The 1997 live album that returned Fleetwood Mac to No. 1 on the US album chart was The Dance. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, giving the band its fourth US number-one album.
The Dance captured Fleetwood Mac in a one-night concert recorded on May 23, 1997, at Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California. The performance was made for an MTV television special and featured the classic lineup of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks. The album marked the group’s major reunion after Buckingham and Nicks had rejoined the touring lineup.
Unlike the 1980 album Live, which assembled recordings from many concerts, The Dance was built around a single performance, with isolation techniques allowing some overdubbing. The set combined major songs from Rumours and other studio albums with newer material and featured the University of Southern California Marching Band on “Tusk” and “Don’t Stop.”
The title can be confused with Live, Fleetwood Mac’s earlier concert album, or Greatest Hits, a compilation. Neither was the 1997 chart-topping reunion release.