Gentle Goes The Old Mac Mainstay

Lindsey Buckingham's intimate new solo album, aptly titled "Under the Skin," sounds like it might have been recorded inside the echo chamber of his own head. Monday night at the State Theater, the Fleetwood Mac mainstay started in the same mode, singing the album's opener, "Not Too Late," accompanied only by his classical-style acoustic guitar and lots of reverb.

The vibe barely shifted when Buckingham was joined by his band, a percussionist and two singer-guitarists. The additional musicians merely simulated the multiple Buckinghams of multitrack "Under the Skin" tunes like "Cast Away Dreams."

This spare approach might have been enough for the enthusiastic audience, especially since Buckingham mingled Fleetwood Mac standards ("Never Going Back Again") with the new material. The arena-rock veteran wasn't taking any chances, however. Two-thirds of the way through the show, the guitars went electric and the gestures got broader. In a five-song blitz that included several guitar-hero flourishes and even a drum solo, the group drove toward the climax: one of Mac's biggest Buckingham-penned hits, "Go Your Own Way."

It was an effective assault, but a predictable one. The concert's highlights came earlier, and during the encore, with gentler numbers (the new "Show You How") and a slow, stark version of the once-playful "Go Insane."

Not that these introspective moments ever suggested that Buckingham is losing it. Whether peering inward or rocking out, he was always the canny old pro.

-- Mark Jenkins