Tusk, a Fleetwood Mac tribute band, has been together for almost 16 years, and in that time the band’s chemistry, synergy and intuition have been credited with setting the group apart from other Fleetwood Mac tribute artists.
“We meld our creativity,” said Kathy Phillips, who portrays singer Stevie Nicks in the tribute band. “We want to keep (the original) spirit of improv alive.”
Tusk’s shows incorporate “a lot of energy, engage the crowd and (help them) forget their troubles for a couple of hours,” added band member Scott McDonald, who performs as Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and vocals.
Tusk will perform on New Year’s Eve, Dec., 31, at 9 p.m. at MGM Springfield’s ARIA Ballroom.
Fleetwood Mac was a British blues band that became a popular Anglo-American pop-rock group; its 1977 album, Rumours, was one of the biggest-selling albums of all time.
The tribute band, Tusk, formed after a mutual friend in the New Jersey music scene suggested the five musicians that now comprise the band could create a realistic tribute to Fleetwood Mac. “It was kind of a whim,” Phillips said in a telephone interview from New Jersey. “We all love Fleetwood Mac, and it really just works.”
They settled on the name “Tusk” after Fleetwood Mac’s 1979 Tusk album. “We were looking for something short and easily identifiable … something punchy,” McDonald said in a phone call from Pennsylvania.
The time, trust and close friendship the band members have cultivated to form an intimate familiarity with one another’s musical nuances shapes each performance. “We are good friends, the original five. Over time you develop an intuition with the people you perform with. And we laugh a lot,” McDonald said. “Our happiness, joy and creativity have allowed us to meld. We’re always looking to improve, and there are no egos. We’re team players. We succeed as a collective.”
When Tusk performs in Springfield, audience members can expect the band to “knock out all the hits” of Fleetwood Mac like Go Your Own Way, Don’t Stop, Dreams and You Make Loving Fun.
McDonald said the members of Tusk are indebted to Fleetwood Mac and are trying to “keep their spirit alive. We know their music means a lot to people.”
Tusk celebrates Fleetwood Mac’s legacy that continues to endure over 50 years of musical and cultural evolution.
“Music evokes emotion,” Phillips said. “And that’s good to see.”
For more information about Tusk’s show in Springfield, visit the MGM Springfield website.
