Meeting Up With Mick Fleetwood

It has been a week now since I had the good fortune to attend another memorable concert by my favorite band, Fleetwood Mac. This article will be about the exciting events leading up to that amazing show.

It all began when I got a telephone call from my friend, Torri, saying she had bid for charity on a ticket package for a Fleetwood Mac concert. Much to her surprise she won with her bid and in addition to seats 3rd row center a Meet and Greet with Mick Fleetwood was included. Mick is the long time and original drummer with Fleetwood Mac going back to when it was a blues band in the UK in the late 60’s. As a long time fan and ‘groupie’ who has seen Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks in concert well over a hundred times I was thrilled when Torri asked me to be her guest. I really didn’t know what to expect and was delighted with the experience.

We arrived in Manchester, NH at the Verizon Wireless Center on June 16, 2009 with instructions to be there an hour before the gates opened to the public. There we were greeted by Cory (not Lindsey’s niece, also on the tour) who gave us our tickets, a promo photo of Mick and a really neat laminated All Access Pass. We proceeded to the stage and it was fun to be there looking out at the empty arena. Cory told us how they had to remove Stevie’s microphone from the Meet and Greet because fans were touching the ribbons and beads on her mic and throwing the electronics off. Cory told us Mick loves to talk and to ask him anything as she and the others working on the tour love juicy tidbits.

Mick entered from the side of the stage and is he ever, at 6’ 5” tall, larger than life. He has a pleasant, calm demeanor unlike his manic antics on stage. He was dressed like a British nobleman with a magnificent scarf, a beautiful suit, and a fashionable cap. He had on his traditional slippers only purple. I asked him where the trademark red ones were and he said he’d have them for the show.

Each group had a photo taken with Mick in front of his drum kit. We also had the opportunity to get an autograph. Mick graciously signed both the promo photo and the All Access Pass. One woman expressed disappointment that her husband couldn’t make it as he is a drummer and a big fan of Mick’s. Well didn’t Mick talk to him on the cell phone after his wife called him - so kind of Mick. When Torri and I had our photo op Mick asked us if we were Manchesterites. Torri is from VA and I’m from Boston. Mick commented that Boston was close-by. Another couple who vacation every year in Maui asked Mick , who has a home there, for restaurant recommendations and he had several for them. When the next couple had their time with Mick the woman said, “Are you going to sign it(his photo)thanks for last night" Mick said, “Ooh, that sounds naughty. Do you want to get me in trouble?” It was all in good fun with Mick showing a quick wit.

During the question and answer part I asked Mick about the jewelry he was wearing and each piece had an interesting story. The moon shaped pendant with three stones was last year’s Christmas present from Stevie and another piece was made by a couple in Canterbury. Mick described them as characters and real alchemists. He stepped toward me to act out how if the jeweler didn’t like what you had chosen she’d look down and say, “No, I don’t think so.” I also asked how Christine McVie was doing. He said she is very happy living in her 11th century home in Kent which he described as stunning. Her brother lives close by. Mick saw Christine about eight months ago when he took his blues band to play in England. Chris came to the show and Mick said he didn’t ask her to play even though she is a blues pianist as he knew she was happily retired.

At one point Mick mused about how maybe the band stayed a little too long on the road this time as they tacked on two make-up shows in Canada. In this regard he was very complimentary to Stevie calling her a real ‘team player’ and saying, “Let’s face it she really doesn’t have to do this.” Mick was of course referring to the fact that Stevie has a hugely successful solo career but we all know she does love ‘her band’! The band will be doing more concerts in Europe and Australia starting in October. Mick even said that it looks like Fleetwood Mac will tour again next summer – fabulous.

Mick told a very interesting story about the band’s first fan when Fleetwood Mac was starting out as a blues band in England and a woman named Madge came to all their shows. Well I always wondered about the songs Fighting for Madge and Searching for Madge on the Then Play On album. Who was Madge? Well now I know – very cool! How wonderful that the band wrote songs for their biggest fan who sometimes hitchhiked 200 miles to get to a show.

