You remember Lindsey, right? Lead singer and guitarist for Fleetwood Mac, the poster child for dysfunctional music groups of the 70s, 80s and 90s. He calls it "the big Machine". We know the hit albums, Rumors, Tusk, Mirage. Mic on drum, John and Christine fighting, Stevie Nicks twirling on stage. In 1976 their album and tour broke records and spawned a generation of light rock. Lindsey Buckingham was the engine of that machine and for the next 30 years has jumped in and out of the cauldron.
But take Lindsey out of the arena and away from the soap opera. He is just a man and a guitar,with three more very strong sidemen and this is where Lindsey shines. The "little machine" provided quite nicely in the intimate setting of the Gate Concert Hall at DU.
The measure of a great musician is his ability to just play. Pick-up the guitar and pull out a song stand in front of a mic and sing. Lindsey Buckingham does that best and he proved it in the first 30 minutes his show. Just a man and his guitar. He opened with his best known solo classics Shut Us Down, Go Insane and Trouble. A dash of the big machine with Never Going Back Again and Big Love before he was joined by his backing band.
Songs from his new album "Seeds we Sow" peppered the remainder of show along with more Fleetwood Mac gems including Second Hand News, Tusk, I'm So Afraid and the 70s anthem Go You Own Way. Filling the holes were selections from his other five solo efforts. A two song encore with the band and then a return to the basics. A man and his guitar for the title track of his new album.
This concert was more than just a music icon of the 70s and 80s hitting the road in support of his newest effort. This was a return to a man's roots. He acknowledge this at the opening. Mentioning how he taught himself to play while listening to the albums of his older brother (who by the way won a silver medal at the 64 Mexico City Olympics). Breaking down his classics to just a man and his guitar. Showing not just what the basics are, but also proving to the rest of the musician world that it takes more than just replaying your stuff the same old way. That may sell tickets and give people an opportunity to relive memories. But what Lindsey Buckingham accomplished tonight was more important. He gave new memories and fresh life to old songs, something we tend to miss when the bands of our youth come to town to play their hits.
Lindsey Buckingham may not make the lists of greatest guitarists and that ok because sometimes he is more than that. He proved that striping away all the extra stuff and just being a man and guitar is still a powerful message and more than enough to satisfy a crowd.
