Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
With no new music forthcoming from the legendary Fleetwood Mac, added with the fallout involving Lindsey Buckingham and the rest of the band, and the sadness that envelopes the fan as they remember the seismic talent lost in the form of Christine McVie’s passing, the only way possible to keep the interest of the public is in innovative releases, of plunging into the live recordings during their long and illustrious career; and as the sound of the expansive release of the Mirage Tour ’82 fills the air, so the machine, the love continues onwards.
Whilst the album had already been released in a lesser form, the set list is now complete, and it what it means for the fan is a sense of completeness in the respect of what could be described as the rest between the storms that was the era of Rumours/Tusk, and the return of high intense fall out and brilliance in Tango In The Night, the classic line up strut the stage in America to acclaim and positive limelight.
The inclusion of tracks such as Dreams, Sara, and Landslide, give the extra dimension required to lift the drama on stage, and whilst the memory of what came before the addition of Christine McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham to the fold is only highlighted by the enjoyable Oh Well, this insight, almost psychologically informed and a beat of the pain that was always framed with freedom and liberty across the discography from the days of Peter Green and then amplified in the 1970s in the classic age, is once more opened with a fresh belief of what cuts you only makes you stronger.
With songs across the three LPs such as Second Hand News, The Chain, Eyes Of The World, Gypsy, a splendid version of Tusk, I’m So Afraid, Blue Letter, and Sisters Of The Moon all playing their invaluable part in emulating the last live vinyl release of Rumours in 2023.
The complexity of the live set from more than 40 years ago is one in which the tepid explorer might back away from, the sound is as to be expected, and whilst that is a shame it also demonstrates the agility of the band to overcome the obstacles placed before them, the strength of application in performance is astonishing, and a reminder of just important the entire band was, and remains, in the pantheon of 20th Century music.
Ian D. Hall