A touring disagreement caused the firing
Lindsey Buckingham has been fired by Fleetwood Mac after a disagreement over the band’s upcoming tour. Rolling Stone confirmed the news which has spread like wildfire. Fleetwood Mac has hired Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House to fill Buckingham’s void.
No tour dates for the upcoming Fleetwood Mac trek have been announced as of press time. The news was first shared on April 4th by former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Billy Burnette. He tweeted, “Breaking news: Lindsey Buckingham is out but I’m not in,” but has since deleted it.
Fleetwood Mac released a joint statement Monday afternoon (April 9th), stating, “We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the caliber 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 honoring that spirit on this upcoming tour.”
The statement continues, “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.”
The statement concludes, “Lindsey Buckingham will not be performing with the band on this tour. The band wishes Lindsey all the best.”
This was Buckingham’s second tenure with the band. He joined the group in 1974 along with Stevie Nicks but left in 1987. He rejoined in 1996 where he had remained a member for two decades. Buckingham wrote and sang many of their most memorable songs, including “Go Your Own Way,” “Tusk” and “Second Hand News.”
