| St.Paul / Minneapolis Review |
| Review: Fleetwood Mac not great, but not bad Jon Bream, Star Tribune Published June 20, 2003 MAC20 It was the noted pop philosopher Meat Loaf who opined in a song about heartbreak, that "two out of three ain't bad." That's the way it seemed Thursday at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center at the sold-out concert by Fleetwood Mac, featuring two of its three singer/songwriters. It wasn't bad. And it wasn't great either. Oh, sometimes you have to give in to the resignation of heartbreak and accept what is as what is. In 36 years, Fleetwood Mac has had almost as many lead singers as Spinal Tap had drummers. But the Big Mac lineup of singer/songwriters Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks was the band at its peak. McVie, 60, has retired to her castle in England, but Mac is back on the road without her. Frankly, she was missed Thursday. Her buoyant pop songs have served as a perky respite from the mystical Nicks' moments and Buckingham's revved-up rock. Her harmonies and keyboard were conspicuously absent, especially on "Go Your Own Way." And Big Mac even sang one of her songs, "Don't Stop," without mentioning her. So much for three decades' service. The current incarnation of Fleetwood Mac -- bolstered onstage by two extra guitarists, two extra percussionists, a keyboardist and two female backup singers -- had a thicker, more testosterone feel, thanks in part to Buckingham's often histrionic guitar. Luckily, Nicks held her own, stealing the spotlight for "Gold Dust Woman," a hard-charging "Stand Back" and "Beautiful Child," a 1979 tune that she had never sung on tour before. Nicks was in surprisingly good voice, particularly in the second half of the two-hour 20-minute performance. Some of the sweetness of her high register, missing on the last Mac tour in 1997, has returned. The familiar froggy rasp was there, too, to the delight of the 16,750 fans. What was missing, however, was her dervish dancing of old. She limited that to her last time in the spotlight, finally unleashing her famous whirling spins at the end of "Stand Back." Those moves drew arguably the loudest cheers of the night. Since Nicks and Buckingham joined the band in 1975, the repertoire has been built on the romantic tension between them. They broke up years ago ( chronicled on the 1977 blockbuster "Rumours"), but their flirtation was a focal point of Thursday's show as well as material on the new CD, "Say You Will." Although they often stood 10 yards apart, they typically sang songs to each other, exchanging glances. During "Tusk," he tried unsuccessfully to get her to slow dance with him. During "Landslide," they stood next to each other. She touched his shoulders during the guitar solo and later high-fived him before singing the last two lines. When it came time for the inevitable postsong smooch, all he got was a chaste little hug. Well, two out of three of those things ain't bad. Jon Bream is at popmusic@startri bune.com or 612-673-1719. |