Fleetwood Mac recap

I'm sure many of you are just reeling to hear about Saturday. Personally, I'm still a little in shock that it happened. I'm going to try to give a quick rundown of the day, but I can't promise it's going to be very interesting.

I got an early start on Saturday, finishing some cleaning and running a few errands. My dad got here early and we just sort of chilled out for an hour or so and left for Columbus around 2:30. The drive up went pretty fast. We listened to Fleetwood Mac on the way then stopped about forty-five miles outside of Columbus at KFC for a bite to eat. Unfortunately it was a KFC/A&W, and even though the sign showed mashed potatoes in the combo that we both ordered, we got french fries. :( We got into downtown Columbus right around 6:30. (The show was at 8.) They had lots of roads blocked off for traffic flow, I guess. There was a Columbus Clippers game going on literally across the street, so it must have just been a busy night.

Waiting was horrendous. They didn't open the doors until 7 (and cameras weren't allowed, sadly) so we just stood out there semi-patiently. We headed straight to the merchandise stands at 7, and I got a T-shirt, a poster, and a keychain. Once in our seats, I could not keep still. My leg kept involuntarily tapping furiously. I would realize it and make it stop, then it would start right back up again moments later. People started pouring in about a quarter till 8, and the lights went down about 8:15. My dad spotted Mick coming up onto the stage first. I kept watching and watching (I figure out which side they would be coming from early on because of the way the sides were set up.) and finally I could see her. My heart jumped into my throat.

They opened with "Monday Morning" and then went right into "The Chain" and "Dreams" (of course). The order of things is a little blurred after that, although I do remember what songs they did. The only Christine-penned songs they did were "World Turning" (the first encore, in which Mick did a kickass drum solo), "Don't Stop", and "Say You Love Me". The first two are ones in which she split vocals with Lindsey anyway, so those didn't seem much different, but it was really cool to have Stevie split lead with Lindsey on "Say You Love Me". Everyone looked and sounded great. Older, but still great. The guys did "Oh Well" which was a total surprise but also incredible. It's very blues-heavy (from the time Peter Green was with the band in England) and there were these really hilarious moments where they showed Mick's cheesy grin on the screen. They also did "I Know I'm Not Wrong" from Tusk, which I'm sure over half of the people in the crowd didn't know. There was also "Big Love", "Go Insane" (although not the acoustic version that Lindsey usually does live), "Never Going Back Again", and "I'm So Afraid" (which was the one my dad wanted to hear most).

But, most importantly, I got to hear the songs I most wanted: "Gyspy", "Second Hand News", "Sara", and "Silver Springs" (the final encore and the second song to bring me to tears that night). Stevie also did "Storms", which was beautiful, and "Stand Back". That was her solo song of the evening, since Lindsey got to do "Go Insane".

The first time I cried was during "Sara". Stevie walked over to Lindsey and they put their heads on each other's shoulders. I was blubbering like a baby. Even after the show started, every time I stood, my knees were all wobbly. I felt like I was hungry and hadn't eaten all day or something, but after the show I felt totally fine. That's when I realized it must have just been all the excitement I was feeling.

We were kind of far from the stage, but I had a clear trajectory to Stevie the entire time. I was the only person in our section that stood for the majority of the time, until the encores, so I didn't have to worry about anyone obstructing my view or anything like that. I almost wish we had been on the floor, but I wouldn't have been able to see then anyway.

My dad had a really great time and kept saying how awesome the show was. As for me, I was in heaven. I didn't want to leave. I could have stayed there all night listening to them play, and I want to go see them again! Seeing Stevie and Lindsey together like that has been the greatest moment of my life so far. Now I almost don't want to go see Bette this year just because I don't want it to overshadow my experience from Saturday. Seeing Fleetwood Mac is an experience I want to remember for the rest of my life, and just like all important things that have passed, my greatest fear is forgetting.

Here is a setlist from the opening night show Fleetwood Mac did for the tour. It was all the same songs, just possibly in a slightly different order:

- "Monday Morning"
- "The Chain"
- "Dreams"
- "I Know I'm Not Wrong"
- "Gypsy"
- "Go Insane"
- "Rhiannon"
- "Second Hand News"
- "Tusk"
- "Sara"
- "Big Love"
- "Landslide"
- "Never Going Back Again"
- "Storms"
- "Say That You Love Me"
- "Gold Dust Woman"
- "Oh Well"
- "I'm So Afraid"
- "Stand Back"
- "Go Your Own Way"
(encore)
- "World Turning"
- "Don't Stop"
- "Silver Springs"