Fleetwood Mac 2019 rocks TD Garden

The 2019 version of Fleetwood Mac rocked a capacity crowd of 19,580 fans at TD Garden in Boston Sunday night with a two hour, ten minute show that had some unforgettable high points, and a few moments when the beast that is the current touring band (eleven people strong) seemed to be kind of lumbering along. Thankfully the highlights outnumbered the slow points in the 21-song set, and more than a few tunes had an exuberant chorus of 19, 580 singing along. The band will be back to headline the TD Garden again on Tuesday night.

The new version of the band is because Fleetwood Mac cut ties with singer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham last year, with one version of the split being that he had already booked his solo tours and didn't especially want to tour with them. The other version is that he and his famous ex Stevie Nicks were not getting along, and the rest of the band decided the easiest solution was to jettison him. Without getting into the he-said/she-said aspects of it, it does remove one of the band's three main songwriters since the mid 1970s, (along with Nicks and singer/pianist Christine McVie). Now, the band had soldiered on when Christine McVie had been retired from the road from 1998-2014, and some of us would say that was a bigger absence, since her more bluesy, visceral style of writing and singing is a good contrast to Nicks' more ethereal style. Buckingham's rock songs are intelligent and compelling, but sort of their own thing, apart from the two female stylists.

The new Mac has former Heartbreaker Mike Campbell on lead guitar, and Neil Finn from New Zealand's Crowded House and Splint Enz on guitar and vocals, and the two fit in seamlessly Sunday night, on what was, as Nicks noted, the 56th date of this current world tour. Buckingham's signature stiletto guitar style was missed, but Campbell brings a bit more bluesy sound, a little darker tone, and a lot more twangy flavor, and he seemed to revel in bringing more warmth and edge to some of those well known solos. Finn is a different singer than Buckingham, not better or worse, just different, but his harmonies worked well with the Nicks and Christine McVie vocals, and his acoustic guitar lent some nice added flavor to several songs.

Of course, as always, the heart and soul of the band is drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie, the two that formed the band way back in 1967, when it was primarily a British blues act with guitarist Peter Green creating sparks. All these years later, Fleetwood and John McVie still create a unique sort of rumbling rhythm that gives the band its unmistakable sound. They still may not be technically perfect as a rhythm section, but you always know it's them. Last night Fleetwood was a 6'5 ball of manic energy, both behind his drum kit and on several turns at the microphone. McVie, as is his wont, stayed (literally) out of the limelight under his white tam o-shanter cap.    

Sunday's show featured two female backup singers, a percussionist, Ricky Peterson on second keyboards, and a third guitarist (Neil Hayward if we heard correctly), along with the six principal musicians. Just last week, Nicks became the first female to be “double-inducted” into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, both as a member of the Mac, and now as a solo artist. (“It only took me 70 years to do it,” Nicks quipped at one point.)

There were at least three breathtaking highlights Sunday night. Having Finn do his signature hit with Crowded House, “Don't Dream It's Over” was kind of an obvious choice, but having him do it with mostly just his acoustic guitar, and Nicks joining in for a final verse, was brilliant. “This a song of unity,” Finn said by way of introduction, also noting that “all of New Zealand says hello,” before starting out on an almost barren stage. It seemed like the entire song would be Finn doing that tune solo, with the entire stadium singing along loudly, but then in a neat bit of stagecraft Nicks seemed to just wander out to join him for the final verse. The duo seemed to linger on the repeated, final line of the chorus, “we know they won't win..” and however you interpret that, it was an indelible moment.

Later the first encore was another superb choice, as Fleetwood Mac did Tom Petty's “Freefallin'” with Nicks singing lead, as the large video screen behind the stage showed pictures of Nicks, Petty and Campbell from throughout the years. It was an immensely powerful tribute, and emotions running through the Garden were evident in the heartfelt singalong the throng provided. Campbell kept his eyes down on his guitar, never looking up at the screen until the final image, when he and Nicks met by the base of the drum riser and saluted their fallen pal.

Late in the regular set, Nicks did a rendition of “Gold Dust Woman” that was not just musically epic, but also stunningly cathartic performance art.   She'd been in a black shawl, black dress over black boots all night, and added a gold shawl for that song.   The song started almost as recited poetry, gradually amping up to a rock march, and then accelerating into a mystical fever dream, as Nicks' lyrics became more like incantations. A segment of “baby,baby, baby, you should see me now” morphed into “baby,baby,baby, come and save me now,” and then “baby,baby, baby, you can't do it..” as shadows of gold dust swirled around the other band members on the video screens. By the time that dramatic, ten-minute long number had ended, the audience may have been as drained as the singer, but she'd taken us on a journey.    

The night began with stellar versions of “The Chain” and “Little Lies,” those familiar vocal harmonies resonating through the building. But the popular hit “Dreams” seemed to lag a bit, and it wasn't obvious if Nicks was singing behind the beat or just that the whole band was running at a slower tempo than the song generally gets. But seconds later Finn's lead vocal helped give the older “Second Hand News” a shot of buoyant energy. Christine McVie's vocal on “Say You Love Me” was in vintage form, and Campbell's edgier guitar solo was a big plus.

The old, pre-Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac song “Black Magic Woman” was a fine vehicle for Campbell to unleash some of his guitar mastery, and he did it while preserving the original Peter Green version's hypnotic mysticism. A new wrinkle there was Nicks coming over to scat-sing with Campbell's guitar, and then Christine McVie trading licks on piano with him.

Nicks' best known band hit, “Rhiannon,” was one of a couple instances where the more chivalrous among us wanted to get her a lozenge, as her voice sounded a bit scratchy. But that familiar melody is undeniable and the coda with the rhythm section pushing the tempo faster and faster prompted some fiery Campbell lines, as Nicks got more and more into it. “World Turning ” must have lasted 15 minutes, with a lengthy Fleetwood drum solo, accentuated by his exhorting the crowd and basically proving that, at 71, he could be ready for UFC action tomorrow if he could only bring his drumsticks.    

Campbell got another chance to stretch out on another old, Peter Green-era tune, and “Oh Well” even had him singing the brief lyrics of the scorching blues-rocker. “Landslide” was yet another indelible part of the show, as Nicks did the song basically with just Finn on acoustic guitar, and delivered the vocal flawlessly as the crowd sang along or just swooned. It really seemed on “Hold Me” that Campbell was playing his solo in the Buckingham style, possibly the only time all night we'd say that, but it was effective.

The second encore of “Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)” was a joyful celebration, a raucous good time for all 19,580. The night ended with “All Over Again,” another vibrant shot of rock and pop, leaving fans hoping Fleetwood Mac doers indeed do this sort of thing again.