ReviewsLindsey Buckingham at the London Palladium: SDE review
Back in London for a curtailed tour
It’s one of life’s mysteries why Fleetwood Mac singer and songwriter Lindsey Buckingham has only enjoyed a couple of hit singles as a solo artist in over four decades, when the band that was his day job for so long were regularly successful in that regard.
The uninitiated might conclude he keeps his catchier compositions for the band and was more experimental and less commercial on his solo albums. While it’s true Buckingham enjoyed the freedom to go off-piste a bit more outside of the constraints of Fleetwood Mac, his solo records have plenty of songs that would surely have been hits if released under the Mac moniker. His delayed date at the London Palladium offered the 73-year-old (it’s his birthday today!) a chance to remind people of this fact, with a few crowd-pleasing nods to the past.
It’s certainly been a tough three or four years for Buckingham, having been ousted, in 2018, from the band he and Stevie Nicks transformed in 1975 and soon after having a very serious health scare (open heart surgery). These two life-changing events would have taken their toll on him both physically and mentally and it seems Lindsey’s marriage was collateral damage, after his wife Kristen filed for divorce last year, but more recent reports suggest they’re working on it.
I guess there’s nothing like getting on stage and playing music to help forget your troubles and that’s exactly what Lindsey and his tight three-piece band did on Saturday evening, playing a almost two hours of songs from both his solo and Fleetwood Mac catalogue.
Buckingham looked well enough, very slim in the classic rocker’s garb of blue jeans, black jacket and boots, and with a full head of grey hair. He said very little during the performance, so anyone expecting a Springsteen-esque night of stories and songs (I’m not sure anyone was expecting that) would have be disappointed. The music did the all the talking.
I avoided looking at set lists in advance and hadn’t actually played much Lindsey solo output for a while, so the evening unfolded wonderfully, as I remembered forgotten gems and occasionally had to work hard to place certain songs on their respective albums.
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The Californian singer-songwriter opened with ‘Not Too Late’ from 2006’s Under The Skin before hitting a raucous ‘In Our Own Time’ from 2011’s Seeds We Sow. ‘Soul Drifter’, from 1992’s wonderful Out Of The Cradle, followed and was the first song of the evening that embraced that truly commercial pop-rock sound that Fleetwood Mac are known for. Not long after, Buckingham would deliver ‘Big Love’ soundalike ‘Doing What I Can’ from the same album, but unfortunately he didn’t treat the audience to ‘Countdown’ the irresistible first single from the same record. Shame.
‘I Must Go’ from Lindsey’s 1984 long-player Go Insane starts off sounding like a bit of a racket but becomes fantastically involving, with that hypnotic chorus. It was an incredible live rendition and the whole thing is bonkers in the very best way possible.
Lindsey is of course a virtuoso guitar player and his finger-picking style was dominant all evening with him changing guitars virtually every song. A solo section saw the band retreat as a single spotlight fell on Buckingham and he delivered a stunning sequence of songs, starting with the languid and beautiful ’Trouble’, a rare bona fide hit (in the US) from his 1981 album Law and Order. The brilliant Fleetwood Mac track ‘Never Going Back Again’, from 1977’s Rumours followed and Lindsey teased the audience by slowing it right down in places and playing with his vocal delivery, but the guitar phrasing and the melody were largely intact for what was one of the evening’s many high points. It was no surprise to hear ’Big Love’ from 1987’s Tango in the Night and, as expected, it was in its familiar acoustic guise (he still did the heavy breathing outro!).
The band were back on for a handful of songs from Lindsey Buckingham’s most recent, self-titled solo album, the highlight being the non-more catchy ‘I Don’t Mind’ which sounds sweet and enticing, like a Tango in the Night outtake.
Four Fleetwood Mac songs ended the main set including two more from Rumours, ‘Second Hand News’ and ‘Go Your Own Way’, although for this writer the highlight was ‘Tusk’, the amazing title track from that follow-up to their 1977 Goliath. It sounded massive, thanks incredible drumming and sound-filling samples from keyboard player Michael Kiyoka.
The encore featured ‘Go Insane’ from 1984 followed by the moving ‘Love Is Here To Stay’ from the very underrated 2017 Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie album. Buckingham and the band signed off with the delicate and lullaby-like ‘Time’, another track from the new album.
It was a special evening, although depressingly, there was a few empty seats in the Grand Circle of the Palladium. Hopefully that can just be put down to transport issues (there was a train strike in London on Saturday evening).
On a more positive note, Lindsey was in fine voice and the rumours of vocal chord damage during his life-saving surgery in early 2019 seem to have been unfounded; he sang beautifully all night. The performance was even more remarkable since it seems that Lindsey was not feeling 100 percent and the rest of this European tour was hastily cancelled yesterday (Sunday, 2 October) due to “ongoing health issues”. Bitter news for fans waiting to see him in Glasgow, Liverpool and Dublin, especially after the original Spring 2022 dates were postponed when Buckingham went down with COVID-19. We can only wish him well and hope he returns to Europe and the UK soon.
