The Nicks Fix - Fleetwood Mac Fan Reviews

Say You Will FAN REVIEWS

12/04/03 Manchester Evening News Arena Manchester, England

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Karen Patton
My name is Karen Patton I am 27 years old and this is the first concert I have ever been to in my life. I have grown up listening to Fleetwood Mac and I know they are one of the best rock bands. The concert started off with the all time classic "The Chain" which really rocked the whole arena. Lindsey Buckingham is absolutely amazing on the guitar, especially on the song "Come" which is from the new "Say You Will" album. Mick Fleetwood did an excellent drum solo on "World Turning" and had us all clapping to the rhythmn. I was hoping that "Silver Girl" would have been sung but maybe they might sing that at the next concert. Stevie Nicks' voice is beautiful and I really liked her singing "Silver Springs" and "Beautiful Child" because they have lovely lyrics. The concert went really well except for one hitch were Mick Fleetwood had started the drumming on "Tusk" and Lindsey Buckingham spotted some fans fighting in front of the stage. Lindsey and Stevie ordered them out of the arena and then started the "Tusk" song again. This must have really upset them but they did not let it spoil the concert which I was pleased at. Some fans just have no respect but I am glad the concert picked up really well. I am now looking forward to the next concert and I cant wait until the tour dates are released. Rock on Fleetwood Mac!

John Crofts
Still on a high after a quite stunning,beautiful concert.The chemistry between the band members are still there for all to see.From the opening beat of the bass drum on The Chain you knew this was special.Lindsey was a true rock and roll man,getting lost in his guitar solo`s and throwing his guitars around stage.Stevie`s voice was as strong and elegant as ever.Mick using his full array of drums,cymballs and gongs.(Not forgeting his body drum pads.Class.)John,always at Mick`s side,playing some pumping baselines.They were on stage for over two and a half hours and looked as though they could go on ...and on...and on...Young wannabees take note.This is how it`s done.The highlights were Stevie`s dance in the chours of Say You Will,Lindsay`s guitar solo on I`m So Afraid,(It went on forever),Landslide,naturally,Mick`s drum solo and Lindsay and Stevie sparing on Tusk.I`ve been waiting to see them scince august 90 when they played at Manchester and it was worth the wait.Please don`t leave it as long again,guys.Thanks for the music.Remember,never break the chain.:-)

Simon Pearson
I went to the Manchester (UK) Venue to see Stevie and Fleetwood Mac and was absolutely amazed. They seemed just as fresh as when I last saw them in 1988, although now we have the genius that is Lyndsey Buckingham back. The songs were absolutely superb and when Mick started strutting his stuff everyone went wild. The highlight of any Fleetwood Mac concert is always Stevie's voice, and she didn't disappoint. Prior to the concert I had a really scary moment when I met Mick Fleetwood whilst crossing a bridge behind the hotel we were both staying in. Mick was by himself and walking towards me as I was walking to the MEN Arena, and he had a cloth cap on, very typical headgear for people over in the UK, particularly Yorkshire. The concert? ALL the songs were awesome, and to my Wife I would like to say thank you for the very possible Christmas present she could have given me. Long may Stevie and Fleetwood Mac continue. Priceless!

