Fleetwood Mac is replacing Lindsey Buckingham with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House after disagreeing with the singer/guitarist about its upcoming tour.
Fans knew something was wrong with the band when guitarist Billy Burnette, who replaced Buckingham in the past, sent out a tweet earlier this month (that has since been deleted) that read: “Breaking news: Lindsey Buckingham is out but I’m not in. A little-pissed off but I’ll get over it.” The band confirmed with Rolling Stone and Variety that Buckingham left the group.
According to Variety, Buckingham was hesitant to launch another tour because he wanted to work on solo material. Meanwhile, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood were willing to tour and decided to go ahead without him.
Fleetwood Mac said in a statement: “We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the calibre of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn into the Mac family. With Mike and Neil, we’ll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we’ll be surprising our audiences with some tracks from our historic catalogue of songs. Fleetwood Mac has always been a creative evolution. We look forward to honouring that spirit on this upcoming tour.”
Tour dates have yet to be released.
Fleetwood noted, “Fleetwood Mac has always been about an amazing collection of songs that are performed with a unique blend of talents … We jammed with Mike and Neil and the chemistry really worked and let the band realize that this is the right combination to go forward with, in Fleetwood Mac style. We know we have something new, yet it’s got the unmistakable Mac sound.”
Finn told Rolling Stone: “Two weeks ago, I received a wonderful invitation to be a part of a truly great band. A few days later, I was standing in a room playing music with Fleetwood Mac. It felt fresh and exciting, so many great songs, a spectacular rhythm section and two of the greatest voices ever. Best of all, we sounded good together. It was a natural fit. I can’t wait to play.”
Buckingham and then-girlfriend Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974. He’s known for writing and performing several hit songs, including “Go Your Own Way,” “Tusk,” and “Second Hand News. He left Fleetwood Mac in 1987 but returned in 1996 during The Dance reunion tour. He last played with the band in January at a pre-Grammy MusiCares concert that honoured Fleetwood Mac. It was at that time that the group decided to launch another tour.
Buckingham isn’t the only member who left the band only to return later. Christine McVie quit in 1998 because she had a horrible fear of flying and wanted to stay close to family in England. In 2014 she asked to come back. She and Buckingham released the album Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie in 2017. Mick Fleetwood and John McVie also contributed to the album.
