Concert Reviews, Photos, Videos and Rock and Roll Stories from fans who love live music

The concert goal tonight was to get a cheap single on the street and get inside to where my contact was so he could assist me with getting down front on the floor.  There weren’t alot of singles floating around but after waiting about 6 songs in I grabbed a ticket for $20 and was into The Air Canada Centre now. This is the ticket here… wondering why it says “Rumour” on it? Anyone?

After seeing the band last week I did not have plans to go this week  until I found out a friend of mine from high school was going to the show and would be in the front row. This friend… Tina and I went to go see Fleetwood Mac together in October of 1987 at Maple Leaf Gardens here in Toronto. We had reminisced about this show once or twice over the years and how Christine McVie performed Songbird as the closer. ( Did you know Lindsey Buckingham didn’t perform on that tour?) Now for tonight I knew I could get down front where Tina & her sister Robin would be and I thought the 21 year concert reunion would be a blast.

Down to the floors & contact made with my friend and I am on the floor at the back, big lights full house and he tells me that no security is allowed up front and that I was on my own from about the red-line. No problem. I’m in my element. Total Pro. I stroll up and crank a hard left at the stage…it gets louder, I make no eye contact and…

I’m in.

There is 7-8 feet in front of the Row 1 seats that seem like a VIP Section gone wild. Cameras, dancing and the Mac groove is on. I figure these girls are dead centre. Yes. Tina turns her head and its them. I edge my way in and the reunion is on. Wow we are close. I mean no barrier, do what you want close. This is unique in that there is no security to be seen… heck we can’t see anything except Lindsey Buckingham’s boots.

This type of access changes things so much even compared to the 3rd row seats I sat in last week. One of the key factors( for those who haven’t put their elbows up on a stage before) is that you hear the show mainly from stage monitors… not the actual stacks of speakers that the rest of the Arena is listeing too. Right beside us was what looked like a centre channel from a home theater system and it was Lindsey’s vocals mainly…so at times Stevie’s vocals were abit distant.

This crowd did seem to respond at a more heightened level then the previous show. I won’t compare the two shows song for song as I noticed a few slip ups each night and at the same time some stronger moments for Stevie and John McVie during this Show 2! When you are only 4-8 feet from the performers you see everything. From the detail in Stevie’s costumes to Mick’s Red Shoes… everything is right there including the glances back and forth between Nicks & Buckingham… or better yet… eye contact & a nod from Lindsey that makes you feel like you are part of the show.

And we are.

In this video you will hear more from fans than you think you would down front… Never Going Back Again none the less is timeless.

Robin loved “Storms” and for me… the Drum beginning of Gold Dust Woman… just grabbed me… when I wasn’t expecting it. These are the moments the music lover goes for…. You sing along, your brain reminisces and your eyes get glued to the Gypsy that remains… doing her turns, her dance and finally a pose.

The setlist was identical almost to last weeks.. so we hear Lindsey wind it up on “So Afraid” including the guitar solo where he lets a few fans touch his strings…then came Stevie after another small break for her Stand Back and Go Your Own Way to close out the set.

Back onstage for the encore and here we get World Turning including Mick Fleetwoods Drum Solo. I actually sat my camera on the stage while video taping part of this. You can hear the groove being delivered here and we all joined in here heavy. Great Tune!

The crowd is in the ether. Don’t Stop…is in full motion …  my guess now is  all Robin and Tina can think about are the Roses they bought for Stevie… we knew Silver Springs was next. We were dead centre. Would Stevie take them or would Lindsey just pick them up for her like at some previous shows.  Silver Springs begins and Tina goes to get the flowers. We could be in no better positon.. It was a privilege now to see this unfolding… Robin had probably rolled this movie thru in her head numerous times … I leaned over and asked do you want this moment on video or a photo? She said “Video”…. I clicked on the camera and joined Lindsey right here…

How did it all finish…? ……..Just like this photo says above…

Mick Fleetwood’s Red Shoes,

Lindsey’s guitar on the floor 3 feet in front of us

and ….

Stevie Nicks holding our Dozen Roses.

