Fleetwood Mac fires guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, report says
Lindsey Buckingham performs at the Honda Center on May 23, 2009, in Anaheim, Calif. Credit: Getty Images / Kevin Winter
Fleetwood Mac has fired guitarist Lindsey Buckingham over a disagreement about the band’s upcoming world tour, according to Rolling Stone.
Longtime Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Neil Finn of Crowded House and Split Enz will replace him.
“We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the caliber of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn into the Mac family,” the band said in a statement. “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.”
Buckingham could not be reached for comment. He joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974 with Stevie Nicks, setting the stage for “Rumours,” one of the top-selling albums in history. He left Fleetwood Mac to go solo in 1987, but returned in 1997 for “The Dance” reunion tour and has been with the band since. The last full concert Buckingham played with Fleetwood Mac was at Citi Field last year when they closed The Classic East festival.
“Fleetwood Mac has always been about an amazing collection of songs that are performed with a unique blend of talents,” Mick Fleetwood said in a statement. “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.”
