Fleetwood Mac Experience pays homage to the romance, sound and story of original group
The Fleetwood Mac Experience tribute band never expected to do more than one show. In fact, they got a lot of resistance from their peers that this show wasn’t anything that could be sold.
“At the time (2012-13), (Fleetwood Mac) wasn’t in the news a lot, there wasn’t a lot of social media about them, so we were getting a lot of push back,” said guitarist Matt Hake, who had been in several cover and tribute bands over his career before forming this one in March 2013.
He said when he floated the idea of doing a cover of the Rumours album, one guy even told him: “No one’s gonna listen to Fleetwood Mac.”
Fast forward to 2024, and the Fleetwood Mac Experience is selling out venues like the House of Blues in Cleveland on a regular basis. And they will be playing in Zanesville at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10 at Secrest Auditorium in Zanesville.
“It was like, all of a sudden, it just exploded,” said lead singer Stacey Rybarczyk of what happened after that first show in August 2013. “Here we are 11 years later and we’re still going strong.”
Band members are Rybarczyk (AKA: Stevie Nicks) on vocals/percussion; Hake (AKA: Lindsey Buckingham) on guitar/vocals; Lizzie McVie (AKA: the late Christine McVie) on keyboards/vocals; Ryan Gaines (AKA: Mick Fleetwood) on drums; and Mario Nobilio (AKA: John McVie) on bass guitar.
Rybarczyk said she is forever grateful that it all unfolded the way it did.
“The number one thing we’ve done with this band is to always be grateful for the shows that have come our way,” she said. “There have been places I never dreamed I could play. That I never imagined we’d be standing on that stage. We’re always very humble; always in awe of the things we’ve been handed, the people we meet, and the venues.
“I mean, we’re still just those teenagers playing in cover bands. I enjoy it a million times over every single time,” she continued.
She and Hake agree that selling out the House of Blues in Cleveland was one of their most “surreal” moments.
“That is a place, for sure, you look at all the famous bands coming through and you’re in awe,” said Rybarczyk. “A month before our show there, Matt took me to see one of our favorite bands, Metric, and he bought me meet-and-greet tickets. It was funny talking to them and knowing a month later we were going to be headlining the same stage.”
Hake said there are several venues they’ve been gobsmacked to play in like Shea’s 710 Theatre in Buffalo, N.Y., or the Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center in Clarksburg, W.Va.
“We got to play in the Bears Den in Niagara Falls, New York,” said Hake of the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino local and national musical show event space. He said it was made even more special because their hometown is Buffalo, NY. “We’re the only local band that’s been able to say that. We sold 240 tickets in 24 hours.”
The romance
The broken romance that sparked the Rumours album and its success came out of a relationship gone awry between Fleetwood Mac’s lead vocalist Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. To date, the rift has grown to an almost unrepairable chasm, particularly with the passing of bandmate Christine McVie in 2022, and “rumors” of a reunion seem unlikely.
But within the Fleetwood Mac Experience, the romance between Rybarczyk and Hake is still going strong — though it didn’t start that way.
“Matt and I have known each other for a very long time,” said Rybarczyk. “But we weren’t a couple back then.”
Hake said the two knew each other in high school and graduated in the late 1980s.
“I was in a Rush tribute band, and we had asked Stacey to play keyboards. She didn’t because she was in other bands,” said Hake. “Then in 2011 my friend from L.A. said we should put a band together and I reached out to Stacey. We rehearsed and halfway through the show, I said to her, ‘We are starting a band together tomorrow.’ Since then, we’ve only played four shows outside of each other’s company.”
The musical partnership highlighted an undeniable chemistry between the two.
“It was really noticeable to the crowd,” said Rybarczyk. “People kept asking us if we were a couple and we’d say, ‘No, we’re just friends.’ But there was this magic between him and I that really sparked what we played, and we felt it.”
Around 2017, four years after they formed the Fleetwood Mac Experience, the two finally became a couple.
“It was inevitable,” said Rybarczyk. “We’re very happy. It was like the universe brought us together.”
The audience
Rybarczyk said the turmoil and angst of the Rumors album is what lures the audience in when they play.
“It was an emotional album,” said Rybarczyk. “People feel that, and that’s where we make that connection with the audience. I don’t think we would be doing this if we didn’t have the response that we have.”
Hake said their whole show is about audience interaction.
“We almost bring the audience with us on stage. We make them part of the show. We banter with them,” said Hake. “We understand they’ve spent money and time to spend their day with us.”
Rybarczyk said the band “has a genuinely good time on stage.”
“The crowds sing so loud sometimes. They’re singing louder than us,” said Rybarczyk. “I didn’t know what to do the first time it happened. I just kept encouraging them. They kept doing it all night long.”
She said seeing the smiles on the faces in the audience keep them going.
“It’s mind-blowing. It’s beautiful to see people having a good time,” said Rybarczyk. “Our show is about emotions and the feelings. Watching them leave with a smile on their face, that makes us happy. We’ve done our job.”
Rybarczyk said her goal has never been to sound like Fleetwood Mac — the band knows they’re not the real deal.
“When we started traveling, I told Matt, I said ‘You know what I want, I don’t want them to say we sounded like Fleetwood Mac.’ I told Matt that I wanted them to say ‘That’s the best damn show I’ve ever seen,’” said Rybarczyk.
“And then one night, after a concert, a guy said to me, ‘That was the best damn show I’ve seen,’ and I told the guy, ‘You just made my day.’”
To date, the tribute band has never met the real band.
“But we have seen Fleetwood Mac in concert. And we’ve seen Stevie Nicks in concert,” said Rybarczyk. “Maybe one day we can meet one of the band members.”
For more information visit thefleetwoodmacexperiencelive.com. For tickets visit secrestauditorium.com.
This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: The Fleetwood Mac Experience performs Saturday at Secrest Auditorium
