Zombies and Lindsey Buckingham at the Keswick

Nostalgia can be a dangerous thing, especially when it comes to music. The songs and albums that speak to the core of our being when we're passionate and volatile youngsters make an imprint on the soul and heart that never quite goes away-- even when the bands break up in rancor, retire, sell their beloved tunes to corporations for TV commercials, overdose in Parisian bathtubs, or just fade into oblivion.

So when those icons of one's youth return decades later with new music and new performances, the apprehension can be overwhelming.

Will they sound as good as they did in the '60s or '70s? Can the lead singer still hit the high notes? Are the lead guitarist's fingers still as nimble? Which of the original band members remain, and are the new guys any good? Can everyone still rock for two straight hours without letup, or will the keyboardist and bass player hobble onstage with a walker?

All fair questions when artists who made their mark in their early 20s are now past 60.

Whether by accident or design, Glenside's venerable Keswick Theatre has become the local go-to destination for classic rock acts that have reunited and regrouped for yet another album and tour, or perhaps never quite went away but haven't been in the limelight in years. A glance at the Keswick's future schedule shows an array of "Where are they now?" artists from every decade since the 1960s— the Doobie Brothers, Richard Thompson, the Psychedelic Furs, Cyndi Lauper, Howard Jones.

Two recent performances by artists whose heyday occurred in different decades, the Zombies (1960s) and Fleetwood Mac guitarist/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham (1970s), provide some solid reassurance for us aging baby-boomers that, at least sometimes, nostalgia pays.

40-and-over crowd

The Zombies came to the Keswick to celebrate their 50th anniversary as a band (although they haven't played together continuously). As part of the musical British Invasion of the early '60s, they're best known for classic hits including "She's Not There," "Time of the Season" and "Tell Her No."

With founding members Colin Blunstone on lead vocals and Rod Argent on keyboards, the Zombies offered a finely tuned mix of material from their new studio album, Breathe In, Breathe Out, along with the old hits that the near-capacity, 40ish-and-over crowd obviously craved. Blunstone's voice was strong and soaring, Argent's keyboard work dazzling and deft, and the passion of all the musicians quite clear.

If the band members— even including the new guys (guitarist Tom Toomey, bassist Jim Rodford, drummer Steve Rodford)— weren't quite the fresh-faced, longhaired youngsters of 50 years ago, it was hardly evident in their performance.

Real-life soap opera

Lindsey Buckingham made his mark in the 1970s both as the guitarist and one of the three singer-songwriters of Fleetwood Mac. That group's history is one of rock music's most famous soap operas, a saga of intra-band romance and intrigue that the group's members channeled into their greatest artistic works, such as the classic album, Rumours.

Buckingham, weary of the strife and eager to pursue other musical interests in a solo career, left the group in 1987. The songs from his latest album, Seeds We Sow, are indeed more intimate and restrained than his Fleetwood Mac work, reflecting a greater self-awareness and maturity, as he explained to the Keswick audience.

He began his show quietly, performing a set of some of his most famous songs ("Big Love," "Never Going Back Again," "Trouble," "Go Insane"), armed only with an acoustic guitar and his powerful voice, giving the tunes a fresh interpretative spin that highlighted their essential power and emotion. It was a gutsy move for an artist who's somewhat infamous for his affinity for studio trickery and sonic manipulations.

Time machine

But soon enough, Buckingham transformed the Keswick from a quiet nightclub into a rock arena, bringing in a three-piece band (drummer, guitarist, and guitarist/bassist/keyboardist) to ramp up the intensity both on his newer solo work and his Fleetwood Mac hits. He proved his legendary guitar chops with his transcendent soloing on "I'm So Afraid," displayed an uncanny talent for showmanship and musical arrangement on a spooky version of "Tusk," and pulled out all the stops to close the main set with his signature song, "Go Your Own Way."

Both the Zombies and Lindsey Buckingham managed to transform the Keswick into a melodic time machine that, for a couple of hours at least, made their fans feel 20 years old again. Not a bad achievement for guys in their 60s.