Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, Tour Info

Mick Fleetwood: For the love of blues | The Sportsman’s Review

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By Nathan Weinbender
Sept 22nd, 2016

Legendary drummer, Fleetwood Mac cofounder brings his blues combo to the Fox

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Mick Fleetwood has perhaps one of the most prominent surnames in rock, having lent it to the enduring, platinum-selling pop outfit Fleetwood Mac. But the towering British drummer now has another namesake, the rootsy quartet known as the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band, which stops by the Fox on Wednesday.

“This tour is short and very busy, and we don’t often do it,” Fleetwood said from his tour bus, en route to California. “It’s spotty. It’s not a consistent thing.”

But it’s not like Fleetwood has a lot of free time. Fleetwood Mac recently completed two world tours (one of which brought them to Spokane in June 2013), and four members of the band’s most successful lineup have been working on new original material. Now that he’s back on the road with his other band, Fleetwood admits that he’s something of a “glutton for punishment.”

“It’s just for the love of playing, really,” Fleetwood said. “We’re not out promoting anything. We’re just getting up and doing what we do. I like to play, and this is a great little band.”

The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band formed 12 years ago and frequently serves as in-house entertainment at Fleetwood’s Maui restaurant, Fleetwood on Front St. Unlike Fleetwood Mac, which has had some major personnel shakeups over the years, this band’s lineup has remained the same: Fleetwood on drums, bassist Lenny Castellanos, keyboard player Mark Johnstone and guitarist Rick Vito, who briefly replaced singer-guitarist Lindsay Buckingham during a hiatus from Fleetwood Mac in the late ’80s. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood: For the love of blues | The Sportsman’s Review →

Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac

Christine McVie quit Fleetwood Mac over flying phobia | durhamregion.com

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durhamregion.com
21st Sept, 2016

Christine McVie quit Fleetwood Mac because she developed a fear of flying.bs2bs1209229_image1_content

The 73-year-old singer used to whizz around the globe for the ‘Go Your Own Way’ rockers’ mammoth tours on their own private jets, but she slowly developed a phobia of flying and had to leave the band 18 years ago because she couldn’t bring herself to step foot on a plane.

Speaking on UK station BBC Radio 2 on Wednesday (09.21.16), she said: “It must have been six years ago or seven. It was when I did a little tour of an album but at the time I was so frightened of flying that I couldn’t promote it. That was a big thing, I had a real phobia of flying. I think I did one too many (trips in private planes). I think that’s kind of why I left the band.”

The British songwriter – who was married to her bandmate John McVie from 1968 until 1976 – later went to therapy to help her beat her extreme phobia. Continue reading Christine McVie quit Fleetwood Mac over flying phobia | durhamregion.com →

Fleetwood Mac, Release Info, Reviews

Fleetwood Mac: Mirage (Expanded Reissue) | American Songwriter

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Fleetwood Mac
Mirage (Expanded Reissue)
(Warner Brothers/Rhino)
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Often considered the belated follow-up to 1977’s mega platinum Rumours, 1982’s Mirage was a clear retreat from the somewhat abrasive, occasionally commercial avant-pop of the controversial Tusk. While that album has, over the decades, come to be respected as Lindsey Buckingham’s creative zenith, it appears Warner Brothers was less enthusiastic about their star act’s detour into the artsy abyss. Perhaps Mac were tired of it themselves, because the slick, glossily produced Mirage seems a capitulation to an audience who might have found the dense, inconsistent, but bold Tusk a musical and drug-fueled bridge too far.

While Mirage was no Rumours, its dozen sophisticated pop songs include such near-classics as “Love in Store,” “Gypsy,” and “Hold Me,” the latter two appearing on most subsequent Mac hits packages. But there are other, often unappreciated gems here too. Selections such as Buckingham’s folksy “Can’t Go Back,” Stevie Nicks’ surprisingly effective foray into country “That’s Alright,” the frisky pop/rock and sumptuous harmonies of “The Eyes of the World” and the closing “Wish You Were Here,” one of the always dependable Christine McVie’s more affecting and least appreciated pieces, are well worth reexamining. Continue reading Fleetwood Mac: Mirage (Expanded Reissue) | American Songwriter →

Fleetwood Mac, Release Info

Mick Fleetwood on Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Overlooked’ Smash ‘Mirage’ | Rolling Stone

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By Richard Bienstock
20th Sept, 2016
Rolling Stone

