Review: Lindsey Buckingham goes his own way at Celebrity Theatre

Lindsey Buckingham goes his own way at Celebrity Theatre
by Ed Masley

Photo by: Maria Vassett

Lindsey Buckingham could be playing a much larger room than the Celebrity Theatre (and pocketing more money) with the "Big Machine," as he's been calling Fleetwood Mac.

But he's clearly enjoying his time at the wheel of the Little Machine, his solo tours affording him the opportunity to take more risks, get more intimate and showcase his solo material, including selections from a great new album, "Seeds We Sow."

And touring solo also lets him stroll on stage alone with his guitar, as he did Wednesday night, Oct. 12, at the Celebrity, and set the tone with a powerful set of stripped-down, one-man, unplugged versions of his songs that put the focus on his awe-inspiring finger-picking prowess. The percussive country-blues approach of "Shut Us Down" was followed by a melancholy reinvention of his early solo hit "I Go Insane," on which his guitar style was closer to classical music. It got pretty unhinged for an unplugged performance by the time he brought it to a climax, howling "She's a lot like you."

"Trouble" also benefited greatly from the mournful unplugged treatment, and he earned his first standing ovation for the night's first Fleetwood Mac song, "Never Going Back Again," bringing his guitar down to a whisper and slowing it down for dramatic effect on the verses.

Continue to the full Review at AZCentral

Photo Gallery (27 photos) Here

Lindsey Buckingham at Celebrity Theatre, 10/12/11
By Jason P. Woodbury
PhoenixNewTimes

"The small machine."

That's how Lindsey Buckingham described his solo work, comparing it to the "big machine" that is Fleetwood Mac. Buckingham was about halfway through a kind of extended monologue about the differences between his massive, stadium-touring collaboration with Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie (Christine McVie no longer performs with the band), and his Celebrity Theatre-filling solo project, describing Fleetwood as a "big budget Hollywood film" and his solo work as an "independent," when the crowd got weird. Someone shouted, "That's why I love you" in response to something he said about Hollywood; a guy just screamed "Lindsey;" and someone shouted "Hi, Stevie!"

In the intimate confines of Celebrity (with the stage on its more dignified "non-rotating" setting), Buckingham seemed to relish a chance to get VH1 Storytellers-style intimate, revealing the nitty gritty of each song. But the crowd wasn't all that interested in that. They wanted bombast. They wanted rock 'n' roll. But most of all -- they wanted songs from the "Big Machine."

I don't mean to imply that people weren't interested in classic Buckingham solo material like "Go Insane" or "Trouble" -- both got big cheers, and the crowd reacted well to material from Buckingham's latest, Seeds We Sow.

But Buckingham was visually perturbed by the interruptions. "Hi, Stevie?" he sneered. "No, no, we all love Stevie very much, don't we?"

Review / Photos - Stevie Nicks Live in Anaheim, CA 10/12/11

Three things worth knowing about Stevie Nicks concerts nowadays: 1) she limits herself to between two and three stage spins, and only during "Stand Back," which in my experience is always the show opener; 2) her voice continues to sound so spectacular; and 3) only the freaks dress up. Even with Halloween looming, I spotted but one witchy woman in a purple knock-off of Nicks' trademark Ren Faire/sorceress get up, and on another lady, a teensy, tiny top hat.

But there are still the costume changes (four looks tonight, including two black dresses, one white and one merlot, all in the iconic, long-sleeved, corseted fashion she's sported for the past three decades; props to Nicks for realizing that covering every inch of your body in fabric will keep you looking wrinkle-free and graceful). And it remains a great show--unlike her famed former Fleetwood Mac flame Lindsey Buckingham (who coincidentally plays the Grove on Monday), Nicks doesn't rely on rote showmanship, repeating the same anecdotes night after night, in the same order, tour after tour. Having caught a one-off performance by Nicks at a desert casino earlier this spring, it was a pleasure and a relief to hear new stories this go-round. The evening felt unscripted--or at least as unscripted as you can be at the tail end of a summer-long national tour. 

"This is not a Stevie Nicks Greatest Hits Show!" Nicks announced as she greeted the audience before talking up her new album, In Your Dreams. Using her "magic sequencer," she said, she had woven new songs among old favorites. Judging by the stand-up-sit-down reaction to classics and unfamiliar tunes that ensued, this probably wasn't what this audience wanted to hear--and given the relentless crowd chatter, it seemed that most of the Dreams tracks, which included the Twilight-inspired "Moonlight (A Vampire's Dream)," the war-remembrance poem-song "Soldier's Angel," and the incredible, fresh-feeling "For What It's Worth," were ignored. Too bad: Nicks is clearly proud of her new work, with the songs bringing out an energy that was visibly and audibly richer than what she reserved for standbys like "Dreams" and "Edge of Seventeen."

