REVIEW: Lindsey Buckingham Brings His Big Love to Chicago

Photos by BARRY BRECHEISEN

Written by KEN KLOES
Photos by LAUREN MUCH
Lumino Magazine
Thursday, 16 October 2008

October 2nd was a night of many temptations. A much anticipated Vice-presidential debate was playing on the telly, Beck, Alanis Morrisette, and Weezer were in town, the Cubs and Dodgers playoff game were at Wrigley. If that still wasn’t enough, Lindsey Buckingham was playing an intimate show at the House of Blues. The large, but not sold out crowd, made their choice and showed up to see the guitarist of Fleetwood Mac fame confidently display a night of his guitar playing prowess.

On the eve of his 59th birthday, Lindsey and his band took over the stage appropriately opened up with “Great Day,” featuring two guitars seamlessly trading off riffs. Lindsey known for playing his guitar finger style can cover more ground on a fret board than the average guitar player.

Lindsey followed with “Love Runs Deeper,” also from the new album Gift of Screws. The soaring solo resonated off the great acoustics of the venue. Simple notes that rock with passion elicits comparisons to the classic musical mantra from the Fleetwood Mac mega hit “Go Your Own Way.” Many of the songs played tonight were showcased from the new album. Previously Buckingham’s solo work tended to be experimental in nature but this new release contains mostly songs that are easy to grab on to and in turn accessible.

While “Trouble” was playing, if you closed your eyes you could swear that you were at a Fleetwood Mac concert with Christie McVie and Stevie Nicks were singing backup. It was blatantly obvious how much influence Lindsey had on the sound of his former breakout band and intermittent touring mates. All night long easily recognized Mac songs were mixed in with Lindsey’s own pieces keeping the attentive crowd guessing and eager for the next selection.

Mid-concert, while introducing “Big Love,” Lindsey shared a little insight that when he wrote the song most of the people around him were all in screwed up relationships, hurting themselves with drugs and booze in Malibu. It was a volatile time and he was glad to have lived through it and persevere. He now has 3 children with his beautiful wife Kristen, whom he introduced and called out onto the stage.

Always the performer, after finishing yet another well crafted song, Lindsey could be found at the front of the stage hugging his guitar and soaking up the adulation from the enthusiastic and polite middle aged audience. An experienced showman, he knows how to give the people what they came to see. His solos were performed in a trance, emphasizing simple yet powerful riffs packed with passion and musical intensity.

An unexpected highlight of the night was of all things the drum solo, which was entertaining to say the least. Half way through, the percussionist cut his ring finger on the drum he was beating with his bare hands. If you didn’t see him sucking on his finger between beats or showing the drum tech his bleeding appendage you wouldn’t have known that something was amiss. A true performer, he carried on and only bandaged up after he was done.

The show was beginning to take on a special character as they continued with “I’m so Afraid,” featuring an epic solo that had just a hint of Pink Floyd in it. Lindsey held a single note for what seemed like forever…long, intense, passionate…a holy shit moment. Follow that with a goose bump-raising rendition of “Go Your Own Way,” where Lindsey leaned into the front row and let them touch his guitar as he played the signature solo with all he had, now the house was rocking!

The band consisted of Neale Heywood on guitar, Walfredo Reyes who comes from a family of percussionists on drums, and Brett Tuggle, whom Lindsey referred to as the genius of the band, on guitar, bass and keyboards. Lindsey was clearly grateful for the musician’s life he leads and once again proved his commitment and passion to playing music from the depths of his being.

Lindsey Buckingham closed the show with “Time Precious Time,” a mind-blowing finger picking piece that demonstrated yet one more time why this artist is timeless. In the end, no one seemed to be disappointed in the choice of entertainment for the evening.

Stevie Nicks and Jimmy Iovine opened the presentation to Morris

Morris Receives City Of Hope Award
October 16, 2008
Billboard Magazine

By Ann Donahue, L.A.

In a presentation that was both moving and jubilant, Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Doug Morris received the City of Hope Spirit of Life Award Wednesday night (Oct. 14) at a benefit dinner that raised a record $10 million for the Duarte, California-based cancer research and treatment hospital.

Morris and his family donated $1 million of that, in a tribute to longtime City of Hope dinner chair Zach Horowitz, and his father.

"Tonight the heart of this industry is in this big tent - and it's a big heart and a generous heart," Morris said. 1,900 people attended the event, which was held in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica.

