I had a post planned for today, but it’ll have to wait. I’m crushed by the news of Christine McVie’s death. I don’t feel like writing much about it, so I thought I’d share photos of a few mementos.
Ticket stub from when I saw Fleetwood Mac at the Coliseum in Birmingham, Alabama, on the Tusk tour in 1980. Amazing concert and my first time to see the band with the Fleetwood/McVie/McVie/Buckingham/Nicks lineup.
My program from that concert.
When Lindsey Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac in the late 1980s, the band recorded Behind The Mask and toured with Billy Burnette and Rick Vito joining the McVies, Fleetwood, and Nicks on stage. I knew every word of every song on the album, so I very much enjoyed seeing them with Tom at the Summit in Houston in 1990, ten years after my first Mac concert.
Twenty-five years later, my favorite version of the band was back: Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks. I got to see them at the Toyota Center with Tim thanks to a friend who gifted us the tickets.
By then, I was part of the cell phone generation, so here’s a blurry photo of Christine on keyboards, with John behind her at the bank of speakers, Mick on his drum riser, and Stevie and Lindsey front of stage. They were fantastic, as if it hadn’t been thirty-five years since that first concert. I’m so grateful I saw them on that tour.
I can’t close without hoping that somewhere, Christine and Dennis are making music together again.
A few words from her song “Only Over You,” inspired by and written for and about Dennis Wilson.
Angel, please don’t go
I miss you when you’re gone
They say I’m a silly girl
But I’m not a fool
I’m out of my mind
But it’s only over you
I’m out of my mind
But it’s only over you
That’s a beautiful tribute
Yes, I too am sad to hear her go, and thanks for sharing this.
I was seven years old in August 1980. Jus’ sayin’.
I miss real, paper, tickets. I used to keep them all in albums, but now they are mostly electronic. Meh.
You’d have loved that concert as a seven-year-old!
I’m glad you and I both have souvenirs of the things that meant something to us.