Longtime Fleetwood Mac member, Lindsey Buckingham, has been shown the door. Sources say that after a disagreement over the band’s upcoming tour, Buckingham was fired – he did not leave voluntarily.
He leaves big shoes to fill, so the band is replacing him with two big stars in their own right. Mike Campbell, legendary lead guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, will join Mac along with Neil Finn of Crowded House.
Lindsey Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974, along with Stevie Nicks. Buckingham sang and wrote many of the band’s hits over the next decade, including “Go Your Own Way,” “Second Hand News,” and “Tusk.” He split the band in 1987, only to return again in 1996.
Buckingham played most recently with the band at the MusicCares Awards earlier this year, when the band was named the person of the year. Can’t imagine the spark and history being the same when they perform the songs from the Buckingham-Nicks relationship and departure from it. Mike Campbell, of course, needed a gig with the death of Tom Petty, and Campbell played on Nicks’ first solo album that produced the hit, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” so they’ve got a history of working well together.
So for the second time, Buckingham will go his own way. Fleetwood Mac’s new lineup has not announced its upcoming 2018 fall tour dates yet.
Doc Watson