Ahead of new reissue, drummer talks “wild and romantic” France sessions, opulent video shoots and more

In advance of Fleetwood Mac's new 'Mirage' reissue, Mick Fleetwood recalls making the comparatively modest 'Tusk' follow-up. Neal Preston
In advance of Fleetwood Mac’s new ‘Mirage’ reissue, Mick Fleetwood recalls making the comparatively modest ‘Tusk’ follow-up. Neal Preston

“I don’t think it would be wrong to say it sort of got overlooked,” says Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood, reminiscing about his band’s 1982 album, Mirage, which will be reissued in a deluxe package via Warner Bros. on September 23rd. It’s something of an odd statement to make about a record that charted at Number One on the Billboard 200, spawned multiple hit singles and went on to sell more than three million copies. Of course, when you’re in Fleetwood Mac, the definition of what constitutes success is relative.

The album, the band’s 13th studio effort overall and fourth to feature singer Stevie Nicks and singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham alongside longtime members Fleetwood, bassist John McVie and singer/keyboardist Christine McVie, came on the heels of one of the more impressive runs in rock: the lineup’s smash 1975 “debut,” Fleetwood Mac; the now-more-than-40-million-selling follow-up, Rumours; and the sprawling and sonically adventurous Buckingham-helmed double–LP Tusk (a commercial “failure” that still managed to move several million copies). By the time the band reconvened for Mirage in May 1981, they had been off the road for close to a year, during which time three members had recorded – but not yet released – solo albums (Buckingham’s Law and Order, Fleetwood’s The Visitor and Nicks’ eventual chart-topping, multi-platinum Bella Donna). That time apart, combined with the tensions that had been brought on by the experimental nature of the Tusk album, left them ready to recapture a bit of the old Rumours magic, so to speak. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood on Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Overlooked’ Smash ‘Mirage’ | Rolling Stone →

Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac, Release Info

10 Questions for Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac | theartsdesk

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The peacemaker of Fleetwood Mac on Mirage, Maui and missing the buzz

by Tuesday, 20 September 2016

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theartsdesk meets Christine McVie on a sunny Friday afternoon in September; the Warner Brothers boardroom (with generous hospitality spread) is suitably palatial. We’re the first media interview of the day, so she’s bright and attentive. McVie was always the member of Fleetwood Mac who you’d want to adopt: the most approachably human member of a band constantly at war with itself. Readily admitting that she’s the “peacekeeper’ in the band, the singer/songwriter behind such Mac classics as “Everywhere” and “You Make Loving Fun” is as sweet and serene as you’d hope she would be.

She’s here to promote the new deluxe remaster of 1982 album Mirage – the follow-up to the somewhat deranged 1979 Tusk, which was recorded and released as Christine and John McVie, the band’s bassist, were divorcing. She quit the band in 1998 after the hugely successful live album The Dance, after which she started a fairly solitary life of her own in the English countryside for the best part of 16 years. The first four of those, she says, were simply spent working on the house. It was only therapy and the canny, persuasive hand of Mick Fleetwood that coaxed her into returning after a trip to Maui, Hawaii, where Mick lives close to John McVie, his lifelong partner-in-crime.

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The former Christine Perfect had a severe fear of flying that she’s now completely beaten, and as we speak, it’s clear that she’s fairly perplexed about having left the fray for so long in the first place. So what was she doing in all that time exactly? “A lot of people ask me that question!” With a brand new album (their first since 2001’s Say You Will) and a new world tour in the planning stages, it’s clear that the Fleetwood Mac story still has several enthralling chapters ahead. Somewhere near Fleetwood’s on Front Street – Mick’s fancy restaurant in Maui – the drummer must be feeling pretty smug that the ragged band of brothers and sisters he founded are finally back together.

Continue reading 10 Questions for Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac | theartsdesk →

Solo Activity, Stevie Nicks, Tour Info

Stevie Nicks Talks About Empowering Women, Fleetwood Mac and her Next Tour | Huffington Post

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Kyle Stevens
The Huffington Post
19th Sept, 2016

Legend. Icon. Storyteller.

