Buckingham's Guitar Chops Make The Crowd Go Wild

[MacMan]

By CURTIS ROSS The Tampa Tribune
Published: Mar 9, 2007
http://www.tbo.com/life/MGBSU02N1ZE.html

TAMPA - You know the show's special when the first song of the encore ends with the musicians and much of the audience barking like dogs.

Those canine howls concluded "Holiday Road," Lindsey Buckingham's jaunty hit from 1983's "National Lampoon's Vacation." It was a lighthearted moment in a show notable for its near-manic intensity.

Buckingham, the singer, guitarist and sonic architect of Fleetwood Mac, took the spotlight Wednesday night for a show supporting his 2006 solo album, "Under the Skin."

Buckingham held the Tampa Theatre crowd of 950 rapt from the first notes of the opener, "Not Too Late," built on a stunning finger-picked guitar figure.

Among other things, the evening was a showcase for Buckingham's phenomenal guitar skills, displayed on a variety of electric, acoustic and hybrid instruments.

His playing on a solo version of "Trouble" was so dexterous and full that the hit version's billowy harmonies and massed guitars weren't missed.

He was joined by his musicians - guitarist Neale Heywood, percussionist Alfredo Reyes and multi-instrumentalist Brett Tuggle - for several numbers, starting with a rowdy "Second Hand News."

Solo again, Buckingham brought the show to its first emotional peak with back-to-back performances of "Big Love" and "Go Insane."

"Big Love," rescued from the dated production of the version on 1987's "Tango in the Night," was absolutely ferocious. But the following number, "Go Insane," approached primal scream territory, with Buckingham's impassioned reading making it seem that whatever inspired the song 23 years ago was still fresh in his mind.

The performance left the crowd drained, and Buckingham, once more joined by his band, offered the relatively breezy "Under the Skin."

"World Turning," featuring an inventive percussion-and-samples break, led into "I'm So Afraid," another cathartic number that brought the crowd to its feet as Buckingham slapped the strings of his guitar with both hands.

By the time he ended the pre-encore set with "Go Your Own Way," much of the crowd had moved to the front of the stage, to Buckingham's obvious delight.