Forty eight years is a long time to be at the very top of your game. In London in 1967 guitarist Peter Green teamed up with drummer Mick Fleetwood and roped in slide guitarist Jeremy Spencer and bass player Bob Brunning. Fleetwood Mac was formed. It was the first incarnation of many for the band and the beginning of a tumultuous ride to the top, around a bit, back again, back to rock bottom and back to the top again.
Their story is full of all the madness you'd expect from a rock band that came into existence in the late '60s, but who could have anticipated that high-energy drum solo from 68-year-old Mick Fleetwood in a packed stadium in Dunedin on Wednesday night? Or that finger-bleeding guitar solo from Lindsey Buckingham? He's just turned 66.
And then there's Stevie Nicks – a timeless vocal trapped in a seemingly timeless body. She's now 67, but you'd be hard pressed to guess that. A 48-year span in rock music seems to have barely blemished her presence. And that's what this band has in spades: a presence like no other. A magic that has kept audiences intrigued for nearly half a century and sold more than 100 million records along the way. They have a voice that traverses continents and they're not afraid to use it – wading serendipitously into New Zealand's flag debate and sharing their view of the world we now find ourselves in with a simple message delivered to the full house of 35,000 at Dunedin's show:
"Be kind to one another."
Huey is certainly being kind. Swell all week and lots of sunshine ... I feel a summer sick day coming on.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS Box of Light is heading to Australia's East Coast for Xmas, so last day for custom print orders before Xmas is December 9. Find your favourite here. Or grab a gift card here.
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