Customer Reviews

Fleetwood Mac - The Dance

5 star:		(217)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

That's simply unbelievable! I'm definitely not a fan of Fleetwood Mac and you would be ashamed of me if I told you that the only 2 songs of Fleetwood Mac I liked before were "Everywhere" and "The Seven Wonders", the latter being not on the DVD.

That said, I was really intrigued by the other reviews and, baffled, I decided to give it a chance. Ooooh, I wish I had more inspirations like this one!!!

In this concert, shot in the premises of Warner Bros Studios, the band reunited to give the audience the best, the *very* best of themselves, humanly speaking. The old songs are all performed in a new version, giving them an emotional power they didn't have before. Fleetwood Mac also plays stupendous unpublished works, including instrumentals and brand-new songs, which proves that Fleetwood Mac is as sparkling as in the past and, in my opinion, even more sparkling than ever!

Look at Mick Fleetwood! Yeh... look at him! Have you ever seen an old timer like him playing the drums with so much pleasure, conviction and dexterity? I bet that from the very first song ("The Chain"), you'll know what I mean.

Lindsey Buckingham is really impressive. He plays several guitars and even the banjo in the concert and it's a delight to watch him juggling with the notes. You'll be very likely amazed by his solo performance in "Big Love" and "Go insane".

And especially, don't watch the grand finale of "I'm so afraid" with a friend at home. If he falls on the terrific instrumental duet between Mick and Lindsey, his first idea might well be to get the hell out of your house with your DVD in the pocket!!

As for Stevie Nicks, she still has her angel voice. She's very convincing when she sings, because her tone and pitch always match the lyrics but never in an exaggerated way. You'll also notice that she dances like a bird flies, it's so light and aerial. You'll also appreciate Stevie's cheerfulness. When she talks to the public, she sounds so happy to see you there that you really sympathize with her feelings. Why, it makes you feel good!!

I read some reviews saying that Christine Mc Vie had lost the magic of her voice after all these years. Maybe. But I don't care. It is perhaps a pitch lower but she knows how to master it and that's why Christine and her voice will seduce you a long time yet. Just listen to her version of Everywhere: isn't that cute?

Her ex-husband John, because he plays the bass, stays more in the background. That said, he's a great support for Lindsey and shows his great sense of humour when Christine tries to force him to sing with the whole band in "Say You Love Me".

The songs are all absolute gems. Yet you may have difficulties to tackle "My Little Demon", because the tune and the words are weird! I learnt to like it and understand it (a lot of Lindsey's songs have a context related to his life) and I no longer skip it now. Expect a surprise at the end of the concert and don't forget to savour the conclusion song, offered by Christine. You'll be so upset that you'll be mad at them for leaving so soon.

The quality of the DVD is excellent! The sound, Dolby 5.1 or PCM Stereo, is perfect. The picture is clear and flawless. My God, how did they do that?!

You want to be forgiven by your wife? Offer her this DVD! You want to be spoilt by your granny? Ask her this DVD!

Whatever the way you'll get it, watch it in the evening. "It's going to be a special night for us", Stevie Nicks said. For you too.

As a quasi-fan of Fleetwood Mac, I happened to catch the end of The Dance on public television a couple of months ago. I was fascinated not so much by the sound (I was only hearing it in stereo), but by the fun Mick Fleetwood was having on the drums. He was absolutely fantastic. The others former members of the band, Stevie Nicks, Christie McVie, John McVie, and Lindsey Buckingham were absolutely enjoying their reunion of sorts. It really showed. Well, that short clip made me go out and buy the DVD. When I watched the concert in its entirety, I was in awe. The 5.1 soundtrack is awesome, Mick's drum playing is one of the best performances I've heard, and Lindsey's guitar playing is, well, a work of art. The vocals of Stevie and Christie are timeless. If you haven't seen or heard this concert, do yourself a favor and buy the DVD version. You won't be disappointed.

