tell who the fans are!

3. I love seeing all the Stevie fans dressed in top hats and lace.

4. Mike Campbell even ‘sounds’ like Tom Petty!

5. People won’t stand up during the whole show, will they? I’d like to think we’re all old enough to enjoy the show seated and relaxed. (I sat down only twice all night, as did most in the 9 rows between me and the stage.)

The best part of my night was having three seats to myself for most of the show. Two guys showed up just as the band started. They had booze in one hand and several hundred dollars worth of band merchandise they had purchased in the other. They left after the third song for another drink, and then left again after the fifth song, never to return. Funny!

The show was over too soon and I ready for more!

Set list:

1. The Chain
2. Little Lies
3. Dreams
4. Second Hand News
5. Say That You Love Me
6. Black Magic Woman
7. Everywhere
8. Rhiannon
9. Tell Me All The Things You Do
10. World Turning
11. Gypsy
12. Oh, Well
13. Don’t Dream It’s Over (Crowded House)
14. Landslide
15. Hold Me
16. Monday Morning
17. You Make Loving Fun
18. Gold Dust Woman
19. Go Your Own Way
Encore:
20. Free Fallin’ (Tom Petty)
21. Don’t Stop
22. All Over Again

Penguin at the concert venue in Houston, TX

My video links:

Landslide:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttyM-4Fk43k

Gypsy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_76AC9vNeA

Don't Dream it's Over:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnH_k3xJdDw

World Turning:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JQIqQz7Iu8

Mick's drum solo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7OjMkNm4S0

Stevie takes a bow Rhiannon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sL7O3caNZrc

Rhiannon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML2htaNdPpg

Everywhere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8ujjuRzAdY

Black Magic Woman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxhVE9_ZCSE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3OcVo0ORuE

The Chain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOEkQbAUEiE

Dreams:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MIIJkJXNNI