Review: Buckingham hits new heights at Flynn
 

Review: Buckingham hits new heights at Flynn

By Paul Kaza
Free Press Correspondent
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/a.../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.

Good lord. Is that a review or what!

second half news!:laugh:

but further: brilliant review.

Now hows that for an opener.....:woohoo:

I didn't even notice that! Funny!

yayyy, a reviewer who gets it!

i bet he would be really proud to read that review.

Did anyone on here go to this show? Did he stay after and sign? :)

I was there. He was pretty awesome. We had front row seats. The crowd was pretty great and it was an awesome performance. He only shook hands after GYOW and ISA. He wouldn't sign our BN album. :(

Ill try and post my pics from this show ASAP!

So, no camera Nazis at this show either?

they only work the shows you attend :shrug: :sorry: :p

It really does seem that way. Sorry, but it just wasn't worth the 5 hour drive up to Burlington for me. I love you Lindsey but I hate driving alone.

I sure hope someone is taping/videoing some of these recent shows... The recording of Philly is wonderful.. I have a feeling the Mac will intervene before we see Lindsey with the electric material he says is already written for his next solo album...
Was listening to Johnny Stew today---just love the FEEL of that track!

Gene

There were no camera nazi's at all 3 shows I went to. In fact, no security stopped anyone from going to the stage all 3 nights either!

"I happened to catch Paul Kaza's review of Lindsey Buckingham's show at the Flynn Center in yesterday's Burlington Free Press and it sort of pissed me off. So, I thought I'd write to the editor like a cranky old man.

Dear Editor,

I'm writing you concerning the giant dick slap Paul Kaza laid on every musician that has graced a stage in Vermont since 1977. The offense occurred during Mr. Kaza's review of Lindsey Buckingham's show Sunday night at the Flynn Center which appeared in the Burlington Free Press on Tuesday.

Early in his review, Mr. Kaza lets the hyperbole fly when he uncorks, "it was one of the most superlative rock performances in the last three decades". WOW! Now, normally, that statement alone would be enough to warrant a letter to the editor pointing out all of the other great acts that have come through the Green Mountains over the last three decades. However, I'm more annoyed with Mr. Kaza's next revelation.

After heaping praise on the brilliance of the performance, Mr. Kaza then points out that, for part of the show, the bass tracks weren't played by a musician but simply pre-recorded and mixed in at the soundboard. Geezum crow! Mr. Kaza thinks a show using pre-recorded music was one of the best live performances in Vermont since the Carter administration?!?!

Out of respect to every musician that has ever had the guts to stand on stage and play their own instruments, Mr. Kaza should have immediately eliminated Lindsey Buckingham's show from even being considered worthy of such adulation. Perhaps, Mr. Kaza should have come down off of his emotional high of hearing "Go Your Own Way" for the 4,513th time before he sat down to accurately assess the concert.

Posted by Flatlander at 7:59 PM"

2 comments:
Nice!
4/05/2007 11:16 AM

oldman? crybaby! :)
4/05/2007 1:22 PM

http://false45th.blogspot.com/2007/0...ree-press.html

What songs used pre-recorded bass from the early part of the show?

SHN has bass, but I thought Brett played it for that. I'll have to watch the Milwaukee DVD to check. IWY has bass as well as far as I remember but I'm almost sure that Brett was on bass for that.

And what song has 2 basses? Or is that not what he's saying by "two were even utilized late in the show"?

Does he use two basses for SYH?

2 basses on SYH, yes.

I didn't notice any pre-recorded bass at any of the shows I went to. Brett picked up his Ernie Ball Musicman bass several times throughout, if memory serves me correctly.

Eff that bia who posted the comment about not being worthy for not playing his own instruments. She's full of ****.. it's obvious that she didn't go to the show.

I wonder why the guy who wrote the review thought there was pre-recorded bass then?

The only pre-recorded stuff that I think I heard in the background is a vocal back-up for Lindsey on Turn It On at the very end. Just to give the screaming "Turn It On!!" a fatter sound. It didn't sound like echo. At first it looked like he was lipsinking it but he's not...just singing along with it. Of course, I could be totally wrong...it could be echo :laugh:

As far as recorded bass...I think the guy smokes too much crack! :p :lol:

I heard those on the Philly bootleg. Sounds like recordings. What about Red Rover? Is it Neal and Brett doing the other "red rovers"? I thought they were maybe recorded as well. Either that or he's using some sort of effect.

and what about the dog barks? There is some pre-recording...when I saw the pre-show in diego last year they had some pre-recording that they were testing the timing of. I think some of that is to be expected. :shrug:

Oh, I totally agree. It really doesn't bother me.

I just don't know what pre-recorded bass parts they're talking about. :confused:

Same here. As long as it's only small subtle things, which it seems to be.

Agreed. I should have made the same comment...only subtle things. :nod:

:shrug: I assumed all those things were sampled into Brett's synth. God knows that Korg could do every bit of it.

...and the deep dark Red Rover-voice

vocoder mayhaps.