June 24th, 2003 - Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN

FANS ARE NOW RATING THE SHOWS AS WELL

1-5

5 BEING THE BEST

 

Rated "4" by Sara Osborn

The show was one of the best concerts I had ever been to. They had a great energy about them and it spread throughout the packed audience like a raging fever. Stevie and Lindsey's chemistry was in full swing. But you could really sense Christine's absence when they sang "Don't Stop", and her melodic voice on "Rhiannon" was noticeable. But it was a concert I will remember always :)

Rated "5" by Scott & Ann

Before our specific comments, let's rewind a decade for our own personal perspective on this much-anticipated show ...

Ten years ago while living briefly in Chicago - fresh out of college, not yet even engaged, no kids - we had the good, rare fortune to be two of the witnesses to Lindsey Buckingham's Out of the Cradle show at Parkwest in March 1993. Opening with solo acoustic versions of Big Love and Go Insane ... pausing to greet the audience, being heckled with some guy yelling "Where's Stevie?" and commenting back "well, there's always one asshole at every show" ... playing what had to be a nine-minute version of "I'm So Afraid" and breaking 3 guitar strings during the closing solo ... debuting amazing versions of "This is the Time," "Soul Drifter," "Don't Look Down" and several more ... even playing a downright giddy version of "Holiday Road" from the Vacation soundtrack ... it was an amazing, magical night for us and seemingly everyone in the audience, and practically no other concert we've seen in the ten years since that show has compared in terms of musical talent, enthusiasm and crowd! interaction.

Fast forward 10 years to this tour. We're now married 9 years with 3 kids, 2 mortgages and 1 dog, so the perspective on life is not nearly so idealistic, but merely hectic and overwhelming. Except for 2 and a half blissful hours at Conseco Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. The setlist was not surprising, but did seem to flow better than it read on these online updates. The sound was pretty crisp and clear for our balcony seats and Conseco. The audience was really into it, and so was the band. From the get-go they seemed to have a real grasp of their purpose, and that steamrolled throughout the night to reach many peaks of pure musical inspiration. They just flowed seemlessly from hits to obscurities to new songs and back, and never missed a beat. We knew we were seeing a great show, a perfect snapshot of this band's amazing career, and that was confirmed by a guy 2 seats away from us. He told us this was his 16th show of the tour, with 5 more to go, and that aside from the Birmingham, Alabama show, this one at Conseco was by far the best one he'd seen. When a band's setlist is the same for the whole tour, that kind of review was pretty refreshing to hear, and we felt priveleged to have witnessed it. I'm not sure how other performances have been, especially after reading about Stevie's perceived lack of enthusiasm, but this night was flawless - she and the rest of the band smiled, exchanged knowing glances and reminded us of how much fun it is to be entertained by great music.

And of course, Lindsey simply rocked. It all brought us back to Chicago ten years ago in that tiny club. Life has changed immensely since then, but somehow it all seemed so familiar and happy and carefree. We can never go back again, as the song says, but for anyone debating whether to see this show or not, we have to say it's worth every cent. Go and enjoy it!

Rated "5" by Lori

Same setlist as Buffalo, the first show we attended, but this concert blew the doors off that one. Solid all the way around, Stevie more into it from the beginning of the show, Lindsey - well, what can I say about Lindsey? I'm sure I wasn't the only one screaming his name at the top of my lungs following "Come". Wow.

I went through a broker this time and paid $200/seat to sit in the fourth row. And it was worth every penny.

Rated "5" by Dave Springer

Fantastic. I have wanted to see Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks for a long long time. I have many CDs and Albums.

My wife and I wanted to go to this concert especially because Its on the 24th of June which is also our 24th wedding anniversery. The concert was fantastic. We had great seats. although other than being up front I do wish there had been some autographing and an opportunity to meet them in person. Great ,fantastic concert. Thank you very much.

Rated "4.5" by Mike

Great show overall.

The highlight for me was "Never Going Back Again" which was done with none of the back-up musicians. Just the four in Fleetwood Mac. The 2 additional drummers they bought in to back-up seemed unnecessary to me - they muddled the sound. Mick could have handled it himself. Highlights were "Beautiful Child" as well as "Landslide". Nicks voice is better than it was 20 years ago. Her voice is very smooth and clear. Still has good range too.

Rated "3.5" by Anonymous

Good show. The wife made me leave after the 1st intermission. Wish I could have stayed. Lindsey really worked hard last night. Wish I could have heard "Go Insane."

Rated "5" by Eric

What a show!

I have been keeping tabs on how they've been doing along the way, and I was nervous how the energy would be without Christine and with Stevie apparently taking a while to get into the show. All I can say is that it rocked from top to bottom. Stevie seemed to jump right into the show. I've seen her perform solo twice before and she still has the same amount of energy. The crowd may have been a help because it seemed to be close to capacity and even the youngest people there were really into the show. I'm still reeling from the high I got from seeing them live.

