The Drive, 97.1
The Set List
http://www.wdrv.com/blog_stroud.php
Posted: Thursday, 10/26/2006 at 12:10am by Bob Stroud
I saw Lindsey Buckingham a few nights ago at the Park West. Lindsey's a trip. He's intense and focused, loose and raucous. He's touring in support of only his 4th solo CD in the past 25 years, "Under the Skin." I love this CD because it demands your attention. You can't have it on in the backround and expect to get anything out of it. You've got to be adult about it, sit down and pay attention. Your effort will be rewarded after 2 or 3 listens with gorgeously constructed melodies, and deeply personal lyrics. The whole affair is rather ethereal and eclectic....right up my alley. Buckingham and his band beautifully recreated the handful of songs chosen to perform from the new release. He filled out the rest of the set with selections from past solo efforts and of course the obligatory Fleetwood Mac nuggets. Which brings me to my point. The reviewer in the Sun Times quibbled with Buckingham's set list, (he also got snotty about Buckingham choosing to wear a v-neck t-shirt at his age.....HUH?) complaining that he should leave the Fleetwood Mac material for Fleetwood Mac and concentrate on lesser known and in some cases, unknown solo material.... not that there's anything wrong with that. Yet there is when you don't balance it out with a dose, if not a healthy dose of familiar, tried and true hits and near misses. Fans love the hits. They love to HEAR the hits. You can tell time after time by the reaction they get when the song begins AND ends. A buddy of mine saw Neil Young a couple of years ago and was wholly disappointed because Young chose to play nothing but his new CD that had just been released. He did offer up a couple of classics for the encore but that was it as far as familiar material was concerned. My buddy felt cheated. I hear it all the time from fans who are disappointed when the artist doesn't play enough of the songs that they've come to hear. Hey, in a perfect world we could all program what we think our favorite artists should play in concert. But it's not perfect and we're at the mercy of the artist to mix it up with hits and "deep tracks." And for the most part, the professional up on stage does a pretty good job of coming through with a memorable set list. Or does he? What's your take? When you go to see a classic artist, do you want to hear his greatest hits with a few deep tracks and 1 or 2 new songs, or would you be more than content in hearing nothing but the new CD? Guranteed your friendly neighborhood newspaper reviewer would vote for the latter.