Lindsey Buckingham
Live At Hoyt Sherman Place
Des Moines, Iowa, September 2, 2012
“Look at all of those dudes up by the stage taking pictures
of Lindsey’s guitar rack.” I pointed out to my wife as we made our way to our
seats at Lindsey Buckingham’s solo performance in Des Moines last Saturday night. “That’s
hilarious!” I added as we both sat down.
“Don’t laugh.” She replied. “You know you want to go up
there and do the same thing.”
I paused for a moment before admitting, “I do want to go up
there.”
It would have been hilarious if they were all BC Rich. |
Like my wife predicted, I was up out of my seat, making my
way to the front of the stage just so I could seize a few shots of Buckingham’s
wares before the lights went down.
Not a Marshall in sight. Didn't need 'em. |
There were two things that I immediately discovering during An Intimate Evening with Lindsey Buckingham, an
intimate one-man performance of the Fleetwood Mac legend. The first is that all
of the male audience members seemed to have show up to ogle at his incredible
guitar picking skills. And just because
there was an ample amount of Ovation acoustic guitars standing on that rack, it
doesn’t mean that Lindsey didn’t hit a pedal, transforming a hollow body into a
ballsy lead instrument, complete with distortion, tone, and testosterone.
The other thing was that Buckingham’s crowd probably found
more women in attendance. The majority of them were middle-aged, but all of
them seemed to view Lindsey with the kind of glance that is only reserved for
lustful admiration. The man is as lean as ever, sporting thin denim jeans, a
v-neck t-shirt and expensive leather jacket for the occasion, all of which
prompted more than one shout of “I love you Lindsey!” from his female admirers.
The set pulled from equal parts solo material and Fleetwood
Mac cuts, which he referred to as “the big machine.” Whatever the source, the
intimate setting created a perfect backdrop for a lot of his overproduced
material in the same way that “Big Love” got a new lease on life the moment
Buckingham focused on turning it into an incredible reminder of his talent on
the six string.
For tonight, it was “Go Insane” that got the “better than
the original” nod. Admittedly, it’s pretty easy to overtake the outdated
production of the title track from his 1984 solo record. But Lindsey manages to
bring out the original diagnosis, but slowing down the arrangement and turning
it into an eerie, creepy crawl.
All the songs receive similar changes in arrangements and
nuances, and each one required a new guitar, mindfully handed over by his
guitar tech while the devoted crowd gave standing ovations after every tune.
Don't get weird on me, babe. |
By the time he got to the familiar opening of “Go Your Own
Way,” the decorum of the immaculate Hoyt Sherman Place venue finally turned into a traditional rock
show. Dozens of middle-aged women began leaving their seats to march up to the
front of the stage, getting a bird’s eyes view of their graying idol as he
navigated both sides of the crowd for optimal exposure.
Even in this intimate setting, Lindsey brought out his best
showman poses, pouting his lips with eyes-closed during extended solos, pursing
loud/soft dynamics with his vocals to achieve maximum vulnerability, and
holding his hand over his heart with each appreciative applause.
To dismiss this package as just an atypical unplugged outing
would be an injustice to the many years this man honed his craft in packed
arenas with Fleetwood Mac. But the beauty of it all is how the intimacy
perfectly translated this man’s genius on his instrument. It’s a craft that was
obviously built from even more years of refining his relationship with the
guitar, probably alone and probably going beyond what was even needed with Mac.
Yet he continued his progression, honoring the band’s
tradition of featuring some pretty awesome guitarists and securing his own
place in that heritage.
With Fleetwood Mac, he was just one of many guitarists that
filled that spot, but on that special Saturday night in Des Moines, he was the
only guitarist we wanted to hear in that role.
Setlist
Cast Away Dreams
Bleed To Love Her
Not Too Late
Stephanie
Come
Shut Us Down
Go Insane
Never Going Back Again
Big Love
I’m So Afraid
Go Your Own Way
Encore
Down On Rodeo
Trouble
Seeds We Sow
1 comment:
I always dug 'Go Insane.' That's the tune I associate him with as a solo artist, more than 'Big Love.' Very unique style & tone. He was never trying to be/imitate Peter Green. Probably deserves to be more highly regarded. Didn't he have a solo album out within the last 10 years? I seem to remember a more recent song but can't place it by looking at the set list.
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