The Pioneer Press, March 18, 1993

Call it what you will - a triumphant comeback, history in the making - just make no mistake: Lindsey Buckingham's nights out without his old mates are nothing short of magnificent.

He opened Wednesday night's show at the World Theater with an acoustic version of "Big Love" that rang with emotion and heart-wrenching intensity. The spoken intro that immediately followed set the tone for the rest of the hour-and-three-quarters -long set.

"You have the distinction, for better or for worse, of being a part of the first few shows on my own," said Buckingham by way of salutation. "We're going to be playing songs from my new album, 'Out of the Cradle,' as well as some older songs you might remember. But so long as you don't call out 'Go Your Own Way' too soon, we'll get along great."

Well, no one did. In fact, the Fleetwood Mac songs that were performed were well tucked into Buckingham's own repetoire of solo material, blending so well (or perhaps the audience had their priorities right) that an unfamiliar person would spot nary a difference in the audience's response.

The musical entourage was huge - four guitarists, three percussionists, a keyboardist and a bassist - rocking the place not only with sound loud enough to blast a person into a different dimension, but also with vocal harmonies on such songs as "The Chain" and "All My Sorrows" that lent a tinge of mystique and grandeur.

"I'm So Afraid" led to a long-drawn-out guitar solo that had Buckingham stepping almost into the crowd, writhing in undisguised emotion and earning himself a standing ovation.

And while we're on the topic of standing, it was a pity that apart from the odd standing-Os, the crowd stuck pretty much to their seats. Songs such as "Don't Look Down" and "Surrender the Rain" had such energy that it took considerable self control not to leap to my feet in dance.

The piece de resistance of the evening, however ironic Buckingham's opening remarks were, was not "Go Your Own Way" but "Tusk." The ensemble of percussionists and dancing guitarists made the song rock even more than usual. Now who would've thought that possible?

Folk singer Susan James opened the show with an acoustic guitar set peppered with humor, but it was Buckingham's show and nobody stole anything from him. It was a great evening, a great show.

Thanks to Les for posting this to the Ledge and to Anusha for formatting and sending it to us.