LB had to decline Clinton bday gig

[elle]

(i also posted in the thread on FM board, but since this is really a LB interview it seems, here it is for people who read just this board)

http://www.lvrj.com/news/mac-s-buckingham-going-his-own-way-131501458.html

Doug Elfman

Mac's Buckingham going his own way

Posted: Oct. 11, 2011 | 2:00 a.m.

Bill Clinton can't quit Fleetwood Mac. As you'll remember, his campaign theme song was "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)." His favorite band still is the big Mac, says guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

So Clinton asked the band -- which is sometimes together, sometimes not -- to play Friday at his 65th birthday gala at the Hollywood Palladium. (His actual birthday was Aug. 19.)

Buckingham said no, but not for political reasons.

"I was gonna have to cancel two weeks of shows" to do it, he tells me, "because we'd have to go rehearse. It just wasn't possible."

So Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks offered to perform for Clinton, instead.

Here's the Vegas connection. Nicks is performing Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel. Buckingham is playing Friday at Aliante Station.

Buckingham says it's just a coincidence the two Fleetwood Mac stars -- and ex-lovers in the '70s -- are gigging in Vegas separately on the same weekend.

However, he says the reason Nicks is staging a Vegas show at all is to earn money to cover her costs of putting on a birthday concert for the former Mr. President.

"To get the band up and running (even for one night) is not an inexpensive proposition. So I think (Nicks') idea was to do the Las Vegas show (and a few other tour dates) just to subsidize that effort," Buckingham says. "That's my understanding of it, anyway. That's how it was put to me."

Clinton also is hosting a concert Saturday at the Hollywood Bowl, with Bono and The Edge, Lady Gaga, Usher, Kenny Chesney and Juanes.

If you want to attend Clinton's weekend, you'll have to pony up $1,000 to $1 million.

A million bucks. What's that get you? Glad you asked: a bunch of tickets to the concerts; seats at sound check; receptions with Clinton; seats at his table; a Chelsea Clinton brunch; and a golf outing with Bill. Ticket sales will go to the William J. Clinton humanitarian foundation.

Buckingham's Aliante tickets cost $53-$82. Nicks' Hard Rock tickets fetch $45-$156.

[Regina]

Jeepers. Those little Las Vegas rumour-mongers.
And you'd think Clinton would subsidize the band;-)

Interesting little article.

[elle]

Jeepers. Those little Las Vegas rumour-mongers.
And you'd think Clinton would subsidize the band;-)

Interesting little article.

i know re rumor-mongers - you think lindsey really said all that - or maybe it's a spin of something he said that was loosely related? it's kinda weird that LB would spill all that, imo.

[KarmaContestant]

I guess I don't know much about playing an instrument - since I can't - and I'm not a singer, so maybe someone can enlighten me on this, but why in the world would Fleetwood Mac need two weeks to rehearse songs they've been playing for nearly 40 years?!?! Seriously? Get on stage, and play it the way it goes. How hard can it be?

Aside, it was nice of Stevie to offer to perform for Bill in place of the whole band.

[Regina]

I guess I don't know much about playing an instrument - since I can't - and I'm not a singer, so maybe someone can enlighten me on this, but why in the world would Fleetwood Mac need two weeks to rehearse songs they've been playing for nearly 40 years?!?! Seriously? Get on stage, and play it the way it goes. How hard can it be?

Aside, it was nice of Stevie to offer to perform for Bill in place of the whole band.


That's what I was thinking, too. Two weeks???? I would think two hours would be excessive.

And, I kind of think Lindsey might not have said all that, too. I find it weird to think he'd spill the beans on the financial aspect of Stevie's business.

[WildHearted]

I guess I don't know much about playing an instrument - since I can't - and I'm not a singer, so maybe someone can enlighten me on this, but why in the world would Fleetwood Mac need two weeks to rehearse songs they've been playing for nearly 40 years?!?! Seriously? Get on stage, and play it the way it goes. How hard can it be?

Aside, it was nice of Stevie to offer to perform for Bill in place of the whole band.