I did miss some of Christine's songs, especially because they allowed Stevie and Lindsey to relax and show off their abilities from the background. But it was nice to be able to see some of the songs they haven't done in a long time -- Eyes of the World, Second Hand News, Beautiful Child, Never Going Back Again. I did notice that Stevie seemed to avoid some of the higher notes. On Gypsy, where it says "Lightning strikes, maybe once, maybe twice Well, and it lights up the night" she did the "lights up the night" really low key. She seemed to be a little nervous about doing it, and it was weird to hear it that way, but still pretty cool. It brought a different energy to the song. The rest of the show though, she didn't avoid some of the higher notes. A couple of times she had a little trouble hitting them and breathing enough, but no flubs nonetheless.

Stevie and Lindsey were great together on stage, lots of emotion and interaction. Lindsey was all over the place, showing off his talent and interacting with the whole band. Stevie rocked through Stand Back and Gold Dust Woman.

What a show! Going to see them in Cincy again!

Rated "5" by Kim aka kbzballer

OMG! It was the best concert I have ever been to and I'm an 18-year-old college freshman. They have so much energy and can I just say that Lindsey Buckingham is a GOD! I wish i could get the set list from the show because they played a few really old ones that I wasn't sure what they were but LOVED anyway...I LOVE YOU FLEETWOOD MAC....ROCK ON!

Rated "4" by Bob Sebeika

I thought the show was good overall. Mick's finally was awesome. Lindsey,s energy was phenomenal. The acoustics at the Fieldhouse were poor. Hard to make out the vocals. The show was not quite the same without Christine.

Rated "5" by Brad

This show was the most unbelievable show I have ever been to! It was absolutely fantastic! Stevie Nicks sounds great! Her voice hasn't changed in 30 years. The band sounded wonderful, like it just came out of the cd! To top it off it was a full 2 hours, what a great treat. Please come back soon!

Rated "0" by Sterling Johnson

Where can I recieve a refund? How unprofessional and what blatant disregard for your fans by charging so much for so little.

Rated "4.5" by Bob Ridge

Having been a huge FM fan since Mirage, I was excited to see them for the first time during the well-received Dance tour, which couldn't miss due to the reunion vibe it offered with Lindsey and Stevie back in the fold. I was more nervous about this show, since this time they were touring in support of a new studio album, minus Christine and minus the pent-up nostalgia. With my expectations slightly lowered, I was simply blown away by the show.

I'm disappointed at how few casual music fans seem to know who Lindsey Buckingham is, but among FM followers, there can be no doubt that he is truly the fiery creative life force behind their music and their shows. I've already seen some incredible stuff by him, but he actually achieved another level here that I didn't think existed, and I left the show convinced that he ranks right up there with any of the best guitarists to ever play. His solos on Come, I'm So Afraid, and Go Your Own Way were jaw-dropping. How someone so clinical in the studio can be so passionate and intense onstage is a Mystery to Me.

Stevie held her own fairly well, though age (as she poignantly observed in Landslide) hasn't been as kind to her as it has to LB. She's a little less nimble, and she dodges more high notes with every tour. It's hard not to recall by contrast her nearly possessed performances of Rhiannon or Sisters of the Moon back in their heyday. But she clearly maintains a rapport with her fans with minimal chatter, and there's undeniable magic in her twirl. Birthday boy Mick was channeling Animal from the Muppet Show as usual, especially during his extended solo in World Turning, and John was his normal steady self in the shadows.

Picking specific highlights among a whole show of highlights is tough, so I won't try. They could've played fewer songs from Say You Will, but they surprised with a few old album tracks that they haven't played for a while. Eyes of the World in particular was given quite a punkish rave-up. The supporting musicians were fine, and the minimal stage design kept the focus on the music, though I would've liked more than just two small video screens (a large temporary screen was brief but welcome)and a larger variety of camera shots. All in all, a surprisingly great show not to be missed!

Rated "5" by Chuck

Writing this after the show at 1:30 a.m.

Let me tell you - Fleetwood Mac rocked the house in Indy to a very appreciative and enthusiastic crowd! My view was from the middle of row 3 - among those who performance-long was standing, cheering, dancing and singing along with these veterans of rock music. In short, the show was incredibly awesome! - from the beginning beat of The Chain to the ending ballad of Goodbye Baby. Every song in between was a highlight for me - an " I can't get enough of FM music" for over 25 years. This band is definitely my favorite.

Mick was celebrating his 61st birthday tonight as he pounded the drums throughout the evening. Definitely powerful - and quite the crowd pleaser with his high energy style, animated facials and unparalleled drum vest solo. John was consistently strong on the bass guitar - ever so content being in the background. Stevie delivered a stunning performance - her voice sounded top notch from the ballads to the mega-energetic Gold Dust Woman and my fave - Stand Back. Lindsey was absolutely on fire with his phenomenal multitracker guitar style (yes, he kicks ass on vocals, too!). If there is one rock concert you're considering this year - this is it! Fleetwood Mac is truly a legend! As Mick said before the band left the stage, " I want you all to be happy, be good and be kind to each other".

Thanks Mick, John, Lindsey and Stevie!


 


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