MacMan
04-02-2007, 07:54 AM
Review: Buckingham hits new heights at Flynn
By Paul Kaza
Free Press Correspondent
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/NEWS/70402008
April 2, 2007
There are blockbuster artists -- and then there are blockbuster concerts. The two don't necessarily coincide on the same stage. In the case of Lindsey Buckingham's concert Sunday night at the Flynn Center, they were in perfect sync as Burlington was treated to one of the most superlative rock performances in the last three decades.
Much of this outcome seemed to be inexorably woven into the Flynn itself. Buckingham has an intensely engaging personality, and he openly expressed what the venue was doing for him early in the two-hour show. "We've gotten used to playing arenas -- you can't connect with the crowd. This is the way it should be," he commented amidst unrelenting ovations early on.
While Burlington audiences are well-known for both their star-struck nature and lavish outpourings of applause, there was every possible reason for responding to Buckingham with unabashed enthusiasm. Buckingham played with unfettered excellence. He took considerable musical risks and did not rely on a rollout of the chart toppers. And he laid himself bare in front of just a thousand or so people from the very first song.
Buckingham opened with just a guitar, the microphone and his magnificent voice. "Not Too Late," the opening track from his new release "Under the Skin," displayed his remarkable finger picking as he sang "There's room for a man who is whole ... for chances not taken, for deeds not yet done."
"Second Half News" demonstrated Buckingham's uncanny ability to re-arrange the old hits without making them hard to recognize. "Red Rover" delivered a perfect yet unexpected counterpoint between Buckingham's acoustic playing and the cavernous bass drum accompanied by quiet maracas.
A definitive difference from the Fleetwood Mac sound emerged early on. As a solo act, Buckingham often employs two other acoustical guitarists that -- along with his own playing -- build a huge wall of sound. After wondering where the drummer was just one night prior at the Mary Chapin Carpenter concert, this reviewer worried momentarily about the lack of a bassist. But then the bass lines came rolling in, apparently from a tracks program offstage. Later, both of his sidemen picked up real bass guitars and two were even utilized late in the show.
Buckingham performed and recorded the majority of the tracks on the new CD, much of it at home. So, he is clearly comfortable with technology -- and this includes the use of synthesized percussion on stage. "Under the Skin" brought a deafening thump from a "bass drum" that was not even there; only the pedal was.
"Big Love" saw Buckingham take off on a solo with power and precision. Then, he abruptly shifted gears as he recited a poem and launched into "Going Insane." The song started with the gentle use of harmonics and then segued into a maniacal strum solo that should have rightfully ripped every string from his guitar.
"Know I'm Not Wrong" and "Tusk" drove Buckingham's seemingly unquenchable thirst for taking things to a higher level. At this point, he was getting a standing ovation after every song. When he lit into "Go Your Own Way," it was pure bedlam as the crowd swept down the aisles and Buckingham obliged by bending within inches of those closest.
It took little coaxing to produce a four-song encore, and Buckingham gave us the feel good classic "Holiday Road," "Turn it On," "Show You How" and "Shut Us Down." The lyrics of the finale conclude "I will stay around as long as I can." Those are reassuring words from a masterful musician who, at the age of 57, has clearly reached a staggering new pinnacle in his career.
By Paul Kaza
Free Press Correspondent
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/NEWS/70402008
April 2, 2007
There are blockbuster artists -- and then there are blockbuster concerts. The two don't necessarily coincide on the same stage. In the case of Lindsey Buckingham's concert Sunday night at the Flynn Center, they were in perfect sync as Burlington was treated to one of the most superlative rock performances in the last three decades.
Much of this outcome seemed to be inexorably woven into the Flynn itself. Buckingham has an intensely engaging personality, and he openly expressed what the venue was doing for him early in the two-hour show. "We've gotten used to playing arenas -- you can't connect with the crowd. This is the way it should be," he commented amidst unrelenting ovations early on.
While Burlington audiences are well-known for both their star-struck nature and lavish outpourings of applause, there was every possible reason for responding to Buckingham with unabashed enthusiasm. Buckingham played with unfettered excellence. He took considerable musical risks and did not rely on a rollout of the chart toppers. And he laid himself bare in front of just a thousand or so people from the very first song.
Buckingham opened with just a guitar, the microphone and his magnificent voice. "Not Too Late," the opening track from his new release "Under the Skin," displayed his remarkable finger picking as he sang "There's room for a man who is whole ... for chances not taken, for deeds not yet done."
"Second Half News" demonstrated Buckingham's uncanny ability to re-arrange the old hits without making them hard to recognize. "Red Rover" delivered a perfect yet unexpected counterpoint between Buckingham's acoustic playing and the cavernous bass drum accompanied by quiet maracas.
A definitive difference from the Fleetwood Mac sound emerged early on. As a solo act, Buckingham often employs two other acoustical guitarists that -- along with his own playing -- build a huge wall of sound. After wondering where the drummer was just one night prior at the Mary Chapin Carpenter concert, this reviewer worried momentarily about the lack of a bassist. But then the bass lines came rolling in, apparently from a tracks program offstage. Later, both of his sidemen picked up real bass guitars and two were even utilized late in the show.
Buckingham performed and recorded the majority of the tracks on the new CD, much of it at home. So, he is clearly comfortable with technology -- and this includes the use of synthesized percussion on stage. "Under the Skin" brought a deafening thump from a "bass drum" that was not even there; only the pedal was.
"Big Love" saw Buckingham take off on a solo with power and precision. Then, he abruptly shifted gears as he recited a poem and launched into "Going Insane." The song started with the gentle use of harmonics and then segued into a maniacal strum solo that should have rightfully ripped every string from his guitar.
"Know I'm Not Wrong" and "Tusk" drove Buckingham's seemingly unquenchable thirst for taking things to a higher level. At this point, he was getting a standing ovation after every song. When he lit into "Go Your Own Way," it was pure bedlam as the crowd swept down the aisles and Buckingham obliged by bending within inches of those closest.
It took little coaxing to produce a four-song encore, and Buckingham gave us the feel good classic "Holiday Road," "Turn it On," "Show You How" and "Shut Us Down." The lyrics of the finale conclude "I will stay around as long as I can." Those are reassuring words from a masterful musician who, at the age of 57, has clearly reached a staggering new pinnacle in his career.