Photo: Jessica Dionne
By Jessica Dionne for Curtains Up (@maccajess)
‘The Mac is back!’ shouted Mick Fleetwood as the entire Bell Centre rose to their feet to applaud the over 3-hour performance by the iconic 70s rock ‘n’ roll band last night at the Bell Centre. Finally reunited with Christine McVie after a 16-year absence, Fleetwood Mac simply seemed to pick up where they’d left off, leaving no musical stoned unturned and delivering a performance that can only be described as magical.
Opening with ‘The Chain’, the band took the audience on a nostalgia trip through the mists of time with classics such as ‘Rhiannon’, ‘Dreams’, ‘Gold Dust Woman’, and the hugely popular ‘Go Your Own Way’ from the timeless Rumours album, which was met with thunderous applause and cheers from the crowd.
Having never had the pleasure of seeing Fleetwood Mac live before last night I was left awe-struck by Mick Fleetwood’s classic – and slightly insane – drumming and by the performances of Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, who in my opinion, absolutely stole the show with their harmonious voices and visible love and respect for one another.
With no opening band and no intermission, it was impressive to see the five band members reconnecting with their younger selves and genuinely enjoying each other’s company on stage, with all but John McVie voicing how wonderful it was to have Christine McVie back in the band.
Highlights of the show included Buckingham’s incredible guitar playing especially during ‘Big Love’ and the beautiful Stevie Nicks’ haunting performance of my personal favourite, ‘Landslide’; to name all the wonderful moments during this concert would go on for days. What a show.
‘We’ve seen our fair share of ups and downs’ said Lindsey Buckingham, ‘but this is the start of a new chapter’.
Photo: Jessica Dionne
Part of the new chapter evidently has the band not only focusing on the music that binds their souls together but also the mutual love, respect, and appreciation that they feel for one another. It was heartwarming to watch Stevie Nicks reach out for Lindsey Buckingham’s hand at various points during the show.
If the Fleetwood Mac without Christine McVie was part of a parallel universe (as put by Nicks) it’s wonderful to see that they’ve chosen to be part of the same universe once again and are striving to keep the music that we love alive.
The Mac is most definitely back.
