Category Archives: Mick Fleetwood

Fleetwood Mac 2018/19, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks, Tour Info

Fleetwood Mac Detail New Tour and Talk Life After Lindsey Buckingham | Rolling Stone

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Rolling Stone
by Andy Green
April 25, 2018

In their first interview since firing their longtime guitarist, the group discusses balancing lingering tensions with an expanded live palette

Fleetwood Mac discuss life after Lindsey Buckingham and plans for their massive, upcoming tour. Randee St Nicholas

A little over a month ago, the majority of Fleetwood Mac – Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie and Mick Fleetwood – quietly gathered at a little theater in Maui with their future in doubt. The band had secretly parted ways with Lindsey Buckingham, the longtime guitarist and voice behind many of their most enduring songs. According to the group, the split came down to a scheduling conflict surrounding a world tour. “We were supposed to go into rehearsal in June and he wanted to put it off until November [2019],” says Nicks. “That’s a long time. I just did 70 shows [on a solo tour]. As soon as I finish one thing, I dive back into another. Why would we stop? We don’t want to stop playing music. We don’t have anything else to do. This is what we do.”

So instead, they invited Mike Campbell, the former guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn and spent a few days workshopping tunes from their vast catalog to see if this new lineup had the right chemistry. “I immediately felt like I’d known them for years,” says Christine McVie, “even though we’d only just met.”

The new lineup will embark on a massive 52-date tour beginning October 3rd in Tulsa and criss-crossing the country before wrapping up in Philadelphia in April 2019. Tickets for the tour go on sale Friday, May 4th at 10 a.m. local time. (A complete itinerary is listed below.) The group also announced the launch of a SiriusXM channel devoted to the band beginning Tuesday, May 1st. Continue reading Fleetwood Mac Detail New Tour and Talk Life After Lindsey Buckingham | Rolling Stone →

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Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham Goes His Own Way (Again): A Timeline | Spin

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Written By Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Just three years ago, when Fleetwood Mac was awash in good vibes after the return of Christine McVie, MOJO Magazine asked Mick Fleetwood if it was the classic lineup or nothing. The drummer, who has anchored the British band with bassist John McVie since 1967, responded: “This is it, to me. Emotionally, if you think of the enormity of what has happened, the surprise of what has happened, the doors that have opened to be walked through…if you were writing a book, you’d go, ‘Isn’t it a shame I can’t end it like this?’ We’ve had the chance to end it like that and I wouldn’t dream of it any other way.”

Dreams never last. It was only a matter of time before Fleetwood’s rosy summary of the future of rock’s most mercurial band shattered, and April 9, 2018 brought the news. Lindsey Buckingham–the guitarist/singer/producer/songwriter who sat at the foundation of Fleetwood Mac since 1975–would not joining the band on its farewell tour later this year. Shortly after the story broke in Variety, it was reported by Rolling Stonethat Buckingham was fired over disagreements concerning this tour.

Details remain sketchy but as its surprise reveal fades, Buckingham’s departure seems like the inevitable end to his time in Fleetwood Mac. After all, the group had eight guitarists before he joined and, with this year’s addition of Crowded House’s Neil Finn and Mike Campbell of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, there have been six other members that have played with the group once Lindsey left them high and dry. Buckingham may have played a pivotal part of Fleetwood Mac’s story but it was only a part–one that was fraught with so much creative tension, it’s a wonder either of his tenures lasted as long as they did. Here we’ve created a brief history of Buckingham’s time with the band.

***

1973: As Fleetwood Mac release Mystery To Me, their fifth album to feature Christine McVie and guitarist Bob Welch, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks debut with Buckingham Nicks, a sweet, hazy collection of folky Southern Californian soft-rock produced by Ken Olsen. Buckingham Nicks sinks without a trace, leaving the duo nearly destitute and looking for a break. Continue reading Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham Goes His Own Way (Again): A Timeline | Spin →

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Fleetwood Mac Fires Lindsey Buckingham | Rolling Stone

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Rolling Stone
April 9th, 2018

Mike Campbell of the Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House to replace departing guitarist

Fleetwood Mac has fired Lindsey Buckingham after a disagreement over the band’s upcoming tour, Rolling Stone has confirmed. The band announced Monday that Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Neil Finn of Crowded House will replace him.

