Fleetwood Mac (from left, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie and Lindsey Buckingham) in a 1975 publicity photo.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the Capitol Theatre in Passaic was one of New Jersey’s leading rock venues — a regular stop for any band on a theater tour, or even an arena act looking to do something more intimate. The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band played there. So did The Byrds, The Clash, U2, Prince, The Police, Billy Joel, Rush, Van Morrison, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Frank Zappa and Talking Heads.
In October 1975, Fleetwood Mac, which had undergone constant member changes in recent years, stopped at the Capitol on its first tour featuring the new five-piece lineup that had made its July ’75 Fleetwood Mac album: Co-founders Mick Fleetwood, on drums, and John McVie, on bass, along with John’s wife Christine on keyboards and vocals, Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and vocals, and Stevie Nicks on vocals.
The lineup stuck, and Fleetwood Mac became one of the biggest bands of the ’70s. It is still touring to this day, though the tour that comes to The Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday will be its first since 1997 to feature Christine McVie.
Below is a clip of Fleetwood Mac at that 1975 Capitol concert, performing Buckingham’s show-stopper, “I’m So Afraid.”
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday in 2014. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, from September 2014 to September 2015 — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. To see the entire list, click here.
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