Last Tuesday night, legendary rock band Fleetwood Mac took the stage at the Capital One Arena for a sold-out show. Decent seats were selling for $200+ apiece, but that did nothing to deter people from coming out in droves, many of whom drove several hours into D.C. to experience “An Evening with Fleetwood Mac.” The crowd was an even blend of college students in flared pants and older couples in cowboy hats, all coming together under the magical connective effect that timeless music has.

They had no opening act, of course– because they’re Fleetwood Mac and all they need is a few tambourines and a plain white sheet draped behind the drum kit to draw 20,000 people in for a night (and to completely sell out of $40 t-shirts). And they may be advanced in years– frontwoman Stevie Nicks recently turned 70 years old– but the band proved that age is just a number, playing all of the classics with the same gusto and talent that skyrocketed them to fame so many years ago. Christine McVie’s voice rang just as clear as it does on the original recordings, and Mick Fleetwood surprised many in the crowd with a 15-minute long drum solo.

Although the majority of the audience remained seated for the entire show, there was no shortage of the love they showered the band with. It was especially noisy when the women of the band took to the front of the stage for “Black Magic Woman.” They even altered the lyrics to appeal to the ladies in the audience, singing “I am a black magic woman” instead of the original “I got a black magic woman.” Nicks drank up the attention, draping herself in a glittery gold shawl and striking a dramatic pose before breaking into “Gold Dust Woman.”

Absent from the otherwise original lineup was former lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, who was fired from the band in early 2018 after yet another falling-out with the other members. Fleetwood Mac has been infamously rocked by a series of conflicts over the years, with the band breaking up only to get back together to create masterpieces like 1977’s Rumours. Buckingham’s absence was something they glossed over during the set, simply introducing the interim lead guitarist, Mike Campbell of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Fleetwood Mac played for almost a 2-hour set, breezing through a variety of the classics from over 40 years as a band. They kicked off their encore with a sentimental cover of “Free Fallin’,” complete with a slideshow of photos of Nicks’s longtime friend, the late Tom Petty. The band also took on a cover of the song “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” inviting the song’s original writer and lead singer, Neil Finn, to the front to take the lead.
Miss out on the Washington, D.C. stop of “An Evening With Fleetwood Mac?” Luckily, the band has a pretty full schedule for the rest of the year. Check out a list of remaining tour dates here.

And stream their greatest hits here: