Photo courtesy of fleetwoodmac.com
Story by Allison Borrell / Contributing Writer
Fleetwood Mac is one of those bands everyone has heard about, whether they love them, hate them or have no interest in them, but the packed crowd at Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night showed they belong in that first category.
Promoted as “An Evening with Fleetwood Mac,” the entire two-and-a-half hour show was dedicated to the rock ‘n’ roll icons. Although the lineup of the band was altered for this tour, with Crowded House frontman Neil Finn and former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell taking the place of beloved member and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, most fans didn’t seem to mind. The band didn’t seem too bothered by it either, not even hinting to his absence throughout the show.
Much of the 2019 tour setlist spotlighted the women of the band, lead vocalist Stevie Nicks and keyboardist/vocalist Christine McVie. With the first three songs being “The Chain,” “Little Lies” and “Dreams,” the two commanded the stage with the power behind their voices.
One of the high points of the night was about a third of the way into the show, with the band performing founding member Peter Green’s song, “Black Magic Woman.” Originally written and released in 1968 as a Fleetwood Mac single, Nicks wanted to pay homage to Green and the song itself by giving it a new touch with her female vocals. Needless to say, her unique voice and feminine mystique made it into a truly hypnotic performance.
As one might have guessed, Nicks proved to be the main attraction for Nashville throughout the night. As the starting notes of major Nicks-led hits like “Rhiannon,” “Gypsy” and “Landslide” rang out, the crowd immediately perked up and sang along.
Despite Nicks’ charming stardom and doting fanbase making up most of the show, every member of the band was given a chance to showcase their talents. Christine McVie had crowd members full of adoring nostalgia with her classic songs, “Say You Love Me” and “You Make Loving Fun.” In the middle of “World Turning,” a song that has been featured on multiple Fleetwood Mac tours, precision-driven drummer Mick Fleetwood performed an impressive drum solo that lasted nearly 10 minutes.
The band’s newcomers were also given the opportunity to show Nashville just how useful their skills are to the lineup, with Campbell cranking out multiple guitar solos throughout the night and Finn nailing the frontman position for “Second Hand News” and “Go Your Own Way.” Finn also delivered a perfectly executed acoustic rendition of Crowded House’s top hit, “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”
Arguably the most mesmerizing song of the night was Nicks’ “Gold Dust Woman.” Drawn out to be a 10-minute performance, Nicks danced and twirled across the stage in a gold shawl thrown over her black dress as the screen flashed glittering golden images of a woman behind her. Nicks seemed to give off some of the most emotion and intensity of the night throughout this song, something that could be felt reverberating throughout the crowd as all eyes stayed locked on her.
Before the night was over, the band came back out for a three-song encore, kicking it off with a Tom Petty tribute by covering “Free Fallin’” before rolling into one of the band’s most well-known hits, “Don’t Stop,” and ending with unexpected closer “All Over Again.” The show’s ending left Nashville beaming.
The show at Bridgestone Arena on Feb. 27 was part of Fleetwood Mac’s extensive North American tour running from November to April.
Fleetwood Mac’s lush discography is available to stream or buy across multiple platforms, including Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Mamie Lomax, email lifestyles@mtsusidelines.com.
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