Photo Credit: Kristin Burns
Photo Credit: Kristin Burns

“I have a super loud voice,” Stevie Nicks said with a laugh. The world is thankful for it. Her voice is necessary in times like these. The future is up in the air and Stevie Nicks has stepped up to the plate to be the heroine will we need. She is taking the show on the road and it will be unlike anything anyone has ever seen before. The 27-city tour starts on October 25th in Phoenix and will travel to places like Atlanta, Toronto, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York City and more. “The 24 Karat Gold Tour” is the next chapter in the mythical career of Stevie Nicks.

In an exclusive interview with The Huffington Post, Nicks went into detail about what fans should look forward to when “The 24 Karat Gold Tour” comes to town. “I made a list. I went all the way back into my full catalog because the 24 Karat Gold record has a lot of songs. It also does encompass in many ways all the songs from all my solo records. So I’m having to pick. My list ended up to be 31 songs, it’s really ridiculous. I have an amazing opening act in The Pretenders. It cannot be a three hour set like I just finished doing with Fleetwood Mac and I asked, ‘But Why?’ My musical director and lead guitarist asked if I cut down the set at all yet and I went, ‘Nope.’ So I said, ‘Just hand out the 31 songs to the band and tell them they don’t have to learn them all perfectly. They just have to be aware that we need to play these songs because sometimes the songs that you think are going to be the best aren’t and sometimes the songs that you think will never work ends up being some of your favorite things,’” she told me. It was quite clear that Stevie Nicks created an adventurous and exciting air around her latest undertaking. Continue reading Stevie Nicks Talks About Empowering Women, Fleetwood Mac and her Next Tour | Huffington Post →

Solo Activity, Stevie Nicks, TV Spot, Video Clip

Watch Stevie Nicks’ Flawless Performance of ‘Landslide’ on America’s Got Talent | TIME

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Feliz Solomon @felizysolo
Sept. 15, 2016

In the words of 12-year-old finalist Grace VanderWaal, she’s “a true hero”

Leave it to Stevie Nicks to steal everyone’s thunder.

The former leading lady of Fleetwood Mac graced the stage on the season finale of America’s Got Talent Wednesday night, delivering a flawless performance of the band’s classic hit “Landslide.”

Nicks, now 68, was introduced by AGT finalist Grace VanderWaal, this season’s prodigy singer-songwriter, entertainment news site Hollywood Life reports.

Nicks is “a true hero of inspiration,” the 12-year-old VanderWaal said, before turning the mic over to the master.

At the end of her gripping performance, the audience erupted as Nicks hit her high note and brought the judges to their feet for a standing ovation.

The soft-rock icon left the stage only after a few words of encouragement for her young fan-girl.

“I have to say she reminds me a lot of me in a lot of ways,” Nicks said of VanderWaal. “She’s got it… Whatever happens, Grace is going to the top.”

Fleetwood Mac, Solo Activity, Stevie Nicks, Tour Info

Stevie Nicks on Secret to Fleetwood Mac’s Longevity, Touring Like Prince | Rolling Stone

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By Brittany Spanos
September 14, 2016
Rolling Stone

Ahead of 24 Karat Gold solo tour, singer-songwriter talks set lists, “sex, rock & roll and drugs” songs, and more

Steve Nicks discusses how her solo career helps keep Fleetwood Mac stable, and why she can no longer write "sex, rock & roll and drugs" songs. Kristin Burns
Steve Nicks discusses how her solo career helps keep Fleetwood Mac stable, and why she can no longer write “sex, rock & roll and drugs” songs. Kristin Burns

Stevie Nicks has been having trouble sleeping. The Fleetwood Mac vocalist wrapped up a year-and-a-half long tour with her band last November, but even as she’s begun rehearsing for a solo tour in support of 2014’s 24 Karat Gold that will launch in October, Nicks has yet to find herself on a better schedule.

“I’ve gotten into the habit of not going to sleep until somewhere between five and seven, and when I’m not working I can sleep until four [in the afternoon],” she reveals, blaming the tour routing schedule that had the band jumping between cities and time zones every other day. “I wish I had worked harder on it because now it’s gonna be harder for me to, but I’ll figure it out because I always do.”

