Customer Reviews

Fleetwood Mac: Tango in the Night

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Many reviewers here seem to be more Fleetwood Mac fans and less music fans? I'm a Mac fan also, but was pleasantly surprised with the two new replacements (Billy Burnette and Rick Vito) in this video. One of Fleetwood Mac's strengths is the variation of songs and styles resulting from having three different singers/songwriters in the band. Instead of knocking them, I view Lindsay Buckingham's replacements as a continuation of such (and I am a Lindsay Buckingham fan also). Sure, the video may have been 'overproduced' (is it a video, or is it a concert?), and one could nitpick different areas, but many of the songs sounded better than any previous renditions I'd previously heard. I don't know which is the lead guitarist (Burnette or Vito), but I thought he put on a heckuva show, and is definitely talented. Is he a better guitarist than Lindsay Buckingham? That would be tough call, and isn't that alone reason enough to view this video? The only reason I didn't give this video 5 stars is that it's only 60 minutes long. A few more Mac favorites (heck, I'd be willing to give a few more of the newcomers' songs a try) to stretch it to around 90 minutes would have made it great.

This video is perfect evidence of the downfall of the band after the departure of Lindsey Buckingham. The late eighties saw the band become a slick "hair band" with little to offer that was unpredictable. The set list from this 1988 concert filmed at San Francisco's Cow Palace sounds overproduced and anything but live. Moreover, the close-ups shots of Ms Stevie Nicks (that were redone months later after she was unhappy with her appearance) are downright comical. It's obvious they don't match the rest of the footage...What were they thinking. The long and senseless drum solo by Mick Fleetwood in "World Turning" is redundant and again, comical at best. Thank goodness, this wonderfal band redeemed itself with 1998's "The Dance" ( a much better buy). There is a God!! Skip this lemon and go for "The Dance"

I am a 20-plus year FM & Stevie Nicks fan. A true die-hard lover of this band. But, WHAT WAS THAT! The Stevie close-ups were way overdone, not to mention the Stevie hair! FM had to use two men to replace the irreplaceable Lindsey Buckingham, and to no avail, it just is not the same. Although these men are clearly talented, Lindsey, they are not. Stevie Nicks sounds as if her voice is synthesized on every song, and she rushes through, "Dreams" like she has some other very pressing engagement. Attention Fleetwood Mac fans: PASS ON THIS ONE.

After having bought the Tango in the Night concert, I regret ignoring the reviews already posted saying it's not that good. It's not Fleetwood Mac at it's best, and the editing is very distracting. The Mirage or Dance concert are much better!

This is a one hour video that was originally released on VHS. Like many of the DVD conversions from VHS, there are no extras on this DVD. The sound is in stereo only, with no 5.1 option. All you get is a menu of the songs. The video quality is pretty good, but not high definition digital video.

On the plus side, the filming of this concert is much better than most newer concert DVD's. Most new concert DVD's are poorly filmed for a quick and cheap release. On newer concert DVD's the camera is always moving around and never focuses on the correct person. This DVD does not suffer from those problems.

In this version of Fleetwood Mac, Rick Vito and Bill Burnette have replaced Lindsey Buckingham. They both look ridiculous in their eighties dress and haircuts. They remind me of the John Stamos character in the TV show, Full House (something my kids put me through in their growing years).

The performance is OK, but not one of Fleetwood Mac's best. It seems like the band is not quite comfortable with the old material.

I think the best and most interesting thing on this DVD is Rick Vito's Another Woman. It is a very good blues tune, that takes us back to Fleetwood Mac's roots (even though Vito has nothing to do with the group's roots).

World Turning is very good and energetic, and features Fleetwood's drum solo and various types of instruments. I always enjoyed his talking drum solo. I am not so sure about this newer innovation of the electronic drum vest.

The group also does the classic Fleetwood Mac song, Oh Well. It is nice to here it played again, but this isn't the greatest version of the song.

As video choices go, I would suggest getting the Dance or Live In Boston first.

Great concert,was there on a saturday,got there before the lights went out. There was a band called 'Chalice',pretty good,only saw there performance for only 2 minutes. Stevie Nicks was great,she changed into a different wardrobe after every song. I do remember the t.v. cameras going up and down the isles,surprised to see this particular concert,at this particular date: Saturday,6:30 p.m.,12/12/87. I fell over my seat when I saw this video for sale. All the classics were sung by Stevie,great concert,you get your moneys worth at there concerts... Video tape list:(1)'The chain',(2)'Everywhere',(3)'Dreams',(4)'Seven wonders',(5)'Isn't it midnight',(6)'World turning',(7)'Little lies',(8)'Oh well',(9)'Gold dust woman',(10)'Another woman',(11)'Standback',(12)'Song bird',(13)'Dont stop'.

