In a recent Twitter Q&A, Lindsey Buckingham admitted that he doesn’t miss being in Fleetwood Mac after being fired in 2018.
He was dismissed following the result of an ultimatum sparked by former bandmate Stevie Nicks, who allegedly holds a major distaste for Buckingham.
When asked if he “actually misses” being in the legendary band, the 69-year-old singer said:
“I can’t say that I ‘miss’ being in Fleetwood Mac, as I’ve been concentrating on fulfilling my own plans that were already in the works before the split happened.”
Following the official announcement of his departure in April, Buckingham was quick to get back to work on his solo career.
He released a compilation album, Solo Anthology: The Best of Lindsey Buckingham (2018) on Oct. 5 and launched into a full North American tour.
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In the revealing Twitter session, Buckingham admitted he isn’t very inclined to the newest formation of Fleetwood Mac.
“In a sense, the situation is still too new to miss,” he wrote. “Especially since I don’t have much regard for the way the band is presenting itself now.”
Surprised at how much Buckingham was willing to say, fans egged him on a little more and asked for details regarding a lawsuit he filed against the band late last year, as well as the status of his relationship with former bandmate, Christine McVie.
“Have you had any contact with Christine,” asked one user. “Yes,” he replied. “I did hear from Christine not long after we reached a settlement.”
Buckingham admitted that McVie was still the only member of the band he has actually heard from and added that she claimed to miss him. She even said Fleetwood Mac “wasn’t complete without” him.
He expressed a desire to work with McVie down the line and wrote “it was great to hear from her.”
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Buckingham was booted from Fleetwood Mac only two days after their MusiCares performance back in January. (They were being honoured as MusiCare’s Person of the Year in New York City.)
He received a call with the bad news from the band’s manager, Irving Azoff, and he allegedly said, “Stevie never wants to be on a stage with you again.”
Following reported arguments, Nicks also claimed he smirked during her acceptance speech at MusiCares.
Nicks reportedly gave the band an ultimatum: either he was out or she was. From that point on, Buckingham was cut out. He tried to reach out to his bandmates via calls and email but says he received no answers.
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Buckingham was replaced by Tom Petty’s Heartbreaker, Mike Campbell, and Neil Finn of Crowded House. They will share guitar duties, while Finn now acts as the replacement co-vocalist to sing alongside Nicks.
Following his dismissal from the band, Buckingham filed a lawsuit against former bandmates, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, John McVie and Christine McVie.
The suit was specifically filed for “breach of oral contract, breach of fiduciary duty and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.”
He claimed that he was still interested in touring with the band, otherwise he wanted his share of the tour revenues — which was estimated by Live Nation to be more than US$12 million per band member.
After an interview on CBS’ This Morning back in December, Buckingham revealed that the suit was resolved. He admitted he was “happy enough” with the settlement and that he wasn’t “out there trying to twist the knife.”
“I’m trying to look at this with some level of compassion, some level of wisdom,” he added.
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Although Buckingham finished his solo tour back in December, he’s planning on scheduling another run for 2019.
Fleetwood Mac are still on the road for their ‘In Concert’ tour. There are four remaining Canadian stops on the tour.
Tickets are available through the official Fleetwood Mac website.
Fleetwood Mac Canadian tour dates 2019
04/08 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
04/11 — Winnipeg, Man. @ Bell MTS Place
04/13 — Edmonton, Alta. @ Rogers Place
04/15 — Calgary, Alta. @ Scotiabank Saddledome