Kaz & Co.
When i first heard the Mac were on tour i was absolutly gobsmacked i couldn't believe that the band i loved so much were on tour, and i've never seen them before as i'm only 27 and have never had the chance to, but i knew i couldn't miss the chance to see them, i couldn't wait for the concert. On the day i was so excited i played the Mac all day getting all my singing practice in for the big night. When we finally got there the excitement was too much and i turned into a child of 10 on christmas morning!! I couldn't believe that i was about to see them all in the flesh (minus Christine of course who was missed). Sitting there getting ready to jump up i can't tell you how emotional i was, then out they walked to the beat of 'The Chain' and most of the crowd, jumped up and roared, there were a lot of older fans there and most didn't even move sometimes we were told to sit down a lot which we weren't happy about so it ended up that when you looked around the Arena nobody was stood dancing, except on the floor and i thought to myself the Mac want to see you dancing to their music not sitting down as there were a lot of people my age there aswell who wanted to get up and dance (you're never too old). Anyway the Mac were just fantastic, Stevie was just beautiful her voice was spectacular, Lindsey well what can i say you could feel his guitar in your soul it was that intense, Mick was a laugh pulling faces on the big screen and shouting 'ohh yeah' John was quiet and you could only recognise him from his white cap because he hid bless him. Songs from the new album sounded great just as good as everything else they've written. Lindsey played an acoustic version of Big Love which just rocked. The highlight of my night was Silver Springs, Stevie kept looking over at Lindsey as she was singing it and he returned her gaze, it was beautiful, that went on for most of the night the chemistry was amazing between them it was like they were back together again in the early days so comfortable with each other like a couple is feeding off each other the odd touch here and there and Stevie putting her arms around Lindsey as he played his guitar then a full embrace for a good 10-15 seconds or so it was lovely to see. 'Gold Dust Woman' had Stevie draped in a golden shawl and waving her arms about, beautifully and gracefully as she does, and at the end of the song turning her back and shaking her shawl to the beat of the drum. At one point in the show Stevie and Lindsey started boxing with each other they were having so much fun on the stage what a performance. Stevie said just before she sang 'Beautiful Child' thank you to the very kind man who let me sing this for you and it was beautiful. Micks body drums were fantastic Lindsey was laughing at him pulling faces. I can't comment on each song they were all just amazing, 'Landslide', 'Rhiannon', 'Gypsy', you could hear everyone singing their hearts out and as the songs came to an end people shouting we love you Stevie, we love you Lindsey, and Stevie acknowledging with a smile and a wave. A fight broke out on the floor right in front of the stage just as 'Tusk' started and Lindsey shouted stop it, f******g stop it now, and the crowd cheered then Stevie stepped up and shouted get out of our concert and the crowd went wild then Lindsey retaining his composure said calmly shall we start again and then into Tusk they played. the only thing i was a bit depressed about was that i wasn't close enough to get Lindsey's autograph as he signed them after the show never mind i'll get it one day!. I think towards the end of the show people were getting a little fed up with sitting down and as they went into 'Go Your Own Way' people stood up and danced like they'd never danced before. It was great to see the Mac back in action such good songwriters should never retire as they've given so much inspiration to others and each song coming from personal experiences and such heartache, a truely wonderful experience that i shall never forget and i hope to get the chance just one more time to do it again. Thank you god for these wonderful people. 'The Mac is well and truely back'

Gail and Bob
Well what can I say thats not already been said here so may times. But first a couple of negatives. Many people had still not taken to their seats at 8.15 resulting in the band not arriving on stage till about 8.20. When you've been waiting over 10 years to see the worlds number 1 band then that 20 minutes seems a hell of a long time. Next, and finally the cretins who decided to start fighting during the intro to Tusk. Handled impeccably first by Lindsey and then Stevie. These apart, and neither obviously with the band at fault the whole night ROCKED. The last time I saw the band live was at Maine Road Manchester (1992 I think) when Lindsey had left the band. Whilst Rick and Billy are very competant guitarists it just wasn't the same. Like so many other people I had a secret wish that Christine would perhaps re-join for at least some of the 'home leg'. Should you ever read this Christine your imput and harmonies are missed on the older material. The newer stuff though is absolutely fantastic. During Lindseys solo accoustic version of 'Big Love' I could feel the hairs on my neck standing up, as they do every time I hear it on 'The Dance' cd. Like a good wine much of the re-worked material just gets better and better(even without Christine) as it matures. Well guys and Stevie, when the tours over, take a break, go off and do your own things, but please please come back and do it for us again. You are THE best.

