Thoughts on this tour and Lindsey's Departure

[Machu]

First thing, this is not a hateful post. It's not angry. It is long but it's not a rant (maybe kind of? ). I like to think of it more like a stream of thoughts. I won't criticize anybody for thinking the way they do BUT I also see a lot of hate and not a lot of support so I'd like to throw some thoughts out there . . .

Fleetwood Mac has had many line-up changes. Peter Green, Danny Kirwin, Jeremy Spencer, Bob Welch, and of course Mick and John too . . . All there before Lindsey Buckingham. As we all know, there were plenty of changes even after Lindsey and Stevie came into the picture. Bob Brunning, Dave Walker, Bob Weston, Billy Burnette, Rick Vito, Bekka Bramlett, Dave Mason. All members of Fleetwood Mac. Lindsey even quit the band once but Mick and Stevie are being accused of manipulating things somehow (Maybe they did? We don't know for sure but I never see any John or Christine hate. Do people see the two as weaklings just waiting for Mick or Stevie to tell them what to do? I don't think so. Christine quit the band once. She's not a push-over.)

Stevie seemed somewhat disinterested in Fleetwood Mac business recently but I would assume that since she did agree to tour, she had some kind of schedule set. I would assume that they all did and Lindsey wanting to postpone the tour a year must have completely complicated things.

Would it be better to not tour at all? Probably. But all of the remaining "Rumours" members made the decision to go on. Not just Mick and Stevie. The Stevie hate has been especially incredible. It's as if people picture her as this manipulative shrew, plotting Lindsey's demise. She's worked with him through worse times. Why, in her mid-60's, when the band is in it's final stages, would she decide to make a move now? It doesn't make sense. It sounds like a scheduling conflict to me, which is exactly what they said it was. They've never been a band to dodge subjects before. Why lie now? Stevie made it pretty clear that she intended to make her solo career a priority after what was supposed to be a Rumours five farewell tour. If she had waited a year, I'm sure all of her plans would have gone out the window (Yes, and the money too. They may be superstars but walking away from a huge paycheck can't be easy especially when you've been planning on it).

Was Lindsey "fired"? I guess, technically. But I find pointing blame elsewhere difficult when he was the lone problem in scheduling a tour. It depends on your point of view. I'm sure many see it as such and that's fine. It sucks but it is what it is. They probably shouldn't have toured but it can still be fun. I guess I think it seems like regular, every day problems that we all have. Scheduling and money. They have to think about those things too. The band is their job. People like to romanticize it but that's what bands are.

There has been something good (big or small) to come out of just about every Fleetwood Mac era in my opinion so I'm just going to enjoy this for whatever is. I would have rather seen the band with Lindsey but there's no point in being miserable about such a trivial subject.