Tracklisting
London Palladium set list Lindsey Buckingham / 1 October 2022
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- Not Too Late
- In Our Own Time
- Soul Drifter
- Stars Are Crazy
- I Must Go
- Doing What I Can
- Shut Us Down
- Trouble
- Never Going Back Again
- Big Love
- Scream
- I Don’t Mind
- On the Wrong Side
- Second Hand News
- Tusk
- I’m So Afraid
- Go Your Own Way
Encore:
- Go Insane
- Love Is Here to Stay
- Time
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I wish Lindsey the best of health. I’ve seen Lindsey solo 4 times in the New York City area (not counting the the Fleetwood Mac and Christine McVie tours) and he always put on a great show with such passion. He never plays anywhere large so when he plays the Fleetwood Mac songs its like being in a private audience to see the Mac peform. I don’t understand why most people don’t recognize him more. I was pulling my hair out when, after I left the last full line up Fleetwood tour, the person behind me said “Gee, the guitarist is really talented”. Final note: I love Law and Order, his first solo album made 2 years after Tusk, and I’m always disappointed that he only plays Trouble from that album.
He should stay home. He is a man of a certain age with health issues. It is not a nice picture to see a legend barely standing on his feet. I know it’s tough but he could still create and record music. But he should stop live gigs.
Saw him here in Miami back in October 2018 in a half-empty theatre. I’m a big fan and was happy to take my family to see him in support of his then recently released Solo Anthology. He put on a solid show and his guitar playing was stellar that night. He was still smarting from the whole Fleetwood Mac thing (they were also on tour at the same time), and he did mention it, albeit briefly.
I am well aware I’m probably in the minority here, but I’m team Lindsey all the way. It’s just not Fleetwood Mac without him.
I just wish Stevie Nicks, Tommy Shaw (Dennis DeYoung), and Steve Perry (Neal Schon), could all find a way to bury the hatchet and take that one last victory lap with their bands. Imagine how happy and grateful their fans would be.
Agreed. Styx calling themselves Styx befuddles me. Not that they haven’t made some good music, but I can’t listen to the last “Styx” & DDY records and nit imagine a combination that sails away… Mac w/o Lindsey is like taking the guy away who took them to another level and then going karaoke….and I’ve tried Journey w/o Perry and they are simply trying way too hard…
Nice review Paul, I was there too and enjoyed it, even if the delivery felt a bit lacklustre at times. I guess that was due to his ongoing health issues, which have resulted in him calling off the remaining shows of his European tour, as announced today.
Its one of life’s great mysteries why Lindsey Buckingham solo is not more popular than he is. Still its nice sometimes to feel like you’re a member of a smallish exclusive club in the know.
For anyone who has not delved into Lindseys back catalogue you really should. You are in for a great treat.
Saw him during the McVie tour prior to his health issues. The man was on fire and having Christine run the show was quite fun. If Fleetwood Mac circa Rumours is not to be, I would really love it if the two of them recorded a follow up (with perhaps a regarded rhythm section). Now, “Go Insane” would be such a great surround sound offering……
I was there Saturday night, fought the strikes to get in. I agree with all that Paul has written above. I was surprised how he looked, I felt he looked frail and seemed to walk gingerly around the stage. At the end as he left the stage before the encore, I swear I saw him stop and rest his hand on a guitar before being guided off (not helped off as such) by a member of the band.
I was a little surprised he came back and did a 3 song encore. That said, he sounded great, no weakness in voice to my ears, and playing was as fantastic as you would expect. It’s sad to hear today the tour is off, but I was not surprised with the news and said as much on Saturday as I was not sure he looked like had more shows in him.
I do hope I am wrong though and perhaps what I thought I saw was simply getting over something trivial and nothing more.
Slightly off topic but was wondering why the ‘Buckingham Nicks’ album (1973) was never officially reissued on CD.
Without being unkind, it was apparently rubbish and totally bombed in terms of sales. Don’t think there has been an appetite to reissue it
The Buckingham Nicks album is excellent. It’s where it all started for the Fleetwood Mac I know and love.
You can still buy the album as a Japanese import CD on eBay. Definitely worth it.
I believe all CDs of this are bootlegs. It’s easily found, even in a 2 CD deluxe version with demos and outtakes. It makes it obvious their joining Mac was transformative. I doubt it will see a reissue while they are alive as they can’t get along, can they? It is an enjoyable record so it really should be reissued.
I was thinking about Lindsey yesterday as I was learning to play Little lies (released as a single 35 years ago!) on the guitar and thinking “if only I could play like him”
Glad to hear his voice is still intact, I hope there is some kind of reconciliation with Fleetwood Mac, perhaps record one song together as it’s such a shame if it all ends like this.
I’m a big fan of 84s Go Insane which is his ‘Fairlight’ album and I can throughly recommend if you like big 80s production. It also has his tribute to the incredible Dennis Wilson, who briefly went out with Christine McVie.
It’s bewildering how ‘Out of the Cradle’ wasn’t a hit. Coming off the back of ‘Tango’ and in most parts very similar, given of course ‘Tango’ was hugely a Buckingham affair. ‘Wrong’ may not have been the best first single (a response to Mick Fleetwood’s autobiography), but ‘Surrender the Rain’, ‘Soul Drifter’ and ‘Don’t look Down’ would have been hits if released under Fleetwood Mac moniker.
