Fleetwood Mac

Brisbane Entertainment Centre 10.11.2015

Wow – the expectation that hung in the air of the Brisbane Entertainment Centre was palpable. Sure, Fleetwood Mac have played Australia in semi-recent history … but who thought we’d ever see the seminal five again: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie. The latter had been MIA for over a decade and seeing her on stage with the rest of the band was nothing short of a thrill.

Playing the first of two full houses, Fleetwood Mac, augmented by sundry musicians and a phalanx of backing singers, kicked off with The Chain. It’s more than an opening number, The Chain is a call to arms for fans and a celebration of all the highs and lows the group have endured.

Next comes You Making Loving Fun, Dreams and Second Hand News. The band are off and running and the audience are completely in the moment with them. Another moment that makes the hair on the back of the neck stand at attention is Rhiannon. The story of the Welsh witch never tires and Nicks delivers a sterling reading which features Buckingham’s stinging guitar lines.

The band build a head of steam and then the wheels briefly fall off on Tusk. It’s time to restart the song less that a minute in … let’s “earn as you learn” says Lindsay as the magic fires up again.

Stevie again shines with Sara. Christine McVie’s Say You Love Me is like a four-minute masterclass on classic songwriting. A combination of her voice, presence and bloody great songs add something mighty special to proceedings.

For the casual fan, the night is loaded with all of the major hits (though there’s no Hold Me). Hardcore fans are given a major dose of TLC as the band dip into a bag of album tracks and songs from the relative margins. Stevie tells very long stories, Lindsay lifts the veil on how they make the public mess of their private lives work and everyone plays like an absolute champion. Despite Buckingham’s guitar prowess, you’re continually drawn back to that insatiable rhythm section of McVie and Fleetwood. McVie has beaten cancer to be here and Fleetwood left in the distance, many years ago, a mountain of cocaine to get fit and devote himself to the band and his instrument.

Gypsy is  a highlight in the final furlong, though the show does start to drag a little as it goes past the two-and-a-half-hour mark. Go You Own Way closes the main set, before the band return for World Turning and a impressive drum solo from Fleetwood. You can’t top Don’t Stop, but they find a way and return for Silver Springs and a bare bones Songbird. What a delight to see this band playing those songs so damn well after all of the years in between. The atmosphere was electric and the Mac, to their credit, returned the favour. Bravo.

Words: Sean Sennett