The following is a review of the October 9th Fleetwood Mac concert in Omaha at the Omaha Arena.

Review: Fleetwood Mac shows Omaha crowd it still can make rocking fun

BY NIZ PROSKOCIL

Thursday's Fleetwood Mac concert gave visitors more than a chance to hear one of the finest bands in rock history.

The sold-out show at the Omaha Arena - attended by an estimated 15,000 fans - gave people a chance to cast judgment on the sound quality at the venue, which has now hosted seven concerts since opening Sept. 12.

The verdict?

"It's really good," said a fortysomething man who was at his fourth Fleetwood Mac concert. "At first it was too loud, but then they toned the vocals down."

The sound quality at the arena, which has taken some hits after a string of concerts with less than stellar sound, received positive comments from concertgoers throughout Fleetwood Mac's 21/2-hour performance.

"It sounds 100 times better than it did at Cher," said one woman.

The sound of Mick Fleetwood's clapping cymbals, coupled with John McVie's thick bass line, signaled the beginning of "The Chain," the night's first song.

Stevie Nicks' vocals on that song were a bit stale as she stayed away from the high notes.

But after warming up, Nicks displayed the vocal range of a seasoned performer.

Joined by Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and vocals, the multiplatinum-selling band gave fans a superb show that featured such hits as "Rhiannon," "Secondhand News," "Gold Dust Woman," "Big Love," "Say You Will," "Go Your Own Way" and "Tusk."

Wearing a flowing black dress and a long, fringed shawl, Nicks was at the microphone for most of the concert's best performances, including a moving rendition of "Gypsy."

Nicks and Buckingham gave a goosebump-inducing performance on "Landslide" - but the goosebumps also could have come from being hit with constant blasts of chilly air in the arena.

What the performance could have used was fewer and shorter guitar solos from Buckingham, whose vocals were at their best during the heartfelt "Landslide" duet with Nicks.

The one-time couple showed chemistry that lasted throughout the night, much to the joy of fans, who cheered when Buckingham planted a kiss on Nicks' forehead after the song ended.

Fleetwood was his usual animated self and wore a goofy smile most of the night. Toward the end of the show, he brought the crowd to its feet during an extended drum solo.

Overall, the mostly baby boomer crowd had a great time reliving their glory days and were pleased with a set list heavy on songs from the band's 1977 album, "Rumours."