Continue to the full Review by: By Ellen Griley at OCWeekly

All Photos by Mary Bell/OC Weekly
See the Full Slide Show (28 photos) at OCWeekly

Stevie Nicks an enrapturing presence at the Grove
by GEORGE A. PAUL
OC Register

Stevie Nicks came on strong and finished like a gentle breeze in one of her most intimate Orange County solo shows in recent memory, Wednesday night at City National Grove of Anaheim.

Over the course of a two-hour performance, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Fleetwood Mac mainstay was in fine form. Entering to Missing Persons’ “Destination Unknown” (perhaps a nod to her hard-partying years), she and her nine-piece band tore through “Stand Back” as Nicks did some of those trademark twirls. Then she immediately provided a disclaimer: “This is not a greatest hits tour. I’m promoting a record that I believe in from the bottom of my soul. Let’s get this party started.”

I missed Nicks with Rod Stewart at the Hollywood Bowl (which landed right in the middle of Coachella) but never thought she’d return to play such a small venue. A large portion of the packed Grove audience had probably seen her before, either alone or with the Mac, so hearing a set half-devoted to newer material didn’t seem to be a problem. Those songs all got enthusiastic responses, especially ones prefaced by a riveting background story.

Bolstered by a solo career that crossed the 30-year mark this summer, Nicks’ popularity has rarely waned; the most successful of all Mac musicians, each of her albums has been certified gold or platinum. The 63-year-old singer has a legion of unique followers – female and male – who dress like and impersonate her. Nicks even joined Maroon 5 for a version of “Landslide” when that group played the Hollywood Bowl in July, a testament to her influence on younger bands.

Back in May, In Your Dreams, Nicks’ first studio album in a decade, debuted in the Top 10, with two singles eventually reaching Top 30 at adult contemporary radio. The strong, nuanced collection found her collaborating with longtime friend and co-producer Dave Stewart, the quieter half of Eurythmics, who also has worked behind the boards for Mick Jagger and Ringo Starr. In true classic-rock form, eight of the 13 tracks clock in longer than five minutes. Former paramours Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood and Heartbreaker Mike Campbell guest on selected tracks.

“Secret Love,” penned in 1975 about a forgotten tryst, had an understated yet seductive charm in concert; paired with the always-by-her-side backing vocals of Sharon Celani and sister-in-law Lori Nicks, it was truly sublime, with Nicks impressively sustaining a note at the end. Elegant, slowly driving rocker “Moonlight (A Vampire’s Dream),” inspired by seeing the Twilight: New Moon movie during the 2009 Fleetwood Mac world tour, featured horse images on a projection screen, as Nicks spread her chiffon layered arms out for expressive effect and wailed.

A long buildup on “Gold Dust Woman” heightened anticipation and facilitated the singer’s first costume change. Nicks was totally immersed in the Mac tune, while Jimmy Paxson’s prominent beats and Waddy Wachtel’s swirling guitar work added to the mystique. (Most of the top-notch band has been with Nicks for decades. Their familiarity with the older material was evident, though Wachtel also ably handled Buckingham’s guitar drone from the new title track.)

Describing how moved she was following a 2005 trip to visit wounded service members at what is now the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, where she inadvertently experienced a Medivac arrival, Nicks said she’s “never been the same since.” The stark song “Soldier’s Angel” grew out of that: more filled-out musically live, it found Nicks singing dramatically as a picture of her with an American flag and the handwritten lyrics appeared on screen.


Continue to the Full Review at OC Register

Photo Gallery with Photos by KELLY A. SWIFT Located here

Videos: Lindsey Buckingham in Phoenix | Stevie Nicks in Anaheim 10/12/11

Two stars shone last tonight...One in Phoenix, one in Anaheim... Lindsey brought his Seeds We Sow Tour to the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, while Stevie took In Your Dreams to Anaheim at City National Grove...    Couple of videos from last night - Lindsey's "Go Insane + sadly an incomplete "Love Is" from Stevie.

Stevie Nicks Talks Touring and Her "Lovely & Inspiring" Fans

Stevie Nicks has just two dates left on her North American tour in support of her album In Your Dreams -- she performs Wednesday night in Anaheim, California, and then wraps things up this Saturday with a show in Las Vegas.  In November, she'll start a tour of Australia that finishes in early December.

