December 9, 1992, Orange County Register
HEADLINE: CONCERT PREVIEW;
Buckingham hits new stage;
Ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist finally ventures onto a tour _ maybe
BYLINE: Mark Brown, The Orange County Register
BODY:
For a guy who says he loves to play live, Lindsey Buckingham sure
has a funny way of showing it. So what if he has put it off about a
decade? So what if he quit Fleetwood Mac to avoid touring?
Now he's ready. A couple of club dates, then he's going to do a
TV special.
Then he's going to tour. Probably.
He definitely wants to, and dates that never materialized in
1992 are going to be set up in the new year. Perhaps.
If you really want to see him, his warm-ups at the Coach House
this week are your only sure bets. As of press time.
"One of the reasons I left the group was I didn't really want to
tour behind 'Tango in the Night,' " Buckingham acknowledged during
a recent phone interview. "Now I'm sort of hungry to do it again.
It's taken awhile to get around to . . . a situation where I had
the freedom and the inclination. "
Quite awhile. He hasn't been on stage but a couple of times
since Fleetwood Mac's "Mirage" tour in 1982. One "Saturday Night
Live" solo appearance, three songs at a benefit show in Long Beach,
and that's about it until sitting in with Fleetwood Mac at the end
of its 1990 tour.
But after recording and releasing the "Out of the Cradle" album
this year, the road suddenly seemed alluring.
"It seems to me the healthiest thing to do is move out, get out
of the house, externalize a lot of that energy," Buckingham said.
The fact that his first shows in a decade weren't instant
sellouts is just one of the commercial costs of Buckingham's low
profile.
But it certainly doesn't mark the first time he's taken a
non-commercial turn. "Tusk," Fleetwood Mac's follow-up to the
multiplatinum "Rumours" album, easily could have been the "Rumours
II" that the record company and the public both demanded.
Instead, the architect of Fleetwood Mac's post-'75 sound came up
with a sprawling two-LP set that had one of his quirky experiments
for every mainstream Mac track. It didn't sell nearly what
"Rumours" did.
"But you're better off looking at what you find interesting . .
. not what you think is going to necessarily sell," he said.
Though proud of it, Buckingham seems somewhat distant from his
Fleetwood Mac work. Bill Clinton's campaign used Buckingham's
"Don't Stop" at rallies and rumors are still flying that Fleetwood
Mac might play Clinton's inauguration. Buckingham has no plans to
be there, and Warners Bros. officials say it's possible the band
could perform, but there's no word yet.
His involvement in the recent Fleetwood Mac box set, "25 Years _
The Chain," was limited to producing a track, sending in a list of
suggestions and approving the final product. After his obsessions
with previous Mac albums, it's surprising.
Fortunately, that doesn't mean he'll ignore it live.
"I'm So Afraid," "The Chain," "Go Your Own Way" and "Big Love"
are a handful of the songs fans can expect to see, along with solo
cuts such as "Trouble. "
Despite his minimal involvement, the box set did expose him to
his old colleagues again.
"It was nice to see Mick and nice to see Stevie a little bit.
All the chemistry is still there. It's nice to have a little
closure. "
Chemistry still there? Are we talking reunion?
"Stranger things have happened. I could see doing something with
Mick," Buckingham said. "Right now I'm just kind of involved with
what this is all about. "
Be warned; if you go expecting a mellow evening, it's not going
to happen. "I'm So Afraid" was picked because of Buckingham's
extensive guitar work on it live.
"That song was just turned into a pitbull on stage," Buckingham
said. The guitar-laden "Out of the Cradle" will provide plenty of
chances to keep busy for him and the four other guitarists he'll
have on stage.
Buckingham says his band will contain no recognizable names
other than his own among the guitarists, three percussionists, bass
and keyboard players.
"One thing I didn't want to do was seek out the boys who go out
and do eight tours a year," he said. "I was looking for people who
are not known. "
Lindsey Buckingham
Where: The Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan
Capistrano
When: Thursday, 8 p.m., and Friday, 9 p.m.
How much: $ 35
Ticket availability: Still available for both nights
Info: 496-8930
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