News of Buckingham’s departure initially broke when former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Billy Burnette shared an April 4th tweet that has since been deleted, saying: “Breaking news: Lindsey Buckingham is out but I’m not in.” Rolling Stone has confirmed Buckingham’s departure, though no specific tour dates have been announced.

Fleetwood Mac issued a collective statement about the news, saying: “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.”

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 within Fleetwood Mac style. We know we have something new, yet it’s got the unmistakable Mac sound.”

Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974 along with Stevie Nicks. He wrote and sang many of their most memorable songs, including “Go Your Own Way,” “Tusk” and “Second Hand News.” He left in 1987 shortly before the Tango On The Night tour (where he was replaced by Billy Burnette) and rejoined in 1996 for The Dance reunion tour. He remained active on the road with them for the next two decades. They last played full sets at Classic East and Classics West in July of last year, through they did play a brief set in January at the pre-Grammy MusiCares concert in their honor. The set ended, fittingly enough, with “Go Your Own Way.”

In August of last year, Mick Fleetwood spoke to Rolling Stone about the band’s next tour. “I was in Italy recently and met Stevie out there,” he said. “She said to me, ‘Let’s sit down and really listen to some stuff that sort of almost got forgotten.’ So I know she’s already thinking she wants to do some things we haven’t done in years. I always think that Stevie and Lindsey should do a Buckingham Nicks song in the set. And have Christine do a blues song. I hope it certainly won’t be the same show as we did before. We always played nearly three hours, and we cut it back a little bit for the wear and tear, but we do over two hours. And when you got three singers, which is, like, three bands, really, to get that perfect set, it’s a trip.”

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UPDATED: Is Stevie Nicks damaging the Fleetwood Mac legacy?

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group-tuskpresskit

Will Fleetwood Mac release a new studio album?
Will Stevie Nicks join the band in recording the album?
Will Stevie Nicks tour again with Fleetwood Mac?
Is there a future for Fleetwood Mac?

So many questions, all without any real answers from the band, other than that Stevie Nicks is touring her 2014 album “24 Karat Gold: Songs From The Vault” making up time she gave to Fleetwood Mac for the “On With The Show” that brought Christine McVie back into Fleetwood Mac.

However, the rest of the band (well that is not technically accurate as John McVie does not generally say anything to the press) have been talking about recording new music for a new potential Fleetwood Mac studio album and the possibility of another worldwide tour that is likely to be scheduled to co-incide with the 40th anniversary of Rumours, as well as the 50th anniversary of the band being formed and the 30th anniversary of Tango In The Night and 20th anniversary of The Dance (Fleetwood Mac seems to have a thing for years with seven in them!!)

But, Stevie Nicks appears not to be committing to the band, is she about to splinter the group and force a Fleetwood, McVie, McVie and Buckingham version of the band to cement their legacy and exploit the huge commercial opening that will begin next year when the anniversary year for Fleetwood Mac commences, this will likely  be the last hurrah for the band  before old father time chimes in. Continue reading UPDATED: Is Stevie Nicks damaging the Fleetwood Mac legacy? →

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Christine McVie says Fleetwood Mac got high to try to numb misery of being together | The Mirror

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By Halina Watts
27th Jan 2018
The Mirror

Christine McVie said failed relationships in the band – including splits and affairs – put them all in the depths of despair in the studio

Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Friday (Image: Getty Images North America)

Rock royalty Fleetwood Mac got high to try to numb the ­misery of being together, Christine McVie has revealed.

The singer-songwriter said failed relationships in the band – including splits and affairs – put them all in the depths of despair in the studio.

They turned to alcohol, cocaine and even quaaludes tranquilisers to “cheer themselves up” and get through sessions.

Her candid words came as Fleetwood Mac were honoured at the MusiCares Person of the Year pre-Grammy event.

Christine, 74, said of wild drug use in their heyday: “Everybody was doing it. I don’t have any regrets at all.

“I would not change those days but you have to remember it was uniform – it was a badge of honour, and everybody was doing that kind of thing.”

Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks perform onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on January 26 (Image: Getty Images North America)

Explaining their over-indulgence at work, she added: “Our situation in the studio, that was angst and I think we probably needed a little something to cheer us up in that situation. Continue reading Christine McVie says Fleetwood Mac got high to try to numb misery of being together | The Mirror →

Books, Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, UK Articles

Mick Fleetwood on the early days of Fleetwood Mac and why he’s a terrible drummer | BBC News

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By Mark Savage
BBC Music reporter
15 October 2017

Mick Fleetwood is the backbone of the band that bears his name; the man who kept Fleetwood Mac rolling through the best and hardest of times.

In the early days he was their manager, hiring and firing musicians like a soft rock Alan Sugar.

By the late 70s, he was the bandage that stopped them falling apart amidst drug abuse, infidelity and betrayal.

And sitting behind his “back to front” drum kit, Fleetwood is the band’s beating heart, constructing dozens of unforgettable rhythms – from the syncopated shuffle of Go Your Own Way, to the fidgety cowbell riff of Oh Well.

But surprisingly, the 70-year-old doesn’t rate his own drumming.

“There’s no discipline,” he says. “I can’t do the same thing every night.”

Anyone who’s listened to the deluxe edition of Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk will know otherwise. There, you can hear multiple outtakes from the title track, with Fleetwood sitting doggedly on the song’s distinctive groove for more than 25 minutes.

Still, he insists: “I am very not conformed, I change all the time.”

The confession is prompted by a discussion about Fleetwood’s lavish new picture book, Love That Burns, which chronicles his early career and the first incarnations of Fleetwood Mac. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood on the early days of Fleetwood Mac and why he’s a terrible drummer | BBC News →

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British blues: New book heralds early days of Fleetwood Mac | Daily Mail

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By Associated Press
Oct 6th, 2017

LONDON (AP) – Mick Fleetwood was 16 when he left school, told his parents he wanted to pursue a career in rock ‘n’ roll, and went to London in search of gigs.

A common tale, true, but this one has a happy ending. Fleetwood fell in with some talented blues enthusiasts, paid (barely) his dues, and soared to stardom with the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac – and then into the rock ‘n’ roll stratosphere with the second, more pop-oriented version of the band.

“School was not a good thing for me,” said Fleetwood, dressed in classic British style, complete with a pocket watch on a chain.

Mick Fleetwood, the drummer and co-founder of the band Fleetwood Mac speaks before the start of an interview at a hotel in London, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017. Fleetwood was 16 when he left school, told his parents he wanted to pursue a career in rock ‘n’ roll, and went to London in search of gigs.
A common tale, true, but this one has a happy ending. As a teen, Mick Fleetwood fell in with some talented blues enthusiasts, paid his dues, and soared to stardom with the first incarnation of Fleetwood Mac and then into the rock ‘n’ roll stratosphere with the second, more pop-oriented version of the band. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

“I had a learning disability, no doubt, and no one understood what those things were. I was sort of drowning at school academically. My parents were like, ‘Go and do it.’ They were picking up on the fact that I had found something. They saw the one thing that I loved with a passion was teaching myself how to play drums at home,” he said. “So they sent me off with a little drum kit to London and the whole thing unfolded.”

Fleetwood didn’t really have to rebel, though rebellion was in the air, and he had the good fortune to make friends early with Peter Green, the supremely talented guitarist whose blues sound shaped the band’s early years. Continue reading British blues: New book heralds early days of Fleetwood Mac | Daily Mail →

Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, Tour Info, UK Articles

Mick Fleetwood: ‘Next tour will not be Fleetwood Mac’s last’ | Belfast Telegraph

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The 70-year-old rocker reveals the band’s 2018 world tour will include a few rarities. Fleetwood Mac leader Mick Fleetwood has assured fans the band’s 2018 tour won’t be a finale.

Bandmate Christine McVie has hinted that the upcoming 18-month global trek will be a farewell, but the drummer insists the band has more music to play and perhaps record.

“In my mind, it’s not (the final tour), and everyone in the band has decided that it’s not,” he tells Rolling Stone, “but we thought we were finished 30 years ago…

“I don’t know if morbid is the correct word here, but when everyone is in their 70s and you think about five years from now… Phil Collins is calling his tour Not Dead Yet. Well, we’re not dead yet, but God forbid, we might be, so you could be like, ‘I better go and see them!’

