Last night I was able to check off the first of my "bucket list" items. Mike and the kids and I have attended a lot of concerts in the last couple of years and one performer in particular I have seen four times I think. The first time, was it the circumstamces that made the experience incredible? We were in New York's Town Hall and we were front row, center. Wouldn't anyone be good at that distance? Well, this was Fleetwood Mac songwriter and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and he was phenominal to say the least. Those fingers of his just flew and the energy he put into EVERY song was astounding. I have never seen such a passionate performer. His new songs from "Seeds We Sow" as well as the oldies we know from his FM years and early on as a solo artist all sounded fresh and wonderful. So, after returning from New York Mike knew he was performing locally and he bought tickets to see him at UCLA for my birthday. Still jazzed from his previous show I was really looking forward it. Would it be the same? Perhaps he just likes NY a lot and would be more lackluster in LA. Or maybe because LA is home it would be different. Maybe Stevie would show up. She had played the night before in LA and it turned out many of the people at the second concert had seen Stevie the night before. Do you think the shows were planned that way? So many questions.Mike was unable to attend the second show so I took my friend, Karol. The seats weren't quite as good, second row, slightly stage right. I think they were awesome seats I'm just kidding. Would Karol be let down after all the hoopla I had been saying about the show? How could it possibly be THAT good? How could he play like that night after night? Well, it was and he did. They could have just played a video of New York because it was the same show with the same enthusiam from Lindsey as I had seen before. This man LOVES to play guitar and he LOVES to perform. And the crowds love him. I left that show in awe of Lindsey feeling like a kid. My good friend, Barbara, just happens to have taught Lindsey's young girls to ride horses. I first saw him at Elvenstar when Ellen was there for a horse show a couple years ago. I have also seen him at horse shows hanging out waiting for his girls to show. I'm too shy to ever approach people I don't know especially "stars" so I had never said hi even in passing. It is a family joke that we would see him somewhere when we were at a show either sitting in the shade under a tree or keeping slightly out of sight. Unbeknownst to Barbara I was going to see him in LA when she called me and had tickets from his wife for his show in Orange County actually ON my birthday. Would Mike and I like to go with Larry and her? DUH! The best birthday present ever. They hadn't seen him before but I think they thought I was nuts until the show was over and they were mesmerized. "When he comes to the barn I'll have you meet him", Barbara said. OMG. Really? I was so enthralled I wasn't even nervous at the prospect because he deserved to be told by as many people as possible how good he is. As he was on the road so I didn't expect to see him soon and the thrill died down. A few months later Mike saw he was playing locally again in Thousand Oaks, just a few miles from our house. Barbara asked if we were going because she had tickets again but just for herself and Larry. Mike had gotten tickets and we were third row stage right in the small Fred Kavli Theater in the T.O. Civic center. David came this time but Ellen chose not to. I had the set list almost memorized and was very excited to go and have David see him. He thought his mom was nuts I know. Well, this time was different but no less impressive. He was on stage solo, no backup band and played a different set. And those fingers were flying again. David realized his ol' mom wasn't so wrong after all. End of Story......
.....Until Barbara sent me a text yesterday saying, "Lindsey's here". Really? Oh shoot, I can't go up to him and say anything. I'm way to scared. "Just come talk to me and when he comes by I'll call him over and introduce you", she said. I could do that I thought and raced off so I didn't miss the opportunity.
What a nice man. I was a little giddy, but he was so nice and we talked like two people having a regular conversation. I told him how much I like him and that we had seen him several times including Town Hall, NY. He talked about the venues and how different it is to be playing without his backup band.
Barbara, thank you for the introduction and Lindsey, thank you for the time and the check off my bucket list. Actually, you are the only thing on my bucket list so I need to do some thinking on that.
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