Rumours Has It…Live! At The Ludlow Garage
Rumours — A Fleetwood Mac Tribute Band performed last night to a sell out crowd at Live! At The Ludlow Garage. A modest group that knew just how to ease into an intimate evening.
I was accompanied with none other than my older sister, the G.O.A.F.F (Greatest Of All Fleetwood Fans). My sister is the reason I chose to seek out this concert. She raised me on the witchy ways of Stevie Nicks and company. Memories of being in her kitchen singing and re-enacting Stevie’s twirl.
My sister was needed to vet the legitimacy of the band. You can’t just claim that you are a tribute band and do a mediocre version of Rhiannon. I mean you could, but true fans would probably throw things at you.
This was my first visit to the venue. It has character for being next to a hardware store. It sits on the busy Ludlow Avenue, in Clifton, OH. At first glance, it looks to be a diner, but when you go underground you are greeted with a mysterious room of cushiony airline seats (with trays I might add) and dim lighting.
Is this a flight? Are there pre-packaged pretzels?
Arrogantly, we began mocking everyone for tripping over the spaced out random steps down the aisle to the stage. You can’t miss the yellow tape on the floor that says, YO! WATCH YOUR STEP! It could have been a bad day for anyone that had an light grip on their drink. Luckily no one spilled. As necessary, our mocking karma was swiftly delivered when we inevitably tripped on our way back from dancing at the end of the concert.
The Ludlow Garage was a great space for the musicianship of this band. The fact that it only holds around 300 people makes it feel like you are apart of the performance. It isn’t a rowdy place. It’s for adults, you might feel silly moshing here. But hey, never say never. I got a little too into it when Second Hand News came on. Good thing the seat had some bounce.
How was the performance you ask? Legit.
The guitarists were smooth. The band was interesting. This is my first attendance to a tribute band concert. No one was over the top. Each band member handled their part in the performance with grace and professionalism. It was cohesive. The energy of the group was held the entire performance. No one got too loose or looked worn out. They played three sets. Which made me feel like I had my moneys worth when I left. There was enough creativity within the group that allowed everyone to put their unique spin on each Fleetwood Mac band member’s persona.
The finale was the climactic decisive moment for the band. They ended with Rhiannon. Now if you know your white witch performances, the single best performance, in my opinion, is that from The Midnight Special.
The pace matched the Midnight Special version. I left more than satisfied. For when I hear the recorded Rhiannon version, I am whisked away in a witches storm. They say when Stevie Nicks performed this song it was more of an enchantment then a performance. She had to cast a spell on her audience. If you can’t spell cast, you can’t be a true Fleetwood Mac tribute band.
Rumours, my imaginary top hat is tipped to you. You rocked the house last night. I left spellbound.