This is the best live concert I've ever had the privelege to watch on DVD. Though there are noticeable recorded background vocals, Stevie and Christie sound in top form. I couldn't help thinking that they sounded so good that they must have rehearsed endlessly for this concert (I'm wondering if these songs are all from the same show because there aren't really any noticeable mistakes). Lindsey Buckingham does a solo perfomance for Go Insane and Big Love that is so emotionally charged that I was blown away. He is truly one of the best guitarists in the world. Landslide is another top song from the disc, and this performance will leave you with wet eyes (I was feeling like I invaded Stevie and Lindsey's privacy during this song). Every song is top quality and flawlessly perfomed. Lindsey's vocals are a little rough throughout, but it doesn't take away from any part of the show. The only song I didn't care much for was My Little Demon. They could have left this one off the disc. It just isn't up to the standards of every single other song here. If you are a Fleetwood Mac fan, and love both Christie's songs and Stevie's songs, then you have to buy this concert video. Besides their voices being WAY better than I thought possible for a live perfomance, they are both stunning to look at (Christie looks better than she did 20 years ago, no kidding). I borrowed the DVD from a friend, and decided after one viewing that I would have to purchase it. The cd from this tour isn't as good as the DVD you're about to purchase, because it is missing 5 very important songs. You won't regret it. I wish they would tour again because I would pay any amount of money to see a concert of this quality again.

Be wary listening to the criticisms of the sound quality on this DVD. The Dance is the best-sounding concert recording I've heard. The sound is artificially surround distributed, which may be what the critics are whining about, but personally I think it's better because the band sounds much closer than other DVD's and you can hear each instrument including the maracas and tamborines crisply and clearly.

Notice that the criticisms ALWAYS compare to only 2 DVD's: Eagles and James Taylor. These are apparenty the Holy Grails but if you don't have DTS, you're not one of the few Taylor fans out there, or you want more than 2 DVD's on your shelf, try the Dance. Unless you're an "audiophile" who MUST use vacuum-tube monoblocks for each channel and triple shielded super-conducting speaker cable or else your ears feel pain, I think you'll like it.

The Mac is back and better than ever!! The intro of their motto song "The Chain" ties up the loose ends. And with powerful performances of Rhiannon and a 5-6 minute guitar solo in I'm so Afraid. Stevie Nicks dresses for the part in Gold Dust Woman. Christine McVie gets out from behind her keyboard in Everywhere and in the new version of Say You Love Me. THe highlight of the performance is Nicks's poignant performance of Silver Springs, the song that was supposed to be on Rumours. There are 4 new songs and they are really good! They are : Sweet Girl --Stevie Nicks, Temporary One --Christine McVie, My Little Demon and Bleed To Love Her --Lindsey Buckingham. And this reunion performance is topped off with Christine McVie's peaceful trademark tune "Songbird". The USC marching band plays a few tunes with the mac. Any fleetwood mac fan MUST have this.

First let me say that I loved FM's performance.

Unfortunately the pictorial record of the fabulous show is marred by Bruce Gowers' video editing.

It's obvious that a fortune was invested to provide dozens of camera angles. Unfortunately Gowers decided that the view needed to shift with every downbeat and at the first word of each verse.

As a result, continuity is lost. We watch, for instance, Christine sing two words then the camera suddenly shifts to Mick. Just as suddenly it shifts back to Christine at the first word of the next lyric line.

Obviously, every member of the band deserves to be featured, but each song also deserves to be anchored to a performer then illustrated with wides, close-ups, two-shots, and group shots.

Landslide is performed beatifully, and we catch glimpses of the potentially electrifying interaction between Lindsay and Stevie. But Gowers ruins the moment with discontinuous shots from floating cameras and close-ups of instruments. Suddenly we notice tears in Lindsay's and Stevie's eyes at the end of the song. It would have been much betterto amplify the emotion-packed song with soft camera work and discrete editing.

To better understand my point, compare John McColgans simple video of "Riverdance" to David Mallet's over-produced jumpy edit of "Lord of the Dance." One is elegant and a joy to watch. The other is disturbing and hard to enjoy.