I mean, they would need to rehearse at least a little bit because it's been over a year since they've played together.. but you'd think after a couple of run throughs they'd be good.

However, the extensive 2-weeks rehearsal schedule would probably be to appease Stevie, since she's apparently such a perfectionist when it comes to playing shows - she doesn't like to wing it.

[michelej1]

It's kind of funny that Lindsey is like, "at least that's the way it was put to me," as if . . . well, he's almost over-explaining. Like there had to be some rationalization as to why she was in Vegas in the first place.

As far as rehearsing, those people need therapy. Heaven knows they aren't going to play Soldier's Angel for Bill Clinton. If they rehearsed Dreams and GYOW for two weeks, they should be hospitalized.

It reminds me of Christine saying that she could play Don't Stop with her hands tied behind her back. Michele

[elle]

It's kind of funny that Lindsey is like, "at least that's the way it was put to me," as if . . . well, he's almost over-explaining. Like there had to be some rationalization as to why she was in Vegas in the first place.

As far as rehearsing, those people need therapy. Heaven knows they aren't going to play Soldier's Angel for Bill Clinton. If they rehearsed Dreams and GYOW for two weeks, they should be hospitalized.

It reminds me of Christine saying that she could play Don't Stop with her hands tied behind her back. Michele

plus lindsey is already playing GYOW, ISA, and Tusk every night w/ basically the same band - just need to replace Walfredo w/ Mick and add McVie...

[michelej1]

They've been doing ISA and Rhiannon since before FM. Bill Clinton could perform those songs on his sax without 2 weeks rehearsal.

Also, Lindsey just say she's in Vegas because she's a heavy gambler. That would be simpler.

Michele

[CADreaming]

It's kind of funny that Lindsey is like, "at least that's the way it was put to me," as if . . . well, he's almost over-explaining. Like there had to be some rationalization as to why she was in Vegas in the first place.

As far as rehearsing, those people need therapy. Heaven knows they aren't going to play Soldier's Angel for Bill Clinton. If they rehearsed Dreams and GYOW for two weeks, they should be hospitalized.

It reminds me of Christine saying that she could play Don't Stop with her hands tied behind her back. Michele

They've been doing ISA and Rhiannon since before FM. Bill Clinton could perform those songs on his sax without 2 weeks rehearsal.

Also, Lindsey just say she's in Vegas because she's a heavy gambler. That would be simpler.

Michele

Michele!!! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

And about that rehearsing...couldn't they just go out and play 6 songs with their eyes closed at this point? I don't think even a year off the road warrants the need for that substantial of a rehearsal time. A decent sound check should suffice...

[BTFLCHLD]

read carefully. most of this crap is the writer's spin on what Lindsey supposedly does say.

[mylittledemon]

read carefully. most of this crap is the writer's spin on what Lindsey supposedly does say.

what's the crap part? Reads pretty cut and dry to me. ;)

[MacMan]

I think you might have to look at little deeper and see who actually owns the newspaper this is coming from... Could be a political thing.. If they aren't Clinton supporters could be a dig on him indirectly.

[elle]

If they aren't Clinton supporters could be a dig on him indirectly.

see, that's how this looked to me when i first glanced through it too. and whenever i heard LB talking about Clinton, he has never ever made a dig at him, even when he was explicitly asked to do it on some radio shows. that's why i think he may have said something vaguely related and it was interpreted completely differently. plus LB seems to be always very careful about what he says - there's a reason for all the repeat-talk he does:nod:.

[mylittledemon]

I think you might have to look at little deeper and see who actually owns the newspaper this is coming from...

Christ that's too much work.

[iamnotafraid]

Maybe since Bill's a former President it's just not that
important to Lindsey anymore. I can't imagine it would
take more than a couple of days to rehearse the few
songs they would sing for Clinton. And who's going to
sing Don't Stop? Barry???

[carol7lynn]

Good for Lindsey.:blob2::blob2: I never liked Clinton anyway especially after Monica-gate :( and maybe Lindsey doesn't think much of him either-President or not.

