Lindsey Buckingham is arguably best known for his work with the super group Fleetwood Mac, although he doesn’t define himself by that music.
Sure, he was an integral part of the group’s major successes including the famous album “Rumours” release of 1977, and its 1979 follow-up, “Tusk.” While Buckingham and his one-time love and musical collaborator, Stevie Nicks, haven’t ruled out working with Fleetwood Mac in the future, Buckingham seems to have developed a true passion for solo work.
“As I’ve grown as an artist, I’ve gotten more and more in touch with my center, and that center is voice and guitar. Over time, it has become increasingly vital to express more with less; that is my touchstone now, and the embodiment of that philosophy is what will be largely represented in the new show,” he said. “I’ve been thinking of doing this kind of tour for a while and am quite excited to be doing something new, something outside my comfort zone.”
| Onstage |
| Lindsey Buckingham |
| Where: Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW |
| When: 7 p.m. doors, 9 p.m. show Tuesday |
| Info: $57 advance, $60 day of; 202-803-2899; thehowardtheatre.com |
The tour of which he speaks is an intimate solo tour where he plays selections from his last album, “Seeds We Sow,” and other solo work, as well as Fleetwood Mac classics. The show has been extended due to demand. Not surprising, perhaps, when you consider how many music lovers are hungry to hear the inspiration behind Buckingham’s songs and perhaps hear the songs played as he wrote them.
Buckingham credits his willingness to push the borders of his music and, in his words, his own comfort level with a maturity that has given him a strong sense of self and his art. Married now with three children, he seems like a man very comfortable in his own skin but unafraid to ask questions.
He’s asked a lot of them though, often by young artists who are trying to understand how Buckingham developed his distinctive style of playing and songwriting.
The questions aren’t ones that are easily answered because his vocal and guitar prowess developed almost naturally in a way. Not that he didn’t spend countless hours of his childhood playing and experimenting, but at some point, a muse took over the process.
“I was not taught; I figured it all out,” said Buckingham when asked for what he offers young guitarists by way of instruction. “That’s my strength and also my weakness. I don’t analyze it. I’m a refined primitive. The solo work leads you in a way that is more subconscious process.”
