Live Daily Review

[kak125]

Live Review: Lindsey Buckingham in Ridgefield, CT

March 26, 2007 12:02 PM
by John Voket
LiveDaily Contributor
If singer/songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Lindsey Buckingham (tickets | music) happened upon a different instrument to communicate his art--say, a paintbrush--his creations would likely be in the Impressionist vein. His body of material, even by Buckingham's own admission, is predominantly "strange," alternately flavored with broad brushstrokes and subtle shifts in tone that may capture a moment in time or convey more of an intuition than anything direct or concrete.
Even his treatment of the familiar, like some of the most well-worn songs from his Fleetwood Mac tenure, is often represented in an alternate universe where fast becomes slow and hard edges become softened or distorted. Luckily, both Buckingham and his audience seem perfectly fine with that.

In fact, judging from the multiple standing ovations--starting after the very first number of his intimate Sunday night (3/25) performance at Connecticut's Ridgefield Playhouse,--Buckingham and his audience both appeared downright ecstatic about it.

He didn't come out of the gate with anything too familiar, choosing instead to take the stage alone with just his guitar, weaving an intricate web containing "Not Too Late," the first cut from his latest solo offering, "Under the Skin." With his right hand working like a busy spider, and the whispering delivery of a man-child, Buckingham coaxed every last drop of emotion from the melancholy arrangement.

The follow-up, a reworked and painfully slow rendition of "Trouble," from Buckingham's 1981 album "Law and Order" was equally well-received. Then it was time to tickle the legion of hard-core Mac fans--many toting vintage album covers and sporting carefully preserved concert t-shirts--to their feet with a spot-on and chipper "Never Going Back Again" from the monster-selling "rumours" LP.

Bringing the band on stage to back him up with a chugging locomotive beat, Buckingham continued with "Second Hand News" before slipping back into new solo territory with "Cast Away Dreams," a song he said both mourned and celebrated the final relinquishing of long-held goals on the tentative path to personal and spiritual maturity.

The balance of his 19-song set played out similarly, as he wielded his musical brush strokes, coaxing rhythmic and melodic interplay from his three backing musicians: guitarist Neale Haywood, percussionist Walfredo 'the groovin' Cuban' Reyes, Jr., and multi-instrumentalist, Brett Tuggle.

"Red Rover," from Fleetwood Mac's "Say You Will," demonstrated the band's talent, with each musician seeming at times to be playing a different song, in a different time signature, before returning to a common center each time the chorus came around. The new "It was You" showcased similar musical gymnastics, with the backing vocals of Haywood and Tuggle providing a slap-back echo that almost sounded like synthesized samples instead of just cleverly overlaid harmonies.

At this point, Buckingham re-established the solo spotlight, titillating the audience with a snapping classical guitar on "Big Love." During this number, the frontman seemed like one big, coiled muscle on the verge of striking out.

And, by the end of the song, Buckingham unleashed all that pent-up energy, pulling so hard at the gut strings, it was a wonder they all stayed fixed to the delicate instrument. As he strummed the last chord, the crowd erupted, and Buckingham answered with a victorious scream like he just crossed the finish line of a musical marathon.

With some of the seemingly manic pressure relieved, "Go Insane" was transformed into an almost slow-motion version of the formerly peppy single from Buckingham's 1984 solo project of the same name. He introduced the current title track, "Under the Skin," with a hopeful message, saying everything a person needs to navigate life's sometimes difficult transitions is inside one's self, and never too far from the surface.

"World Turning" finally provided an opportunity for the band to turn it up and have at a straight-ahead rock-and-roll arrangement, which led to an exciting percussion solo from Reyes that even prompted screams of approval from his fellow bandmates.

"Know I'm Not Wrong," led into a rousing version of "Tusk," and then Buckingham and company closed out the main set with a jamming "Go Your Own Way." As he neared the end of the classic-rock radio staple, Buckingham seemed to lose it completely, flailing away at his guitar with both hands like a spoiled child, only to look up beaming with a playful grin at the appreciative crowd.

Returning for a four-song encore, the band rolled out "Holiday Road," from the soundtrack of National Lampoon's "Vacation," with Buckingham calling for the audience members to "bark like a dog" as the number unraveled into a howling cacophony.

"Turn it On" and "Show You How" returned Buckingham to the impressionist offerings from old and new solo work before he wrapped up his performance as he began, alone on stage, meticulously finger picking the appropriate show closer, "Shut Us Down."

[kak125]

Sorry! I just noticed this was allready posted.

I would delete it but I couldnt figure out how to do it.