This has been Stevie's first major solo tour in about four years, but she says surprisingly, she doesn't find it too different from touring with Fleetwood Mac, which she last did in 2009.  "We travel very well," she tells ABC News Radio.  "We are always on a beautiful plane.  Fleetwood Mac has a bigger plane, but I still have a fantastic jet!  So it's OK."  She adds, "We stay in beautiful places.  And, we try to make our travel as easy as possible, and we always have.  So it's really not that different, you know, touring with either band.  It's kind of the same."

While on tour, Stevie gets the chance to come face to face with her fans, and she's got some of the most devoted ones in music.  So what does she hear from them most often?  Do they gush over her songs, or do they just get hysterical?  A little of both, it turns out.  "They say that the songs really help them get through, and yes, they do cry," Stevie tells ABC News Radio.  "And they are so lovely.  And they make me want to do more records, and write more songs."  Noting that most fans aren't really aware of the fact that it's becoming increasingly difficult for an artist to sell records these days, Stevie adds, "They inspire you to continue to do this.  No matter what's going on in the music business.  And that's really a beautiful thing."

ABC News Radio

NEW Unseen Video: Fleetwood Mac "You Make Loving Fun" Australia 1977 Rumours Tour

Another amazing slice of Mac history making it's way online for the first time ever!  

This never before seen video has Christine McVie taking the spotlight with "You Make Loving Fun". This is the 4th video in a series of videos that have just made there way online in the last few weeks, taken from a show in Sydney Australia, November, 1977.

Cool snapshot of Fleetwood Mac in simpler times... It's amazing listening and watching this knowing there are only the 5 of them on stage creating this sound.  No back up singers, no extra guitar players, or extra percussion players... just the 5 fireflies.

Other videos from this night in Australia:Oh Well | Rhiannon | Go Your Own Way

Photos by Eric Sauseda: Lindsey Buckingham - Houston 10/9/11

Lindsey Buckingham Live in Houston

Verizon Wireless Theater 

October 9, 2011

Photos by: Eric Sauseda

Check out the gallery at Soundspike and also a couple of his shots on Flickr

Review/Photos: Stevie Nicks... The Fillmore... The Feathers... The Red Dress!

Continue to the full review and a lot more photos

Groupon Los Angeles: $42 for one ticket to see Lindsey Buckingham Live UCLA 10/13

Lindsey Buckingham – Royce Hall at UCLA
$42 for One Ticket to See Lindsey Buckingham at UCLA's Royce Hall on October 13 at 8 p.m. (Up to $84.35 Value)

Expires Oct 13, 2011
° Limit 8 per person. ° Redeem on day of show for admission at Royce Hall at UCLA box office. ° Must show valid ID matching name on Groupon at Royce Hall at UCLA.

GROUPON

Stevie Nicks Confirmed to play President Clinton's 65 Birthday Gala 10/14

Mac's Buckingham going his own way
LV Review Journal

Bill Clinton can't quit Fleetwood Mac. As you'll remember, his campaign theme song was "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)." His favorite band still is the big Mac, says guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

So Clinton asked the band -- which is sometimes together, sometimes not -- to play Friday at his 65th birthday gala at the Hollywood Palladium. (His actual birthday was Aug. 19.)

Buckingham said no, but not for political reasons.

"I was gonna have to cancel two weeks of shows" to do it, he tells me, "because we'd have to go rehearse. It just wasn't possible."

So Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks offered to perform for Clinton, instead.

Here's the Vegas connection. Nicks is performing Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel. Buckingham is playing Friday at Aliante Station.

Buckingham says it's just a coincidence the two Fleetwood Mac stars -- and ex-lovers in the '70s -- are gigging in Vegas separately on the same weekend.

However, he says the reason Nicks is staging a Vegas show at all is to earn money to cover her costs of putting on a birthday concert for the former Mr. President.

"To get the band up and running (even for one night) is not an inexpensive proposition. So I think (Nicks') idea was to do the Las Vegas show (and a few other tour dates) just to subsidize that effort," Buckingham says. "That's my understanding of it, anyway. That's how it was put to me."

Clinton also is hosting a concert Saturday at the Hollywood Bowl, with Bono and The Edge, Lady Gaga, Usher, Kenny Chesney and Juanes.

If you want to attend Clinton's weekend, you'll have to pony up $1,000 to $1 million.

A million bucks. What's that get you? Glad you asked: a bunch of tickets to the concerts; seats at sound check; receptions with Clinton; seats at his table; a Chelsea Clinton brunch; and a golf outing with Bill. Ticket sales will go to the William J. Clinton humanitarian foundation.

Buckingham's Aliante tickets cost $53-$82. Nicks' Hard Rock tickets fetch $45-$156.

Video: Stevie Nicks "Love Is" the Fillmore San Francisco

LANDSLIDE