Lindsey dedicates SUD to Stevie in Birmingham AL

[sodascouts]

Other impressions:

I had sprung for VIP and got to meet Lindsey before the show. He seemed to be in good spirits. I thanked him for doing "Soul Drifter" and said it meant a lot to me; he said that it had taken on a new meaning for him due to recent events. I replied that I could imagine so, lol.

Then it was time for the show. I was on my game in my ticket purchasing and got front row center, so I got to enjoy Lindsey from the best seat in the house! (And what a house it was - the gorgeous Lyric Theatre has great acoustics. The only drawbacks were a huge gap between the front row and the stage, and security with stern faces that discouraged people from going up to the stage until at the encore I just went for it lol).

Lindsey was strong vocally and energetic. He was having a good night.

It was so great to hear songs that I never thought I would hear live - so many tunes from OOTC and then there are the tracks from Go Insane as well. Of special note: Although I love the intensity of the acoustic "Go Insane", hearing the live version with effects really rocked and brought a different kind of energy which was really cool. Of course, my favorite "Soul Drifter" was wonderful and went by all too quickly. Also, I liked the way he incorporated the slower instrumental coda of "Slow Dancing" into the live version.

The only moments I wasn't really into: I've never enjoyed the repetitive "I Must Go" and the live version doesn't enchant me any more than the original. Also, the "silence of stone" bridge of "Surrender the Rain" was quite obviously not him actually singing. He needs to either drop it down an octave so he can sing it himself or make that recording sound more natural. It was jarring and took me out of the moment of a lovely song. Otherwise, I was happy as can be with the show.

For those wondering - we did get "Down on Rodeo"! I was praying he would do this as I know not just one but two fans who would have been devastated if he had skipped it. I, of course, would have been quite disappointed as well.

Finally, I really like that he ends on "Treason." Not only is it a beautiful song, but it also just works so well thematically. I was looking up at his face and singing along with "At the end of the season, we will rise from this treason," and I couldn't help but think how true it was for Lindsey. More power to him.

Amazing show. Long live Lindsey Buckingham and his solo efforts!