Fleetwood Mac, the American-British powerhouse behind one of the bestselling albums of all time, is rock's greatest example of the good gained from ignoring every bit of sage advice known to humans about love and relationships.
But thank the dysfunctional heavens they did: The Mac has emerged some 30 years later as a weather-worn but still gripping outfit, currently touring in its most potent configuration, minus the singer and songwriter of some of its most durable hits, the retired Christine McVie.
For those needing a refresher course in popular rock scandal, the band forged ahead for 1977's blockbuster Rumours" despite breakups between front couple Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, and founding member John McVie and wife Christine.
It's all ancient history now -- or is it? This latest greatest hits trek, titled The Unleashed Tour," inevitably finds the band revisiting Rumours" and its more challenging follow-up, the sprawling and fantastic Tusk," but instead of shying away from its fractious history, Fleetwood Mac has woven it into the concert repertoire.
In one of his song introductions at Anaheim's Honda Center on Saturday night, Buckingham explained that the first Rumours" tune they recorded revealed his emotional temperature at that moment -- anger, bitterness, even a little humor, but we had to reconcile . . . at least for a short time." The band then launched into one of its strongest performances of the night, a thrillingly muscular Second Hand News."