Customer Reviews

Live at the Bass Performance Hall (W/Dvd)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I once read of Lindsey Buckingham that he was "the thinking man's guitar god." In the years since then, I can say without hesitation that that's a perfect description of him, and this cd/dvd set is further evidence of this.

Featuring songs from his latest album, Under the Skin, this performance captures all the aspects of Buckingham that have made him such a rewarding artist since he burst onto the scene with Fleetwood Mac in the 70s. From soft folky tunes to blues to hard rock to perfect pop melodicism, Buckingham does it all. I just love the song "I Know I'm Not Wrong," so was really happy to see it's here. And his new music is strong enough to sit well alongside such classics as "Go Your Own Way" and "I'm So Afraid." Closing the set with "Shut Us Down" is a really cool idea, as it gives the viewer one last look at the most amazing finger-picking in rock.

The dvd is well shot, though it's not as stylized and slick as Fleetwood Mac Live in Boston (a personal favorite). The sound captures the live show - the occasional off note is not fixed in post production. I love when concert dvds include a cd (though this seems to market itself as a cd that includes a dvd), because I'll view the concert occasionally but will listen to the songs very frequently. In this case, the cd includes every song on the dvd except Tusk - which was a good choice for omission. It's a great song, but the odds are, if you're buying this, you probably already have Tusk in multiple versions.

The bonus documentary shows Buckingham in full reflective mode, verbose as always. Buckingham has been very vocal in recent years describing his feelings about music, his mental and emotional state, and the state of the music industry, and this is a good outlet for him to discuss these issues at length, while showing some cool footage of him recording songs for Under the Skin. It's not just a slapped-together bonus, in other words. It's a nice addition to the set.

But the main feature is certainly the concert itself. Having caught Lindsey on this tour, I can vouch for the authenticity of what you're seeing in this concert. This is the kind of heartfelt and awe inspiring performance he gives every night. Truly amazing.

Buckingham fans: this is definitely worth checking out.

A fantastic testament to Lindsey Buckingham's artistry and live performance. "I'm So Afraid" is just jaw dropping. It's also great to hear some of the older tunes like "Trouble" and "Go Insane." The concert is heavy on tunes from Buckingham's latest album "Under the Skin," which is understandable considering the show was in promotion of it. Personally, I prefer the albums "Go Insane" and "Out of the Cradle" to the melodic "Under the Skin," and "Cradle" is criminally neglected in the concert.

Having both the CD and DVD is great. However, I have to differ with other reviewers about the documentary included on the disc. I enjoyed hearing Buckingham talk about his career, though this is sparse. For the most part the documentary consists of "videos" to, admittedly very good, tracks from "Under the Skin." I use the term video loosely, however, as they are amateurish, uninteresting, and boring. I also enjoyed seeing the inside view of the ongoing frustration Buckingham experienced in trying to sell the disc to a label, but again, this is sparse and lacks any real narrative or resolution. In my opinion the documentary is pure filler, and poor filler at that.

Bottom line, a great concert captured on DVD and CD. Buy it for the music, not the extras, but definitely buy it.

Lindsey is a true artist...
not happy rehashing hits but stretching himself as a writer and amazingingly unique fingerstyle guitarist! The bonus 45 minute film is a rare inside treat and really strips some of the process involved in the business of music bare. As far as the concert...its wonderful to see and hear him alone with his guitar expressing these songs so well. On the band numbers I found his arrangements very fresh and so fun ..particularly "Holiday Road" from National Lampoon's Vacation..which is guaranteed to have your toe tapping and a big grin on your face. This is a really cool collection of behind the scenes and music and visuals..HIGHLY recommended.

I do not write many reviews on Amazon (or anywhere else), but this DVD / CD is worth the effort. This is one of the very best concert recordings I have ever experienced. I first saw the concert on high-definition television, so this non-HD DVD is a bit disappointing. But this concert is amazing. First, the filming of the video is outstanding. The close-ups, fade-outs, etc. are nearly perfect, without the modern, frustrating MTV-like tendancy of jumping from shot-to-shot very quickly.

