Guitarist Lindsey Buckingham says that the band is entering its ‘last act’
Fleetwood Mac may be heading into their final year. According to the band’s guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, the group will cease to operate in 2015 or soon afterwards. He told the American TV channel PBS that the forthcoming Fleetwood Mac album and tour would be their “last act”.
2014 was a big year for Fleetwood Mac: the original keyboardist and songwriter Christine McVie rejoined after quitting the band in 1998. They played a series of acclaimed gigs, and next year bring their On With the Show tour to the UK – including a headline slot at the Isle of Wight festival. There is also the promise of the band’s first album since 2003, which will feature a number of new songs that McVie and Buckingham have worked on together.
“She gave me a bunch of stuff to take home,” said Buckingham. “I worked on it, came back, and she loved it. We went into the studio and came out with the best songs we’ve co-written in years.” He added: “Christine really fills the gap of the polarity that might exist otherwise, and helps things breathe.”
However, Buckingham did admit to being sceptical when he first heard that McVie wanted to return. He said: “My initial reaction was, ‘OK – we have to take this with baby steps.’ The want to return doesn’t mean you can repeat history; it doesn’t mean all the tools, all the reference points are still there for it all to work.”
The current Fleetwood Mac lineup is the same one that oversaw the band’s most successful period, including the trio of classic 1970s albums Fleetwood Mac, Rumours and Tusk, as well as the poppy 1980s hit Tango in the Night.
Buckingham concluded: “We’re going to continue working on the new album, and the solo stuff will take a back seat for a year or two. A beautiful way to wrap up this last act.”