Old Review: LB with Tina Turner

michelej1 · #1 04-12-2009, 07:36 PM

[Didn't see this online, so uploaded]

Pittsburgh Post Gazette, July 9, 1993

HEADLINE: TINA TURNER BELTS 'EM OUT;
LIFETIME OF HITS FILLS CROWD WITH NOSTALGIA

BYLINE: REVIEW BY ED MASLEY

BODY:
The Clinton era has arrived, make no mistake.

Trouble is, now that everyone realizes he can't do a darn thing about the economy, the White House generation can't afford to go see all of the president's bands.

Back in the heat of Clinton-mania, last night's Tina Turner/Lindsey Buckingham double-header probably would have sold out the Coca-Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre. It's that perfect blend of adult pop and soft rock that means so much to folks old enough to invest it with the proper amount of nostalgia.

Turner's new movie alone should have roped in a bigger crowd than the 8,048 who made it out to Burgettstown. Clearly, rock's old guard can't stop thinking about tomorrow when faced with the prospect of shelling out $ 24 a pop for concert tickets. Heck, VH1 is free.

Either way, Turner did everything in her power to earn that $ 24. All legs and Vegas shtick, she belted out a lifetime of hits, from ''Proud Mary'' to ''We Don't Need Another Hero,'' with equal amounts charm and professionalism. She even did the costume change thing and brought along a beefy young sax player to spread the sex appeal around a little.

Surprisingly, the beefcake turned in a solo on ''Private Dancer'' that may have been the musical highlight of Turner's set. The emotional highlight, hands down, was Turner's moving delivery of ''I Don't Wanna Fight No More,'' written for the movie about her relationship with Ike. It's obvious that Turner has no real desire to rise above the Vegas trappings of her stage show, but for that one moment, she became much more than a world-class entertainer.

As the brains, heart and soul behind Fleetwood Mac's commercial zenith, Lindsey Buckingham knows a thing or two about world-class entertainment. Fortunately, he knows a lot more about art.

Dressed in black, the former Mr. Stevie Nicks greeted the crowd armed only with a classical guitar for a brilliantly finger-picked version of ''Big Love,'' followed by a bone-chilling ''I Go Insane'' that truly lived up to its title.

Then, quicker than you can say ''MTV Unplugged,'' he brought out a 10-piece orchestra to explore the outer reaches of pop music as only he can.

''As long as no one yells out 'Go Your Own Way' too early, we're gonna get along great,'' Buckingham joked before launching into a rendition of ''The Chain'' that clearly blew away the original. His five-guitar army played enough games with the dynamics that the build coming out of the bass solo was as intense as mainstream pop is likely to get.

In the midst of his first solo tour, Buckingham eventually played ''Go Your Own Way.'' He turned in a stark acoustic ''Never Going Back Again,'' too, though ''Tusk'' was sadly scratched from the set list.

Fleetwood Mac at its best was always Buckingham's ball game, so there's no shame in looking back, but this is one pop icon who will not rest on his laurels.

michelej1 · #2 04-12-2009, 07:39 PM

[Looking in this same paper, I saw this in a review of Meatloaf's album. Seems like he could have offered Stevie some title alternatives to "Unleashed."]

Excerpt from Pittsburgh Gazette, May 27, 1994:

By the way, it's called ''Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell.'' Meat Loaf swears, however, that the name in no way represents a commercial ploy on his part.

''If Fleetwood Mac splits and all of a sudden, Stevie Nicks and everybody gets back together and they make a Fleetwood Mac album,'' he explains, ''that's what they're gonna call themselves.''

''Bat Out Of Hell II,'' it seems, is his first true collaboration with songwriter/producer Jim Steinman since ''Bat Out Of Hell.'' Steinman did write and produce ''Dead Ringer'' as well, but Meat Loaf just sang on that one. He wasn't involved in the creative process.

CADreaming · #3 04-12-2009, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1

Dressed in black, the former Mr. Stevie Nicks greeted the crowd ...

Ouch!!....

MacMan · #4 04-12-2009, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1

Clearly, rock's old guard can't stop thinking about tomorrow when faced with the prospect of shelling out $ 24 a pop for concert tickets. Heck, VH1 is free.

I wonder if that reviewer stuck around long enough to experience ticket prices of today LOL

And you know... I saw Lindsey open a show for Tina back on this tour... and I remember I had excellent seats on the floor up front... But do you think I can recall anything of significance about either of them? NOPE! Actually, that's not completely true... What I do remember is the guitar army - and how amazing it sounded, but that's all

Nico · #5 04-12-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacMan

And you know... I saw Lindsey open a show for Tina back on this tour... and I remember I had excellent seats on the floor up front... But do you think I can recall anything of significance about either of them? NOPE! Actually, that's not completely true... What I do remember is the guitar army - and how amazing it sounded, but that's all

That must have been very cool. I, on the other hand, was probably listening to Nirvana.

michelej1 · #6 04-12-2009, 09:24 PM

I saw him, but not with Tina Turner. One thing I remember is being blown away by Doing What I Can, because it wasn't a song I liked on the album and it came as a surprise live. I was thinking, "wow! The sun is hot." That's what stayed with me.

