Cage Tour Review

[michelej1]

Globe and Mail, October 21, 1987

HEADLINE: Fleetwood Mac gets on track despite Nick's loss of power

BODY:


BY ALAN NIESTER
Special To The Globe and Mail
A decade ago, an appearance by Fleetwood Mac would have been the
highlight of the rock social season. It almost certainly would have been
held outdoors to accommodate the crowds and would have been preceded by
massive media coverage and weeks of anticipation.

But that was then and this is now. While Fleetwood Mac still has enough
clout to appear at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens, as it did Monday night,
it's no longer capable of filling the place and it's doubtful the scalpers
got rich from this event. About 12,000 attended, filling the green seats,
but barely even touching the upper-level greys.

What the faithful saw was a band starting its third decade and
undergoing yet another reincarnation. Fleetwood Mac arrived without
guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who left the group after recording the
recent Tango In The Night album. Replacing him were Rick Vito and Billy
Burnette. By actual count, the two represent the sixth and seventh
guitarists in the band's 20-year history. While they proved capable, they
are probably the least distinctive of any of the guitarists ever
associated with the band.

But the guitar work was not the problem with this concert. The sad
truth is that vocalist Stevie Nicks, once a dazzling and evocative
heartthrob, and the one most responsible for the group's late seventies
renaissance, is not the performer she once was. On Monday night, the band
did everything in its power to conceal the fact that her vocal range has
shrunk to practically a monotone: the group cranked up the volume; it
slipped in a trio of backing vocalists; it even added an African drummer
to pad out the rhythm. But none of this could disguise a voice that has
moved progressively closer to that of a nanny goat. Nicks can turn it up
and turn it down, but she can't push it to where it has to go.

Rhiannon, formerly her signature tune, has become something of an
albatross. A decade ago, Nicks twirled and spun amid diaphanous veils,
while her voice soared majestically. Now, she has been forced to alter the
tune. The carefree twirls have given way to careful, almost matronly stage
movements, and the chorus of the song is unrecognizable because Nicks can
no longer handle the high notes.

The concert's success came about in spite of Nicks, rather than because
of her. While Tango In The Night has yielded a trio of hits, the band
chose to place the emphasis on past glories. Virtually every song a
longtime fan would want to hear was presented, from Rattlesnake Shake to
Seven Wonders, from Dreams to Never Break the Chain. Even the earliest
days were fair game, as guitarist Vito paid tribute to founding
member/guitarist Peter Green with his own renditions of Another Woman and
Oh Well. Vito showed vitality but hardly matched Green's tasteful
stylings; on the former number, he came off more like Eric Clapton, on the
latter, like Stevie Ray Vaughan. At least the intentions were noble.

It was the ageless rhythm section of Mick Fleetwood and John McVie that
held the whole event together. Never flashy, always consistent, this duo
represents the most dependable rhythm section in rock. Mention must also
be made of vocalist/singer Christine McVie. Although her range is limited
(and she recognizes the fact better than Nicks does), her vocals on
numbers such as Say You Love Me and Over My Head were understated and
appealing.