Lindsey was fired. RIP Fleetwood Mac.

[elle]

Originally Posted by Japhry

word on the street has it that Lindsey refused to make any setlist changes and is/was very rigid. Mick, Stevie and Chris wanted to make significant setlist changes. Face it....as much as Lindsey contributed to the band, he was NOT the entire history of Fleetwood Mac and he was becoming bored with the Mac in recent years...

Haha no that is NOT word on the street they never even came as far as discussing the setlist. The disagreement was about bigger picture issues is a word, like logistics of the 2 intermingled tours.

Setlist thing I only saw as a fan speculation.

[nicepace]

I just had a happy little fantasy. I imagine Lindsey sitting in his living room writing a song on his guitar, feeling relieved that he won't have to put up with the nastiness of Fleetwood Mac anymore. His stress level is close to zero! He's thinking that he's already got plenty of money, and it's not as if nobody will buy a solo album or attend a solo tour -- many people will -- probably more because of all this publicity.

He gives a passing thought to Christine, feeling wistful and sorry he won't have a chance to work with her any more, but then he thinks about Stevie, and the thought that he won't have to work with ever again gives him a feeling of deep contentment. He sends John a text, hey man, let's keep in touch, and John texts him a big thumbs up. And he's thinking, give it some time (a couple of months) and maybe he'll get in touch with Christine about some future collaborations.

In my little fantasy, life is very good for Lindsey right now. He doesn't have to put on an act for the fans any more. Now he can be himself, and he can create new music without having to answer to the dysfunction of the Fleetwood Mac machine.

[TrueFaith77]

Originally Posted by secondhandchain

Right? If LB was bored a different song would help. No way.

He just did a tour with 80% of a new album being played live. Fleetwood Mac hasn’t done that since Rumours!!

[jmn3]

Originally Posted by TrueFaith77

He just did a tour with 80% of a new album being played live. Fleetwood Mac hasn’t done that since Rumours!!

Right! And if I’m not mistaken, it’s been Stevie in interviews over the years who has mentioned you can’t go out and play songs people don’t know and then she references back to the beginning of the Rumours Tour when allegedly the audience knew none of the songs they were playing.

I can’t see Lindsey not wanting to play obscure tunes (IKINW, the SYW songs) but I can see him objecting to playing/singing on songs from the pre-75 years. They had the one off tour in ‘09 with Oh Well back but ever since The Dance they have eschewed Oh Well and anything else.

[dontlookdown]

It’s just music.
And while it’s hugely disappointing, everyone will be fine.
These are all adults at the end of very long hugely successful careers.
I’m just happy they’re all still making music.
Hiring Mike Campbell is the most rock solid insurance policy a band could ever buy into.
The Tom Petty fan base is thrilled. Maybe we should keep an open mind.
If I made a list of the best live shows I’ve seen in my life, Heartbreakers shows would appear several times on the list.

I’m sad and disappointed, but looking forward to seeing my second favorite guitarist on stage with Mick and John.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by secondhandchain

Right? If LB was bored a different song would help. No way.

All I can do is laugh at that one.

[elle]

Originally Posted by dontlookdown

It’s just music.
And while it’s hugely disappointing, everyone will be fine.
These are all adults at the end of very long hugely successful careers.
I’m just happy they’re all still making music.
Hiring Mike Campbell is the most rock solid insurance policy a band could ever buy into.
The Tom Petty fan base is thrilled. Maybe we should keep an open mind.
If I made a list of the best live shows I’ve seen in my life, Heartbreakers shows would appear several times on the list.

I’m sad and disappointed, but looking forward to seeing my second favorite guitarist on stage with Mick and John.

Actually Tom and Mike fan bases are as divided as Mac fan base. They think Mike can and should do better. Some are hoping this might give him exposure. None of them expect he’ll get to express any creativity with the mac.

You know that If Tom was alive, he’d be appalled. Yet I fully expect Lindsey’s name will now be replaced w Toms in all the endless stories from the stage,

[Lola]

Originally Posted by lennonfan

I'm still so surprised by this. I had no idea it was this bad behind the scenes. It really doesn't make sense, I mean, didn't they have plenty of time recently to do their own thing? If they can't stand each other why commit to a tour in the first place? Mick's statement is one of the most cold things I've read in a while. It also supremely contradicts what he's said in the past.

I'm very upset they're treating Lindsey this way. Danny...then Bob....now Lindsey. I doubt I can ever look at Mick the same way again. This jumps the shark.

Same here. I didn't know there was anything (arguments, whatever) going on around the time of Musicares until I read thru comments about Billy's post. The part I'm having trouble with is he was fired. Like clean out your desk and security will escort you out of the building. Holy crap! Things must have been brewing for awhile that we weren't aware of. I truly think some of this is Stevie's grief. Not excusing her--she married Kim Anderson after Robin died. She has a history of doing insane things in the grieving process. That doesn't excuse the rest of them.

[dontlookdown]

I don’t know.
There’s a lot of speculation going on.
I’m just going to trust that they all came to this decision as adults,
just as they did in 87.
It sucks for us now, but it’s sort of like offering opinions when the neighbors down the street are going through a divorce.
Not really for us to judge and as I said before, they don’t owe fans anything and they aren’t beholden to us.
Nobody is saving lives here or keeping democracies from teetering off the edge.
It’s just a band.
Not sure if I’ll go see them, but I hope some new and interesting music comes out of it.
I think since I lived through the first Lindsey departure, I have to keep an open mind.
As disappointed as I am...

