Fleetwood Mac

The Dance (1997)

 

  1. The Chain
  2. Dreams
  3. Everywhere
  4. Rhiannon
  5. I'm So Afraid
  6. Temporary One
  7. Bleed To Lover Her
  8. Big Love
  9. Landslide
  10.Say You Love Me
  11.My Little Demon
  12.Silver Springs
  13.You Make Loving Fun
  14.Sweet Girl
  15.Go Your Own Way
  16.Tusk
  17.Don't Stop
  
  

Fleetwood Mac’s “classic” lineup had drifted so far into myth by the mid-1990s that the idea of a proper reunion felt more like wishful nostalgia than a viable project. And yet, after a one-off performance at President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration—where Don’t Stop was repurposed as a campaign anthem—the original five (Fleetwood, McVie, McVie, Buckingham, Nicks) found themselves slowly, and perhaps unintentionally, orbiting each other once again. There was talk of new material, of a possible album, but what ultimately emerged was The Dance: a live concert recorded for MTV, a televised event, and—more than anything—a formal reminder that this band, when together, still possessed some magic.

Yes, they were older. Yes, they were flanked by auxiliary musicians (this was, after all, the era when every classic rock band needed a small orchestra to pad out the mix). But the performance is sharp, sincere, and—at times—genuinely inspired. Unlike many of their contemporaries staging similar revivals (The Eagles, Pink Floyd), Fleetwood Mac managed to sound fresh rather than merely functional. Everyone shows up with something to prove, and pretty much everyone delivers.

At first glance, the track list might raise some eyebrows. Many of the expected greatest hits are here, but interspersed are a number of lesser-known tracks and new material—always a risky move for a legacy act. And yet, against the odds, the new songs hold their own. Christine McVie’s Temporary One is breezy and instantly memorable, while Lindsey Buckingham’s Bleed to Love Her is arguably one of his finest post-Tango In The Night compositions (and the only new track that would eventually find its way onto a studio album). Even Stevie Nicks gets a moment of poetic justice with the long-shelved Silver Springs—originally cut from Rumours, it finds new life here and delivers one of the night’s most emotional performances.

The old favorites, predictably, still shine. Rhiannon, The Chain, Go Your Own Way—they’re all present, and mostly faithful to their original incarnations. Even Tusk, which could have descended into live-show absurdity, manages to walk the line between spectacle and homage, complete with a full marching band for good measure. Said band lingers for the encore of Don’t Stop, which admittedly pushes the pageantry a bit far, but it’s hard to begrudge the indulgence.

The real revelation, however, is Buckingham’s acoustic reinvention of Big Love. Once a layered studio workout drenched in 1980s polish, here it’s stripped to bare wood and wire—one man, one guitar, and one staggering display of technical prowess. It's the kind of performance that silences any lingering doubts about his value to the group.

Critics were divided, as they often are with reunion projects. Some dismissed it as safe or sentimental, but such dismissals miss the point. After a decade apart, the band had not only reunited but had done so with dignity and musical credibility intact. The Dance is a reminder that, at their best, this group wasn’t just about interpersonal drama and soft-rock sheen—they were, and are, a genuinely great band.

The tour that followed was a commercial success, but as ever with Fleetwood Mac, stability was fleeting. Christine McVie would bow out once again after this project, and the lineup would scatter into various iterations for nearly two more decades. But for one night, and on one very polished recording, the five of them came together—and they still had it.

Go back to the main page
Go To Next Review