Carol-Lynn
SoCalGal

[Regina]

Maybe since Bill's a former President it's just not that
important to Lindsey anymore. I can't imagine it would
take more than a couple of days to rehearse the few
songs they would sing for Clinton. And who's going to
sing Don't Stop? Barry???

I'm not sure it was that important to him when he WAS President. I think Stevie had more to do with getting Lindsey out there that time than anything else. However, this is a different story. It's NOT Clinton's real birthday so...it's not like taking away someone's binky on their big day. And, the invitation sounds like a rather last minute thing. And I'm actually quite patriotic and respectful of authority, but not at the expense of someone's prior commitments.

I think Lindsey is VERY aware of the fact that people travel to see him. We/"They" spend money on various modes of transportation, hotels, etc. Not to mention the expense to the venues (and/or insurance companies that cover losses)--and subsequent expense on his reputation as a dependable artist.

So, I'm really glad he carried on with his original plans. Plus, I have a somewhat irrational hatred of "Don't Stop." Stems from the traumatic experience of Clinton's democratic nomination when they played that song at the convention NON-Stop for hours. I didn't have a remote control and I was half-asleep and too lazy to get up and turn the tv off, and just kept putting the pillow over my head, hoping the FM tape that was on constant loop would just...self-destruct. Blech.

[BTFLCHLD]

what's the crap part? Reads pretty cut and dry to me. ;) everything outside of the quotation marks. :rolleyes:

[HejiraNYC]

everything outside of the quotation marks. :rolleyes:

Not sure what you are reading into this. It looks pretty straightforward to me. :shrug:

I do think it's interesting that Lindsey may or may not have insight into Stevie's financial situation. I suspect Lindsey is the one speculating about Stevie's motives without any hard data. I get the hunch that these shows around SF, LA and Vegas were primarily to keep the band tight and rehearsed for her Australia tour moreso than some kind of financial issue. After all, when all is said and done, she probably did not make anywhere near her customary rate at the Fillmore shows.

I also doubt that it would have taken two weeks to rehearse one or two songs- I would say perhaps one week, tops. If anything, I suspect that Lindsey probably did not want to take the loss on cancelling any shows. I suspect the promoters are already unhappy by the performance of the tour, so it would not be in his best interest to make them even more unhappy with cancelled dates.

[BTFLCHLD]

Not sure what you are reading into this. It looks pretty straightforward to me. :shrug:
did I say something was crooked? the writer put spin on what Lindsey said. he says/he tells is hearsay.

Doug Elfman
Oct. 11, 2011 | 2:00 a.m.
Bill Clinton can't quit Fleetwood Mac. As you'll remember, his campaign theme song was "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)." His favorite band still is the big Mac, says guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

So Clinton asked the band -- which is sometimes together, sometimes not -- to play Friday at his 65th birthday gala at the Hollywood Palladium. (His actual birthday was Aug. 19.)

Buckingham said no, but not for political reasons.

"I was gonna have to cancel two weeks of shows" to do it, he tells me, "because we'd have to go rehearse. It just wasn't possible."

So Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks offered to perform for Clinton, instead.

Here's the Vegas connection. Nicks is performing Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel. Buckingham is playing Friday at Aliante Station.

Buckingham says it's just a coincidence the two Fleetwood Mac stars -- and ex-lovers in the '70s -- are gigging in Vegas separately on the same weekend.

However, he says the reason Nicks is staging a Vegas show at all is to earn money to cover her costs of putting on a birthday concert for the former Mr. President.

"To get the band up and running (even for one night) is not an inexpensive proposition. So I think (Nicks') idea was to do the Las Vegas show (and a few other tour dates) just to subsidize that effort," Buckingham says. "That's my understanding of it, anyway. That's how it was put to me."Clinton also is hosting a concert Saturday at the Hollywood Bowl, with Bono and The Edge, Lady Gaga, Usher, Kenny Chesney and Juanes.