This tour was when Mr. Buckingham quit the band in 1987, in support of the superb "Tango in the night" album. They replaced Buckingham with not one, but two guitarists, Rick Vito and Billy Burrnet(a thousand guitarists couldn't replace Buckngham's electricity). While the tour itself was enjoyable, due to Stevie Nicks and Christine Mcvie, this video shoot, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, falls flat for many reasons. While trying to spotlight the 2 new male members as a vital part of the new line-up, it simply shows how Billy and Rick lack the personality and electricity that has made Fleetwood Mac one of the finest live bands in the history of rock and roll. They simply don't "fit in" here. Lindsey Buckingham is sorrowly missed here. And to top things off, Stevie Nicks' close-ups are obvious re-shoots that were edited into this video performace long after the show was shot, as they don't match the stock footage at all. Stevie Nicks is perhaps one of the most beautiful rock icons in history and certainly there was no need to re-shoot close-ups and insert them into this concert. The overall feel is forced, and doesn't compare to the groups's "mirage" video release, or the recent "The Dance" video.Let's hope the 1982 "Mirage" video concert, and the 1980 "Tusk concert/documentary" find their way to DVD soon, which better demonstrate why Fleetwood Mac is one of the best rock bands ever.This dvd simply doesn't do the band much justice.

Filmed at the Cow Palace in San Francisco in 1987 when the Mac were touring in support of `Tango In The Night, this hour long concert suffers from over-production, thus losing the `live' feel unlike the Mirage tour '82 concert, Live In Boston and The Dance. Re-filmed close ups of Stevie Nicks will get on your nerves very quickly as has already been said in other reviews. But as poor as the visual side is , there is some real good music to be found. Rick Vito may lack Lindsey Buckingham's presence, but he fills in Lindsey's guitar parts very well, backed up by fellow newcomer Billy Burnette.
1. The Chain: A solid performance.
2. Everywhere: Great additional guitar parts but too many backstage/rehearsal shots and not enough of the actual performance.
3. Dreams: THE worst recorded performance of this song I have ever heard. Everything sucks. Camera angles, guitar , Stevie's voice and more.
4. Seven Wonders: Better on the album, Stevie's voice is really flat here. Apart from that , it's not bad.
5. Isn't It Midnight - definitely the highly of the concert. Christine's voice is really good, excellent guitar work, way better than the album version.
6. World Turning - tons better than Live In Boston, Rick and Billy shine here. Billy and Christine's vocal are spot on, and it features an interesting solo from Rick showcasing his slide guitar talent. Sadly, it then hits a brick wall with a long and pointless drum solo from Mick that drags on for ages and ruins the song. Advice: SKIP IT!
7. Little Lies : horrible . Album version is way better , Rick Vito does his best to salvage the song at the end, but it still doesn't cut it.
8. Oh Well : A very good rendition from Billy Burnette .
9. Gold Dust Woman: No real surprises. By the late 80's Stevie had lost her `Gold Dust Woman' electricity.
10. Another Woman: Rick's only lead vocal song on the DVD. He performs it to the best of his ability, but it gets dull fairly quickly.
11. Stand Back: Great intro despite a shaky synthesizer. Another great slide solo from Rick. One of the best recorded performances of the song, which is why it was put on their 1992 Box Set.
12. Songbird: Everything you'd expect. You only see a few shots of Christine actually performing it, the rest is just slow motion backstage shots.

The concert is worth buying just for The Chain, Isn't It Midnight and Stand Back. It would be so much better but for the grossly re-used stage shots and Nicks's close-ups. Oh yeah and you get to hear a shortened version of Don't Stop during the credits. A good buy for big fans .

Has it's moment's of shine - "Little Lies" and "Seven Wonders", (both of which, shamefully, were left out of the line-up during "The Dance" reunion tour) but Buckingham's presence is much missed! Can't blame the Mac for trying - Buckingham refused to tour and they had a hit album on their hands to promote - they had no choice but to carry on without him! Nicks looks great and Christine McVie as ever is magnificent. But the combination of Buckingham and Nicks as the front people for the band is the magic ingredient that makes their stage shows dynamic! Buckingham and Nicks have incredible chemistry, are energetic performers and their on-stage interactions supplies the Mighty Mac with much of it's glamour! Without Buckingham the magic just isn't there! Though the band tries hard, and the show is far from an embarrassment, Rick Vito and Billy Burnette are just not dynamic performers and are a pale shadow of Buckingham. Buy this if you want, but "The Dance" is the Mac concert dvd to own! That concert rocks and all the classic line-up is there! If you're a Mac fan you gotta get that one!

I'll keep this brief. Fleetwood Mac is an awesome band, even when they're not at their best. It is important to note that it takes TWO lead guitarists (Billy Burnette and Rick Vito) to approximate the amount of music Lyndsey Buckignham makes by himself, and they don't equal it.
About the video:
The music is good - the vocals are good.
BUT
Where the heck is 'Tango In the Night'? The title cut from the album isn't in the concert! This is supposed to be the 'Tango In The Night' tour - and they didn't play it!
I'm confused...