Quote:
Originally Posted by DownOnRodeo
After reviewing the various quotes by band members etc. when compiling the "Record" thread, I reached the following conclusion:
(1) LINDSEY was the one who was visibly unhappy (with all their Greatest Hits touring)
(2) When Tom died suddenly on tour, Stevie bona fide freaked out about her own imminent mortality and she drew a voodoo line of happiness around her that necessarily excluded brooding Lindsey's whinging about the band's direction
(3) Something brought things to a head around MusicCares--it might have simply been that the deadline for Lindsey to sign off on the tour plans was around that same date (it makes logistic sense that they'd schedule such a meeting around the same time as a gig)--and it was likely NOT some unconscionable or violent words or behavior by Lindsey against Stevie or her side, because in the interviews Stevie is confabulating merrily about the timing in a way that suggests she is trying to obfuscate something SHE did wrong and not in a way that suggests she is being forced to recall some traumatic moment in her life
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This is essentially what I think, too, although I think the "unhappiness" Stevie was trying to remove from her life by removing Lindsey wasn't so much about his Greatest Hits touring dissatisfaction, but rather about the fact that he was the one man in her life who didn't always say "Yes, Stevie." She has surrounded herself with employees and people she can control and he was the only one who refused to back down.
Was he always in the right when they argued? No, I'm sure he wasn't. I'm sure he could be a pain at times. However, instead of dealing with conflict and even drawing strength from it like she used to, instead of maturely recognizing that occasionally she is the one in the wrong and everything isn't always Lindsey's fault, Stevie removed him in order to live in a soft word of sycophancy. Now she can "dance around the apartment" surrounded by those who will tell her only what she wants to hear. If that meant devastating Lindsey, then so be it. Only her happiness matters.
Another reason I think that this was all triggered by Tom's death is that as recently as the Classic Concerts in July 2017, Stevie was talking about how proud she was that Fleetwood Mac still had all 5 members from the Rumours era in it. Why explicitly say that is a point of pride if she were plotting to destroy it? Tom's death messed with her head.
But there's no question that she had Mike Campbell in the back pocket, so whatever happened at MusiCares that brought this to a head, whatever Lindsey said or did (such as arguing for a concurrent tour)... Stevie was ready for it. Thus, by that point, she must have been thinking about breaking up the Rumours 5.
Speculation: Since Tom's death, she had been thinking about how stressful this tour would be with Lindsey, thinking about how nice it would be if he simply weren't a part of it and someone like her friend Mike Campbell was... and thinking about scenarios where she could make that happen.