"Listen to the wind blow... Watch the sun rise..."

Who knew that these seven words (accompanied of course, by the appropriate musical accompaniment) would be enough to give me the chills? That isn't entirely true, as soon as I hear the opening chords to "The Chain", I get a chill down my spine, and a smile on my face. I can be anywhere and hear the famous bass line, then regardless of the circumstances I will smile involuntarily.



"Running in the shadows, Damn your love. Damn your lies"
I fell in love with the music of Fleetwood Mac nearly 8 years ago. Being a huge fan of Classic Rock during the Britney and the Boy Bands era of music made me an oddity. I have a personal requirement of my musicians - they must play their own music. None of the electronic stuff, no lip synching dance shows for me! I'll take the chance that my bands won't be perfect every performance, because live shows with real music is so much better.

"And if you don't love me now, You will never love me again"
Sometimes the little flubs and quirks make the shows even more memorable. There was one concert during the "Say You Will" tour (2003 & 2004) that had a VERY memorable quirk. During the song "Goodbye Baby" a fight broke out in the audience (who the hell fights at a Fleetwood Mac concert?!) and Stevie Nicks was surprised enough that she missed her cue to sing the second verse. So Lindsey Buckingham picked it up for her, singing the second verse of the song - allowing her the time to compose herself. This happened also with "Silver Springs" during the Dance tour (1997), with Stevie losing her composure and Lindsey singing the final "You could be my silver spring... my blue green colors flashing..." which of course added so much to the show. I've heard a bootleg recording of that show, and despite the poor recording quality - it was amazing and very moving.

"I can still hear you saying, you would never break, never break the chain"
The first concert I ever attended was September 24, 2003. I saw Fleetwood Mac at the Boston Garden (then called the FleetCenter), with my boyfriend Josh. I honestly to this day think he just humored my semi-obsession because I put up with his addiction to Anime. I mean serious addiction. I fell in love all over again (with the band, not the boy) that night. The music reverberated through my body and into the depths of my soul. How I ended up at the concert, is somewhat a sad tale. My aunt Barbara was dying, she had terminal lung cancer. Rather than working a summer job, I spent my days with her - keeping her company. Back in the 70s, she was a huge fan of Fleetwood Mac, and we talked about them from time to time. I went online to get tickets, and found nothing even halfway decent. I checked Ebay, and found two 9th row seats, for only a hair over the regular price. My mom wouldn't budge, said she'd only buy tix from ticketmaster. My aunt talked to her, I have no idea what she said, but mom relented, and I got the tickets. Fleetwood Mac's music got me through the next several months. It was nearly two months after the concert that my aunt passed away. I drowned my sorrows in music, and rejoiced when I had the opportunity to see the Mac perform again in May 2004. The second concert was at the Tweeter Center (formerly Great Woods, currently the Comcast Center). The acoustics there are less than stellar. I had a great time, nonetheless.

"And if you don't love me now, you will never love me again..."
I was more than disappointed when the tour ended, having only seen the band perform twice. I whined, and complained... until the Live In Boston dvd came out. Then there was more amazing news. Stevie was going on tour with Don Henley from the Eagles in 2005! I was all over that, and got myself a ticket the day that they went on sale. I went alone this time, without any company... I almost liked it better that way. It was again at the Tweeter Center, so the acoustics bit the big one, but I had a better vantage point this time. Hearing Stevie and Don duet on Hotel California rocked. Check it out.



I love that version, of the song, and think that they need to record it.

"I can still hear you saying you would never break, never break the chain"
In 2007, Stevie released a Greatest Hits album called Crystal Visions. Then she toured, this time with Chris Isaak. I'm not crazy about the pairing, and definitely not a Chris Isaak fan, but I had fun anyhow. I was VERY pregnant at this show, it was June 24th 2007. I had Connor a little over a month later. Apparently going to a concert while pregnant gets you dirty looks. I had a blast, though. So there! Connor kicked the whole time... haha. Musician in training? I hope so.

"Listen to the wind blow... watch the sun rise. Running in the shadows, Damn your love, Damn your lies"
So that brings us back to the present. I am more than excited to go see Fleetwood Mac tonight. I actually have spending money this time! Thank heaven for tax returns, right? I'm probably getting a tote bag, and a teeshirt, but I might splurge and get a sweatshirt instead... I'm not sure yet. I'm taking the train into the city, so I don't have to worry about parking. I'm actually wearing makeup, and styling my hair (or attempting to!) But with the rain, who knows if it'll hold. I'll be back for part two of my post late, late tonight.