Stevie Nicks and Jimmy Iovine opened the presentation to Morris. Nicks recalled a childhood friend who received treatment for leukemia at City of Hope; during the course of treatment the woman realized she was pregnant. "[City of Hope] said to my beautiful friend 'What can we do for you?'" Nicks said. "And she said 'Keep me alive long enough to have this baby.' And they did."

Nicks worked closely with Morris during this trying time in her life and graciously remembered his support. "He listened to me cry on the phone when Robin was dying," she said. "And he made it OK. He made it all OK. That's who our Doug is."

Iovine spoke of Morris's generosity on a professional level. "Doug's mantra has always been that the people who do the job have to get the credit," he says. "He knows no other way."

The entertainment for the evening was billed as the "Doug Morris Motown Revue," a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the founding of Motown. "Few executives these days are true music people," said Berry Gordy. "Doug Morris is one of them."

Another Universal executive with a definite musical bent, Geffen Records chairman Ron Fair, conducted the Universal Orchestra through a set that literally had attendees dancing in the aisles.

The full set list:

Mariah Carey - "I'll Be There" originally by The Jackson Five
Michael McDonald - "Living For The City" originally by Stevie Wonder
Rihanna - "Where Did Our Love Go" originally by The Supremes
Lionel Richie - "Easy" originally by The Commodores
Clique Girlz - "Stop! In The Name Of Love" originally by The Supremes
Erykah Badu - "Mary Jane" originally by Rick James
Maroon 5 - "My Cherie Amour" originally by Stevie Wonder
Lee Ann Womack - "Love Child" originally by The Supremes
Luis Fonsi & David Bisbal - "Overjoyed" originally by Stevie Wonder
Duffy - "I Second That Emotion" originally by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Keyshia Cole - "Ribbon In The Sky" originally by Stevie Wonder
Jamie Cullum - "Money (That's What I Want)" originally by Barrett Strong
Robin Thicke - "Lately" originally by Stevie Wonder
Steve Nicks - "Love Is Like An Itching In My Heart" originally by The Supremes

The event ended with the Clique Girlz and the audience serenading Morris with a karaoke version of The Chiffon's "Sweet Talkin' Guy."

Nicks Sings a Supremes Song

Stars Raise Nearly 10 Million at Gala

Music stars such as Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Akon, Maroon 5, Stevie Nicks, Lionel Richie, Michael McDonald, Keyshia Cole, Robin Thicke, Duffy, Jamie Cullum, Erykah Badu and others helped City Of Hope celebrate Universal Music Group Chairman & CEO Doug Morris by raising nearly $10 million for cancer research during their annual "Spirit Of Life" gala on Wednesday night in Santa Monica. The event, which honored Morris for his contributions to the community and music industry, shattered fundraising records to make it one of the single largest one-night charity events in California state history.

Stevie Nicks, who Morris signed as a solo act when he ran Atlantic Records, opened the evening with a story about a late friend who was treated at City of Hope. After performances by 13 Universal acts, Nicks cooed the Supremes hit “Love is Like an Itching in My Heart” before an ensemble delivered an a cappella version of “Sweet Talking Guy,” which Morris wrote in the early 1960s.

Gift of Screws Tour Stats

Based on only 7 dates reported so far, Lindsey's Gift of Screws Tour is shaping up to exceed his last tour in terms of averages.

On the 2006/2007 Under The Skin Tour the average attendance based on 35 dates reported was 884. Average capacity was 1,373. Average gross was $35,245. Attendance percentage was 64%.

Current tour stats posted below:

REVIEW: Lindsey Buckingham’s rock ‘n’ roll heart shines in Northampton

Lindsey Buckingham: A Chip Off The Old Fleetwood Mac"
By SHERYL HUNTER
The Courant
October 16, 2008

But for now, as he tours in support of his latest solo effort, the rocking Gift of Screws, Buckingham is playing smaller, more intimate places like the Calvin Theatre in Northampton, Mass., where he performed Tuesday night.

But the size of the venue did not matter to the 60-year-old musician, who admitted during the show that his solo work, while bringing him great satisfaction, has been “more esoteric” than his Mac output and, as a result, has reached fewer ears.

Buckingham turned in a two-hour performance that touched on all stages of his career with an intensity and passion that cemented his status as one of rock’s enduring iconic figures. He and his tight three-piece band played loud and hard, tearing through old classics and also showcasing plenty of material off the new album.

