Events

[ROCK] Lindsey Buckingham is taking the high road. The 69-year-old guitarist and singer-songwriter was ousted from his anchoring spot in Fleetwood Mac on the eve of announcing a massive 50th anniversary tour last spring. Since then, while fans engaged in contentious debate, the remaining members of Fleetwood Mac made a (rather flaccid) public statement. But Buckingham has remained stoic, making only a few choice comments and quietly filing a lawsuit for breach of contract. Most importantly, rather than sitting at home and brooding, he also booked an extensive solo tour, which brings him to the Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda on Tuesday, November 27. The tour coincides with the release of an anthology that provides a stunning overview of his work apart from Fleetwood Mac. Say what you will about the split, but let the official record speak for itself: on both occasions that Lindsey Buckingham has exited Fleetwood Mac, it has taken not one but two people to replace him. 

Solo Anthology – The Best of Lindsey Buckingham offers definitive proof of Buckingham’s musical gifts as a poignant songwriter and musician, but it also reveals his darkest side. Granted, Mac fans who have done their own exploring will already be acquainted with it, but others may be surprised to experience Buckingham’s musical personality when unchecked by the balance of Fleetwood Mac and the production value therein. Left to his own devices, he’s a man on the edge of madness, laying bare his demon-wrestling in musical vignettes that don’t provide many escape hatches in the form of tangible, toe-tapping hooks or sing-along choruses. With a voice that vacillates between harrowing howls and ragged whispers, the new compilation — which pulls material from a half dozen solo albums and myriad other projects — also showcases Buckingham’s labyrinthine guitar picking, which will leave appreciative listeners in slack-jawed awe. Combined with oft-peculiar melodies and irregular song structures, Solo Anthology is a rabbit-hole deep-dive that will challenge your sensibilities while also making it hard to look away. It’s heavy. Which, in relief, underscores a symbiotic relationship between Buckingham as a solo artist and what he’s brought to the table for his former band (displayed well on the anthology’s live finale, which pulls material from both places). It’s as if giving his best pop songs to Fleetwood Mac has enabled his solo records to retain a more idiosyncratic and emotionally hard-hitting delivery.

See Lindsey Buckingham exorcise a demon or two on Tuesday, November 27 at the Riviera Theatre with newcomer and Nairobi-to-Minneapolis transplant, JS Ondara, in the opening slot.