Originally Posted by jbrownsjr (Post 1249860)

I believe they were between #1 and #2 when Christine returned. 2014/2015

Originally Posted by kak125 (Post 1250674)

The absence of Lindsey Buckingham has not hurt the band's latest tour, which has at least 10 shows with grosses over $2 million.
Fleetwood Mac is on track to gross more than $100 million on the North American leg of their 2018/2019 tour with venues across the country reporting grosses between $1.5 to $2 million per show powered by a new generation of fans who have embraced the legendary group and its deep catalog of No. 1 hits.

Couple their success in North America with a fall international run for the band in the U.K., Germany, Australia and New Zealand, and the Mac's 75-plus date tour is shaping up to be one of the top tours on Billboard's year-end Boxscore chart. Not bad for a group that is touring without key member Lindsey Buckingham, who left the band (he told Rolling Stone he was "fired") last year over disagreements about its touring plans -- Buckingham reportedly wanted to spend most of 2019 on a solo tour, while the band wanted to get back on the road together sooner).

After a brief impasse, the group announced they were going on tour without Buckingham, but with Mike Campbell of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Crowded House‘s Neil Finn standing in for the guitarist and singer.

"When Lindsey left the band, none of us had any expectations good or bad -- it was more about continuing Fleetwood Mac," the group's co-manager Carl Stubner tells Billboard. "We had about a month to put the tour together and get it on sale, without any assets or pictures of the new lineup. Thankfully, it started doing well from the beginning."

Positive press from the band's first show on the tour at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma followed by a monster show at the United Center in Chicago that grossed more than $2.2 million, giving the tour the momentum it needed. More than ten dates on the tour have passed the $2 million mark in ticket sales, including the band's Dallas show at American Airlines Center (Feb. 7) and their Tacoma Dome (Nov. 17) concert, which each grossed $2.34 million in sales in front of 18,828 fans in Washington and 14,357 fans in Dallas.

The band's tour stops at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Nov. 30), Capitol One Arena in Washington (March 5), Amalie Arena in Tampa (Feb 18) and Golden 1 Center in Sacramento (Nov. 23) all grossed more than $2 million in ticket sales, as did shows in Toronto, Nashville and Charlotte.

"The tour is playing to sold out arenas every night and I love walking thru the crowds, seeing generations of longtime fans dancing and singing along to their favorite songs," the band's co-manager Sheryl Louis told Billboard in a statement. "What I’ve noticed on this tour specifically is so many younger fans, who are equally as enthusiastic, seeing the band live for the first time and loving it," adding that Campbell and Finn's work in the band has "brought tremendous energy to the shows that both the band and the audience can feel. In the long history of Fleetwood Mac, these are honestly some of their best shows yet."

Most of the acrimony between the two sides has been settled, Stubner said, and the band wished Buckingham a speedy recovery following heart surgery in February.

Neil Finn of Crowded House performs on stage during the 'Encore' tour at Sydney Opera House on Nov. 24, 2016 in Sydney, Australia.
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"And it was a hard divorce and emotional because we love Lindsey, but we made the best out of a bad situation," Stubner tells Billboard. "The show has done well in the big markets and the smaller markets like Sacramento and Birmingham, Alabama. And not just selling tickets, but merchandise -- t-shirt sales have increased considerably from any other tour we've done."

Stubner said the uptick is being fueled by a younger demographic of fans, including teenagers attending the tour with their parents and older millennials enjoying a night out with friends.

"They learned about the band from their parents, and then they dug a little deeper" Stubner says. "There's a hunger for bands with deep catalogs and I see a lot of young people coming to the shows in search of this music they've built a deep connection with. And maybe that's why we have been able to do so well without Lindsey, because it's really about the collective and the show itself. They're coming out for the band."

Fleetwood Mac plays Madison Square Garden tonight in New York. Visit fleetwoodmac.com for a complete list of shows remaining on tour.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/b...illion-tickets

Originally Posted by elle (Post 1250682)

Perfect - just in case anyone is still wondering where the refreshing reenergized text of some of the reviews and bs about LB not wanting to tour came from - Sheryl and Carl. Love love love love this article! Especially in the light of Muck and Chris interviews that came out the same day where they went off Sheryl/Carl script and completely corroborated Lindsey’s story while make themselves look like lying liars they are.

Originally Posted by BigAl84 (Post 1251610)

HAHA it's nearly verbatim what Mick and others have been quoted as saying. What a joke!

And I have news for them, the younger fans have been there for a long time. This isn't some new thing caused by a new lineup.

"There's a hunger for bands with deep catalogs" - Meanwhile they've cut the majority of deep catalog tracks from the set. Probably what they meant was "deep catalog of hits" aka...there's a hunger for jukebox tours.

"There's a market for folks who don't know who is in or out of the band and only care to hear the hits" is really what they are trying to say politely.

Again, I just don't get the whole point. Big victory lap for Fleetwood Mac - they pulled off another greatest hits tour for the third time in 6 years, this time minus a key member. Just like every other classic rock band touring with an augmented lineup. Again, who is going to give a sh*t in five years.

Originally Posted by Nicks Fan (Post 1251771)

Agreed. In 5 years or more most people won't care or even remember this tour and or this lineup. What FM did was no different then other bands like Styx, Foreigner, REO Speedwagon, Chicago etc have done which is playing the hits to mostly indifferent people who just want the hits they know and love. When the band finally retires it will not be this lineup that people remember.

Originally Posted by Macfan4life (Post 1251814)

On another note, this tour will be one of their most successful ever (sorry to the haters who flamed me for knowing it would happen). The masses don't care who is singing Monday Morning or Go Your Own Way as long as Stevie is backing them up.

Originally Posted by Macfan4life (Post 1251814)

Very true. But I don't think they care especially at their age. Part of them probably do want to make new music but how can they pass up such large amounts of money to play the hits over and over no matter what the line up is. There are a few artists like Bruce who have chosen to do small theaters and play to core fans with songs only they would know. This makes me admire the Buck/Vie tour so much. Chris and Lindsey did not do that tour for the money because while profitable they were not making millions. They did it for the love of their craft.

On another note, this tour will be one of their most successful ever (sorry to the haters who flamed me for knowing it would happen). The masses don't care who is singing Monday Morning or Go Your Own Way as long as Stevie is backing them up.