For a band whose career has been so assiduously documented, Fleetwood Mac<\/strong> have always had a knotty relationship with their past. Great swathes of it are essentially ignored, while the domestic dramas of four decades ago are still the pivot for Fleetwood Mac\u2019s live shows in 2015. Last time they played in London, for instance, the narrative privileged Lindsey Buckingham<\/strong> and Stevie Nicks as the tragic star-crossed former lovers reunited; this time round, it\u2019s the return of Christine McVie<\/strong> after a 16 year absence that provides the show with its motor. Not that you\u2019d necessarily forget such a momentous occasion, of course: the band have a weird, almost neurotic need to constantly refer back to the narrative in hand. Tonight, for instance, we are routinely told how delighted they are that McVie is back in the fold, while it falls to McVie herself to spell out the specifics of her return to the band: \u201cIt was two years ago I stood on this very stage and played \u2018Don\u2019t Stop\u2019\u2026\u201d Meanwhile, Buckingham is eager to present McVie\u2019s return as part of \u201ca karmic, circular moment\u201d in the band\u2019s evolution. \u201cWe are a group of individuals that have seen their fair share of ups and downs,\u201d he explains to anyone who\u2019s not been paying attention since Rumours<\/em> came out. \u201cBut we\u2019re still here! And that\u2019s what makes us what we are. With the return of the beautiful Christine, there is no doubt that we begin a brand new, prolific and profound and beautiful chapter in the story of this band, Fleetwood Mac.\u201dDespite Buckingham\u2019s warm predictions for the future, tonight\u2019s set is typically focussed on the band\u2019s mid-Seventies era: half specifically from Rumours<\/a>. Writing in his autobiography, Play On<\/strong>, Fleetwood admits to a \u201cpreservationist instinct\u201d when it comes to his band\u2019s history. \u201cOn my farm in Maui, Hawaii,\u201d he begins, \u201cI have a weather-sealed barn full of memorabilia: photographs, journals, clothes, cars, endless video tapes, concert recordings, all bits of Fleetwood Mac and my life. As much as I\u2019ve always been driven creatively to move forward toward something bigger, brighter and unknown, I\u2019m also a deeply-rooted nostalgic.\u201d Although Fleetwood\u2019s archivist sensibilities may be firmly entrenched, as a live proposition, the band has a prescribed cut-off point: you might not know, for instance, that Fleetwood Mac released 10 albums before Rumours<\/em>. It\u2019s a lovely thing that Christine McVie<\/strong> is back in the band; but for all the harmonic brilliance of \u201cEverywhere\u201d and \u201cLittle Lies<\/strong>\u201d, it\u2019d be wonderful to hear \u201cShow Me A Smile\u201d or \u201cCome A Little Bit Closer\u201d. It\u2019d be even better to get Danny Kirwan<\/strong> on to play \u201cWoman Of A 1000 Days<\/strong>\u201c. Alas, the demarcation line between the early line-ups and the Buckingham\/Nicks era is so rigorously enforced that we\u2019re not treated to anything released prior to \u201cthe first album in this configuration\u201d \u2013 as McVie rather formally describes the Fleetwood Mac<\/em> record.<\/p>\n Admittedly, it is hard to argue with the sheer brilliance of the Buckingham\/Nicks\/McVie line-up. But with McVie back in the band, the set-list highlights the disjunct between the band\u2019s three writers. This is most evident on the run of songs from \u201cRhiannon<\/strong>\u201d to \u201cEverywhere<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cI Know I\u2019m Not Wrong\u201d: Nicks\u2019 is witchy and soft-focus, McVie\u2019s is bright and nimble while Buckingham\u2019s is left-field and surprisingly angry. Admittedly, McVie brings a balance to the show \u2013 both in terms of opening out the set list but also the way she softens the on-stage dynamic. Outwardly, at least, she appears less eccentric than Buckingham and more grounded than Stevie Nicks<\/strong>. She is also thankfully brisk when introducing her songs; unlike her bandmates. Nicks, particularly, takes an age to get to \u201cGypsy<\/strong>\u201d, by way of a lengthy story from 1968 involving Hendrix, Joplin and a San Francisco clothing store. Buckingham, meanwhile, over shares considerably with his intro to \u201cBig Love\u201d. He begins with an unexpected defence of Tango In The Night<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cA very difficult album to make, but as a producer I am proud of the result\u201d \u2013 before taking the scenic route round to the song\u2019s meaning. \u201cIt was a song about someone who was not in touch,\u201d he says, finally getting there. \u201cIt was a contemplation of alienation but is now a meditation on the power and importance of change.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside from this talk of change and new chapters, there is nonetheless something telling about the name of this tour: On With The Show. It conjures up images of the band as redoubtable showbiz troopers \u2013 which in a sense, is precisely what Fleetwood Mac are these days. For all Buckingham\u2019s talk of \u201cups and downs\u201d in the band\u2019s history, there is a reassuring sense of professionals at work tonight. He may show-off slightly, but it\u2019s useful to be reminded what a fine player he is, especially on \u201cBig Love\u201d, \u201cLandslide<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cSongbird\u201d. Only the overwhelming oddness of \u201cTusk<\/strong>\u201d momentarily stops the show\u2019s warm, comfortable vibes. But even Buckingham\u2019s quirks are permissible. Among the most conspicuous of these is the giant image of Buckingham\u2019s head that is beamed onto screen at the rear of the stage during \u201cI Know I\u2019m Not Wrong\u201d \u2013 and then, bizarrely, can be seen floating upside down on screens in front of the stage. But for all Buckingham\u2019s idiosyncracies and Nicks\u2019 Twilight theatrics, the heavy lifting is done by the men with their names above the door. Mick Fleetwood<\/strong> might enjoy a little of the thesping done by his band mates \u2013 the gong and wind chimes ensemble he brings to bear on \u201cWorld Turning<\/strong>\u201d, for instance \u2013 but as with John McVie there is solid workmanship underpinning the Buckingham\/Nicks flamboyance. Indeed, the most unfussy players on stage tonight appear to be the former Mr and Mrs McVie. She is very much Laura Ashley mum, cheerful and polite, effortlessly delivering many of tonight\u2019s best songs; while John McVie<\/strong> remains inscrutable behind his cap and waistcoat. A rarity among Fleetwood Mac, the bassist is the only member of the band to keep his views entirely to himself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Michael Bonner June 25, 2015 Uncut London, O2 Arena, June 25, 2015: now with added Christine McVie For a band whose career has been so assiduously documented, Fleetwood Mac have always had a knotty relationship with their past. Great swathes of it are essentially ignored, while the domestic dramas of four decades ago are still … Continue reading Fleetwood Mac, live in London | Uncut<\/span> ![\"fmac_GettyImages\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fleetwoodmac-uk.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/fmac_GettyImages.jpg?ssl=1\")
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