Dreams of Fleetwood Mac
Performed by Fleetwood Unchained
12 September 2026
Spa Pavilion, Felixstowe
I went to this one by myself.
Not entirely through choice. I did ask around, including Gemma, my fellow Fleetwood Mac enthusiast, and my usual gig companions, but nobody was free or fancied it. Fair enough. Not every gig needs an entourage.
Sometimes you don’t need company anyway. You just need a seat, a stage and two hours of Fleetwood Mac.
I should probably declare an interest here. I love Stevie Nicks. Not merely “quite like a few of her songs” love. Proper Stevie Nicks love. The voice, the songs, the shawls, the drama and the ability to make standing near a wind machine look like a profound spiritual experience.
This is quite a change from the man who, less than two years ago, had Fleetwood Mac filed firmly among the most overrated bands on the planet. Gemma suggested I listen to them properly, which I did, and she came with me to see Rumours of Fleetwood Mac earlier this year.
So, Fleetwood Unchained had a fairly high bar to clear.
They cleared it.
From the opening notes of The Chain, this felt like a proper celebration of Fleetwood Mac rather than five people wearing wigs and hoping nobody noticed. The sound was excellent, the musicianship was superb and, most importantly, the whole thing was performed with genuine affection for the music.
Gypsy, Gold Dust Woman and Dreams arrived early, which suited me perfectly. Kim Goddard took on the Stevie Nicks role without turning it into an impersonation. The voice, movements and general mystical presence were all there, but it never felt forced. She clearly loves Stevie and understands that there is more to her than spinning around in a shawl.
Although, obviously, the spinning around in a shawl helps.
The first half moved through different versions of Fleetwood Mac rather beautifully. Everywhere and You Make Loving Fun brought Christine McVie’s warmth and melody, while Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around allowed the band to wander briefly into Stevie’s solo career.
Then came Songbird.
A song that does not need embellishment, reinvention or anybody shouting “Come on, Felixstowe!” halfway through it. It was delivered with exactly the restraint it required. Simple, moving and beautifully performed.
Sara was another highlight before the stripped-back The Dance version of Big Love. One voice, one guitar and a ridiculous amount of work going on between the two. If you’ve ever watched Lindsey Buckingham perform it and thought, “I could probably have a go at that,” you couldn’t.
After the interval, the band went back to the beginning.
Fleetwood Mac existed long before Rumours, scarves and complicated Californian relationships. The Peter Green era was represented by Oh Well, The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown) and Black Magic Woman. It was a welcome reminder that the group began as a very different beast: darker, bluesier and occasionally sounding as though something unpleasant was waiting for you at the end of a corridor.
Then came Silver Springs, performed in the style of the famous The Dance version. This is peak Fleetwood Mac: a beautiful song containing enough anger, heartbreak and prolonged eye contact to make you feel uncomfortable even when you know everybody involved survived.
Naturally, I loved it.
The final stretch was essentially one enormous songbook flex. Rhiannon, Little Lies, Tusk, Edge of Seventeen, Don’t Stop and Go Your Own Way. Hit after hit, without the sense that the band were simply working their way through a tribute-act checklist.
Rhiannon is magnificent, but Go Your Own Way just edges it as my favourite Fleetwood Mac song. Only just. The sort of margin that would probably require a recount.
The whole band deserve enormous credit. These are not easy songs to reproduce, especially when one show has to move between the contrasting voices and styles of Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Christine McVie and Peter Green. Fleetwood Unchained handled all of it superbly.
They do not look or sound as though they have been assembled by an agency and introduced to one another in the car park. They play like a band. There is chemistry, humour and a real understanding of why these songs still matter.
Fleetwood Mac’s music spans different line-ups, different decades and enough romantic fallout to keep several therapists in business. Reproducing it convincingly is not easy. Fleetwood Unchained managed it without becoming a parody or trying to improve songs that never needed improving.
I arrived by myself, sat down and spent the evening completely absorbed.
Absolutely superb.
And yes, I still love Stevie Nicks.
Photos
Fleetwood Unchained set list
Spa Pavilion, Felixstowe
- The Chain
- Gypsy
- Gold Dust Woman
- Dreams
- Everywhere
- Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around
- Songbird
- Sara
- You Make Loving Fun
- Big Love (The Dance version)
Interval
- Oh Well
- The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown)
- Black Magic Woman
- Silver Springs (The Dance version)
- Rhiannon
- Little Lies
- Tusk
- Edge of Seventeen
- Don’t Stop
- Go Your Own Way
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