Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 11/18/1997 Run time: 90 minutesWith each passing year bringing another high-profile rock reunion, prompted as often by balloon mortgage payments as any real artistic hunger, old fans could be excused for greeting 1997′s announcement that the big Mac was back with skepticism: at their commercial zenith, Fleetwood Mac had offered superb transatlantic pop-rock with the added spice of a remarkable back-story, but the band’s long decline and underwhelming later personnel shifts didn’t bode well.
Such guarded expectations make the musical punch of The Dance all the more impressive, and enable the meticulously produced concert special to genuinely surprise. The band’s musicianship–-the one constant between the original, late ’60s English blues band and its platinum ’70s lineup featuring guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks–-is in peak form, buttressed by a discreet auxiliary of additional musicians. Even with the hired guns, though, it’s the rock-solid rhythm section of founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie, and Buckingham’s impassioned playing that strike sparks. Always a dynamic guitarist, Buckingham brings feverish intensity to both group classics and solo turns such as “Go Insane.”
Both familiar hits and new songs (including the solid “Temporary One” and “Bleed to Love Her”) further confirm that this isn’t a rote exercise-–the band sounds fully engaged. Buckingham, Nicks, and the elegant Christine McVie retain their vocal charm (although Nicks has clearly lost her upper register). And the sense of old wounds healed, and older affections acknowledged, gives true poignancy to the set’s high mark, a brilliant live version of “Silver Springs,” a truly haunting Rumours-era B-side that proves deeply moving. –Sam Sutherland
Buy “Fleetwood Mac – The Dance” For Only $17.23
April 23, 2008
#1
Nicks voice is horrible, watched in horror as she tried to belt out her songs, forget it, find another singer for this band, Stevie has no longer got it… god help FM…..
April 23, 2008
#2
This version of Fleetwood Mac is the one most known to American audiences. Far better versions of Fleetwood Mac existed with guitarists Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Danny Kirwin, and Dave Mason.
At the opening of this concert there is a sense that Mick Fleetwood can still lay down a beat. Inadvertently, the camera shows two other drummers in the background pounding away. For some reason, Fleetwood takes to mugging to the camera with a wild-eyed demented visage. He keeps this up for the duration of the film and one begins to question his sanity.
John McVie is one of the best bassists ever and Lindsey Buckingham is one of the all-time great guitarists. Neither can sing and should be kept from microphones. Christine McVie is an adequate keyboard player but her voice has sounded better.
Age has not been kind to Stevie Nicks. She has packed on a few pounds and has lost her upper register. Many of the Fleetwood Mac songs were written or co-written by her. Lindsey Buckingham was always clever enough to play over some of Stevie Nick’s singing so the 70′s songs sounded great on the old eight-track. If you choose to show the captions, you will realize the banality of her lyrics; they don’t make sense but they rhyme.
A sore spot with me is the whole concept of an encore. Why can’t a band just get through an entire playlist without resorting to the ploy of leaving the stage, getting an ovation, returning, and then playing their best stuff? An encore is only appropriate when the performance was outstanding and there is some time left before the building closes. In an encore, the band should play covers of other bands.
Here we have the presumptuous Fleetwood Mac leaving the stage and then returning for an encore. Then they are joined by the USC marching band! When a panoramic shot is shown, it shows a choir that had been augmenting Stevie’s caterwauling.
April 23, 2008
#3
I bought, for the 1st time in my life, two DVD musicals “Hell Freezes Over, Eagles” and this one. I love FM but this DVD is soooooo disappointing, I was considering return it — the video is dull and the audio is simply unprofessional and unforgivable !!
I rate the Eagles’ DVD 100 stars !!!! go get that one…….
April 23, 2008
#4
This DVD should have been called “TheDead”.All the band members except Mick look like they are bored & uptight. Mick looks like he’s awake. That’s a step in the right direction. Do not buy this DVD if you are thinking about showing off your home theatre. The sound stinks. Buy this only if you are a Fleetwood Mac Fanatic.Sound engineers need to get thier act together so that the consumer has a standard that they can expect when purchasing DVD 5.1 as well as DTS.
April 23, 2008
#5
Fleetwood Mac, unless you are a true fan, really puts on a senseless, energy-drained show here that you’ll sicken of faster than a can of Gummie Worms at the State Fair. And State Fairs, indeed, are where this group ought to be playing; right next to Whitesnake and Rick Springfield and the demolition derby and blue ribbon goats.
Buckingham gets his ya-yas out a couple times on lead guitar, but other than that, the ladies sound old, the bass player John just stands there (like he has for his entire career). Christine still looks youthful; an unsung MaryAnne next to Stevie’s more often photographed Ginger. Christine remains a comely British school marm ready to spank your wrists for looking up her skirt, so that’s one redeeming feature. Yet that small pleasure is offset by Mick’s still googly eyes and the 1980s vest. Thanks for putting a camera right by Mick so that I can get scared out of my easy chair every time he stares those cue balls at the camera; nice touch for Halloween.
I wish I could say that Fleetwood Mac are rockers, but alas, they are little more than Lawrence Welk on steroids. Sure, Don’t Stop pushes the metronome to 40 mph from Fleetwood Mac’s usual school zone 20 mph pace, but seriously rip-snortin’ rock and roll this just ain’t, brothers and sisters. No matter how much Dolby 5.1 Surround and DVD fog-filtered quality you throw at this show, the music remains elevator quality drivel. The passge of time has, in my opinion, shown the Mac’s music to be thinner than the veils around Stevie’s midsection paunch.
Pass on it.