I know it's easier for everyone to put things in black or white categories, like everyone upset by this change is just someone resistant to change, or unaware of the band's history, etc etc etc. Or, you hate Lindsey, you hate Stevie, blah blah.
That's not the case for me or most other people. It's NOT that the band changed, it's that one of the members was booted out against their stated wish. It's that the publicly given rationale by the band is so apparently bogus-- because if indeed those were the requirements for kicking people out (you have to be willing to do what the majority of the rest of the band wants to do when they want to do it) they would have had a lot more changes of the 5. First off, when has this band ever been on the same page at the same time about stuff? Mick and Lindsey have even sort of joked about that in interviews of the last decade or so, comparing how different they are to bands like the Eagles who all agree on what they're doing and why. It's also partly that various other members have clearly met those requirements (i.e. Stevie not wanting to record, not wanting to tour, when all 3, and then all 4 of the other members clearly wanted to over the last decade or more) and yet were NOT kicked out.
It's also that this formulation of the band is much nearer to the finale of their time on big tours than Peter Green, Jeremy Spencer, Bob Welch etc ever were when they left. They were all in their 20s or 30s. This bunch is in their 70s. Some have already battled serious illnesses. Several of the current 5 referred to this coming tour as their 'farewell tour' of the Rumours lineup, and now rather than going out with glory they are going out with this messed up cloud over their heads. If the five had bowed out gracefully and then various members decided to reconfigure with new people, I think everyone would be excited about that. It's a bit like putting lipstick on a pig right now and hoping no one notices.