The audio recording is absolute perfection. The balance between the voice and instrumentation is perfect. So many concerts are recorded with a noticeable imbalance between the voice of the lead singer and the instrumentation. But here, Lindsey's guitar is full and strong, as is his voice. The band supports him splendidly. A pure pleasure to listen to!

Crowd noise and crowd interruption is almost a non-factor. Although it is a live concert, the stage dominates -- not the cat-calls of the crowd, although there are a few humorous comments from the crowd, with enjoyable response from Lindsey.

And Lindsey's performance is perfect, as is the song selection, including a nice blend of songs from his new album (Under the Skin), past albums, and his work with Fleetwood Mac.

If you at all appreciate Lindsey Buckingham (and/or Fleetwood Mac), this is a must-have DVD / CD.

As always a guitar playing masterclass from the God like fingers of Mr Buckingham. Those long slowly building solo's that build to a huge crescendo are in evidence once again. There are two of those in fact, and LB goes close to madness in parts by just slapping at the guitar in an almost trance-like state! And yet; the solo's still look easy for him, and sound sublimely brilliant of course! Would you expect anything less?

The band is the same as on the Soundstage DVD 'TV' gig of course, and they are all great players up there on stage with LB. The setting for the concert (the truly beautiful Bass Performance Hall) looks a stunning venue to play...

The performance has been lovingly recorded both for audio and video (in fact I think it's been recorded in HD even if the DVD here is SD).

The one thing that IMO reduces this DVD from 5 to 4 stars in the setlist. It's a strange mixture of songs, mostly from the latest album of course. But even then the two best songs from it I think are missing (Down on Rodeo and I Am Waiting). Songs from LB's finest solo hour 'Out Of The Cradle' are criminally missing.

Still, another great feast for Fleetwood Mac & LB fans.

This is a brilliant live album from the multi instrumentalist Lindsey Buckingham also know as MR Fleetwood Mac. I'm so afraid sounds so much better when it is performed live! There's so much emotion from Lindsey in this song! It is a pity that Tusk is not on the CD but fortunately it is on the DVD. Great show from a great musician!

Lindsay is one of the must underrated guitarrist. He is unique in his style and performance.
For me he is one of the top 5 with Hendrix, Gilmour, Page, and Clapton

I have been a fan of Fleetwood Mac since about 6th grade in 1978. I fell in love w/ Stevie and admired the superior guitar work of her ex-lover Lindsey Buckingham.
Now, there is a new solo LIVE CD, Bass Performance Hall. (BPH is, by the way, in, Fort Worth, Texas) His performance is excellent, yet his interpretation of "Go Insane" is way wrong. And, his new stuff from "Under the Skin" is OKAY.
But, he comes the good parts. Cuts of his classics: "I KNow I'm not Wrong" from TUSK; "Holiday Road" from the NL's VACATION st; and "Go Your Own Way", a smash hit from 1977's Rumours were absolutely sensational. These clips games me goose bumps. "Second Hand News" and "Big Love" are good as well.
Overall, it is a strong LIVE CD, not as good as FM's 1980's LIVE album (ITS PRINTED IN THE LINER NOTES: performed at Rochester's (NY) War Memorial in 1979) that is an outstanding recording.

Great performances by Lindsey and his band. If you appreciate an intimate setting and are a fan of Lindsey's solo work, you will enjoy this DVD. It includes a great documentary as well.

Sadly, no live versions from Lindsey's best CD, "Out of the Cradle."

Instead, we get yet more live versions of "Big Love" (already available live on "The Dance" and "Live in Boston") "I'm So Afraid" (ditto, and also available on Fleetwood Mac's first live CD) and "Go Your Own Way" (available on every live album.)

Not sure why we get live repeats of "Big Love" and "I'm So Afraid"--I'd rather he replaced them with tracks not available live.

And his reworkings of "Trouble" and "Go Insane" are terrific, but overall, this live CD is pretty much what we've heard before.

The documentary "Not To Late" has some nice home movie/music videos and we hear Lindsey complaining about the music industry and how he tried to release "Under the Skin" after his solo contract with Warner lapsed.

Oddly, he DID release the CD on Warner, so his complaint about record labels not giving artists a chance to grow and develop doesn't hold true...at least in his case.