Fleetwood Mac: The Dance (1997)

This concert is what all musical dreams are made of and it's just fabulous. I first viewed this 10 years ago (the year it was filmed) and it's a wonder I haven't outplayed the CD and Video/DVD! From the opening chords of "The Chain" through to Christine's beautiful encore of "Songbird", the chills and thrills will run up and down your spine just like Lindsey's fingers run up and down his guitar fretboard.This is a live musical masterpiece and is very addictive viewing and listening. The fabulous five are in fine form throughout, and it appears to be a total reinvention of sorts. The wonderful arena of the Warner Bros. Studios compliments the occasion with it's lavish stage set.There are so many highlights in this great concert including "Dreams", "Everywhere", "Gold Dust Woman", "Landslide", "Over My Head", "Go Your Own Way" and Mick's drumming! However, it's the lead guitar-driven performances of Lindsey Buckingham that steals the show from the hard-rock blues of "I'm So Afraid" (which is a passionately orgasmic experience to behold!) to the acoustically fresh "Big Love" and "Go Insane" both of which illustrate wonderful grace and beauty.There are also some new songs in there too namely "Temporary One", "Bleed To Love Her", "My Little Demon" and "Sweet Girl". Stevie Nicks' crowning moment comes in the form of the beautiful "Silver Springs" - wonderful! The finale is something to behold too, complete with the accompaniment of the USC Marching Band - "Tusk" and "Don't Stop", which leads us to Christine's heartfelt encore at the piano - Fabulous! If you don't own this on CD and DVD then where have you been for the past ten years - go out and buy tomorrow!!!

Bought the DVD 3 weeks ago and already played it 20 times!!! What a reunion! Apart from the fabulous music (as previous reviewers have noted age has improved the performance) a relational mystery is going on. Try to decipher it while watching (I haven't figured it out yet). Stevie and Christine don't seem to fond of each other, for Mick it's all magic, John is, as always, in the background and Lindsey is just brilliant and seem to have taken distance from all that has happened in the past (but still likes Stevie a lot). Even if you only like Fleetwood Mac just a little, still BUY IT. It's worth every (Euro)cent. Best buy in years.

The big reunion concert, from a few years ago, of the battling and estranged members of Fleetwood Mac - concert apparently first shown on MTV.I never really like the studio cuts from this band. It was just more MOR AM fodder, one song sounding like the next - musically induced stupor; while the real bands were playing on the 'rockin' FM station somewhere.But . . this isn't the same band, on the video. This band rocks. Maybe it's the 90s, and all music has more of an 'edge'. But for a bunch of 50+ rockers, these guys could give the Stones lessons in performing rock tunes.Now when I hear Gold Dust Woman from the studio album, in my head I'm hearing Stevie go off on 'you'd better SELL IT! Sell it!', and that soulful wail at the crescendo, from this vid. People around me think I've gone 'soft' or something - cause all they hear in the relatively insipid 70s AM version playing. Alas. I'm hearing something else. Like put _this_ album on the jukebox!I'd never heard Silver Springs, before. It's really a clever and interesting song, when performed with some heart. I'd never heard Buckingham's 'spanish guitar' inspired songs and riffs. It was really impressive - as was the effort he put in to obv. trying to compensate for his aging voice. At first it sounds forced, like some old guy who doesn't quite have it, anymore. Watch the vid over and over again, and it seems less and less to be like that, and more just a really good performance on his part.Hard to believe Buckingham and Nicks started out as a bunch of naked folkies. They've come a long way. You can almost hear Deep Purple and Euro-rock in I'm So Afraid; and a really fitting vocal tone from Buckingham, here, as well. Very versatile. Even the sort of Romper Room feel of Christine's, I suppose 'pure' Mac, ditties sort of grow on you (like Temporary One) - I'd never heard those either. And her keyboard chords, for the other songs, are that extra dramatic 'touch' that you don't quite perceive, but you recognize.It's also great to listen to the economy, but surprizing fill and power, of the notes just from Mick and John. Those two guys make a heck of rhythm section, as it were. Where Lindsey isn't exactly a blues picker or guitar hero, it doesn't matter in that the bottom and beat are so strong to catch any limitation where you expect more from the lead. The guys make it look too easy - just way too easy.It's a video that the more you listen to/watch it, the BETTER it gets. Maybe that's true for music you like, maybe even films. But, it's a shame the 'Mac' couldn't have released something like this for the first albums (but then they wouldn't have had the polish, the sense, the wisdom and the heart, perhaps, that they have now, which makes it possible).

