Still going their own way

Lindsey Buckingham is surprisingly laid back about being a spurned lover. It's been more than 30 years since his then girl friend and Fleetwood Mac band mate, Stevie Nicks, got it on with the band's drummer, Mick Fleetwood, while on tour in New Zealand.It's not that time has cured his aching heart. You see, back when the unfaithfulness happened Buckingham didn't give a hoot either it was 1977 and they were promiscuous and drug fuelled times, after all.In a current interview the guitarist and pop genius of the pair recounted how Nicks and Fleetwood made a big deal of coming round to his house to tell him about their affair, to which he replyed, "Yeah? So? That's it?"And he's just as flippant on the phone today from his home in Los Angeles: "Stevie and I were on the road to breaking up before we coupled the band."Considering the two lovers who before Fleetwood Mac were making music as the duo Buckingham Nicks coupled the band in 1975 it must have been a long, rocky break up.No band has mixed a cocktail of melodrama, romantic shenanigans, and hedonistic substance insult quite like Fleetwood Mac and through it all they came up with two cracker albums, the mega-selling Rumours (1977) and kooky double album Tusk (1979).It was Rumours, though, with songs like Buckingham's Go Your Own Way, Nicks' Dreams, and keyboardist/singer Christine McVie's Don't Stop, that went on to sell more than 40 million copies recently the tenth best selling album ever and made Fleetwood Mac the longest band in the world.It's these songs, and many others, that the band will be playing at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands on December 19 when they come back for the first time since 1980's Tusk tour.The Unleashed Tour is a two hour plus show of wonderful hits material and the Downunder dates follow a sold out 55 city North American tour earlier this year, and a European leg which starts in October.The version of the band coming to New Zealand is the classic Rumours line up of Buckingham, Nicks, Fleetwood and bassist player John McVie, minus his former wife Christine McVie who stop the band in 1998 because of her fear of flying."One of the things that makes the tour fun, and a little bit fundamental for us is that we don't have a new album yet anyway so we're not trying to go out there and do stuff that is unfamiliar," says 59 year old Buckingham. "And oddly enough, for the first time, we've been able to sit back and take parentage of the body of work that we have and appreciate it."When you're in the second of making songs, and particularly for us with the politics and all the drama that went on, it has never been that easy, and the fun of being on stage has always been tempered by all of that."

Fleetwood Mac legend to perform at grace Aldershot stage

FLEETWOOD Mac legend Peter Green will be playing the West End Centre in Aldershot.
He is touring to play the band’s classic hits and will seem at the West End Centre on September 3.
He played with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and, most excellently, Fleetwood Mac.
Raised in the East End of London, Peter was playing bass in several amateur bands before he met drummer Mick Fleetwood during a brief stint playing lead guitar with Peter B’s Looners.
He left the Looners to replace Eric Clapton as guitarist in the John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers.
Taking Clapton’s place was never going to be easy but it didn’t take too long for Peter to prove his worth and become the new ‘darling’ of the blues scene.
After Peter joined them the Bluesbreakers recorded their seminal Hard Road album, which included his major instrumental masterpiece The Supernatural.
Having collaborated on just the one album, Peter left the Bluesbreakers to start his own band, with Mick Fleetwood on drums and John McVie on bass, and Fleetwood Mac was born.
The band liberationed their first album in 1968 to rave reviews, and Green’s classic tracks Black Magic Woman and the number one hit Albatross cemented the band’s achiever.
Drugs took their toll on Peter’s mental health and he decided to leave Fleetwood Mac in 1970.
He recorded a solo album but then faded into obscurity.
He made guest visual aspect on albums by ex-band mates and friends before recording more albums in the late 70s and early 80s.
In 1998 he and the rest of Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
At the time, Mick Fleetwood said of Green: “He’s back in the studio, he’s really playing again, which is why he’s here on this planet. I do earnestly believe he has a magic touch. I think you will never see Pete back out in the showbiz sense of the word but I think you will hear some more music from Peter Green and I hope I’m part of that. I hope that comes to pass.”
Westy employee Nicci Hewett said: “We’re pleasured Peter has chosen to play at the Westy, because you actually never know when you will get another chance to see this legend, who played such a large part in shaping contemporary music.”

Fleetwood fluster over ticket prices

Tickets to the Fleetwood Mac gig haven't gone on sale yet but earlier there's puzzlement over how much they will cost.
One website, www.showbiznz.co.nz, has begun offering pre sale tickets at $147.50 for general acceptance to $369 for the best seats on the platform over the lake at New Plymouth's Bowl of Brooklands.
But these prices look to be more valuable than what will be suggested when tickets go on general sale next month the Taranaki Daily News understands they will range from $120 to $320.
That won't be officially known until September 4 when first claim on Fleetwood Mac's December 19 gig will go to TSB Bank customers, who will be able to buy them on line until September 8. Public sales will then open the next day.
Leesa Tilley, general manager of promoter Andrew McManus Presents, said promoters often worked with on sellers like Showbiznz who were admeasured a very limited number of ticket "holds".
"These aren't real tickets these won't be available until the general public tickets go on sale and they can market or sell them however they like," she said.
"How they market and sell them is up to them."
The prices to be asked for the big gig look similar to pricing for Taranaki's last major concert, the performance by Sir Elton John in December 2007.

Fleetwood Mac: To Play Winery On Australian Tour

Expect an notification any day now for Fleetwood Mac with an Australian winery included as part of their loose tour.
The Australian and New Zealand tour is set for December and will one winery show, secre hears.
Actual published dates for Fleetwood Mac’s loose tour go through to the European tour in November. Australasia is next.
The loose tour is a greatest hits tour. There is no new music from Fleetwood Mac in the works. In a phone hook-up with Undercover, Lindsey Buckingham said that not having new music on this tour "frees you up to enjoy each other as people. Let’s have a good time and value the friendships and history. It takes the pressure off and accept more fun than we would commonly be able to have."
The Fleetwood Mac line-up is Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie. Christine McVie has been out of the band for more than a decennary now and happily living the depart life in England. "I’ve been the only girl in Fleetwood Mac since 1998, so I’m used to it now,” Stevie said during the conference all. “But I miss Christine. The loss of Christine as one of my best girlfriends was horrific to me. Not a day goes by that I don’t wish she would call up and say, 'I’m back.' "
An official announcement for the tour is due soon.
Fleetwood Mac expected Australian dates:
December 1 and 2, Brisbane, Entertainment CentreDecember 5, Hunter Valley, Hope Estate WineryDecember 7 and 8 Sydney, Acer ArenaDecember 11 and 12, Perth, Members EquityDecember 15 and 16, Melbourne, Rod Laver ArenaDecember 19, New Zealand