Lindsey Buckingham ... and the fan that imploded

[MacMan]

Lindsey Buckingham ... and the fan that imploded
9/29/2008 5:54:51 PM
Tulsaworld.com

By Jennifer Chancellor
World Scene Writer

I made it out to Lindsey Buckingham's concert Friday night at Brady Theater. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from a man I'd heard was "notoriously arrogant" and "one of pop music's most talented musicwriters."

I fell in love.

This is a show that couldn't have been duplicated in an arena. Period. Intimate shows such as this one on Buckingham's "Gift of Screws" tour are why two of the state's oldest and most revered music venues are favored by artists such as Buckingham, Chicago, Kenny G., B.B. King, Tom Jones, Dwight Yoakam, Beck and more.

At The Brady (and its sister, Cain's Ballroom), you can pay a reasonable amount of dough -- and not have to tote a pair of binoculars to see beads of sweat fall from Lindsey Buckingham's chin. Everything is up close and personal.

Buckingham's, big, big guitar sound and talent emanated from him. It was pure confidence (not arrogance), a performer who is most at home onstage. A man who hugs his guitar after a lengthy finger-picking solo. A musician who thanks his audience for singing along. A man who smiles and tells you why he loves Tulsa, and his ties to the city. He's a singer who closes his eyes when he sings about heartache. A man who helped define a generation of rock with his band Fleetwood Mac and went on to create a solid canon of American pop-rock masterpieces.


Partial set list:
(not in order)
Trouble
Gift of Screws
I Know I'm Not Wrong
Tusk
Big Love
Under the Skin
Did You Miss Me
Come
World Turning
Go Your Own Way
Second Hand News
Time Precious Time
The Ledge
Love Runs Deeper
Treason
Go Insane

And speaking of going insane, there was an oversized, long-haired, drunken Cohen-Brothers'-"The Dude"-meets-Gary-Busey guy in white pants, floral shirt and white Panama hat that managed to find (er, fumble) his way into the reserved seating in front. It started out as funny (rock fingers, singalongs, butt-bumping into several patrons).

Within minutes, he had lurched to the front of the stage, manhandled half a dozen women, fallen into about as many men, taken out a row of seats, started several fights and ended up stripped to his wifebeater tank with his food-baby-preggers belly exposed. He was rolling on the red carpeted aisle floor while punching a man in the face. And screaming.

Fans flashed two-finger peace signs at The Dude, trying to maintain calm (I mean, really, this was a Lindsey Buckingham show, after all!). ... This all escalated over about 10-15 minutes, and, all the while, I kept looking back to the rear of the theater for security, ushers -- anyone -- to help break up the fracas.

I mention it because I was sitting in the fifth row. I ran to the back of the theater to notify an usher of the disturbance -- two separate times!! -- before pushing the usher aside to run into the lobby and announce the fight to the bartenders, who quickly vacated their posts to get the situation under control.

Meanwhile, Buckingham had to move to the opposite side of the stage to avoid completely disrupting the end of this (excellent) set.

Where was the security staff?!!?