Soul Drifter

If I couldn't see the Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac live, the next best thing was seeing its creative genius, wild vocalist, and criminally-underrated guitarist Lindsey Buckingham. I had seen him perform brilliantly at an outdoor show in Raleigh in June 2017 with FM bandmate Christine McVie and, at that time, considered it a warm-up to seeing the full band at my next opportunity. 

When his solo tour dates were announced in August, following months of typical FM drama, including a well-publicized contentious breakup, incendiary social-media posts, and endless fan message-board brawls, my friend Michelle and I immediately snatched up presale tickets for our nearest venue before the good seats were quickly gone. The timing was right. Most FM fans remained in a frenzy either for or against the newly formed FM and had the luxury of choosing to see the new FM in an arena or Lindsey solo in a small theater (or, for the unfazed, easygoing fan, both) since both were concurrently touring the U.S. this fall.

For me, it was an easy choice, one made when the band split in April (On With the Show). FM wasn't FM without Lindsey, so, as a loyal member of Team Lindsey, I was going his way. (And the value was in his favor: $85 for my eighth-row seat versus $325 for a comparable seat to see the new FM at my local arena.) For three months after purchasing my ticket, I was stoked. Until I saw the weather forecast: lake-effect snow from the day of the show through the following evening. (Proving that you can't even make snow-free plans for November when you live in N.Y. Sigh.)

The snowfall started the morning of the show, changing my excitement to untempered anxiety, and ramped up when I left work. Fortunately, Michelle was fine with driving nearly an hour through potential snow showers. (I, in contrast, was nearly hyperventilating driving the five snowy miles to our designated dinner spot.) She was my hero, calming my fears, restoring my preshow enthusiasm, and expertly guiding us to the theater without needing GPS assistance. (Thankfully the snow switched to rain as we traveled unimpeded north down the highway.) We arrived at 7:30 p.m., parked, and joined the throngs walking into the theater for the sold-out 8:00 p.m. performance.

Then, promptly at 8:02 p.m., the opener, Nigerian singer-songwriter J.S. Ondara took the stage and played and sang several acoustic self-described "sad songs" (which I'll likely revisit on YouTube) with a clear, expressive voice. By 9:00 p.m. Lindsey casually walked out with his bandmates, strapped on one of several guitars, alternated for nearly every song of his nearly two-hour setlist, and dove into "Don't Look Down" without fanfare or formal announcement but to hearty applause. They were no showy displays, costume changes (staying in a standard black T-shirt, sweat-stained by the end of the show), or special lighting effects. The music, highlighted by phenomenal finger-picking and passionate vocal grunts and wails, was the star.

Lindsey live / The Buffalo News

The rest of the set included solo gems "Trouble," "Go Insane," "Turn it On," the infectious "Holiday Road," "Slow Dancing," "Soul Drifter," "Down on Rodeo," and an emotional "Shut Us Down" (dedicated to former bandmate-and former girlfriend-Stevie Nicks at one tour stop) before he played solo (literally, without his backing band) FM hits "Never Going Back Again," "Big Love," "Tusk" (which nearly incited a conga line), "I'm So Afraid," and his signature song "Go Your Own Way," all of which sounded fresh and were received rapturously despite being played the same way since The Dance. Rather than ending on that energetic note, as I'd expected, he returned for three low-key encore selections, fittingly closing with the somber "Treason" ( promising that "At the end of the season / We will rise from this treason").

Through it all, Buckingham seemed moved by the audience's heartfelt ovations. Many of his songs' lyrics seemed prescient (particularly "Soul Drifter," "Shut Us Down," and "Treason") and were delivered with new meaning in the aftermath of his shocking FM dismissal. When he spoke, his tone was upbeat and his message was centered around moving forward after "a surprising year" (to say the least) like the soul drifter he is, and he repeatedly expressed gratitude to the fans for being witness to the current and future stages of his career.

For me, personally, despite having to abandon my dream of seeing the real Fleetwood Mac in concert, I wasn't disappointed. I've heard it said that FM fans went to shows to see Stevie and left talking about Lindsey. After seeing him solo, I get it. I didn't miss Stevie and co. for a moment during his performance. His supporting musicians more than capably backed him and added momentum to his underappreciated solo work. In the end, it was worth driving home in a treacherous snowstorm, and I was grateful for one artist's rich, untarnishable legacy of music, the promise of a liberated journeyman's future offerings, and the opportunity to serve as witness to both.