They got the night off to a strong start with two new songs: “Great Day” and “Love Runs Deeper.” During the latter, Buckingham swapped harmonies with guitarist Neale Heywood and guitarist-keyboardist Brett Tuggle.

Two of his biggest solo hits, “Trouble” and “Go Insane,” followed. But it was “Tusk,” with Buckingham’s oddball shrieks and Walfredo Reyes Jr.’s drumming, that brought the first of the evening’s many standing ovations.

Buckingham performed more Fleetwood Mac hits during a three-song solo acoustic set that opened with “Never Going Back Again,” followed by an aggressive version of “Big Love.” He introduced that song by saying it was the last single he recorded with Fleetwood Mac before leaving to “regain my sanity.”

Buckingham frequently dazzled with his guitar technique, a self-taught, finger-picking style capable of unique sounds, whether taking an extended, wailing solo on “I’m So Afraid” or playing the catchy new single “Did You Miss Me.”

The crowd’s loudest cheers were saved for old favorites like the set-closer, “Go Your Own Way,” off the mega-selling “Rumours” album. Buckingham encored with a three-song set that ended with the lovely new “Treason.”

That was supposed to end the night, but Buckingham, acknowledging one fan’s constant pleading, returned to play “Bleed to Love Her.”

------------------------------------------------------------------

Lindsey Buckingham’s rock ‘n’ roll heart shines in Northampton

The Republican Entertainment Desk
By Kevin O'Hare
October 14, 2008
Masslive.com

NORTHAMPTON - Lindsey Buckingham has got his rock ‘n’ roll heart pumping again.

The phenomenally talented guitarist from Fleetwood Mac, released a relatively quiet solo disc called “Under the Skin,” in 2006 and his subsequent tour was colored in some of those more subdued tones.

He’s back with the more rockin’ follow-up, “Gift of Screws” which brought renewed vigor to his performance before a crowd of approximately 800 fans at the Calvin Theatre Tuesday evening.

Prior to 2006, it had been 14 years since Buckingham’s last solo release and he appears to be enjoying the opportunity to do some artistic exploration with these shows before he embarks on a planned reunion with Fleetwood Mac next year.

Backed by a small but superb band which included Neale Heywood on guitar, Brett Tuggle on guitar, bass and keyboards and Walfredo Reyes, Jr. on percussion, Buckingham mixed songs from throughout his solo albums - with an obvious emphasis on the latter pair - as well as mixing in some Fleetwood Mac classics.

Dressed in a black leather jacket, he opened the night with the new album’s drum-thumping “Great Day,” which was co-written by his son Will a couple of years back when Will was all of eight-years-old.

With three guitars soaring and no bass, the band nevertheless delivered a huge sound on the harmony-filled “Love Runs Deeper,” before Buckingham stretched back to 1981 for “Trouble.”

An early highlight was a breathtaking blast through “Go Insane,” which found Tuggle switching between bass and keyboards, before blue lights washed the stage as a moody preamble to a dramatically re-worked version of one of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, “Tusk.”

One of the oddest songs in the 20-song, two hour performance was the title cut from the new album. With its bizarre sound effects and Buckingham screaming a times, it was certainly hard to envision that the song actually can trace its roots back to an Emily Dickinson poem.

Mid-set standouts included “Never Going Back Again,” which found Buckingham playing with the phrasing and the melody; “Big Love,” one of the last songs Buckingham did with Fleetwood Mac before taking a break from the group in the late 1980s “to get my sanity back;” the shimmering “Under the Skin;” and the hook-filled “Did You Miss Me,” which his label has been promoting as the single from the current disc.

While the band was definitely tight, that did not stop the troupe from opening up into some improvisational splendor as during the richly atmospheric “I’m So Afraid,” which started slow and built to a loud, extended, frenzied guitar blast at the end.

As the night wore down, Buckingham and company delivered such familiar fare as Fleetwood Mac’s mega-hit “Go Your Own Way,” from the “Rumours” album, and encores highlighted by “Second Hand News;” the beautiful ballad which closes the new album, “Treason;” and a final, audience request “Bleed to Love Her,” which he played solo acoustic.

Blues legend Mick Fleetwood comes to Croydon's Fairfield

This Is Surrey Today

Star interview:
Blues legend Mick Fleetwood comes to Croydon's Fairfield with his new band
Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Blues legend Mick Fleetwood is best known as one the founders of Fleetwood Mac. He talks to Mark Hill before playing Croydon's Fairfield with his new band.

