October 20 2014 – The last couple of years proved to be a very interesting year for Fleetwood Mac and T-Mak World. As a huge fan of the band I was able to purchase a front row center ticket for the band and wrote a very detailed review as seen from the holy grail of concert seating which any fan of the band should read here. Furthermore that review included a Mick Fleetwood Meet and Greet and I wrote up about that experience as well (read here). As if that VIP package wasn’t amazing enough I was also able to see them at a private function in Las Vegas in a hall that resembled a big wedding style banquet hall – that review can be read here. Hard to top those but hey lets go for it – we now add a show in Toronto that included the return of the amazing Christine McVie and completed the classic 70’s lineup.
Let me tell you this was one hot ticket. In the annoying new-century reality of buying concert tickets all the pre sale seats kinda sucked, and the general public on sale sold out in a millisecond (where there ever any tickets on sale to the general public I wonder?). Last tour the Mick Fleetwood VIP package which included a seat in the first 5 rows was a reasonable $425 – this year? $895 for row 1 and $750 for rows 2-5. Welcome back Christine. Needless to say it is simple demand and supply based economics and there are people who would pay that much for the VIP packages. Going toward the Air Canada Center we had no tickets and planned to try our luck with scalpers. That’s another story on its own and it baffles me how the cops let this illegal activity happen so openly. Long story short we got 13th row tickets for $335 (face value was $250).
Enough pre-amble – Fleetwood Mac were incredibly tight and the final link in the missing part of the chain was back and as in good shape as everyone else. This was Christine McVie’s show and she did not disappoint with her triumphant return to the lighted stage.
Much like a three-ring circus the spotlight was spread amongst the three-ring leaders McVie, Nicks and Buckingham. With the steady beat provided by Fleetwood and (the other) McVie this was easily the most polished we have ever seen the band. The huge ultra HD video screen behind the musicians added an insane experience to the whole effect. The videos were incredibly appropriate and enhanced the show greatly.
Even though I stated there were three ringleaders riding high on talent and charisma this truly was Buckingham’s show. It is beyond comprehension that this man is officially a senior citizen but is in better shape than dudes 30 years younger than him. His epic turn at the spotlight with Go Your Own Way, Big Love, Never Going Back Again and in particular the 9 minute I’m So Afraid reminded us once again that this man is up there on the pantheon of classic rock gods with Jimmy Page and David Gilmour. I am not a professional concert reviewer so no matter how hard I try I can’t come up with any words to do the spectacle any justice so just watch this video below.
The 3 ring circus was fueled by the ladies as well. On one end of the scale we had Buckingham and his high-octane energy (even in the acoustic songs), and on the other side we had the mellow love musings of Stevie Nicks. The only person in the world that can get 20,000 people screaming just by doing a twirl she captivated us with her usual staples such as Landslide, Rhiannon, Silver Springs, Gypsy and Dreams.
The balance between the Nicks Buckingham dynamic was of course the homecoming queen of the night Christine McVie. Her turn at the spotlight finally brought us back songs after her 16 year absence such as You Make Loving Fun, Little Lies, Over My Head, Everywhere and the most emotional moment of the night – the show closer Songbird. McVie delivered that powerful ballad on her grand piano sounding just like she did in 1977 – Buckingham strolled on stage and joined her halfway through the song to make the occasion one for remember for all in attendance.
Although as mentioned the 3 front liners had the spotlight most of the night there were moments where Fleetwood took center stage (quite literally for Gypsy) such as his drum solo for World Turning or his end of concert speech. John McVie even took the spotlight for his 10 second bass solo in The Chain but disappeared in the shadows the rest of the night.
This concert differed from last year’s tour with the removal of Sad Angel, Not That Funny, Sara, Without You, Eyes of the World, Stand Back and Say Goodbye and the addition of the mostly McVie related songs – You Make Loving Fun, Everywhere, I Know I’m Not Wrong, Say You Love Me, Over My Head, Little Lies, and Songbird.
Verdict: 5 out of 5. This show is in my top 3 of all time along with Roger Waters The Wall (which I saw 10 different times) and the early 90’s shows of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (which is as close to Led Zeppelin as I will ever get). As a classic rock aficionado I am hard to pressed to think of any other band huge band from the 70’s that is touring with its complete lineup and sounding so incredibly tight with a powerful and emotional stage show to back up the music. This is hands down the best concert of 2014.
Fleetwood Mac are coming back to Toronto on February 3rd 2015 – do not miss it. Below is the setlist for the night
Here are some final images from this fantastic show. Damn I loved writing this Fleetwood Mac Toronto review!
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