Even though she doesn’t necessarily need to, the legendary vocalist and songwriter felt determined to get back on the road even after touring for so long with the Mac, who reunited with Christine McVie after a 16-year break. Just before McVie’s return, Nicks had finished recording 24 Karat Gold, based on a collection of demos from throughout her career that she had personally cut from the various Fleetwood Mac and solo albums they were originally intended to be on. She spent two and half months in Nashville with friend and producer Dave Stewart recording the songs, and the same day she turned the album into Warner Bros., she entered a rehearsal room with one of rock’s most iconic, formerly tempestuous line-ups. Continue reading Stevie Nicks on Secret to Fleetwood Mac’s Longevity, Touring Like Prince | Rolling Stone →

Solo Activity, Stevie Nicks, Tour Info, UK Articles

Stevie Nicks to honour Prince during upcoming US tour | Daily Mail

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By ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: Daily Mail
13:49, 13 September 2016

Stevie Nicks is trying to whittle down the set list for her upcoming solo tour, but one song that definitely made the cut is her 1983 hit “Stand Back” with Prince. Originally written as a compliment, now it will be a tribute.

FILE - This May 13, 2014 file photo shows Stevie Nicks, winner of the BMI Icon Award, at the 62nd Annual BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. Nicks’ two-month tour kicks off Oct. 25 in support of her 2014 album “24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault,” her sixth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
FILE – This May 13, 2014 file photo shows Stevie Nicks, winner of the BMI Icon Award, at the 62nd Annual BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. Nicks’ two-month tour kicks off Oct. 25 in support of her 2014 album “24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault,” her sixth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

The Fleetwood Mac singer, who heard Prince’s “Little Red Corvette” on her car radio and loved it so much she decided to write an answer song, hasn’t played “Stand Back” since Prince died in April.

“I will be singing it for the first time without Prince being on the planet,” she said. “That is going to be horrible, but it doesn’t mean that I don’t want to pay homage to my ‘Little Red Corvette’ friend. I’ll sing it forever for him now.”

Nicks’ two-month tour with The Pretenders kicks off Oct. 25 in support of her 2014 album, “24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault.” She never got a chance to promote the CD since she spent most of the last three years on the road with Fleetwood Mac.
Nicks promises songs from “24 Karat Gold” as well as old favorites like “Dreams,” ”If Anyone Falls,” ”New Orleans,” ”Bella Donna,” ”Rooms on Fire” and “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.”

“Stand Back” will be there, fueled by the memory of her having lured Prince into the recording studio to play keyboards on the song he inspired. She said one of her deepest regrets is never getting him to join her onstage for a live version.

Though Nicks and Prince were friends, the two didn’t hang out much. One thing they disagreed on was drug use. “He hated them. And he hated that I did drugs and that’s probably why we didn’t hang out more,” she said. Continue reading Stevie Nicks to honour Prince during upcoming US tour | Daily Mail →

Fleetwood Mac, Solo Activity, Stevie Nicks, Tour Info

Stevie Nicks on Crafting a Setlist for 24 Karat Gold Tour, Possible Fleetwood Mac Album & Wishing She’d Performed With Prince | Billboard

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8th Sept, 2016
Billboard Online
by Keith Caulfield

Whenever I play ‘Stand Back’ from this day forward, Prince will be standing next to me.”

Stevie Nicks, photo by Danny Clinch
Stevie Nicks, photo by Danny Clinch

““I’m hoping that this will be as much fun for the audience as it’s gonna be for me,” Stevie Nicks tells Billboard about her just-announced 24 Karat Gold Tour. The two-month trek — launching Oct. 25 in Phoenix, with the Pretenders opening — supports her 2014 effort 24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault, which marked her sixth top 10 album on the Billboard 200 chart.

The album was comprised of tracks Nicks had written and made demo recordings for decades ago but had never been included on any of her previous albums. Then, in 2014, she and producer Dave Stewart headed to Nashville with the demos and recorded entirely new versions of the songs to produce 24 Karat Gold. “I think this [tour] is going to be great,” Nicks says. “I think that all the fans are gonna have a ball. And I hope that they totally just dress up — as Wendy Williams would say, ‘Dress to the nines.’ And come to party, and sing.”

Nicks says the setlist for the tour is still being shaped (it’s “about at 30 songs right now”) but will feature songs from 24 Karat Gold and possibly title cuts from some of her older albums, like “Bella Donna,” “Wild Heart” and “Trouble in Shangri-La.” She wants the show to “have its little explosions of fun” from the various parts of her career. Nicks also gives a hint to fans: “You know what, you might want to come to two shows, because you never know: There might be an alternative [set]list.” Continue reading Stevie Nicks on Crafting a Setlist for 24 Karat Gold Tour, Possible Fleetwood Mac Album & Wishing She’d Performed With Prince | Billboard →