A quarter of a century since they topped the album charts and ruled the airwaves with their distinctive brand of West Coast pop/rock, not much has changed in the Fleetwood Mac camp.
The rhythm section that gave the band its name are still solid as a rock, while with her gypsy threads and bewitching stage presence, Stevie Nicks looked and sounded every bit the seductive siren of yore. Meanwhile, Lindsey Buckingham, the architect of this comeback, displayed even more onstage energy than he did in the laid-back 1970s, even if his voice sounded a bit shot on some numbers.
Opening with ‘The Chain’, the well-paced show leaned heavily on the classics, though songs from their reunion album Say You Will proved almost as popular with the crowd. Predictably, anything from Rumours went down a bomb, and deservedly so. Gems like ‘Go Your Own Way’, ‘Never Going Back Again’ and ‘Gold Dust Woman’ are timeless examples of their songwriting prowess. That said, the gorgeous ‘Rhiannon’ from its predecessor and ‘Sara’ from the follow-up (Tusk) proved Rumours was no fluke. The only sour note came towards the end when Fleetwood – never shy about coming forward – presided over a drum and percussion extravaganza that tested the patience and endurance of everyone. After what seemed like an eternity, the Mac Attack ended and the band finally filed back onstage for a rousing version of their biggest hit, ‘Don’t Stop’, leaving everyone beaming.