"Once a blues man, always a blues man," Mick Fleetwood says, calling from the sprawling home in Hawaii he shares with wife Lynn and their twin daughters.

Now one of the world's most iconic musicians, Fleetwood left school at 15 and in 1963 moved to London to pursue a career as a drummer, playing with The Cheynes and John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers.

It was in 1967 with Jeremy Spencer, Bob Brunning, and former Bluesbreakers members John McVie and Peter Green that there became the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac – the band that went on to sell well over 100 million records. Now he's going back to his blues roots on a tour with his new group The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band and a new live album, Blue Again!

Fleetwood explains how his Blue Band came about. "I put this band together with Rick Vito and two great players, Lenny Castellanos and Mark Johnstone, and it's really a focus of my relationship with Rick Vito who used to stand in the audience looking at Fleetwood Mac playing in Philadelphia where he lived.

"Many years later I met him and totally appreciated his guitar playing and he'd played with all the great players and then I asked him to join Fleetwood Mac. About three years ago, me and Rick struck up our friendship again and got connected with rock and roll gigs here in America, just for fun, and out of that came this."

Fleetwood, 61, says this tour is about going back to where he started with blues-based Fleetwood Mac and will feature some very early Fleetwood Mac songs but not the hits they are best known for.

They had hits such as Albatross, Go Your Own Way, Don't Stop, Dreams, and Everywhere, and Grammy Award-winning album Rumours is one of the biggest-selling albums of all time at more than 30 million copies. The band has seen various members come and go and Fleetwood is the only one to have stayed with the band consistently throughout the years.

Fans can catch Fleetwood Mac touring in 2009 on a greatest hits tour.

"We're still all friends and in contact – absolutely. We're a strange old bunch - we are alive and well and we are going into rehearsals in the new year after I've done this tour with The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band. Fleetwood Mac is going to be going out on the road in the United States in late March of next year.

"I think we've been very open about our personal lives and probably a little foolishly, but it's really because we were in control of our own faculty - we managed ourselves. I managed Fleetwood Mac for a long time, which meant we were all pitching in, controlling our own destiny, and we didn't have some Svengali pumping us up and making us believe what didn't exist. But out of all the trappings of success our music brought to us, it was always about the music and just doing what we wanted to do."

Fleetwood battled with alcohol and cocaine addiction, but has now been clean for many years.

"Everyone takes responsibility for everything they do, but it may not be different from going down your local pub and realising the local car dealer, who's doing really well, is drinking a little much and buying too many drinks for everyone else in the pub. It's pervasive.

"We became aggrandised in this almost mythological storytelling thing that described a generation. I'm not excusing it, I'm just saying what was going on sociologically. The fact we survived is lovely, and a miracle to some extent."

In 1984 he was forced to declare himself bankrupt but denies it was a result of the rock star lifestyle, simply a result of bad business decisions. "I was very entrepreneurial and yes, I lost and made my fortune in real estate and it had relatively little to do with drug addiction. However, I will never live that down.

"Would I change some things in retrospect, in terms of being less selfish, less driven? Yes. I hope I would still do what I needed to do and have a little bit more time for other things and other people including my older daughters. I'm also blessed with two young daughters. I am by no means saying I was an irresponsible parent, because I truly believe I was not. But could I have been better? Absolutely."

So what motivates Fleetwood to keep touring and recording into his 60s?

"I'm a musician, and it's like asking BB King or Eric Clapton or Elton John and you go, 'My God, they're still playing', but it's because we like what we do. We started this to do what we're doing now – which is playing. There's a sense of commitment to being an artist and you're driven to do that and you're not really complete unless you do it.

"Having said that, there are people that are quite happy to be famous, retire and start planting potatoes, and that's fine too.

"There's a reason why Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey are still playing - we all love to play, and God knows all of us could have retired 20 lives over. It's not about money - it's about what we do and how much we love it."

The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band comes to Fairfield, Croydon on Sunday November 2 at 8pm.

For tickets, priced from £22.50, call 020 8688 9291 or log on to www.fairfield.co.uk

Stevie Tapes TV Show in LA

Stevie Nicks was in LA on Saturday October 11th where she supposedly taped a tv show she's appearing on. The show is rumoured to be Chris Isaak's new talk show on The Bio Channel called "The Chris Isaak Hour". From what I gather they are taping shows now to start airing later this fall or early winter.