Anyway, be great if this was given the deluxe treatment it so deserves, but with 10 of the tracks on Anthology, it might not come anytime soon, though Lindsey is obviously a fan.
I don’t question his health issues but the gig in Belgium on 22/9 I was supposed to attend was cancelled just the day before. Such a disappointment after the initial date had already been rescheduled due to him being positive on COVID. I guess there’s no chance of seeing him live again in the near future.
Same in Glasgow. He’s the third big name to cancel their gig at the Hydro in recent weeks, Red Hot Chilis and Guns n Roses to name but two
There’s also the mighty Television who were meant to be supporting Billy Idol there in a couple of weeks. He’s not cancelled but they have. I know I’m not the only one who was only going to see them. So that’s that ticket and hotel cost down the drain.
Thank you for the excellent review Paul, I had tickets for second row in Dublin this thursday and my wife and I were really looking forward to it. Such a disappointment that he has fallen ill but hope he recovers quickly. Some videos are up on you tube which at least gives us a flavour of what we will miss on thursday.
Thanks for the review Paul. He has long been a favourite of mine and I have always felt his solo albums deserve a much wider audience. Your mention of Countdown is spot-on as, for whatever reason, he tends to avoid songs from ‘Out of the Cradle’ which is a shame because it is a fantastic album. I am one of those rare fans who does not want to hear him play Fleetwood Mac songs as I love his solo catalogue so much, if he does not play his own songs, who else would? But I know many go for the Mac which is fine, but maybe do half as many to free up some space for more of his solo work. After all, he has 7 solo albums plus the 2 “duo” albums (the one with Stevie and the one with Christine) so more than enough to fill a two hour setlist. Hopefully his health is not a major concern and we have the chance to see him again.
Great review — glad you got a chance to take in LB’s live work, which is enchanting in all the right ways. And wouldn’t that new record fit great on the SDE Blu-ray shelf? ;)
I have never understood reporters who are sent to review a concert when they do not like the artist’s output. What point does that serve? You clearly love his music and have given his audience the sort of reflection they would wish for. I don’t think for a minute that you would hold back if you thought it was lacking in some way which means its a very sound guide to how he is performing currently and your personal touch gives it all a real warmth often missing from the music press.
I saw Fleetwood Mac in 2013 and was lucky enough to see the rejoining of Christine McVie with Peter Green in the audience. An emotional night and a blistering performance from Buckingham. A fantastic band who are so bonkers they make Black Sabbath and Oasis look like a God rock group.
Thanks for the very interesting review Paul. I’ve always thought it strange that he doesn’t receive the same plaudits as a guitarist/vocalist for his solo work as other contemporaries seem to do. It’s almost as if the general music buying public haven’t wanted him to have a successful solo career, so that he would have to concentrate all his efforts on Fleetwood Mac. He’s a fantastic vocalist and guitarist, who literally puts everything into his music.
It’s kind of telling that Mac always has to replace him with 2, isn’t it?
Hi Paul. I was lucky enough to see him Saturday night as well and bagged myself a front row seat, had a great view and a great experience. Endorse everything you say. I had feared his voice would be shot – and a fan clip from Berlin on Go Your Own Way seemed to bear that out. However the Palladium gig completely dispelled all that and only showed that GYOW should be sung not shouted. The rest of his vocal performance was absolutely sublime from ever nuance – great set list, great band and brilliant guitar dexterity – acoustic and electric – no signs of hand problems. However being that close it was really clear that he was breathing back problems with his nose; that I would breathing when you have a runny nose and can’t blow it ever second. During a stellar guitar performance of “I’m so Afraid” he was visibly out of breathe, but less so than this 55 year old , and said more about a man who has turned 73 today and underwent a heart bypass over 3 years ago. It was more than I had hoped for and would have been just as thrilled in 1992, 2002, or 2012 – utterly astonishing musicianship and sonically beautiful.
Wow, front row must have been incredible and interesting to get a different perspective from close-up. Thanks!
I was very lucky. Lucky when I bought first 5 rows, luckier when I was upgraded and on my birthday too. Very special.
Sadly two of the empty seats would have been for myself and partner. The rail strike scupper our plans. Fortunately as it was already a “re-arranged date” and I was able to get a refund, although I would have much rather been there filling those empty seats.
Nice review, Paul.
I really like his solo stuff. Sounds a bit odd to say it about someone so well known, but he seems really underrated to me.
Should’ve been going to Glasgow tonight to see him so really disappointed to hear the rest of the tour has been cancelled. Had tickets to see him in Edinburgh in 2011 but that got cancelled too. Guess I’m destined not to see him solo!
You are not alone, I had tickets to see him in Dublin 2011 and had second row tickets to see him on thursday in Dublin this week, such a disappointment to miss out but hope he recovers soon. in the meantime there are some videos on you tube from the Palladium performance to try and console ourselves!!
I saw the show in Berlin on wednesday and I was a bit concerned. It looked like it was taking a lot out of him and he kept shaking his hand between songs as if it was stiffening up while he played. I hope it’s not too serious.