Lindsey Buckingham – Concert Review Casino Rama Sep 8 2012

Lindsey Buckingham at Casino Rama 2012

Sep 9 2012 – Going into this concert we had great expectations. Lindsey Buckingham the guitarist and co-vocalist of Fleetwood Mac was in the Toronto area for his solo show and everything was pointing to what we believed was going to be an epic show. Buckingham’s solo record Seeds We Sow was in the number 5 spot on T-Mak World’s Top 10 Albums of 2011. Furthermore in our article of Toronto’s Upcoming Must See Concerts Buckingham’s gig was bookmarked as one of only a handful of must see shows. This is what we said at that time:

Let me get right to it – we were disappointed with this concert and this is why:

The venue – a casino. This casino however does not permit drinks in the concert venue. I have not once in my life been to a concert in which bringing a beer to your seat was not permitted. Aside from no food or drinks there was a big sign declaring no cameras – again a first for me, I have never been to a concert in my life that prohibited cameras. This was my first concert at Casino Rama and unless the Led Zeppelin reunion tour stops there it will very likely be my last concert there.

The audience – although there were quite a few real Buckingham fans in there, there were way too many casino rats (see above). No joke – behind us on the 9th row of this concert was an 80 year old Asian woman with pearls and fancy clothes, taking a nap during the whole concert. No doubt her husband was out at the high stakes Baccarat tables and she got comped and found the concert a great place for a nap (!). She wasn’t the only one, clearly a large number of people in attendance were casino comps who probably had no idea that Lindsey Buckingham was a man before they saw him walk on stage. People kept walking out throughout the concert to get back to the tables.

The show – 75 minutes in total. I guess you get what you pay for and this concert was priced at $40 and $30. We usually complain about the length of The Black Keys shows which come in at 85 minutes (read here) but Buckingham has set a new low for headlining set length. Another odd choice was that Seeds We Sow was under-represented with only 1 song being delivered from Buckingham’s latest album. Most of the show was just Buckingham on guitar and vocals, and a few songs had a backing recording track (eg. Go Your Own Way).

Lindsey Buckingham at Casino Rama September 2012

All that aside, Buckingham really did shine both vocally and on the guitar – we counted 5 guitar changes for the first 5 songs for example. His mastery of the guitar and his picking style were a clear indicator of his musicianship. It is truly rewarding to see a major rock star venture off on his own and prove that he does not need the brand of the big group’s band to deliver solid music. After kicking off the gig quietly with two songs Buckingham addressed the audience exactly on that point by saying:

“Thank you for coming out and being part of this little experiment I am doing. I have been doing allot of touring – the second half of 2011 i was touring with my band and now I am doing this (referring to being alone on stage the whole night). All through this cycle of touring I have been talking about the idea of the big machine and the small machine – the big machine of course being Fleetwood Mac and the small machine being this solo work, and how the two over time have found a balance and at this point would not exist without one another. One thing I am observing about the small machine, when i first started touring with my solo stuff i started off with a 10 piece band, and for many years now i have been playing with the same 3 guys, but tonight its just me. One thing you can say about the small machine is that it appears to be working well and the small machine seems to be getting smaller.”

Lindsey Buckingham at Casino Rama September 2012

Buckingham delivered what very quickly became a very predictable set. Guitar change, a moody and dark lyrical version of some of his solo catalog songs or a Fleetwood Mac song, mind blowing acoustic guitar picking style or on a few songs electric guitar, rinse and repeat. Buckingham spent 95% of the night within a 6 square foot radius of the mic and had very little to say to the crowd. Unsurprisingly  the more familiar Fleetwood Mac songs got the loudest crowd response.

Before the 9th song Buckingham address the crowd for only the second time so far: This next song is one that is particularly significant to me for a couple of reasons:… one reason is although it became as an ensemble piece as a Fleetwood Mac single it found its way on stage as a single guitar and voice piece … it and represented a certain train of thought, a way of growing to keep seeking what is essential and discard what is inessential. … The other reason is if you look at the lyrics of the song when it was written ,,, probably before you were born 1987 (pointing to someone in the front row), it described the person  was at during that time. One of the lines in the song was “looking out for love”… I wrote the lyrics looking out for love, i wasn’t looking for love i was looking out for love, i was defending against love i was pushing back. … everyone in the band at that time was dealing with things pretty much the same way… with the passage of time the description had become an echo whereas the song began as a contemplation on alienation the song has now become a  a meditation on the power and the importance of change“

Highlights include Go Insane where the spotlight was on Buckingham’s vocals (one of only a few times this night that the voice out shined the guitar), Big Love as introduced above which is a staple of all Fleetwood Mac songs presented in the new single guitar/voice combo, Go Your Own Way which got some people up from their seats, and the finger picking masterpiece Seeds We Sow.

Lindsey Buckingham at Casino Rama

Verdict: 2 out of 5 In the end Buckingham is a musical genius that can deliver the goods and  he took the opportunity tonight to let the “small machine” roll which no doubt helps him grow musically and personally. Perhaps my expectations were misguided and I came in to tonight’s show with the wrong mindset but I for one can’t wait for the “big machine” to roll on a massive scale next year and although that one will be much more expensive to attend, you do get what you pay for. The next morning I still had mixed feelings because I am a big Buckingham fan but the overall experience did not satisfy. I thought it was just me but the other two editors of T-Mak World that were with me echoed the same sentiments on the drive home. Furthermore, 75 minutes does not a concert make Lindsey.

Setlist:

• Cast Away Dreams
• Bleed To Love Her (Fleetwood Mac)
• Not Too Late
• Stephanie (Instrumental from the Buckingham Nicks record)
• Come (Fleetwood Mac)
• Shut Us Down
• Go Insane
• Never Going Back Again (Fleetwood Mac)
• Big Love (Fleetwood Mac)
• I’m So Afraid (Fleetwood Mac)
• Go Your Own Way (Fleetwood Mac)

ENCORE

• Trouble
• Seeds We Sow