______________________________________________

For more photos from the Stage see our Flickr Page

For more videos check out our Youtube Channel

Follow us on Twitter

Monday Morning you look so fine, Friday I got travelin on my mind -- I was 6 or 7 and remember the sound of Fleetwood Mac’s White Album on Vinyl. My mom’s speakers were as tall as me and the bass… Lindsey’s voice become a staple for years along with Stevie Nicks and of course Christine Mcvie.

March17, 2009 and Fleetwood Mac arrives in Toronto for the first of two shows this month. Yes that’s my ticket above that I picked up a few hours before the show. 3rd row! That’s what made up my mind for me. Down to the Air Canada Centre and I walk over to will-call, see a friend right away and then head on in through the front doors. Here is the sign on the doors walking in. I took this with my blackberry. Ok well the sign didn’t work to well because down front was a total photo shoot. Security sat down. There were no barriers between row 1 and the stage. Fans were leaning on the stage with their digi-cams.

Monday Morning launched the show off followed by The Chain and Dreams. Lindsey showed his strong presence early here in the show… his unique vocals and of course his guitar mastery. I wasn’t expecting to hear “Gypsy” and it was real cool to experience as it totally brought me back to the early 80’s.  Think about how many times you heard that tune on the radio back then? She is dancing…away from you now…

Dancing, singing and the hits.. was the mood down front in the first 3-5 rows. That was the purpose here as Lindsey announced “we have no new album “yet” and we just want to have some fun playing the songs we like”.  With the repertoire this band has things didn’t really get slow with the middle of the set being Rhiannon, Second Hand News, Tusk and then the beautiful Sara. It’s easy to get lost inside of a song like Sara… and then get woken up with the climatic finger-picking journey of Big Love… big big love.

Landslide is always good, maybe not as in depth as the version on the “DANCE DVD” but this stripped down part of the evening showcased a well crafted version of Never Going Back Again… that seemed to defy time.  Lindsey slowed it right down as many tried to sing along… it seemed to get slower… Stevie Nicks twirled around and sauntered over towards Lindsey for a “moment” and by the time I realized I should be video taping this one… it ended. Storms featured some video imaging on the screens above the bands heads and diehards along with Stevie herself seemed to like this one.

Say You Love Me… just drives home the fact that Christine Mcvie is not part of Fleetwood Mac anymore. Not just her vocals are missed but her left stage presence. One of the best songs I’ve ever seen presented was  in the late 80’s at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto. Final encore… Christine on the grand piano, Mick Fleetwood comes out and lays a dozen red roses across the top of the piano and I swear I saw a Dove flying around while Christine sang SONGBIRD.

Back to 2009 here and by the time So Afraid hit everyone… the guitar solo here defied what many casual fans forgot or just plain don’t know. Lindsey Buckingham can play the music-box ! Then hearing Stevie do her solo Stand Back I thought maybe we would get Edge of Seventeen. No luck there.

The main set finished off with a strong Go Your Own Way.Top Hat on Stevie and more guitar fun from Buckingham with him letting some front row fans pluck away on the strings for a few seconds during his solo.

World Turning was song 21 and the 1st of a 3 song encore. It offered up bug-eyed Mick Fleetwood doing his thing on drums along with some Mick-chanting and what seemed to be recorded-feedback vocals of Lindsey being played by the keyboardist I believe. I didn’t see Mick’s little drummer-helper during this song although he did have someone playing behind the stack of monitors to his left. Apparently Mick isn’t as strong as he used to be on the skins.

Drum Solo

Don’t Stop & Silver Springs are the final songs…and it seems everyone is happy. No one song here took me into the clouds or anything. Fleetwood Mac just reminds me of my mom, a time period that was fun and is almost like having some “comfort food.”  The chance to sit 3rd row centre is something a real concert goer doesn’t turn down…..you get the ticket and run to your seat. (even though it was 2 rows behind where I sat 5 years ago when I saw the Mac.)

Security told me there were 5 fights on the night …all woman. Thanks to the Original Kid Rock for stopping by behind 3rd row to show off that he had the actual setlist and it was only half way through the show.

If you were at the show please leave us a comment or if you are going to the next one then drop us a link to your photos or videos. I twittered & updated my facebook during the show for the first time also offering up some live photos as they happened. Next up… live streaming video.

.

For a FULL PHOTO SLIDESHOW of Fleetwood Mac go here

Follow us on Twitter here