[Lola]

Originally Posted by dontlookdown

I don’t know.
There’s a lot of speculation going on.
I’m just going to trust that they all came to this decision as adults,
just as they did in 87.
It sucks for us now, but it’s sort of like offering opinions when the neighbors down the street are going through a divorce.
Not really for us to judge and as I said before, they don’t owe fans anything and they aren’t beholden to us.
Nobody is saving lives here or keeping democracies from teetering off the edge.
It’s just a band.
Not sure if I’ll go see them, but I hope some new and interesting music comes out of it.
I think since I lived through the first Lindsey departure, I have to keep an open mind.
As disappointed as I am...

You sound like my sig other--he's trying to help me with gentle reminders that nobody died. He means it seriously like wouldn't it be worse if one of the members had died.

[NotonRodeo]

Unlike 1987, I'm not sticking around to watch this train wreck. I've already seen it. People who don't think history repeats itself are deluding themselves. This will be a disaster.

At least in 1987 it was plausible to think that Fleetwood Mac still had a future and had opportunities to expand creatively. But now? What, have they taken so much drugs that they actually think they are immortal? And seriously, will they allow Finn or Campbell to dictate matters? Lindsey's Mac succeeded because he was in Mick's terms a "martinet" who compelled everybody to get things done properly his way. Yes he was a monomaniac control freak--but to get this bunch of people to accomplish anything he needed to be. Time was a "democratic" album--heck, didn't Christine have her own guitarist?--and look how awful, awful that was.

I remember the band saying how much more fun it was to make Behind the Mask than Tango. Is there anything on BTM remotely resembling Little Lies or Everywhere or Big Love? Even WTTRS was better than anything there.

So that's that then. In hindsight this band should have died thirty years ago. It is now a Dead Band Walking. It's about time to stop pretending it is still alive. Lindsey worked hard to create that illusion, and at his best he almost succeeded. With him gone, they have no chance.

[jbrownsjr]

Originally Posted by elle

Actually Tom and Mike fan bases are as divided as Mac fan base. They think Mike can and should do better. Some are hoping this might give him exposure. None of them expect he’ll get to express any creativity with the mac.

You know that If Tom was alive, he’d be appalled. Yet I fully expect Lindsey’s name will now be replaced w Toms in all the endless stories from the stage,

Back in 1980 blah blah blah MEEEEEE blah blah blah TOM blah blah blah MEEEEEEEEEEEEE lbhalbhalbhalbhalbh MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE $$

4 minutes later... SO THIS SONG IS ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....

[NotonRodeo]

Originally Posted by jbrownsjr

Back in 1980 blah blah blah MEEEEEE blah blah blah TOM blah blah blah MEEEEEEEEEEEEE lbhalbhalbhalbhalbh MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE $$

4 minutes later... SO THIS SONG IS ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....

I think in one of the threads someone quoted her saying that Fleetwood Mac is still around because she gets bored. Indeed she does think everything is about her.

That's why Lindsey was fired. He is the only one on earth who doesn't defer to her as the icon Madonna Nicopeia.

[rhiannondontgo]

Jeez, some of you guys make it sound like Stevie is the wicked witch of the west hatching some evil plot to ruin poor lindsey’s life for no reason. Nobody woke up and randomly said “hey Lindsey, you’re fired because we’re sick of you”. Stevie & Mick aren’t dumb. They both live for money and attention and they know full well that the full rumours line up is what gets them the most of both those things, so neither would ever prefer to tour with the band incomplete.
Meanwhile they had this tour pre-planned and scheduled. I’ve heard from a few sources that there were even contracts already signed and in place. And he pulled out last minute, just like he did in 1987. Sure Stevie has delayed lots of stuff, but warning your band a year in advance that you want to delay a hypothetical tour is very different from signing on for a preplanned tour and then trying to pull out in the 11th hour. I’m sure they put forth every bit of effort to try to get him back on board. If he chose to continue being the hold-out and the rest of the band grew tired of fighting him on it, then his absence is his own fault. There’s a difference between a band spitefully firing somebody for no reason and a band deciding to continue with their plans despite one member’s absence.
If your argument is that you think they should’ve just broken up or that they shouldn’t call the new incarnation “Fleetwood Mac”, I can understand that. But demonizing & attacking the rest of the band while making Lindsey out to be a completely innocent victim with no complicity is ridiculous IMO.

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by NotonRodeo

I remember the band saying how much more fun it was to make Behind the Mask than Tango. Is there anything on BTM remotely resembling Little Lies or Everywhere or Big Love? Even WTTRS was better than anything there.

Since you asked- Save Me, Skies the Limit, Behind the Mask, and As Long As You Follow are great songs, and I would rank Save Me and Follow higher than Little Lies. In the Back of My Mind, Do You Know, Love is Dangerous, and No Questions Asked are also excellent. This version of the Mac I totally loved. Sorry you didn't like it but I understand... I didn't like Time at all, but that album has fans, too. And there are some bombs on Tango- When I See You Again and Family Man are wretched, Welcome to the Room Sara is saved only by the lyrics, and You and I 2 is forgettable fluff.