Tampa Tribune 11-13-97

Buckingham creative center of Fleetwood Mac

By CURTIS ROSS

TAMPA -- It wasn't just nostalgia that drew 17,247 to the Ice Palace Wednesday night.

After all, the commercial cream of Fleetwood Mac's 1975-87 crop remains a staple of classic rock radio. The five albums the band made in that period, particularly 1977's ``Rumours,'' are still steady sellers.

But it's no doubt that the chance to hear those hits live, 10 years after guitarist Lindsay Buckingham's acrimonious departure, fueled the sale of the pricey tickets ($40 and $60).

Buckingham is the band's creative center, and the numbers that featured him were the evening's highlights.

His solo on ``I'm So Afraid'' began with a flow of single notes, built to ringing arpeggios and peaked with a stinging attack. ``Go Insane,'' a hit for Buckingham in 1984, was given a gripping, impassioned solo reading.

And his ``Not That Funny,'' from the band's daring 1979 album ``Tusk,'' was a stomping delight.

The song gave way to a lengthy percussion solo in which Mick Fleetwood marched around the stage slapping a vest fitted with electronic percussion.

Christine McVie's ``Say You Love Me'' also was a standout, with Buckingham on banjo. But her shimmering ``You Make Loving Fun'' was robbed of the studio version's background vocals, which push the song to another level.

Stevie Nicks' solo hit ``Stand Back'' sounded garish and out of place with its bubbly synthesizers and turgid dance beat. Her featured numbers ``Rhiannon,'' ``Dreams'' and ``Gypsy'' all fared better, backed by John McVie's sturdy bass and Buckingham's rippling guitar.

The audience, which waited patiently as the show began 50 minutes after its advertised 7:30 p.m. start time, greeted the familiar numbers wildly, but also offered a warm reception for new numbers such as ``My Little Demon'' and ``Silver Springs.''

Thanks to CLMoon for the submission the newsgroup.