Currently, I am watching Fleetwood Mac's "The Dance" Reunion concert. And-- what? It went through tracks 1-3 in order, then to 5, now to 10. But I remember other songs being there. I don't know. I just wish they would've put "Gold Dust Woman" on the CD. It's an absolute exorcism. Stevie just wails out the end, just screams it out. Then she walks over to Mick and she extends her arm up into the air. So great.Oh! I just noticed something! During "You Make Loving Fun", Christine looks to the side at *somebody* and gets this smile on her face as she sings. I bet she's looking at Eddy (her husband). What ruins the song a little-- I've finally figured it out! See,I've always thought "You Make Loving Fun" was a good song, but something about the live version irked me. I've figured it out-- Stevie's backup singers sing in it. I don't find thier voices all that great. I FORGOT!! CHRISTINE SINGS "OVER MY HEAD" IN THIS!! But the backup singers do a little ditty in it. This is one of my favorite Christine songs. But I guess I can kind of see why they didn't put this on the CD.A)Backup singers B)Too much drum sound C)It's short D)It lacks a middle sound. There's something missing from it. Good song. Screwed up in that particular performance. But they still should've put "Gold Dust Woman" in there.They left "Gypsy" off the CD too? Okay, this better have something in it to justify cos "Gypsy" is one of the better. Hey this version has Lindsey singing in it, so that's pretty cool~ and I think it's the only song form the Mirage album that they play in this.Okay I am also noticing that they cut Lindsey's explanation of "Big Love" beforehand. Oh well, the song MORE than makes up for it. This song had *THE* guitar part. It is absolutely amazing to watch him play.Wow, it's amamzing the things you notice. I should watch this more often. "Big Love" is Maggie's song. I swear, the dog twitched right along with the music as she slept-- it was great. My dog was dreaming about Fleetwood Mac. You know you've had success when that happens.Now, of course, we have "Landslide". What is amazing about Stevie, is that even at 51, she still looks young. Granted, she's not as skinny anymore, but that's another thing I like about her. For once, a female singer in a band does not have to be thin to be beautiful and to be given regard. This woman has paid her dues. They all have. Look however you want, Stevie. And you have never heard a crowd cheer so much as they do when Stevie and Lindsey hug after Landslide.Ahh... Now we're to "Temporary One"-- the new Christine song. They cut her speaking bit in it, oh well. Again, it's made up for. This one they tend to swing out with crowd shots, as they often do with Christine songs. :("Silver Springs" is such an odd key to sing along to. I've tried it so many times, and I can never get it to where it sounds decent. Of course, my voice isn't phenomenal either, but still!! Stevie can quite easily pull it off, as only she can. It is a very beautiful song, and it is fitting that they picked as a single off this album.Hmmm... noticing that they cut out some of the intro to "Go Your Own Way" on the CD. Why? It's a whole extra, what, 10-15 seconds? Big Deal There!!You know what's cool about Tusk? 1)Christine plays the accordian in it!! How cool is that? 2)It's tribal sounding. Granted, it's more tribal sounding with the studio version, but it's still there for the Dance. But, man, got to love the accordian. That right there makes anyone who ever said the accordian was a dorky instrument, a prime canidate for a mental evaluation. Christine-- You go with that accordian!! Where? I don't know! Go here! :) I love it.And finally, there is "Don't Stop". This, right here, totally shows the genius of Christine McVie. If there were a song that Fleetwood Mac would be most widely known for, it would be "Don't Stop". Christine wrote it, but I don't think she gets enough credit for it. Most people don't even realize that she sings in it. That's what I used to think when I was younger hearing the song, before I even knew who FM was. Her voice *is* quite low, so I guess to the untrained listener... well you get the point.Anyhow-- "Don't Stop" is a masterpeice, but I have to be in the mood to listen to it. You can't listen to a big booming symphony all the time, anytime. Sometimes you have to take things quietly.