Fleetwood Mac Next Generation Carries The Legacy Forward

Every so often I get to do something special because of my video channel. The friendships I've made over the course of doing this for three years are really amazing. In the case of Rumours of Fleetwood Mac, a rather perfectionist outfit hailing from the British Isles, I will never think about tribute
bands in the old way. No, ROFM is different. This is not just a band, but a musical philosophy. As the original composers age, and become less like their former selves, it's apparent that no new replacement music is coming to displace our memories. Nor is today's music making any effort to replicate the meticulous attention to detail that was once the hallmark of the original Fleetwood Mac era.

And as the original band deals with their mortality, and some fans grapple with their lack of compassion for ousted member Lindsey Buckingham, it's increasingly clear that there is a need for Rumours of Fleetwood Mac. They've taken the legacy of a once great band and paid it forward. Their attention to detail is stunning without devolving into a vaudevillian cartoon. This is Fleetwood Mac The Next Generation. Even Mick Fleetwood has put his stamp of approval on this. He introduces the band via prerecorded video. But unlike other attempts to replicate Fleetwood Mac, ROFM is on a spiritual journey. They understand what this music means to so many people. They also understand that the current Fleetwood Mac is more a corporation now. The passion has been replaced with The Authorized 2nd Party Ticket Seller. An evil genius invention that enables these tickets to fetch "Fair Market Value". Concerts that are absent that mystical, magical and often manic intangible that was Lindsey Buckingham. If you're trying to sell tickets based on chemistry or drama, there now is none. Instead we are treated to something that's been dubbed casual chemistry. Even if after all these years, Stevie and Lindsey were just hamming it up to keep the folks interested, that element is now gone. What we're left with is a 50 year musical legacy that proves more durable than the drama.

And ROFM proved it over and over again in Fort Myers Florida last night. Their set list wasn't focus tested or approved by Irving Azoff. The fact the band concluded with the oft maligned "Tusk" is a testimony to how the musicians view Lindsey Buckingham's contributions to the entire musical landscape. ROFM won't be playing any Crowded House, Split Enz or Tom Petty music. Hell, if you go to a Fleetwood Mac concert, you ought to be hearing Mac. You've got 50 years of catalog to sift through. And for over two hours, the band delivered accurate and inspired versions of the songs we all know, while playing deeper tracks for actual Fleetwood Mac fans. I know that is a risky thing to do today in our overly focus tested music world. But the tickets had already been purchased. The Barbara B. Mann Auditorium was filled to capacity. No casual fan could walk away thinking they didn't hear what they came for. All the major hits were there, maybe with the exception of "Hold Me" from Mirage. For those of us VIPS, we got a three song warm up two hours ahead of showtime. Again, sometimes it's good to be me. The band breezed through "Say You Love Me", "Never Going Back Again" and "Crystal".

The main set list included some incredible variations. For me, the inclusion of "Isn't It Midnight", a track we pounded relentlessly on the rock station format in 1988, was an incredible moment and showed how musically capable this band is. ROFM also uncovered "Bleed To Love Her" a tune from Say You Will that one might construe is about a former girlfriend...like many of them. But Stevie got her due as well. "Storms" was a brilliant, unexpected treat from Tusk. Christine's "Songbird", likely the only song from Rumours not to get robust radio airplay (although I remember hearing it on good FM stations) was another show stopping moment. For the fan of perfectly executed blues, the band took on "Need Your Love So Bad" as well as "Oh Well" and "Black Magic Woman" from the Peter Green era. All handled with care and delivered with real energy.

As the band took their final bows, I thought to myself that time is marching on. And for those of us who want to relive what this music meant to us, we are going to be relying on these next generation bands to keep the torch lit. This was an experience that gave me hope. It solves a lot of problems for Fleetwood Mac fans. Everyone from the original band is treated with respect. There is no drama. You hear only Fleetwood Mac songs. The concert is affordable compared to the scandal of Live Nation. And this band is not taking a long hiatus any time soon. This was close to, if not the best concert experience I've ever had. Rumours of Fleetwood Mac is a worthy successor to Fleetwood Mac.