“But you will not see a poster saying this is our farewell tour that I could dream of.”

And Fleetwood, 70, reveals he and Stevie Nicks recently met up in Italy and checked out some old forgotten songs they’re thinking of revamping for the 2018 tour.

“She said to me, ‘Let’s sit down and really listen to some stuff that sort of almost got forgotten’,” he shares. “So I know she’s already thinking she wants to do some things we haven’t done in years. I always think that Stevie and Lindsey (Buckingham) should do a Buckingham Nicks song in the set. And Christine should do a blues song.”

And there’s always the possibility that the band could play an entire album onstage – like Rumours.

“It would be fantastic, but we’d have to be like Bruce Springsteen – out there for seven hours,” Fleetwood laughs. “Then it could be the last tour. You’ll see wooden boxes onstage. Five of them.”

Belfast Telegraph Digital

Mick Fleetwood, UK Articles

Mick Fleetwood: ‘I’m 70 years old and I play harder now than I used to’ | The Guardian

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 in Austin, Texas

The co-founder of Fleetwood Mac talks the glory days of the band, touring as a septuagenarian and what the swinging 60s were really like

‘I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to do what I do’ … Mick Fleetwood. Photograph: Daniel Sullivan

Hey, Mick. How are you?
I’m OK, but I’ve got coconut oil all over my water bottle.

Coconut oil?
I put it on my hands. When you get old, you get lizard skin. I didn’t know but it’s an antiseptic. I put it on my head too. It doesn’t smell and it’s not full of chemicals. You can use it for cooking and it’s good for sex, too.

Sex and bald heads? Mick, I wasn’t prepared for this.
Well, now you know. It’s multipurpose stuff.

It’s the midway point of SXSW and some people are looking worse for wear. Any tips for hangover cures?
Drink lots of electrolytes even if you need to go to the toilet all the time, it’s worth it. And get hold of avocado or watermelon. Avocado is full of electrolytes and protein. Put it on some toast. Put a big fucking mashed-up avocado on toast and you’ll come back like you’ve never seen before.

Gracias. Why have you decided to put out a book about early Fleetwood Mac?
My former brother-in-law, George Harrison, did a similar thing in 1980. I saw it back then and it was something I wanted to do but didn’t get round to it. Jimmy Page did one for Led Zeppelin too. It’s all about what started the band and a lot of people don’t know about that period, and the band is 50 years old in August for the original members of Fleetwood Mac. This is the beginning of the group and it’s very important to me. Continue reading Mick Fleetwood: ‘I’m 70 years old and I play harder now than I used to’ | The Guardian →

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Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’: 10 Things You Didn’t Know | Rolling Stone

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By Jordan Runtagh
Rolling Stone Online
February 3, 2017

Why “Silver Springs” was left off the LP, how the band’s Rolling Stone cover shoot fueled Steve Nicks and Mick Fleetwood’s affair, and more

“Drama. Dra-ma,” was how Christine McVie described the recording of Rumours to Rolling Stone shortly after its release on February 4th, 1977. And that wasn’t even the half of it. Sessions for Fleetwood Mac‘s masterwork have all the elements of a meticulously scripted theatrical romance – elaborate entanglements, enormous amounts of money and mountains of cocaine.

The Rumours saga is one of rock’s most famous soap operas, but here’s a refresher course on the dramatis personae: Stevie Nicks had just split with her longtime lover and musical partner, Lindsey Buckingham, while Christine was in the midst of divorcing her husband, bassist John McVie. Meanwhile, Mick Fleetwood’s extra-band marriage was on the rocks, leading to an affair with Nicks before the year was out. This inner turmoil surfaced in brutally honest lyrics, transforming the album into a tantalizing he-said-she-said romantic confessional. The musicians’ personal lives permanently fused within the grooves, and all who listened to Rumours become a voyeur to the painful, glamorous mess.

Drama aside, Rumours is among the finest work the band ever produced. “We refused to let our feelings derail our commitment to the music, no matter how complicated or intertwined they became,” Fleetwood later wrote in his 2014 memoir. “It was hard to do, but no matter what, we played through the hurt.” Continue reading Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’: 10 Things You Didn’t Know | Rolling Stone →