Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone.
Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, or Buckingham McVie if you want the short hand version, brought their half of Fleetwood Mac to the Greek Theatre last night in a dazzling show packed full of great music both old and new. They touched a lot on their stellar new album which really fits in rather well with their previous works.
I’ve never had the chance to see Buckingham, McVie, or the full Fleetwood Mac roster, so I was excited to finally get to hear some of these songs live. They did not disappoint. The show overall was fantastic. Lindsey and Christine were on fire with near flawless vocals and a seeming joy to be together on stage performing for all of us.
Lindsey Buckingham was incredible. His guitar skills are absolutely mesmerizing and it was a delight to see him at work. Oddly enough that leads to my only complaint with the show (aside from the weird audience but that’s a story for another day). It felt like a Lindsey Buckingham show with Christine McVie as a special guest. I would have loved for Christine to get a little more spotlight, a little more focus. She could easily have done a solo performance of “Songbird” and killed the house, but she didn’t. She had her moments but they felt few and far between. Maybe it was just being front and center standing next to Buckingham wailing on his guitar and screaming his emotions into the mic like he was on a vision quest. That’s a hard act to compete with so maybe it’s natural to take moments when they come.
Still though, a wonderful evening packed with some terrific songs. The setlist is made up of 8 new tracks, some solo Buckingham, and some big Fleetwood Mac tracks. It was a nice mix and I think a set that satisfies most fans of the duo. The two came out to a surprisingly low key reaction, and kicked off with a couple of ballads, also choosing to end inexplicably with two new songs, one of which is a ballad. This start to the show sort of set the mood energy wise but for me, the songs are so good and the two of them still sounding so great, that I don’t need this to be some kind of a party. I want to hear these songs live and experience them and they delivered just that wonderfully.
If you get the chance to catch Buckingham McVie live, take it. You’ll see to legends still in full control of their artistry and not simply coasting on their previous successes. They’re still striving to make great music and nailing it.
Read on after the star rating for the full setlist!
A wonderful evening of excellent songs. Needs more McVie.
Setlist courtesy of Setlist.FM.
Trouble
(Lindsey Buckingham cover)
Wish You Were Here
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Never Going Back Again
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Shut Us Down
(Lindsey Buckingham cover)
Sleeping Around the Corner
Feel About You
In My World
Too Far Gone
Hold Me
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Little Lies
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Tusk
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Love Is Here to Stay
Red Sun
You Make Loving Fun
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
I’m So Afraid
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Go Your Own Way
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Encore:
Everywhere
(Fleetwood Mac cover)
Lay Down for Free
Game of Pretend
Garon Cockrell is the Founder and Editor of Pop Culture Beast and host of The Pop Culture Beast Show. He founded the site over seven years ago to have a place on the internet to write about the things he loved. Since then, Garon has become a best-selling author (Demonic and Other Tales), an award winning screenwriter (Best Screenplay 2013 Motor City Nightmares Film Festival), and a cast member on the top rated podcast, Never Not Funny.