Jayne
We arrived at the arena about 10 minutes before the doors opened at 6.30pm. There were other people waiting and some were buying the official programmes, including me, although I (and others) thought they were overpriced at £15! Inside, there was other merchandise for sale but lots of people were just looking and not buying cos of the crazy prices. Luckily we had pretty good seats on the floor of the arena, two rows in front of the mixing desks and on the end of the aisle. The stewards would n't let us go to the front and stand up though since we were n't in the first blocks of seats. The concert did n't start until after 8.20pm instead of 8.00pm for some reason but then suddenly the lights went down and the crowd started clapping and cheering as Mac walked on stage! Thankfully, we were allowed to stay standing throughout the whole concert which was great for us since we had extra room in the aisle. So often they make you sit down at concerts in Britain cos of rules and regulations! And who wants to sit! Anyway, the band started playing 'The Chain' and Stevie looked absolutely fantastic in her black dress, her blonde hair flowing and red nails holding onto the mike which was strewn with streamers. She had a diamond wrist watch on with a black strap, the face on the inside of her wrist, and later I noticed she had what looked like a large diamond ring on the 3rd finger of her left hand. LIndsey was in spectacular form and his guitar playing was magnificent. It was great to hear the old songs interspersed with the new material from 'Say You Will' but it was obvious that a lot of the crowd were n't that familiar with the new songs. Not surprising really since there has n't been much promotion of Mac's new album over here compared to that in the States. Which is probably why we all had the cover slip from the CD on our seats. But it was just fantastic to see them play live and although there were 2 video screens up, I managed to see Stevie perform through the binoculars really well. She was just amazing and her voice was the best I 've heard in concert. It was also great to hear 'Beautiful Child' and ' Silver Springs' since I don't recall Stevie ever singing them live before in all the concerts I've been to over the years. There was a slight pause just after the start of 'Tusk' when Lindsey stopped playing and pointed at the front of the crowd by the stage. It seems there was something going on that should n't have been and he shouted 'Get the **** outta here!' Then Stevie said 'How dare you do that in our concert!' Lindsey then said 'Lets start that again' and they moved into 'Tusk'. Although Christine was n't there, which of course meant some songs could n't really be played, the whole band gelled together brilliantly . John was his usual stalwart self and Mick's drum performance really got the crowd involved. There were two encores, the first ended with 'Don't Stop' and then they all came back on whilst Stevie finished with 'Goodbye Baby' which she sang beautifully, dressed in a pink shawl over her dress. The whole night was magnificent but for me was tinged with sadness. My friend of over 28 years died on 25th March and being great Mac fans we always went to concerts together. We had planned to go to several concerts in this tour but I could only bring myself to go to one without him and even that was difficult, but I decided to go because I am sure he'd have wanted me to see the band and especially Stevie. I 'm sure he was there with me dancing in the aisle!

Lesley
Absolutely brilliant. The highlights of the night for me were: Gypsy, Beautiful Child (could not believe my ears when they started to play this - it is one of my top 10 favourite songs of all time), Silver Springs. It could only have been topped off if they had done Sisters of the Moon. And if I look as good as Stevie at 55 I'll be very pleased! I would love Stevie to come back to the UK on her own next time - I last saw her solo in 1989 at Birmingham and it's been too long!

Mark
After waiting for 13 years to see Fleetwood Mac or Stevie Nicks tonight i finally got my chance. I had been worlking myself up into a state of fervour and they didn't disappoint at all. They took to the stage at about 8.20 with the familiar sound of The Chain. Stevie has never sounded so good she just tore into all of her songs and was fantastic. Highlights for me were Rhiannon - a very good rocky ending, this is one of my fav songs of all time and i can die happy now that i have seen her perform this live Stand Back - best song of the night without a doubt this kicked some serious ass Beautiful Child - Heartbreakingly sad and a different ending to what i've heard her do on other shows on this tour Gold Dust woman - brilliant again Gypsy - stunning -but was so wrapped up in her i forgot that they were playing the gypsy video as the back drop Say you will - finally got to see those dance moves Landslide - she cracked up laughing on the last chorus due to something somebody shouted to her Dreams was brilliant and Goodbye baby had me crying at the end. Lindsey was white hot electric all night - come and Peacekeeeper rocked. Like dsay goodbye with just stevie and Lindsey Go your own way had everyone on their feet singing along. The intro to Tusk was brilliant but here was the only down point. Lindsey stopped the concert as he had seena group of people attack a man - he asked them to leave the arena - here's a little transcript from memory "will you get the fuck out of our concert" Stevie also joined in "How dare you , get out of our concert" she then stood up at the front of the stage with her hand on her hips staring them down - until they were removed from the audience. I was worried that maybe this would make them leave or cut the gig short but from then on they were flaming hot. Even the world turning drum solo was amazing. It was an amazing night and one i will never ever forget there was not a bad moment and i was truly enthralled by how majestic a performer Miss Nicks is - i loved the very gracious way she said Thank you after every one of her songs. I had tears in my eyes by the end and i think it was because i had just been to the best concert i have ever attended in my life.

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