The legendary band, Fleetwood Mac, just announced it's hitting the road with 50 tour dates starting in October and finishing in the spring of 2019.
With more than 100 million records sold, it's the first time the band has toured in four years.
Photo Credit: Fleetwood Mac Facebook.
But the group wouldn't be Fleetwood Mac without a little drama and few changes, including the band parting ways with lead guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham.
“Not to hedge around, but we arrived at the impasse of hitting a brick wall. This was not a happy situation for us in terms of the logistics of a functioning band. To that purpose, we made a decision that we could not go on with him. Majority rules in term of what we need to do as a band and go forward,” said Fleetwood Mac in an interview with Rolling Stone.
Not too long ago, the band met up with the former guitar player of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Mike Campbell. He, along with Neil Finn of Crowded House will replace Buckingham on the tour.
Photo Credit: Getty ImagesL to R: Stevie Nicks and John McVie of Fleetwood Mac.
“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," Fleetwood said in a press release. "We know we have something new, yet it’s got the unmistakable Mac sound."
Even with a few changes, fans won't be disappointed, as Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie will keep the touring group loyal to the true spirit of Mac.
Formed in 1967 by Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood, the British-American rock band didn't become popular until the mid 70's when Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham, and Stevie Nicks joined the group.
During that time, they produced several hits including their top-selling album, 'Rumours' from 1977, which spent 31 days in the No. 1 spot on U.S. charts.
Photo Credit: IMDbFleetwood Mac
The album 'Rumours' proved to be a double-edged sword: many of the hit songs were birthed out of personal heartache experienced within the group.
When lead guitarist, Buckingham was first asked to join the band, he wouldn't commit unless his girlfriend, Stevie Nicks, could join as well. By the late 80's the two had split and Nicks got together with the drummer, Mick Fleetwood.
At the same time, bassist, John McVie and keyboardist and singer, Christine McVie, filed for divorce. Buckingham was first to leave the band, followed by Nicks in 1991.
Photo Credit: WikipediaAlbum cover of Rumours.
But they couldn't stay away for long and in 1997 they regrouped for a reunion show. A year later, McVie stopped touring with Mac, but later returned to the band in 2014.
The Rumours album gave the group the most success in their musical career, but also spawned the unfortunate unraveling of their personal lives in the public eye.
With the band's 'swinging door' policy, Buckingham's departure this spring is unfortunate, but certainly not uncharted territory for this group.
This morning, Fleetwood Mac was interviewed by CBS on why the band parted ways with Lindsey Buckingham.
Earlier this year, Fleetwood Mac received the 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year award. Honorees, Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie, Buckingham, and Fleetwood all performed onstage together at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.
Fleetwood Mac plays in Vancouver on Nov. 14, 2018.
Tickets go on sale May 4, 2018, at 10 a.m.
For those with SiriusXM radio, a Fleetwood Mac exclusive channel is set to air at 5 p.m. ET on May 1 and will continue through the month on Channel 30.
Here are the tour dates for Fleetwood Mac 2018-19:
10/3 – Tulsa, OK, BOK Center
10/6 – Chicago, IL, United Center
10/10 – Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center
10/12 – Lincoln, NE, Pinnacle Bank Arena
10/14 – Des Moines, IA, Wells Fargo Arena
10/16 – Indianapolis, IN, Bankers Life Fieldhouse
10/18 – Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center
10/20 – St. Louis, MO, Scottrade Center
10/22 – St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center
10/26 – Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
10/28 – Milwaukee, WI, Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
10/30 – Detroit, MI, Little Caesars Arena
11/1 – Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
11/3 – Ottawa, ON, Canadian Tire Centre
11/5 – Toronto, ON, Air Canada Centre
11/7 – Columbus, OH, Nationwide Arena
11/10 – Edmonton, AB, Rogers Place
11/12 – Calgary, AB, Scotiabank Saddledome
11/14 – Vancouver, BC, Rogers Arena
11/17 – Tacoma, WA, Tacoma Dome
11/19 – Portland, OR, Moda Center
11/21 – San Jose, CA, SAP Center at San Jose
11/23 – Sacramento, CA, Golden 1 Center
11/25 – Oakland, CA, Oracle Arena
11/28 – Phoenix, AZ, Talking Stick Resort Arena
11/30 – Las Vegas, NV, T-Mobile Arena
12/3 – Denver, CO, Pepsi Center
12/6 – Fresno, CA, Save Mart Center
12/8 – San Diego, CA, Viejas Arena
12/11 – Inglewood, CA, The Forum
12/13 – Inglewood, CA, The Forum
2/5 – Houston, TX, Toyota Center
2/7 – Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
2/9 – Austin, TX, Frank Erwin Center
2/13 – Birmingham, AL, Legacy Arena at The BJCC
2/16 – New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center
2/18 – Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
2/20 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL, BB&T Center
2/22 – Columbia, SC, Colonial Life Arena
2/24 – Charlotte, NC, Spectrum Center
2/27 – Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
3/3 – Atlanta, GA, Philips Arena
3/5 – Washington, DC, Capital One Arena
3/9 – Atlantic City, NJ, Boardwalk Hall
3/11- New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
3/13 – Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
3/15 – Hartford, CT, XL Center
3/20 – Albany, NY, Times Union Center
3/24 – Baltimore, MD, Royal Farms Arena
3/26 – Buffalo, NY, KeyBank Center
3/31- Boston, MA, TD Garden
4/5 – Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
(Feature Photo: Getty Images: Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks).
