Fleetwood Mac finally confirms why guitarist Lindsey Buckingham was 'fired'
Today (Apr 25), Fleetwood Mac revealed dates for an expansive 52-date North American tour set to kick off in October and run through early August of next year. The outing is a big announcement but is especially notable for another key reason. It marks the band’s first time on the road without iconic lead guitarist Lindsey Buckingham in over three decades.
As reported by Rolling Stone earlier this month, Lindsey Buckingham was fired after a disagreement over the band's upcoming tour. Replacing Buckingham will be not one, but two artists who are legends in their own right. Mike Campbell, the longtime lead guitarist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn will be joining the rest of Fleetwood Mac - Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, and Stevie Nicks.
In its more than 50 years as a band, Fleetwood Mac has become famous for its dysfunctions and turmoil.
But the announcement this month that Buckingham was ousted from the band still came as a shock. Now, in a new interview with CBS, Fleetwood Mac has addressed Buckingham's departure (which they attributed to an impasse over scheduling) and what it means for the band moving forward.
The decision to separate with Buckingham reportedly came from founding member and drummer Mick Fleetwood. "It happened after we played in New York at the MusiCares event," Fleetwood said in the interview.
"It became just a huge impasse and hit a brick wall, where we decided that we had to part company," Fleetwood said.
The issue arose when Fleetwood Mac was honored at the MusiCares benefit on the Grammy weekend. All five members of the classic lineup appeared together. But tensions were building, Fleetwood said, because Buckingham would not sign off on a new tour they'd been planning for a year and a half.
When asked if Buckingham was effectively fired from the band, Fleetwood decided to handle the question with tact.
"Well, we don't use that word because I think it's ugly. And it's not a question that Lindsey has huge amounts of respect and kudos to what he's done within the ranks of Fleetwood Mac and always will," Fleetwood said.
"But it's like a marriage that came to an end and there are reasons why. But as a band we needed to move on."
Stevie Nicks, who was once Buckingham's partner on stage before joining the band together in 1974 also supported Fleetwood's decision to part ways.
"This team wanted to get out on the road. And one of the members did not want to get out on the road for a year," Nicks said.
"We just couldn't agree. And you know, when you're in a band, it's a team. I mean I have a solo career, and I love my solo career, and I'm the boss. Absolutely. But I'm not the boss in this band."
Check out Fleetwood Mac’s upcoming tour schedule below. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 4. For more information, visit Fleetwood Mac's official website.
Fleetwood Mac 2018-2019 Tour Dates:
10/03 – Tulsa, OK @ BOK Center
10/06 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/10 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
10/12 – Lincoln, NE @ Pinnacle Bank Arena
10/14 – Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
10/16 – Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
10/18 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
10/20 – St. Louis, MO @ Scottrade Center
10/22 – St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
10/26 – Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
10/28 – Milwaukee, WI @ Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
10/30 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
11/01 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
11/03 – Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
11/05 – Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
11/07 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
11/10 – Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
11/12 – Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
11/14 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
11/17 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
11/19 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
11/21 – San Jose, CA @ SAP Center at San Jose
11/23 – Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
11/25 – Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
11/28 – Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
11/30 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
12/03 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
12/06 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
12/08 – San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
12/11 – Inglewood, CA @ The Forum
12/13 – Inglewood, CA @ The Forum
02/05 – Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
02/07 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
02/09 – Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
02/13 – Birmingham, AL @ Legacy Arena at The BJCC
02/16 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
02/18 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
02/20 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ BB&T Center
02/22 – Columbia, SC @ Colonial Life Arena
02/24 – Charlotte, NC @ Spectrum Center
02/27 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
03/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Philips Arena
03/05 – Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
03/09 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Boardwalk Hall
03/11 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
03/13 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
03/15 – Hartford, CT @ XL CENTER
03/20 – Albany, NY @ Times Union Center
03/24 – Baltimore, MD @ Royal Farms Arena
03/26 – Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
03/31 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
04/05 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center