recently at work (i work in the music industry) we were asked to name our top five artists for a battle of the bands competition. i could only name one, and so was disqualified. that band was fleetwood mac. if you ever read my m is for music post (when the pictures still existed), then you will be somewhat familiar with my fleetwood mac appreciation. if not, it goes like this; they're amazing. the end.
so, a hundred years ago when the rumours began about them headlining glasto, i was preparing for my first camping festival. then, amidst the second hand news of their u.s tour going ahead, i braced myself for the news that dreams are made of; they had confirmed uk dates. come the morning of the pre-sale, nic - another macophile and friend from work, and i sat at our computers at 9am knowing if we didn't secure our tickets that day that we'd never be going back again.
well, we didn't. it sold out in minutes, so we had to wait like mugs for the general sale the following day. stuck and work and with little faith of our own, nic had given her mum strict instructions to "don't stop refreshing the site" until the tickets were ours. we waited with baited breath... "if they've sold out again, i don't wanna know" i'd said to nic, fully preparing myself for the worst. minutes later i got the call i'd been nervously anticipating all morning; we'd got the tickets! and the cheaper end of the scale too! "oh daddy!" i cried down the phone to nic, all the while praising that gold dust woman in my head, mentally adding her to my christmas card list and preparing to name my first born after her too.
months passed, and although it was always in my mind, i'd basically forgotten about it until the week of the gig. between packing for our holiday, planning birthday catch-ups and dealing with my pulled neck muscle, it wasn't high on the agenda! come wednesday morning though, things were different. like the songbird i am, i was humming mac tunes all day, and nic, amy (another macophile at work), and i couldn't contain our excitement at work. everyone knew where we going that night. nic and i had planned to meet her mum for dinner before the show, and naturally, invited amy along. "you gonna go your own way?" we'd asked - not knowing she was meeting her boyfriend there later, so instead planned to meet her in the sky bar before the show.
so, a hundred years ago when the rumours began about them headlining glasto, i was preparing for my first camping festival. then, amidst the second hand news of their u.s tour going ahead, i braced myself for the news that dreams are made of; they had confirmed uk dates. come the morning of the pre-sale, nic - another macophile and friend from work, and i sat at our computers at 9am knowing if we didn't secure our tickets that day that we'd never be going back again.
well, we didn't. it sold out in minutes, so we had to wait like mugs for the general sale the following day. stuck and work and with little faith of our own, nic had given her mum strict instructions to "don't stop refreshing the site" until the tickets were ours. we waited with baited breath... "if they've sold out again, i don't wanna know" i'd said to nic, fully preparing myself for the worst. minutes later i got the call i'd been nervously anticipating all morning; we'd got the tickets! and the cheaper end of the scale too! "oh daddy!" i cried down the phone to nic, all the while praising that gold dust woman in my head, mentally adding her to my christmas card list and preparing to name my first born after her too.
months passed, and although it was always in my mind, i'd basically forgotten about it until the week of the gig. between packing for our holiday, planning birthday catch-ups and dealing with my pulled neck muscle, it wasn't high on the agenda! come wednesday morning though, things were different. like the songbird i am, i was humming mac tunes all day, and nic, amy (another macophile at work), and i couldn't contain our excitement at work. everyone knew where we going that night. nic and i had planned to meet her mum for dinner before the show, and naturally, invited amy along. "you gonna go your own way?" we'd asked - not knowing she was meeting her boyfriend there later, so instead planned to meet her in the sky bar before the show.
at 5pm, i unshackled the chain around my desk and and swanned out the door, bound for north greenwich. there, we met nic's mum at wagamama, and indulged in some delicious pre-show japanese before indulging in the glamour of the sky backstage bar - again, thanks to nic's mum's sky package! this woman, i tell you what. she sure does make loving fun! ten minutes before show time, we took our seats... in the front half of the arena, at ground level! we had amazing seats! we weren't sure we were in the right place, but a quick check with the usher revealed that we defnitely were. excited to the point of peeing, we waited... and then...i watched, wide eyed, as one of my favourite bands of all time played their classics, their hits, some new tracks, acoustic and electric tracks, and even some of their solo tracks, for the next three hours. three hours. and, as if that wasn't enough, during the encore, christine mcvie came out and joined the others in stage for "don't stop", for the first time since 1998 when they were inducted into the music hall of fame. it was totes emosh; seeing lindsay and stevie hug and kiss each other, and knowing all about their history was just... epic. nic and i caught each other well up during the poignant speeches, and go giddy during lindsay's multiple
when we left, i literally couldn't wipe the smile off my face. it was the gig of a lifetime (have had a few of those in london), and i simply cannot believe that i've seen fleetwood mac live. like literally, cannot believe it. it still hasn't sunk in. my life is now complete.
have you ever been to a gig that made you feel that way?
(you should be impressed that i fit the whole 'rumours' track list in this post. i'm not even sorry.)
