Lindsey Buckingham sues Fleetwood Mac over firing

Buckingham was fired earlier this year after the group agreed to 60 shows

Former Fleetwood Mac guitarist and vocalist Lindsey Buckingham is suing his former bandmates for being fired from their tour earlier this year. US Weekly reports that the 69 year old singer/songwriter/guitarist has filed documents in Los Angeles County Superior Court suing each of his former bandmates — Stevie Nicks, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie and John McVie — for breach of fiduciary duty, breach of oral contract and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage. The suit alleges each member of the group would earn $12-14 million after making a deal with Live Nation for 60 shows in North America.

According the lawsuit, Buckingham was informed by his manager in January that the classic rock band “would proceed with its upcoming and already organized 2018 to 2019 concert tour without him.” He further alleges that “not a single member of the band” called him to share the news despite 43 years of friendship.

Buckingham admits he asked the group to delay a North American tour from August until November so he could release and promote a new solo project. Buckingham says his former bandmates refused his request, so he delayed his own solo efforts so they could tour. They five of them allegedly agreed to perform 60 shows in North America.

However, after an appearance at the 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year in late January, Buckingham was informed that “the Fleetwood Mac tour was off.” He claims in the lawsuit that he didn’t find out the group “planned to tour without him” and had “suddenly cut [him] off entirely” until three days after his firing.

Buckingham broke his silence on the firing earlier this month to Rolling Stone. He said he was informed of his firing by band manager Irving Azoff who called him the news while watching the Grammys. Azoff insisted that Nicks was angry that Buckingham smirked while she delivered a speech during the MusiCares ceremony two days earlier. He was told that she was also upset over his angry reaction to the group walking on stage to Nicks’ “Rhiannon,” and for “smirking” during her speech. Azoff told him Nicks “never wants to be on a stage with you again.”

Buckingham thought that meant Nicks was leaving the band, but he realized something was wrong after bandmates wouldn’t return his emails. That’s when he phoned Azoff and was informed he was “getting ousted” from the band because Nicks gave them “an ultimatum: Either you go or she’s gonna go.”

Fleetwood Mac enlisted The Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Neil Finn of Crowded House to replace him for the tour that began last week. Buckingham joined the group in 1975 and voluntarily left in 1987. He rejoined in 1997 and continued to perform with them until his ousting in January. Buckingham also kicked off his own solo tour last week in support of his 3 CD/6 LP Solo Anthology, available November 23rd.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com