Nevertheless, "The Dance" concert is magical, and despite the flaws of this video production I recommend its purchase.

I have a new high end home theater system and this was the first music video I purchased. The sound quality is awesome when you turn up the volume. The video is razor sharp, except when the camera pans fast accross the stage. It's great to see this band up close. You will really appreciate the musicianship of Lindsey Buckingham on lead guitar. Also, Mick Fleetwood on drums, is clearly enjoying performing, sounds great and he's fun to watch! My father-in-law, who hates rock sat down when I put this on and watched the entire DVD. He loved it. Definately worth owning, you won't be dissapointed.

When I heard that Fleetwood Mac was getting back together to do their The Dance PBS performance, I must admit that I was very skeptical and disinterested. That attitude changed when I saw their performance.

Within a week, I had purchased the music CD, still feeling like it was more for nostalgia's sake than anything else. Nevertheless, the CD has maintained the #1 slot in my car's changer ever since, this despite having gotten a lot of serious competition. When this performance came out in DVD, I didn't jump all all over it. I picked it up almost on impulse when I noticed that I was getting tired of watching only movies with on my DVD player.

After many subsequent viewings, I am happy to report that I am still very pleased with the purchase.

Fleetwood Mac is really an amazing band in a lot of ways. Their music definitely holds up, as does the talent that made them famous. Two elements of this DVD always get my attention. First, it has great production quality. It is well made, well edited, and the sound quality well produced. The other thing that I notice when I watch this performance is...well, the performance. Fleetwood Mac puts on a heck of a show. Lindsey Buckingham's talent and inspiration not only take center stage at just the right times, but also give way to Stevie Nicks' haunting vocals in just the right way. Buckingham's guitar work, as well as the way it is showcased in this production, is as strong as you are going to see. It is easy to see on DVD how he gets so much soul and intensity into his music. The same can be said for Stevie Nicks, but in quite a different way. Their styles make for an interesting contrast as it is played out in The Dance. Mic Fleetwood's theatrics were a hoot to watch too. I had never seen a drummer make lead guitar solo faces before. I found it captivating. I found there to be just the right mix of new stuff along with their classics as well.

Super groups don't get to be super for nothing, but a lot of them sure don't perform like the used to. This is one cool dance that I can highly recommend. It is still a special treat to put this DVD on, crank up the home theater system, and snuggle up with my sweetie with the lights off!

Being a mere mortal i am hesitant to even begin to rate this come back by Fleetwood Mac.How these gods and goddesses managed to get together to perform for us mere mortals is a miracle!Seriously,this is one of the finest(in my opinion)shows put on by any classic rock and roll group in a long time and is setting a standard for all other rock groups to rise to.Stevie Nicks(looking good-must be witchcraft),Christie Mcvie,John Mcvie,Mick fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham are all giving their all during this performance.They manage to work in all their major hits,plus some new stuff thrown in for good measure.The electricity between these group members seems to want to jump from the stage and at times literally seems to do so.If like the majority of us you were not able to attend oneof their concerts than please do yourself a big favor and purchase the DVDor at least the VHS of this concert.You will be doing yourself a huge favor by doing so!

Fleetwood Mac: The Dance

Recorded at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank in 1997, this is a reunion concert for Fleetwood Mac (with a golden "Rumours" line-up of 1977) , who had been in hibernation for a while at the time of recording The Dance album. The fact that they had not played live together for a while did not seem to be a problem for these great musicians as they jumped straight into one of the best renditions of "The Chain" I have heard from them. And the concert just went off from there. A collection of some of their best known hits interspersed with new tracks from "The Dance" album plus some solo works from Lindsey Buckingham, this is a very enjoyable concert indeed. 106 minutes and 22 tracks of real good rocking. The finale ("Tusk" and "Don't Stop") with additional eighty piece brass marching band is really something!
This is really great live music from one of the genuine legendary bands of the rock era and it is a fine way to get to know this great band (except for those who remember Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, of course).

Try it anyway, and you won't be disappointed!