A Focus Group Of Twelve Thousand

What if time had a stop? We could cast back to recapture something that might have been lost ... but wasn't. A few days ago the latest generation of Fleetwood Mac filled Grand Rapids' Van Andel Arena playing non-stop for two hours and for me, part entertainment and part research.

2018 continues to strengthen the enigma of the Classic Rock format's enduring and unending national acceptance spanning a seemingly impossible demographic spectrum. And if this frenzied concert audience was a behavioral indicator, it didn't require Einstein to discover nearly half the capacious auditorium included a 40-and-under group. Side by side with 60-plus fans the euphoric 12,000 were on their feet for most of the 26-song set; lush tracks like "Big Love" and "Hypnotized"mixed with Mac epics "Rhiannon" and "Say You Love Me," even including songs from the group's underrated period of the early '70s.

In research vernacular we ask, is this 12,000 fan "sample" descriptive and predictive of the American music landscape at a time in history when the continents are fragmenting and society competes in an unending cultural tug-of-war? What other explanation might there be for the eminent domain of Classic Rock and Classic Hits holding large life-groups' favor, bringing back a feeling beyond time. And how does that phenomenon transfer to the kids of the 60-plus Classic formats' partisans? Even through changes with singers and front men, these acts defy the clock timing the world as it turns.

Over the years, Fleetwood Mac has shredded guitarists like Bob Welch and Dave Mason, while interchangeable and talent rich players like Crowded Housefront-man Neil Finn and former HeartbreakerMike Campbell have joined originals John McVie, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and, after a 17-year vacation, the return of Stevie Nicks.

All of these bio-sketches and past glories wouldn't add up to very much if the body of work couldn't meet the expectations of legions of fans hoping to hear the group as theyremember themm or from hearing them on their favorite radio formats. One would assume time can't be bottled, that no one could be as performance-perfect today as they were at Madison Square Garden 35 years ago ... but Fleetwood Mac isjust that. Their captivating pyrotechnics aside, virtually every title in the continuous set was flawless. It was as if Mick Fleetwood's percussion was somehow transubstantiated; invoking the cliché' "he hasn't missed a beat!"(And he didn't). His stage energy and perfect technique across the band's set was inspiring, including a detour for Fleetwood's surreal 10-minute percussion solo.

Red-hot side players and a small back-line chorus made the act complete while 12,000 fans melted into a memory seized out of time ... two hours with one of the Pop/Rock genre's Mount Rushmore acts. And for many radio connoisseurs contemplating our music history we ask, "How do formats like Classic Rock and Classic Hits remain highly ranked, stretching beyond traditional demographic targets and music eras, year after year?" Short answer: they just do.

It's fair to say our original vision of "who we wanted to be" might be the greatest asset any of us possess, but without talent and the unwavering crisis-to-perform, very few achieve what Fleetwood Mac and others like them still own. For the record "Rumours" was the eighth best-selling album of all time (40 million) and the group has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. Somehow London 1967 doesn't seem so far away in feeling or in years. And, anyway, who was it that said, "Research is boring?"