Fleetwood Mac to perform at Rogers Place Nov. 10
Yesterday’s gone, but guess who’s returning to town Nov. 10 anyway, daddy?
That’s right — Grammywinning Fleetwood Mac is back, Rogers Place being their 17th stop on a 50-plus date North American tour. The lineup will include veteran members Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks, and Christine McVie along with “newcomers” Mike Campbell (longtime Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers lead guitar) and, Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz replacing Lindsey Buckingham. As far as proxies go, a pretty good deal.
As Fleetwood told Variety, “We jammed with Mike and Neil and the chemistry really worked and let the band realize that this is the right combination to go forward with in Fleetwood Mac style. We know we have something new, yet it’s got the unmistakable Mac sound.”
Finn himself said, “It felt fresh and exciting, so many great songs, a spectacular rhythm section and two of the greatest voices ever. I can’t wait to play.”
To many still standing the most important album in the world, 1977’s Rumours alone sold 40 million copies and includes hits Second Hand News, Dreams, Never Going Back Again, Don’t Stop, Go Your Own Way and Songbird — and that’s just Side 1.
The London band has been going nearly continuously since 1967 and the rest of their output accounts for an additional 60 million records sold, songs from Rhiannon to Little Lies packed into a staggering songbook.
Tickets to this spectacle of nostalgia go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, May 4 through Ticketmaster. Prices have yet to be confirmed.
In other concert news, 56-yearold rock icon Melissa Etheridge will be playing a more intimate show at the Winspear July 12.
Active since 1985, the social activist, queer rights advocate and breast cancer survivor has a magnificent catalogue of heartland rock songs, including the punchy Bring Me Some Water — and amid her Grammys is an Academy Award for her song I Need to Wake Up from the film An Inconvenient Truth.
Tickets ranging from $45.50 to $95.50 go on sale 10 a.m. Friday through livenation.com, charge by phone 780-428-1414 or visit the Winspear Centre box office downtown amid the exciting LRT construction.
Paris-born, Edmonton-cultivated, L.A.-living psych-pop duo Le Plaisir are releasing a seriously beautiful video Friday morning for the new song, No Ordinary Wave.
The band is married couple Amelia Aspen and Doug Organ, the video shot and edited by Edmonton mad scientist Parker Thiessen, a FAVA mainstay who also makes music in bands like Zebra Pulse.
Aspen explains from L.A., “He had this footage from his honeymoon — he’d been waiting for the right kind of song with the right feel. Our song is on the surfy side in kind of weird, glitchy synthy kind of way.
“He manipulated the footage a little bit and made us dress all in white to project on us, and then glitched it out and Parker-ified it. It speaks to what a Level 10 video nerd he is in that he had to make the video twice — he made footage, and then shot it onto us, and made it all out of that.”
The Alberta Foundation for the Arts-supported video will be searchable online Friday.
Organ and Aspen are seriously working toward setting up an artist residency in L.A., which will be an excellent pipe between there and here.
Le Plaisir’s album Crown Shyness is coming out in late June to coincide with their appearance at Calgary’s sprawling and wonderful music festival Sled Island. There will also be an Edmonton release show, details TBA.
Finally, St. Albert has announced its inaugural poet laureate, Zach Polis, a two-year term.
Speaking to council, Polis noted, “A Poet Laureate is capable of speaking words and feelings that their community cannot, but we all know are true. Poetry is in the cultural air right now and is having a rock star moment. St. Albert couldn’t be engaging with poetry at a better time because of this. St. Albert is a magical place full of humour, love and has the full range of human experience that everyone feels around the world. We should be sharing our stories, all of us as global citizens. I’m so thrilled to share my voice and perspectives and encourage everyone to get connected with their own personal power, creativity, and to share their stories.”
Polis last year released a collection called My Weird Flamingo and has had poetry in Latitude 53 and SNAP Gallery’s publications.