Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Music Hall
 

By Christopher Hislop [email protected] October 26, 2011 2:00 AM
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articl...TAIN-110260303

Treat: Lindsey Buckingham plays Portsmouth day after Halloween

There are very few artists that can boast the type of numbers and success Lindsey Buckingham can when he adds to the lore of The Music Hall stage Tuesday, Nov. 1. The thing about Buckingham though, is he doesn't tend to dwell on such details. He's always pushing forward. He's aware of his history, and always keeps it focused in his rearview, but the past is the past.

One of the founding members of Fleetwood Mac (as their guitarist, and the male vocal complementing Stevie Nicks), Buckingham has done his part to sell in excess of 45 million records throughout his musical career. He's a member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, and, more recently in the last five years or so, he's taken solace and a great sense of pride in igniting his solo career, as he is currently on the road in support of his latest solo effort, the aptly titled record, "Seeds We Sow."

"The solo stuff tends to tap into more of the left side of my pallet more," said Buckingham in a recent interview. "When I tried to do that years and years ago (with Fleetwood Mac) on the "Tusk" album (released in 1979), the result was a really cool album, but it was not something that was met with the response I would have liked to have seen from me or the band. I mean the band loved it at the time, but when the record proved not to sell the equivalent number of copies that 'Rumors' had sold, there was kind of a rethink into what 'Tusk' was and what kind of weight it held. And so that was the beginning of tapping into that side of what I was interested in through solo work — music I could pursue and explore independently from my duties with Fleetwood Mac. Otherwise there may not have ever been solo work. I mean if we all wanted the same thing for the same reasons in Fleetwood Mac back then, who's to say where we would have gone?"

"Seeds We Sow," Buckingham's sixth solo release, is a collection of tunes tapping into the karmic belief of being a decent human being, staying true, and working through life's travails. It's some of the most mature and poignant writing Buckingham has released to date, and showcases an artist — a 40+ year veteran in the music world — who is finally figuring out his stride and settling in to the groove

"The thing that I realized years ago is, once you're successful you achieve this sort of 'brand,'" Buckingham said. "Once you have the brand you're forced to repeat it over and over again. This is something I rallied against years ago. And there's a price to be paid against pushing back and doing your own thing. You know, people in America have a strong obsession with the idea of brand. The reason I got into this in the first place is because there was a transcendent quality to music, a religious quality to it that I still feel close to. All I want to continue to do is maintain what that sense of music should be about. Even if it's only achieved doing these smaller projects. I'm really proud of this record. I truly believe it's my best work thus far. And you know, I find that these solo ventures inform my ability to be a member in good standing and an effective presence in Fleetwood Mac. On the flipside, Fleetwood Mac helps to inform this solo work as well. The two tend to go hand-in-hand. It's been quite a gift to have both and to be able to maintain them side by side as we travel on down the road.

"Life is all about choices. Sometimes it takes years to know whether or not a certain choice will pan out. Certain choices are apparent right away, but other things take the perspective of time, and sometimes it's a great deal of time. For me, the choice to roll from one thing to another (musically) has been a stabling force in my life. I feel pretty fortunate."

Buckingham is happy to be playing for his fans, and is excited about the tour stop in Portsmouth. He claims that fans are in for a real treat:

"We're doing a little of everything," Buckingham said. "I start solo acoustic and do five or six numbers on my own. It's almost like I'm opening for myself (laughs). Then we hit on songs from 'Seeds We Sow,' there's also some older solo stuff, as well as solid representation of what everyone's coming to hear — the Fleetwood Mac stuff. We're doing a few things that are familiar across the board. It's a very well rounded set. We feel like, as a band, we're the best we've ever been, and we're feeling pretty good about things."

WHAT: Lindsey Buckingham

WHERE: The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth

WHEN: Tuesday, Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m.

COST: $29.50/$39.50/$49.50

Does Lindsey really believe that his audience is going to his solo concerts just to hear "the Fleetwood Mac stuff"? I think that the majority of his audience goes to hear his solo work, both old and new.