Fleetwood Mac's reunion concert Thursday night on a Warner Bros. sound stage in Burbank got off to a wobbly start.
Only one song into the two-hour set, which was taped for MTV, singer Stevie Nicks twice botched the opening line to "Dreams," one of the band's signature songs.
Each time, the group had to stop and restart the song.
"I'm so sorry," said Nicks, who was greeted with a roar from the crowd of 800 when she finally got it right on the third try. "I guess I'm really nervous."
Her anxiety was easily understandable.
The show, a warmup for a fall arena tour that is expected to reach Southern California in early October, was the first full-length concert in 15 years by Fleetwood Mac's most successful lineup: Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and co-founders Mick Fleetwood and John McVie.
The questions facing the reunion: Is the quintet still strong musically after all these years and how big an audience is waiting to see it again?
The irony of the reunion is that the band will again be pitted against its late-'70s chart rival, the Eagles.
Two decades ago, the groups were mainstream pop-rock blockbusters, both based in Southern California and writing about relationships with style and grace. Fleetwood Mac's 1977 album, "Rumours," and the Eagles' 1976 collection, "Hotel California," remain two of the biggest-selling packages of all time--with estimated sales of 17 million and 14 million copies, respectively.
Now, Fleetwood Mac's reunion will be measured by many in the industry against the commercial standards of the Eagles' hugely lucrative 1994-96 reunion tour. The worldwide trek grossed some $210 million and was witnessed by more than 3.5 million people.
Add to that the estimated $200 million to $250 million that the Eagles grossed in album and merchandise sales and it's easy to see why Fleetwood Mac, which splintered in 1987 for various personal and professional reasons, would be tempted to regroup.
Industry observers, however, are skeptical that the reunited Mac can reach that Eagles' level because, unlike its rival, the band has remained active over the years despite the loss of key members, perhaps tarnishing its image. Gary Bongiovanni, editor in chief of the concert trade publication Pollstar, says it would be wise for the group to keep ticket prices lower than the Eagles, who charged more than $100 for some seats in selected cities.