If you want to attend Clinton's weekend, you'll have to pony up $1,000 to $1 million.

A million bucks. What's that get you? Glad you asked: a bunch of tickets to the concerts; seats at sound check; receptions with Clinton; seats at his table; a Chelsea Clinton brunch; and a golf outing with Bill. Ticket sales will go to the William J. Clinton humanitarian foundation.

Buckingham's Aliante tickets cost $53-$82. Nicks' Hard Rock tickets fetch $45-$156.

[sodascouts]

Geez, when I throw a party, I pay for the entertainment. Can't Clinton's buddies do the same? Heck, just give her a portion of the money they're making off the guests paying to attend. I can't believe Stevie has to raise funds for this herself! Maybe Lindsey is confused... or perhaps Stevie considers this her "gift" to good ol' Bill. Hard to believe she'd be so hard up for cash that she'd have to throw extra shows to do it, though.

[HejiraNYC]

did I say something was crooked? the writer put spin on what Lindsey said. he says/he tells is hearsay.



If the writer was paraphrasing what Lindsey said, he would not be allowed to use quotation marks. Those appear to be pretty much direct quotes with parenthetical details added for clarity. I don't think that is "spin."

[HejiraNYC]

Geez, when I throw a party, I pay for the entertainment. Can't Clinton's buddies do the same? Heck, just give her a portion of the money they're making off the guests paying to attend. I can't believe Stevie has to raise funds for this herself! Maybe Lindsey is confused... or perhaps Stevie considers this her "gift" to good ol' Bill. Hard to believe she'd be so hard up for cash that she'd have to throw extra shows to do it, though.

It's not charity if anyone gets paid to do it (above and beyond the basic expenses of food and venue rental). I would hate to see any of the proceeds applied towards entertainment. Personally I suspect that Lindsey is speaking out of turn. Even if it was indeed true that Stevie was doing these shows to finance the Clinton party appearance (not likely!), he shouldn't have blabbed it to the press. That's just like Stevie going to the press saying that Lindsey is touring around in a bus because he isn't making very much money on the road.

[michelej1]

That's just like Stevie going to the press saying that Lindsey is touring around in a bus because he isn't making very much money on the road.

Except he's already talked about that one himself. I just hope it doesn't make Brett, Walfredo and Neale less inclined to work with him.

He likes to talk out of turn. I think he's rarely had as much fun as he did with Sheryl Crow.

Michele

[elle]

if you read ONLY the parts in orange that BTFLCHLD so nicely highlighted, and than make your own story around it, you can see that it can be anything loosely related, and not necessarily what ended up in the article.

The spin author put on lindsey's words seems somewhat unlikely b/c:
a) LB is usually really careful about what he says in interviews;
b) i have never ever heard him take a dig at Clinton, and in fact when asked to do it he'd usually say that as far as he's concerned he credits Clinton for putting rumours-era Mac back together;
c) he's been in a really good place w/ SN lately so why would he feel the need to reveal whether and how she finances one or the other event, while being unsure whether that's the case in the first place.

The last point - as somebody who has traveled to LB's gigs, i'm happy for people who traveled to gigs he'd have to cancel that he didn't do it. My understanding (through completely unreliable channels so may not be true at all!) is that he is paying for the tour himself / buying most of the venues for the night and not going through promoters - therefore there is no reason for promoters to be unhappy since they are not even involved.

[elle]

and... talking about Bill Clinton - just saw he'll be on Letterman tonight.

[Regina]

You know, I don't even really see this as some sort of Stevie diss (and that's kind of the spin I'm taking away from the people who are spinning this story...and I'm a little dizzy right now). I think his intentions were to just state the facts, as he knows them. If anything, I think it shows that she's putting her money where her commitment is. And that's a nice thing. She believed in the whole Clinton thing more than any of them, I think...so, it's nice that she's doing this.

And, it's VERY nice (IMO) that Lindsey is honoring his commitment to his fans.

Whether Lindsey spoke out of turn or not, it didn't seem to imply any judgement one way or the other.

