Watch Fleetwood Mac perform ‘Don’t Stop’ in 1997
The tumultuous relationships between the members of Fleetwood Mac during the creation of Rumours was legendary. There wasn’t a single member who didn’t have relationship drama, personal grievances, or heartbreak tied up with another, and the fact the band even put out an album at all was miraculous.
Amazingly, not only did Rumours come out, but it went on to become one of the greatest albums of all time. Filled to the brim with drama, Rumours wasn’t just a non-stop bitch-fest between its members. There were moments of levity, not least of which was Christine McVie’s kiss-off to her past relationship with John McVie, ‘Don’t Stop’.
“‘Don’t Stop’ was just a feeling. It just seemed to be a pleasant revelation to have that ‘yesterday’s gone’,” McVie remembers in The Fleetwood Mac Story: Rumours and Lies, “It might have, I guess, been directed more toward John, but I’m just definitely not a pessimist.”
Whereas songs like ‘Go Your Own Way’ and ‘Never Going Back Again’ were filled with palpable tension, ‘Don’t Stop’ took a look at love from a more optimistic view. Of course, McVie got her own stinging bit of payback by writing ‘You Make Loving Fun’ for someone other than her husband, but she was nevertheless the most cheery of all three songwriters in the aftermath of her respective breakup.
While the band were recording their follow-up to Rumours, 1979’s Tusk, Mick Fleetwood insisted that the USC Marching Band provide additional rhythms to the title track. When Tusk went platinum, the marching band was gifted with a platinum record, solidifying their musical bond.
When the Rumours-era lineup of Fleetwood Mac reunited for The Dance in 1997, ‘Tusk’ and ‘Don’t Stop’ both found their way onto the setlist. In order to bring their concert to a climactic end, the Mac renewed their partnership with the USC Marching Band for their songs, with a new generation of college students pounding away at classic Fleetwood Mac tunes. While ‘Tusk’ always needed that extra layer of rhythm, ‘Don’t Stop’ got a fresh makeover thanks to the relentless bashing of the marching band.
Check out the performance of ‘Don’t Stop’ from The Dance down below.
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