Keith Urban honored the late Christine McVie during his headlining performance on Wednesday, November 30, at Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Australia on his The Speed of Now World Tour.
The country superstar and “Wild Hearts” singer took to social media to share his tribute performance with the music community, who were also mourning loss of the late Fleetwood Mac co-lead vocalist and keyboardist.
“Last night in Gold Coast ❤️ @christinemcvieofficial,” Urban captioned the clip.
In the clip, Urban delivered a heartfelt speech about the late McVie before performing a medley of Fleetwood Mac’s songs.
“Today, we lost one of the members of Fleetwood Mac, the incredible Christine McVie, who was amazing. For me growing up, listening to their music, you had three incredible vocalists in that band,” Urban told the crowd. “You had Lindsey Buckingham, who brought this kind of punk, angular, ethos to the whole thing. You had Stevie Nicks’ voice, which is angelic, otherworldly. Then you had Christine, who for me, is the maternal, soulful heartbeat, vocally.”
Urban went on to perform small portions of Fleetwood Mac songs, including a tune from their Self-Titled album, “Say You Love Me,” as well as “Everywhere” from Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 album, Tango In The Night. The country hitmaker also included “Songbird” within the medley, which appeared on the band’s 1977 album, Rumours.
@keithurban last night in Gold Coast ❤️ #christinemcvie #fleetwoodmac
Christine McVie died on Wednesday, November 30, a statement from her family confirmed. She was 79 years old.
“On behalf of Christine McVie’s family, it is with a heavy heart we are informing you of Christine’s death. She passed away peacefully at hospital this morning, Wednesday, November 30th 2022, following a short illness,” the statement read. “She was in the company of her family. We kindly ask that you respect the family’s privacy at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally. RIP Christine McVie.”
Fleetwood Mac also took to social media to mourn the sudden loss of McVie.
“There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure,” the band collectively wrote. “She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”
Born Christine Perfect, she began pursuing a career in music as a pre-teen and joined the group Chicken Shack in 1967. Chicken Shack found success on the U.K. charts in 1967 with their hit single, “I’d Rather Go Blind,” which peaked at No. 14.
Just one year after joining Chicken Shack, she married Fleetwood Mac member John McVie in 1968 and that same year appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s second studio album, Mr. Wonderful. She later became a full time member of the group in 1970.
She later left Fleetwood Mac in 1998 after 28 years and reunited with the band in 2014.
The late instrumentalist and singer also pursued a solo career. McVie released three studio albums, including her debut album Christine Perfect in 1970, her self-titled album in 1984, and In The Meantime (2004). Additionally, she went on to release a duets’ album with Lindsey Buckingham titled Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie.
She was most known for hits such as “Little Lies,” “Everywhere,” “Don’t Stop,” “Say You Love Me,” and “Songbird.”
Eight of McVie’s original songs appeared on Fleetwood Mac’s 1988 Greatest Hits album.
McVie was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 as a member of Fleetwood Mac. She also received a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music that same year.
She also received numerous awards throughout her career, including a Gold Badge of Merit Award from Basca, the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, the Trailblazer Award at the UK Americana Awards as well as two GRAMMY awards.
Fleetwood Mac was founded in London in 1967. As one of the most successful rock groups of all time, band went on to sell more than 100 million albums worldwide.
