By Jay Lustig
STAR-LEDGER STAFF

Romeo and Juliet. Antony and Cleopatra. Lindsey and Stevie.

Okay, the rise and fall of the romance eternally linking Fleetwood Mac guitarist-singer Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks isn't one of the great love stories of all time, but their chemistry is still something special.

Performing at the Blockbuster-Sony Music Entertainment Centre in Camden, Friday, they inspired shivers dueling sadly and tenderly on "Landslide," a song written about their mid '70s split. During "Silver Springs," another breakup song, they faced each other as Nicks sang challenging lines like "I know I could've loved you, but you would not let me," and Buckingham answered her with his screaming electric guitar.

At moments like these, they didn't seem like two veteran musicians who realized they could make a mountain of money by getting back together with their old Fleetwood Mac bandmates, but two ex-lovers who desperately needed to communicate something to each other. It's undeniable that the band's reunion tourùalso featuring drummer Mick Fleetwood and ex-spouses John McVie (bass) and Christine McVie (keyboards, vocals) along with five supplementary musicians ùis an exercise in nostalgia. Most of the material was at least 20 years old, coming from an era when Fleetwood Mac was a dependable hit-making machine. Only four new songs, all of them inconsequential made their way into the set. But as far as exercises in nostalgia go, this one is hard to top. Fleetwood, Buckingham and John McVie are master musicians, Christine McVie and Nicks unique vocal stylists. Put them all together, and you've got a band bursting with personality. Or maybe that's "personalities."

Nicks did her glamorous-mystic routine on songs like "Rhiannon" and "Gold Dust Woman," singing with the slow, measured cadence of someone trying to cast a spell. Her voice was slightly raspy, but her phrasing was impeccable.

Christine McVie played the warm, soulful chanteuse on numbers like "Oh Daddy," "Songbird" and "You Make Loving Fun."

Fleetwood was the designated madman, peering out from behind his drums with a twisted, almost comical leer. When he stepped to the front of the stage and played a fierce percussion solo in the middle of "Not That Funny," triggering sounds by hitting pads on his vest, one feared that his 55-year-old heart might not be able to take the excitement. Buckingham's flamboyant guitar solos during songs Like "Go Your Own Way" and 'I'm So Afraid" pushed the band into hard-rock territory, and his stellar chops made edgy solo-acoustic versions of "Big Love" and "Go Insane" more gripping than the originals. Radical reinterpretations like these were rare, though. So were outright surprises, even though the band did choose to end the show by harmonizing sweetly on the Beach Boys obscurity, "The Farmer's Daughter."

For the most part, Fleetwood Mac was content to play songs the old way. The crowd didn't mind course, but the band still missed some great opportunities along the way.

"Don't Stop," which benefited from added percussion and horns the group's recent reunion album, "The Dance," returned to normal in Camden. This is one of the band's signature songs, but it was a forgettable performance, especially since the normally dependable rhythm section sagged a bit. And Fleetwood, John McVie et al. didn't even attempt put their own stamp on "Stand Back (a 1983 solo hit for Nicks), opting duplicate the original, faceless arrangement.

Will this reunited band stay together long enough to put together a tour that's more about the present than the past? No one knows. But judging by the grins on band membersÆ faces throughout the set, and the frequent post-song hugs, these guys are far from ready to go their own way.