Fleetwood Gold and Earth to Mars coming to the Athens Theatre
Founded in 1967 by Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie and Jeremy Spencer, Fleetwood Mac originally established their success during the “British Blues” boom of the late 1960s. Their debut album and hit single “Albatross” were released in 1968.
The years that immediately followed granted them incremental success as the members in the band changed and evolved, with Green’s departure and the addition of McVie’s wife, the recently departed and much-missed Christine McVie, as keyboardist, vocalist and songwriter.
In 1974, a pivotal move to the United States and the addition of singer-songwriters Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham brought a much-needed dose of pop sensibility to the band.
In 1977, they released Rumours, which went on to sell more than 45 million albums. Fleetwood Mac was well on their way to their unprecedented, meteoric rise!
Rumours was deeply personal, as many of the songs reflected the breakup of McVie’s marriage, along with Buckingham and Nicks’ turbulent relationship. Winning the Grammy for “Record of the Year,” it brilliantly showcased the band’s stellar songwriting, vocal synchronicity and rockin’ rhythm. To date, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time.
With the band’s hits continuing through the 1980s, ’90s and 2000s, their personal stories and love triangles were almost equally well known.
As Stevie Nicks once famously said, “For years, I’ve been getting out there with two ex-lovers and we’ve been playing songs which are so specific about each of us, you just wouldn’t know. We’re friends now, but we can never forget what happened between us.”
While their personal stories may have been difficult, their chart-topping hits were undeniable. It is these hits that Fleetwood Gold’s “The Seven Wonders Tour” showcases. These talented musicians wow audiences with their high-energy performances, which pay homage to the music and legacy of Fleetwood Mac.
Fleetwood Gold will be cranking out all the songs you know and love, at two showtimes, 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, at the Athens Theatre in DeLand. Audience members can expect to hear such fan favorites as “Dreams,” “Sara,” “Big Love,” “Gold Dust Woman” and more!
Switching gears, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, another stellar tribute band will play the hits of a talented musician with his own unique story and rise to fame: Bruno Mars, alias Pete Gene Hernandez. Hernandez was born in Honolulu in 1985. Recognized today for his catchy pop music and retro-upbeat lyrics, he first hit the stage at 4 years of age as a toddler-sized Elvis Presley impersonator with his parents’ band The Love Notes.
As a teenager, Mars taught himself to play the piano and guitar, and he later appeared in a local revue impersonating Michael Jackson. After graduating from high school, he moved to LA to pursue a career as a musician and adopted his childhood nickname, Bruno, and the interplanetary surname Mars.
With his soulful tenor voice, he began singing alongside CeeLo Green, Flo Rida and other artists, before debuting his first EP It’s Better If You Don’t Understand in 2010. The album rocketed him to stardom, and he garnered his first Grammy for “Just the Way You Are.”
Bruno Mars’ 2012 release of Unorthodox Jukebox won him another Grammy for best pop vocal album. And in 2016, the release of 24K Magic saw him win an additional three golden statuettes!
Composed of five young, talented musicians, the tribute band Earth to Mars delivers big on all the bangin’ Bruno hits, such as “Locked Out of Heaven,” “When I Was Your Man,” “Uptown Funk” and more. With a one-night-only show at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21, all in all, the weekend of Jan. 20-21 at the Athens is sure to be a landslide of hits.
The Athens Theatre is at 124 N. Florida Ave. in Downtown DeLand.
For each show Jan. 20-21, tickets cost $35 for preferred reserved seating and $30 for general reserved seating. A $4-per-ticket processing charge and 6.5-percent sales tax will be added to each purchase. For Fleetwood Gold’s Seven Wonders Tour’s 4 p.m. show, a $5 discount is available for all tickets.
Looking to take your theater experience to the next level (quite literally)? Consider purchasing one of our box suites, $240 for up to six seats.
All tickets are available online at the Athens Theatre website (www.AthensDeLand.com), or by calling the box office at 386-736-1500. Box-office hours are 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, and 1 1/2 hours before live performances.