After this fan story I told Mick how I had gone to London and Birmingham to see the band during the Say You Will Tour in 2003. He seemed a bit amazed at that and asked if I had business and happened to be in England. I said no that some of us just love to follow the band. As for me it was something I always hoped to do to hear the band play in their native UK. Thanks to my friend, Martin from Bristol, for helping to make it happen.

Torri said how this was her 15th show of the Unleashed Tour. Mick opined you must get bored with the same introductions and stories every night. Of course we don’t! Mick said there are nuances and that they don’t play ‘by the numbers’. He mentioned how a band like REM is incredible with how they change the set for each song and vary the songs concert to concert. Mick said that Fleetwood Mac could never do that as Lindsey is a perfectionist and he does most of the production work with input from the other members. Fleetwood Mac hopes to do another album but with an outside producer. They need an overseer as Lindsey has a family now and it would just take too long when you’re as obsessive as Lindsey is.

At the conclusion of the Meet and Greet Mick unexpectedly came right over to me and with a kiss and a hug thanked me for being such a supportive fan traveling to England and all. I certainly didn’t expect that kind of recognition and I thanked him again for the music. He was gracious to Torri as well and we both felt that it was a real treat and an absolute pleasure to have spent some time with Mick who could not have been more sincere.

Mick was very entertaining and generous with his time. He was clearly happy to share and to spend these moments with us. There was no sense of ‘going through the motions’ as you know he has done these Meet and Greets countless times. Mick is real artist, a magnificent drummer and the one largely responsible for being able to keep his band with the convoluted emotional history not only together but still loving each other, able to work through all the hurts and to survive all the romantic entanglements. Thank you, Mick for your unique insights and your kindness to the fans.

Fleetwood Mac Rocks Boston - March 11, 2009

All right so I’m somewhat of a ‘fanatic’ when it comes to Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks. But the Fleetwood Mac Unleashed concert last night in Boston was something special. It ranked right up there with other unforgettable Mac Moments. Namely, the first time I saw and heard the Stevie Nicks-Lindsey Buckingham incarnation of the band on stage. That was when LB, after a ten year hiatus, returned to the band for The Dance Tour in 1997. Also, the concerts I saw at London’s Earl's Court in November of 2003 were another dream come true for me. To actually see the partly British band on their home turf during the Say You Will Tour - does it get any better!?!

The band has not toured in five years and without a new album, yet, decided to just hit the road and have some fun. Well the fans are the ones having the fun squared. Mick, John, Lindsey and Stevie have never sounded better doing their many hits as well as some other gems. Stevie’s song “Storms “ from the Tusk album had not been performed in concert before and was a real treat. “But never have I been a blue, calm sea; I have always been a storm.” – perfection! It was beyond wonderful to hear my two favorite Stevie songs “Sara” and Gold Dust Woman”. Then there was my favorite Lindsey song “I’m So Afraid” which brought the house down. I could go on and on…

The closing song of the encore was Stevie’s classic “Silver Springs” and with the amazing energy between Stevie and Lindsey it was both a real highlight and a dramatic ending to a concert for the ages. Thank you Fleetwood Mac for the joy that is your music!

PS I took the accompanying photo on November 30, 2003 in London at Earl's Court as Stevie and Lindsey performed "Landslide".

My Tribute to Stevie Nicks

June 23, 2008

What can be better than a 13th inning walk off homer by the Red Sox Kevin Youkilis? In this case it’s an unforgettable Stevie Nicks concert at the Bank of America Pavilion on June 22nd. Both were on the same day to boot and it was an amazing one at that. On a beautiful summer evening when Stevie took the stage in Boston, she owned it. From the intoxicating opening sounds of Stand Back to the plaintive ending sounds of Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You, Stevie gave her all to each and every song – not bad for someone who turned 60 years old on May 26th. Her commitment to her music and her intensity delivering it are unparalleled.

