No introductions are needed when discussing Lindsey Buckingham; his epic career in Fleetwood Mac to his prolific solo career precedes him.
Review and photos by Danielle Boise
If you haven’t heard of him in the last 30 plus years, then you’ve obviously been living under a rock and seriously are missing out on one of the greatest singer-song writers and overall musicians of our time and must be severely punished for this oversight in judgment.
Lindsey Buckingham quietly took the stage in a manner befitting only rock royalty, shrouded in a moody ambiance, with one spotlight and red light leaking around the corners at Center Stage for his nearly sold out Atlanta stop on July 28. Yet, he was humbled by the fans that poured into the venue to see his solo performance–and believe me it was truly a solo performance. Only Buckingham and his guitar entertained the crowd of fans.
I have to say there is nothing more breath-taking and stunning, musically speaking, than to see an artist in love and empowered by his own work, and that is exactly what you get when you see Lindsey Buckingham perform live, especially at a smaller venue. You get the chance to have a more of a story-teller’s experience where he talks about the past and how the songs he’s currently signing came to life from certain situations that he had undergone. It’s an experience I recommend for every Buckingham fan to get to live through at least once in a lifetime.
Buckingham discussed with the audience the difference of working in the “big machine,” performing in the band Fleetwood Mac, verses the “small machine,” which is his solo career. How the “small machine” allows the musician to keep moving forward while being artistically inspired. Buckingham discussed how he started out his solo career path touring with 10 people in the band and then it dropped down to four people, then finally on this current tour it’s just him and his guitar(s) verses the ensemble that is Fleetwood Mac.
I have to say, in my humble opinion, that Buckingham is absolutely one of the best guitarists hands down. It was a treasure to watch him perform, not only his personal material, but some Fleetwood Mac songs with his own personal spin on it – and he loved every moment of being up on stage. No theatrics were needed; Buckingham proved that point by not even using an opening act, there really was no need.
Holy hell, how the man made the guitar come to life and sing such sweet notes is beyond the realm of possibility and he did it with such style and grace, followed by the adoration from the crowd only prompted Buckingham further into the thesis of the evening. There was not one song that Buckingham performed that was not a masterpiece, exquisite any song would sound in his masterful hands.
Buckingham performed a 13-song set; short, sweet and the perfect way to spend a Saturday evening in Atlanta with just about every song ending with a standing ovation from the crowd. The set included, “Cast Away Dreams,” “Bleed to Love Her,” “Not To Late,” “Stephanie,” “Shut Us Down,” and “Go Insane.”
Before going into “Never Going Back Again,” Buckingham discussed the back story to the audience, saying, “This song is particularly significant to me for a couple of reasons; first reason it’s significant to me, is it started off as an ensemble piece in Fleetwood Mac and then it eventually became a solo voice, with just a guitar and me. I wrote the lyrics in 1987; actually, the song describes who I was at the time. I was LOOKING out for love (with dramatic stretching out his tone on the word Looking) not looking out for love (with a mocking smile and soft chuckle in his voice). It was how we all got through a difficult time in the band. It’s about the passage of time; it really has become an echo of the past, a contemplation of the past and the importance of change.” Buckingham proceeded to play “Big Love, “So Afraid,” “Go Your Own Way,” and “Trouble.”
Buckingham said, “It took a certain set of sensibilities and choices based on those types of sensibilities, the choices made from the single soul to the vastness of the world. It’s about the sum total choices we make,” before going into the last song, “Seeds We Sow.”
Buckingham ended the night with saying, “You were an absolute pleasure to spend the ending with, thank you,” before bowing and existing stage left.
For more information on Lindsey Buckingham or to see where he will be performing next, visit www.lindseybuckingham.com.
