[SteveMacD]

I think the big problem from the 87-90 bands is that they had four singer/songwriters. That’s too much. While I love Rick Vito, and have said numerous times that he was the best guitarist, from a technical standpoint, the Mac ever had, and that he had the song that had the biggest potential for a hit, it may have been a mistake to add him to the fold (especially as he was not used to his potential).

Billy coming into Fleetwood Mac was inevitable. He mixed very well with Christine and Stevie. Even if Lindsey had stayed, Billy would have been on the tour. So, what the band needed was a big name lead guitarist who wasn’t a vocalist. (Maybe somebody like Jeff Beck…Which would have put “For Your Love” and “Train Keep-A-Rollin’” in the set). Now, for the kicker, have Billy only cover “Oh Well” and GYOW and have the rest of his set be his own material.

Also, I do think it could have worked in 1994-95 (though, admittedly NOT with Dave Mason). Sure, there was Nirvana, but it’s not like it was ALL grunge back then. Sheryl Crow, Collective Soul, and Hootie & The Blowfish were on the charts, too, while Smashing Pumpkins were getting airplay with “Landslide.” Plus, they could have tried playing the country card a little harder. The bottom line is that Fleetwood Mac really didn’t have any direction, and chose to rest on past glories, much like they did when Bob Welch was in the group (at least in terms of live shows).