Creative Buckingham transforms nostalgia into compelling show

[MacMan]

Twenty minutes after Lindsey Buckingham was supposed to start playing at the Washington Pavilion Wednesday night, the former Fleetwood Mac frontman was nowhere near the stage.

Argusleader.com
By Robert Morast
[email protected]

Twenty minutes after Lindsey Buckingham was supposed to start playing at the Washington Pavilion Wednesday night, the former Fleetwood Mac frontman was nowhere near the stage.

With the memory of Buckingham flaking out at a recent Lincoln, Neb., concert because of an inadequate sound system, you had to wonder if the rock star was, well, being a rock star.

Five minutes later Buckingham walked on stage alone wearing blue jeans, a black jacket and a black shirt exposing some chest hair. And with just an acoustic guitar, the musician started a concert that was well worth the wait and a tribute to the idea that classic rock artists don't have to rely on nostalgia to gain applause.

Starting with the intricate, busy guitar picking of "Not Too Long" - the lead track on Buckingham's 2006 solo disc "Under the Skin" - the concert was more an exhibition of manic creativity as it was a reason to reap the memories of Fleetwood Mac's past.

Moving to his song "Trouble" Buckingham displayed the ability to still mine passion from familiar lyrics with a voice that's technically proficient but shaped by the rough edges of imperfection.

That sincerity gave the Fleetwood Mac tune "Never Going Back Again" renewed life as a world-weary document of experience - as opposed to perfunctory schlock.

"Big Love" was just as alive as Buckingham gave us the acoustic version heard on the band's reunion record "The Dance." A contrast of anxious guitar picking and a smooth vocal melody, the song felt like love - at once nervous and soothing.

The song also showed one of Buckingham's more important traits as his guitar work was flashy and impressive without becoming an ostentatious extension of ego.

The sensible attitude extended to the audience in a playful display that had Buckingham pausing from the performance to chat with a woman in the front row.

Back on stage, and with a band backing him, Buckingham dipped into the Mac's catalog to create a living art display that ripped passion from Buckingham's introspective ideals and mainstream eccentricity.

"Red Rover" channeled former Mac guitarist Peter Green's acid-mania with a Captain Beefheart-like growl in the repeated chorus line of "Red Rover/We're comin' to Take You Over."

Later, "Tusk" evolved into a dynamic piece that played like a Broadway showtune wrapped in dark pop melodies.

"Go Your Own Way" was less crazy and sounded fine. But it sorely missed Stevie Nicks' sharp harmonies and came off kind of flat until Buckingham ended the song - and his set - with a solo that shifted from shrilly upper register work to ZZ Top-like crunch.

With the houselights still down, an encore was expected. But as Buckingham came back out and picked his way into the "Vacation" theme song "Holiday Road," it was easy to marvel at the "serious" musician saving one of his most poppy and simple songs for last.

And though the performance was a traditional take on "Holiday Road," Buckingham ended the popular song by barking at the audience and commanding listeners to "bark like a dog."

It was odd. But cool. And refreshing that a classic rocker doesn't find sacrilege in morphing his music into compelling, fascinating art.