So, win-win (and, really, who gives a flying petunia?)

[michelej1]

You know, I don't even really see this as some sort of Stevie diss (and that's kind of the spin I'm taking away from the people who are spinning this story...and I'm a little dizzy right now). I think his intentions were to just state the facts, as he knows them. If anything, I think it shows that she's putting her money where her commitment is. And that's a nice thing. She believed in the whole Clinton thing more than any of them, I think...so, it's nice that she's doing this.



I don't think it's a knock against Stevie, except to the extent that it reveals private matters. In the same sense, when Stevie said that she thinks Christine's husband said he would leave her if Christine toured, I think Stevie was crossing the line and should have kept that statement to herself -- if it was even true, especially if it wasn't! I think it's just a question of discussing someone else's business and divulging details that may have been discussed with you confidentially. Everyone does it at some point.

I also don't see anything as he said as a criticism of Bill Clinton or of the planned party.

Michele

[sodascouts]

It's not charity if anyone gets paid to do it (above and beyond the basic expenses of food and venue rental).

True; good point. I guess the whole "Stevie having to scrounge up money to play at Clinton's birthday party" angle is what threw me! If we look at it as Stevie simply volunteering her time for a benefit, it casts it in a different light - although the scrounging-up-money angle is still a bit jarring.

Poor Lindsey - I think he did say a little more than he intended. As someone else said, now we know why he rehearses speeches and has used the same metaphors for 30 years. ;)

[michelej1]

Poor Lindsey - I think he did say a little more than he intended. As someone else said, now we know why he rehearses speeches and has used the same metaphors for 30 years. ;)

The way I imagine it I can see him being pretty happy with what he said. He's kind of a . . . a character.

It does make me relieved that he didn't do Howard Stern, because heaven only knows.

Michele

[michelej1]

Michele!!!

You know, as we've been thinking more about this exposure of dirty laundry recently, I did make an earlier joke about him needing to explain why she was in Vegas, but I genuinely did get the impression that part of his comments were explaining why she was in Vegas (and Anaheim, for that matter, although the subject didn't come up) at the same time that he is.

Michele

[henryscutter]

You know, as we've been thinking more about this exposure of dirty laundry recently, I did make an earlier joke about him needing to explain why she was in Vegas, but I genuinely did get the impression that part of his comments were explaining why she was in Vegas (and Anaheim, for that matter, although the subject didn't come up) at the same time that he is.

Michele

seriously, cant he just make a private call to his wife and explain it to her and leave everyone else out of it :laugh:

[elle]

You know, as we've been thinking more about this exposure of dirty laundry recently, I did make an earlier joke about him needing to explain why she was in Vegas, but I genuinely did get the impression that part of his comments were explaining why she was in Vegas (and Anaheim, for that matter, although the subject didn't come up) at the same time that he is.

except, unless something's wrong w/ my math, they were NOT in town on the same day - he was in vegas on 14th while she was in LA, she was in vegas on 15th while he was in palm desert ;)

[michelej1]

except, unless something's wrong w/ my math, they were NOT in town on the same day - he was in vegas on 14th while she was in LA, she was in vegas on 15th while he was in palm desert ;)

No, I know it wasn't the same night, but I think under normal circumstances, you would try not to play the same venue within a few weeks of each other, because if a Fleetwood Mac fan had to make a choice of whom to see and had budget limitations, one of them is going to lose a ticket sell.

I think Lindsey was talking unguardedly so much to explain her added shows, which seemed to be of interest to whoever wrote this:


Here's the Vegas connection. Nicks is performing Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel. Buckingham is playing Friday at Aliante Station.
Buckingham says it's just a coincidence the two Fleetwood Mac stars -- and ex-lovers in the '70s -- are gigging in Vegas separately on the same weekend.

And he also wanted to lay out why it would be too expensive for him to do it, because I gather, rather than just losing his scheduled concert dates, he would have had to foot some of the cost as well, if he'd also performed.

I was just thinking about it, due to discussions in another thread.

Michele