Mick Fleetwood And Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac Have Reconciled
Mick Fleetwood has reconciled with his former Fleetwood Mac bandmate, Lindsey Buckingham, after Buckingham was reportedly fired from the group in 2018 following a disagreement about an upcoming tour. He was replaced by the guitarist Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and the Crowded House singer Neil Finn.
Guitarist/vocalist Buckingham first joined the group in 1974 and remained a member until 1987. He then reunited with the them in 1996.
An statement from the band in 2018 read: “Lindsey Buckingham will not be performing with the band on this tour. The band wishes Lindsey all the best.”
Following his dismissal, Mick Fleetwood had said that Buckingham would not be allowed to rejoin the band and even ruled out the chance of a reunion as recently as last year, telling Rolling Stone in response to a question about working together again that, ““No. Fleetwood Mac is a strange creature. We’re very, very committed to Neil and Mike, and that passed away a time ago, when Lindsey left. And it’s not a point of conversation, so I have to say no…The situation was no secret. We were not happy. It was not working, and we parted company. And that really is the all of it.”
The cause of their parting ways has been up for debate, with the band saying it was because Buckingham wanted to spend more time on his solo projects, and with Buckingham suggesting that he was called by the band’s manager and told that “Stevie [Nicks] never wants to be on stage with you again.”
However, in a new interview with Rolling Stone yesterday (1st March), Mick Fleetwood shared updates on his thoughts.
He revealed that the death of original band member, Peter Green, inspired him to get back in touch with Buckingham after two years of estrangement. “I’ve really enjoyed being re-connected with Lindsey, which has been gracious and open,
“And both of us have been beautifully honest about who we are and how we got to where we were.”, he told the magazine.
He was then asked whether they might perform together again, as a whole band. “Strange things can happen,” says Fleetwood. “I look at Fleetwood Mac as a huge family. Everyone plays an important role in our history, even someone like [early Seventies] guitarist Bob Welch, who was huge and sometimes gets forgotten. Lindsey’s position in Fleetwood Mac will, for obvious reasons, never been forgotten, as it should never be forgotten.”
He went on to say, “Would I love to think that [reunion] could happen? Yeah. I’d love to think that all of us could be healed, and also respect the people who are in the band, Neil Finn and Michael Campbell.”
He did, however, admit that he is only one member of the group and that he cannot speak for the others, especially Stevie Nicks.
He finished by stating “I would love the elements that are not healed to be healed.” But only time will tell whether that results in more live performances.
See our pick of Fleetwood Mac’s Top 5 music videos here