Lindsey Buckingham - London Review

In retrospect, it seems that I was lucky to see Lindsey Buckingham live this past Saturday. I was not following the former Fleetwood Mac singer/songwriter on any of his social media channels until recently, so I was not aware that the first few dates of his first ever European solo tour were cancelled due to illness. This must have been a real downer for Buckingham and his fans, especially considering that the tour had already been rescheduled from earlier in the year due to him catching COVID-19 just before setting off. It was not to be second time lucky for Buckingham either it seems - although he was deemed well enough to play a show in Germany last week. Three days later he rocked up to the world-famous London Palladium, for his first ever UK solo show - and the first of a planned handful of shows here. It turned out to be the last show of the tour, though, as the following day there were rumours flying around that the rest of the shows had been cancelled due to a recurrence of the illness which had scuppered the first few shows. The cancellation was letter confirmed on Buckingham's social media channels, meaning that the gig in Germany and Saturday's excursion at the Palladium were the only two shows of the tour that actually managed to happen. Considering that this tour was Buckingham's first as a solo artist in Europe, I am sure that many have been left disappointed. I consider myself lucky that I got to one of the shows, especially as it was not one that I was planning to go to until relatively recently. I had looked at getting a ticket to one of his shows when they were originally announced, but the London show clashed with something else which I already had tickets for. I did not pay too much attention when the tour was originally postponed, then, but a few months ago I realised that it made sense for me to stay in London for a long weekend to save coming home between two concerts. It turned out that Buckingham's rescheduled Palladium show fell on that day - so buying a ticket made sense. By the time I bought my ticket, though, there were not many left at all. I ended up getting one in the first row of the Grand Circle, which is the highest level in the venue. I had been to the Palladium once before, when I saw Anathema play one of their final shows just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and I sat in the Stalls. I quite liked being in the Stalls, but I did not really like being sat in the Grand Circle - at least right at the front of it. There was so little leg room, even for someone of average height like me, and every time I stood up to let someone past it felt like I was going to fall over the barrier. The venue is definitely showing its age in that regard, but the view of the stage was good - despite the barrier. The sound throughout the show was excellent, too, as was the atmosphere due to the place being essentially full.

There was no support act, so at 8pm the lights went down and Buckingham walked onto the stage with his three-piece backing band. I did not manage to catch the names of his keyboard player or drummer - but he was joined by his long-time associate Neale Heywood (guitar/bass guitar/vocals). Heywood covered the songs' more convention guitar parts, with Buckingham himself taking the lead - showcasing his dynamic and unique playing style throughout the 20-song set. Most of the songs played came from Buckingham's solo albums, and they were a mix of more acoustic-based ballads and spiky rockers similar to his work with Fleetwood Mac. A few Fleetwood Mac songs were played, too, but the early part of the set focused on his solo work. The relatively low key Not Too Late got the show off to a melodic and whimsical start, but it was the harder rocking In Our Own Time which stood out for me early on. The song is quite brash and heavy for Buckingham, and his riffing rang through the venue - with the deliberately messy guitar stings during the chorus in particularly impressing. I am not hugely versed in Buckingham's solo albums, but I recognised the songs played. Shut Us Down was another highlight of the early part of the show, thanks to its delicate textures - and it also marked the point where the band left the stage for a few numbers. This left Buckingham alone for a while, and he made the most of this by delivering a stunning acoustic rendition of Trouble - before dipping back into the Fleetwood Mac catalogue for Never Going Back Again. The classic track was played slower than on 1977's Rumours, but this allowed the emotional core of the song to shine.

Things sped up next though due to Buckingham delivering a powerful version of Big Love - a song which has become an acoustic showcase for him over the years. This arrangement of the song is likely now more well-known than then synth-heavy original recording, and it sounded as great here as it did when I saw Fleetwood Mac back in 2013. Despite his recent illness, I thought Buckingham played well. He certainly looked thin and frail, but his guitar playing was as good as ever. His voice is a little weaker now, though, but I still thought that he did the material justice. The band then came back for three tracks from Buckingham's most recent album. The poppy Scream was a lot of fun, but it was On the Wrong Side that really stood out for me during this part of the show. His recent album is a strong effort in general, though, so it was good to have it highlighted here - before a four-song suite of Fleetwood Mac songs brought the main set to a close. The hard rocking Tusk was a lot of fun, with the keyboard player showcasing his talents with some pulsing synths, before I'm So Afraid allowed Buckingham to cut loose with a lengthy solo. It has always been a showcase piece for him, and it was great to see him solo so furiously - before everyone sang along to Go Your Own Way to bring the main set to a close. A three-song encore followed, and the up-tempo vibe was continued at first thanks to a powerful rendition of the hit song Go Insane - before Buckingham introduced the band and slowed the pace down for the final two songs of the night. The delicate ballad Love Is Here to Stay, from his 2017 album with Christine McVie, came across really well live - and the night then ended in a similar fashion with his version of the Pozo-Seco Singers' 1960s folk classic Time. It was a low key way to end the night, but it had the desired effect - and the venue erupted with warm applause as Buckingham and his band left the stage for the final time. The setlist was:

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 [Fleetwood Mac material]

Big Love [Fleetwood Mac material]

Scream

I Don't Mind

On the Wrong Side

Second Hand News [Fleetwood Mac material]

Tusk [Fleetwood Mac material]

I'm So Afraid [Fleetwood Mac material]

Go Your Own Way [Fleetwood Mac material]

-

Go Insane

Love Is Here to Stay [Lindsey Buckingham & Christine McVie material]

Time [Pozo-Seco Singers cover]

Given that the rest of the tour was cancelled, I imagine that Buckingham was struggling up there on stage at the Palladium. It did not show, and his performance was as strong as I expected. He is starting to look his age now, and he may not be as enigmatic and caustic he was even a decade or so, but I was pleased to get the chance to see him in a pretty small venue - rather than from the back of an arena as I did when I saw him with Fleetwood Mac. His solo catalogue is definitely something that I need to explore further as I enjoyed all of the songs played, and he said during the show that he is working on another album - which I will have to pick up whenever it is ready. In the meantime, though, I hope that he gets well soon - and hopefully he can get back on the road again in due course.