Lindsey Buckingham, one of the pivotal figures of Fleetwood Mac’s 1970s and ’80s classic lineup has apparently decided to quit the band. In a new report published by Variety, the singer-guitarist has decided to go his own way after reuniting and performing in arenas and stadiums alongside Christine McVie, John McVie, Mick Fleetwood and of course his ex, Stevie Nicks over the past two-decades.
The band confirmed Buckingham’s departure in an official statement while heralding the arrival of two musicians to take his place for an as-yet-announced tour. “We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the caliber of [Tom Petty guitarist] Mike Campbell and [Crowded House frontman] 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 honoring that spirit on this upcoming tour.”
In his follow-up statement, Mick Fleetwood added, “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.”
This isn’t the first time that Buckingham has quit the band, but it certainly comes as a bit of a shock. The guitarist left the group for the first time back in 1987 just after the release of their multi-platinum smash album Tango In The Night dropped. The news of Buckingham’s departure was actually foreshadowed last week, when his replacement for the subsequent tour Billy Burnette, tweeted and subsequently deleted a message that stated, “Breaking news: Lindsey Buckingham is out but I’m not in.”
Of course, turmoil and drama is nothing new to the world of Fleetwood Mac, and is in fact, a central part of their allure, and impressive, era-defining songwriting on blockbuster albums like their 1975 self-titled album, Rumours, Tusk. The writing was on the wall that all was not well within the band when Stevie Nicks refused to participate in the album Lindsey Buckingham Christine McVie last year, which featured everyone else in the group besides her.