Michele

michelej1 · #7 04-12-2009, 09:42 PM

[I love him with all my heart, but "forward motion" 15 years ago

]

Newsday, July 14, 1993, Section: PART II

What's Tina Got to Do With This Spectacle?

Wayne Robins. STAFF WRITER

TINA TURNER . A living legend, Monday night at Radio City Music Hall. Performances tonight, Friday and Saturday at Radio City, and July 20 at Jones Beach Theater. Lindsey Buckingham opened Monday and Tuesday night; Chris Isaak opens the rest.

AFTER MONTHS of media barrage regarding " Tina Turner ," the movie character and literary heroine, it was with no small sense of relief that one could finally spend a few hours being entertained by Tina Turner , the ageless shouter and leonine leg shaker.

The good news: After six years off stage, the 53-year-old Turner hasn't lost a step, or a layer of resonance from her gruff, impassioned voice. The high-energy high jinks on the opening night of her week-long run in the metropolitan area, however, were not as impressive.

Turner began the show in regal fashion, slowly descending a steep stairway to the stage, wearing a tight silver dress so short it made mini-skirts seem like ankle-length gowns. Flanked by dancing female twins and backed by a dependable seven-piece band (two synths, sax, bass, drums and two guitars), everything was in place for Turner to turn on the jets.

But the songs and arrangements didn't all ignite. The new "I Don't Want to Fight" was a drab piece of synthesizer pop. Too often, the artificial keyboard sound set the music's mechanical tone; "What's Love Got to Do With It" wound up sounding like the Pet Shop Boys with a great singer.

Turner's emotional pitch didn't always suit the song. She steamrolled "I Can't Stand the Rain," showing none of the agonized restraint that made Ann Peebles' original one of the great soul performances of the '70s. The crowd seemed awed by every squeal Turner put into Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," but inexplicably saved its most frenetic adulation for her version of Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love."

Near the end of the show, "Proud Mary" - the Creedence Clearwater Revival song that Turner has claimed - was boosted by a fierce light and sound explosion that elicited the appropriately Pavlovian response from the worshipful crowd. But her familiar, suggestive "nice . . . and rough" introduction seems self-negating in light of Turner's now-public experiences as a battered wife. During an audience participation segment of "What's Love Got to Do With It," Turner referred to males as "men" but females as "girls." And when introducing her entourage, the male band members were identified by first and last name, while the dancing twins were announced simply as "Sharon and Karen."

AS TURNER seems to have accepted her niche as Europop queen, there was no hint of the torrid, raving rhythm-and-blues masterpieces she made with Ike - songs like "A Fool in Love" and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine." Though she handled herself and her material with commendable grace, I couldn't help feeling that soul is a terrible thing to waste.

Lindsey Buckingham, once considered the brains behind Fleetwood Mac's rise to superstardom in the 1970s, opened the show with a misguided and terrible set. In light of his moribund recording career, it seemed pointless to be carrying an 11-piece band, that included, at one point, six guitar players. "I'm at a point in my life again when I'm focused, and feeling forward motion," Buckingham said, apparently mistaking the concert performance for a group therapy session.

michelej1 · #8 04-12-2009, 09:43 PM

Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 3, 1993

Section: ARTS & LIVING

AN AGELESS PERFORMER WOWS BLOSSOM CROWD
JANE SCOTT PLAIN DEALER ROCK REPORTER

[deleted stuff about Turner]

Early comers among the 6,000 fans were surprised to see a curly haired 6-footer in dark trousers and T-shirt on stage strumming up a Fleetwood Mac song, "Big Love," 10 minutes before the 8 p.m. show time. He was Lindsey Buckingham, formerly of Fleetwood Mac, and presently a standout singer/songwriter with a strong and fluid voice.

Things will go along fine if you don't request the Mac's "Go Your Own Way" too soon, he said. He did do that catchy 1977 song, and three other Mac songs ("I'm So Afraid," "The Chain" and "Never Going Back Again").

This time Buckingham had a splendid 10-man band behind him, one he called a family. Fleetwood Mac was a family, too, he said, but a dysfunctional one.

Those who saw Buckingham last March at Peabody's DownUnder in the Flats may not have recognized him from his stage moves Thursday. He read poetry before some of his songs, jumped about the stage, fell down over guitarist Janet Robin and wound up at curtain call carried by Robin and guitarist Lisa Carve.

