Why Fleetwood Mac Should Be Playing Western Springs + A Brilliant Live Version Of ‘Never Going Back Again’

Fleetwood Mac, 1977.

*SEE JULY 1st UPDATE BELOW

Tickets to Fleetwood Mac’s two Auckland concerts in December sold out today in 15 minutes. Which raises a couple of questions: Firstly is the issue of pre-sales. I bought a ticket last week in one of the pre-sales because I’m a LiveNation member and happen to have the right sort of credit card. Had I not done that then chances are I would’ve missed out.

Which suggests that for an act as popular as Fleetwood Mac, most of the tickets are sold out before they officially go on sale. What exactly is the reason for the multiple pre-sale options? Is it to create demand for the official sale and a sense of panic that people might miss out if they dilly-dally? Quite possibly, but it does raise a pretty major ethical question: is it wrong to allow concerts to almost sell out before they’ve officially gone on sale?

Secondly is why is the concert not at Western Springs? Forget the Dunedin issue, a band of Fleetwood Mac’s enormity and cross-generational appeal would’ve easily attracted 50,000 fans to Western Springs (a venue which can take as many as 70,000 while still complying with modern OSH regulations and with seating on the field). Remember that Fleetwood Mac sold out two nights of 19,000 each in 2009 in NEW PLYMOUTH!!!! So why have them playing indoors at Vector with a max of 12,000 per night? It will be summertime after all.

Led Zeppelin, Western Springs, 1972.

 

I waded into the treacherous waters of the stuff.co.nz comments section, to see what angry Fleetwood Mac fans were saying about missing out on tickets. Amongst the devastated fans who I really feel for was a lady calling herself “Big Mumma.” Big Mumma had this to say:

“Looks like Christine McVee may not be touring with them either, it will be sad for the diehard fans if that’s true.”

Oh liberal user of the expression “diehard fans”! We can start by pointing out her name is “McVie” not “McVee”, while most “diehard fans” are aware she hasn’t toured with the band for 15 years. Diehard fans love Christine McVie, indeed her pre-Stevie and Lindsey song Why from 1973 is my all-time favourite Fleetwood Mac song. But diehard fans also know that for the past 15 years Fleetwood Mac have been nothing short of electrifying live despite her absence.

Here’s proof. Fleetwood Mac live a few years back with a version of Never Going Back Again which in my mind surpasses even the original (love those shuffling drums, Mick!):

Fleetwood Mac 1977

*Due to what the promoter has called “unprecedented demand,” a third Fleetwood Mac Vector Arena concert has been added for December 4th. Tickets “officially” go on sale on 11am Monday July 8th, but there is a pesky pre-sale for American Express cardholders from midday this Wednesday (July 3rd). Of course this is great news for everyone who missed out, but again, considering Fleetwood Mac sold out 38,000 tickets across two nights just four years ago in a city of 50,000, I’m not quite sure what is unprecedented about selling out 24,000 tickets in a city of 1.5 million.

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