Fifty years ago today – a full half-century! – Fleetwood Mac played their very first show with the duo of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. It all went down in El Paso, Texas, back in 1975, and it’s safe to say the rock world was never quite the same.
Before Stevie and Lindsey officially joined at the tail end of 1974, Fleetwood Mac was a well-respected British blues band, but they were also going through some serious lineup shuffles and, let’s be honest, a bit of an identity crisis.
Mick Fleetwood heard Lindsey’s guitar work and was blown away. But Buckingham basically said, “I come with a package deal,” and that package was the one and only Stevie Nicks.
Smart move, Lindsey. Smart move.
Imagine being in that El Paso audience at the Civic Center Theater...or El Paso County Coliseum - sources vary on the name, but it was 50 years ago, give ‘em a break!
The setlist from that night, according to Setlist.fm, was a fascinating mix:
- Station Man
- Hypnotized
- Spare Me a Little of Your Love
- Rhiannon
- Landslide
- I’m So Afraid
- Don’t Let Me Down Again (Buckingham Nicks cover)
- The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)
- Oh Well
Little did anyone know that this El Paso gig was the launchpad for one of the biggest bands in history. This lineup would go on to create Rumours, an album so colossal, so packed with hits and interpersonal drama, it’s practically a genre unto itself.
So, today, crank up some classic Mac, maybe do a twirl in your best Stevie-esque attire, and raise a glass to May 15, 1975 – the day Fleetwood Mac, as we really know them, was truly born.
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