"I've never been an opening act before," he said. "I wanted to make it interesting."

He may have tried too hard. The poetry particularly wasn't the right touch for this hit-oriented crowd.

michelej1 · #9 04-12-2009, 09:45 PM

Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 21, 1993, by Britt Robson

Opening was Lindsey Buckingham, the former creative beacon behind the multi-platinum success of Fleetwood Mac, opened. Buckingham's willingness to buck the convention of arena acts - from his spoken poetic song intros to the unusual composition of his band - served him well. Robson is a Minneapolis freelance writer.

michelej1 · #10 04-12-2009, 09:48 PM

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 14, 1993, by Gene Stout

Opening act Lindsey Buckingham performed a shorter, but just as spirited, version of his outstanding headlining show at the Moore Theater in March.

Buckingham, whose talents helped carry Fleetwood Mac to superstardom in the '70s, was joined by his band for several brilliantly orchestrated songs from his new album, ``Out of the Cradle,'' as well as power-packed versions of Fleetwood Mac's ``Tusk'' and ``Go Your Own Way.''

michelej1 · #11 04-12-2009, 09:49 PM

The Oregonian, June 10, 1993, by Marty Hughley

Opening act Lindsey Buckingham performed a shorter, but just as spirited, version of his outstanding headlining show at the Moore Theater in March.

Buckingham, whose talents helped carry Fleetwood Mac to superstardom in the '70s, was joined by his band for several brilliantly orchestrated songs from his new album, ``Out of the Cradle,'' as well as power-packed versions of Fleetwood Mac's ``Tusk'' and ``Go Your Own Way.''

michelej1 · #12 04-12-2009, 09:52 PM

Excerpt from the Miami Herald on The Grammys, February 21, 1993, by Leonard Pitts, Jr.

The contenders: There Will Never Be Another Tonight, Bryan Adams; Unplugged (album), Eric Clapton; Life Is A Highway, Tom Cochrane; Digging in the Dirt, Peter Gabriel; The Fire Inside, Bob Seger; Human Touch (album), Bruce Springsteen.

The Winner: The academy might have thrown a rose to Springsteen to ease the sting of Human Touch's poor showing in the marketplace, but Clapton is unstoppable, even the uninspired Unplugged, which sold more than 4 million copies. Plus there's the sympathy vote. (Note: Check Grammy's pulse if Seger's soggy Fire wins.)

Who Gets Robbed: Lindsey Buckingham, who isn't even nominated. His inventive Out of the Cradle stands head and shoulders above this ordinary lot.

Nico · #13 04-12-2009, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelej1

Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 3, 1993

Early comers among the 6,000 fans were surprised to see a curly haired 6-footer in dark trousers and T-shirt...

Some things never change, but "6-footer?" really? Generous much? Lindsey is 5 foot 10 if that.

Quote:

This time Buckingham had a splendid 10-man band behind him, one he called a family. Fleetwood Mac was a family, too, he said, but a dysfunctional one.

This guy calls it "splendid" the other one says "pointless." You win some you lose some...

Quote:

Those who saw Buckingham last March at Peabody's DownUnder in the Flats may not have recognized him from his stage moves Thursday. He read poetry before some of his songs, jumped about the stage, fell down over guitarist Janet Robin and wound up at curtain call carried by Robin and guitarist Lisa Carve.

WTF? Am I reading correctly or is this some kind of strange journalism diction? He fell on that little woman? MmmK.

Quote:

He may have tried too hard. The poetry particularly wasn't the right touch for this hit-oriented crowd.

Oh STFU. I love Lindsey's little Go Insane poem, you crazy-speaking freak. Screw the "hit-oriented" crowd. It's Cleveland. We could use some diversity in the arts.

**Incidentally: when I saw LB in Chicago, 2007 he got pissy faced when people were talking loudly over one of his speeches. It's good to see he expects more respect these days as opposed to trying something new.

LukeA · #14 04-13-2009, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nico

**Incidentally: when I saw LB in Chicago, 2007 he got pissy faced when people were talking loudly over one of his speeches. It's good to see he expects more respect these days as opposed to trying something new.

That pales in comparison to how he reacted (what he said) to the audience at the Phoenix, AZ/Roxy OOTC show. I wonder if there's a review of that show out there...

michelej1 · #15 04-13-2009, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LukeA

That pales in comparison to how he reacted (what he said) to the audience at the Phoenix, AZ/Roxy OOTC show. I wonder if there's a review of that show out there...

Haven't seen a review of that show, but during the UTS promotion, Lindsey was asked about it. I don't recall what he said, but I think it was that he did not know why the people even bothered to come, if they were clearly not interested in him or his music. The OOTC was very disheartening for him and I think the UTS tour was a thrill on its own, but even more so, contrasted with how he was met while promoting OOTC.

Michele