Don’t expect any drama on stage when Fleetwood Macked takes the stage at 52Sumner this Saturday.
What you will see and hear are an accomplished band of musicians — all of whom have been professional, touring rock performers — who came together with their mutual love of Fleetwood Mac to authentically create the band’s sound for fans of the ever-popular hitmakers.
As for the drama among the members of Fleetwood Mac, husband and wife Michael and Hillary Epstein as Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are solidly married unlike the long-term relationship between Buckingham and Nicks that began to fall apart in 1976.
Caroline Purr as Christine McVie and Jay Novas as John McVie aren’t a married couple, so there was no marriage to fall apart as with the McVies. And no problems for Phil Weiss, who plays Mick Fleetwood, who was in the midst of a divorce from his wife Jenny Boyd and who was having an affair with Nicks.
While Fleetwood Mac was a powerhouse of five, Fleetwood Macked has an additional player, Andrew Nadien, on keys, guitar and vocals.
“We were in a band with Andrew before and he is very important to us. He is a monster musician, plays every instrument, everything else we need to sound like Fleetwood Mac,” Hillary said.
Prior to forming Fleetwood Macked, the Epsteins were in a group called The Basals. They had a distribution deal with Warner Bros. and were about to embark on their first national tour. Then the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, changed everything.
“Our perspective changed like many other people, and we lost our appetite to do what we were doing. We decided to settle down for a time and start a family. Shortly after our daughter was born, we began to miss making music. A friend of ours was in an AC/DC tribute band at a time when tribute bands weren’t really a thing yet, and he suggested we do one. I look like Stevie Nicks and my husband like Lindsey Buckingham, and people were always comparing us to them, so it was a no brainer to start a Fleetwood Mac tribute band,” Hillary said.
Fleetwood Macked, a tribute band performing songs made famous by Fleetwood Mac, will play the group’s greatest hits at 52Sumner in Springfield. Above is Hillary Epstein, who takes on the role of Stevie Nicks for the band.Submitted
And it didn’t hurt that the couple are big Fleetwood Mac fans.
“We have seen them live many times. As much as he loves Fleetwood Mac, Michael also loves Lindsey Buckingham’s solo works. And as a producer and engineer by trade who owns his own studio, he feels connected to Buckingham as a producer and more,” Hillary said.
“For me, I knew that I wanted to be a rock singer by the time I was seven and gravitated at a really young age to Stevie. I. had a very husky voice like hers and that drew me to her even more. And I loved her whole vibe, the mystique and mysticism, and I was into that, too,” she added.
Audiences can expect to hear many of Fleetwood Mac’s hits from the ′70s, ’80s, ′90s and today, as well as solo songs, but not many “deep catalog” songs.
“Certainly, you will hear songs like “Landslide,” “You Make Lovin’ Fun,” “Don’t Stop, “Go Your Own Way,” Sara,” and many more. But there’s not a lot of time to go deep into their catalog,” Hillary said.
Showtime on Saturday is 8 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m. A cash bar will be available.
Tickets, priced from $25 to $45, are available online at 52sumner.com.