Stevie Nicks is a survivor one who battled serious addiction to both cocaine and prescription drugs and came out victorious at the other end. I’ve always admired people who overcome their demons. At the same time I’ve loved Stevie’s voice since her days with Fleetwood Mac when I first heard Rhiannon, “Would you stay if she promised you heaven; will you ever win…dreams unwind; love’s a state of mind.” Rhiannon is just one of Stevie’s many alter egos. These include my favorite Sara, “Stay with me awhile said you’d give me light but you never told me about the fire…all I ever wanted was to know that you were dreaming…” My other favorite Gold Dust Woman, “Heartless challenge; pick your path and I’ll pray…is it over now – do you know how; pick up the pieces and go home.” Then there is Gypsy, “She is dancing away from me now…and a memory is all that is left for you now…” From Tusk the haunting Angel, “Sometimes the most beautiful things, the most innocent things, and many of those dreams pass us by…and to those that I love like a ghost through a fog, like a charmed hour and a haunted song and the angel of my dreams.” From the only number one song Fleetwood Mac ever had Dreams, “But listen carefully to the sound of your loneliness, like a heartbeat drives you mad, in the stillness of remembering what you had and what you lost…it’s only me who wants to wrap around your dreams…”

For ever so many people their best loved song is Landslide, “What is love, can the child within my heart rise above, can I sail through the changing ocean tides, can I handle the seasons of my life, well I’ve been afraid of changing ‘cause I’ve built my life around you…” If anyone remembers when the band reunited for The Dance in 1997you’ll know how unforgettable Stevie’s performance was of her break up song with Lindsey Buckingham called Silver Springs, “Time cast a spell on you, you won’t forget me…I’ll follow you down ‘til the sound of my voice will haunt you, you’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you…” Chills!

It’s easy to recall all these memorable poetic lyrics. Here are some from Stevie’s solo career. From her 1981 break out album Bella Donna we have After the Glitter Fades, “We all chase something and maybe this is a dream…even though the living is sometimes laced with lies it’s alright, the feeling remains even after the glitter fades…” The song Stevie ends her concerts with and greets her fans at the stage with is Edge of Seventeen, “And the days go by like a strand in the wind in the web that is my own I begin again…with the words from a poet and the voice of a choir and a melody nothing else mattered…” The song Stevie wrote when her best friend, Robin, died of cancer was Nightbird, “And when I call will you walk gently through my shadow…and the darkened eyes through the net of the face in the darkness it’s hard to see her face…” My favorite song from The Wild Heart album is Sable on Blond, “What was it that fell, was it one fallen leaf like the feather that it was, was it freedom by choice or… was it love, was in thorn in your side, something that you hide, something you can’t touch because it hurts too much…just how deep do you hold that dream in your hands each night…” Stevie has many fans in the military and has often visited the veterans at Walter Reed Hospital. She ended her encore last night with a montage of emotional scenes from the Iraq War and with the singing of the remarkable Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You, “In all your darkest hours have you ever heard me sing, listen to me now, you know I’d rather be alone that be without you…and the rain comes down, there’s no pain and there’s no doubt, it was easy to say I believed in you every day…” The last eleven words were often posted in my classroom of 4th Graders for inspiration as were other lyrics such as, “All I ever wanted was to know that you were dreaming…”

It is truly mind-blowing to be able to sustain two careers simultaneously, one solo and one with Fleetwood Mac. Such is Stevie’s devotion to her fans and that love is returned to her in kind and more. I will not soon forget Stevie’s heart-felt, joyful performances and her ethereal, thought provoking and yes haunting lyrics. Having seen her, I imagine one hundred times or more, I always appreciated how her music could take me away. I recall a concert in Atlantic City just a few days after 9/11 and how we her fans were helping each other through the pain of that catastrophic event with the beauty of her songs and the magic that is Stevie Nicks. That evening I was fortunate enough to be at the stage and to have a little moment with Stevie when she shook my hand. Thank you, Stevie Nicks for the timelessness of your songs and the wonder of your presence on stage. "You're the poet in my heart, never change, never stop..." You are a true and brilliant artist.

Post Script: About the photo of Stevie Nicks - I took it at an outdoor concert outside of Seattle, WA on May 27, 1990. I love the wistful look on Stevie's face as she greets the audience.