Relocated: London, Christine, Lindsey, FM
 

One of Bob's facebook fans wrote me that Lindsey tried to keep Christine off the stage and didn't want to perform with her. Is there any truth to this or have you heard anything. I am just curious. I also heard John had to be helped onto the stage in Europe, which is very sad to me. Is there any update on John's condition? Please pray for him. We all love John.

From an interview with Stevie a few months back which was published this month in Mojo magazine:

The big Fleetwood Mac news is that Christine McVie is back. How involved has she been?
She’s just re-emerged to do one song. It could have been a few songs, but Lindsey’s very funny about that. Chris left in 1998 and we didn’t start Say You Will until 2002. It took us that long to figure out what the hell we were going to do without her or even if we could do without her.

Lindsey seems almost cross about Christine’s return. He said she’d “burned her bridges”, and asked MOJO not to use a line-up shot including Christine on the cover of our issue about the making of Rumours…
I think his words to us were, “She can’t just come and go.” That’s important to him, but it’s not quite so important to me. Chris is coming to Dublin when we go into production rehearsal, and she’s going to come on and do Don’t Stop the second two nights in London. Much as Lindsey adores her and he does; she’s the only one in Fleetwood Mac he was ever really willing to listen to he doesn’t want the first night reviews to be all about Christine’s one song, rather than the set we rehearsed for two months. But it will be wonderful to have her back up there, and from there, who knows?

Every other year? I WISH that were true.:lol:

Well for Stevie's case, in the 80s anyway haha :lol:

I really wanna stress again I mean no disrespect for either Lindsey or Stevie honestly because their both amazing, it's just their attitude towards the band that gets to me. To each their own I guess.

I deleted my last post. I reread it and I was really harsh on LB. I didn't want to ruffle any feathers, I hate conflict :/

I can totally seeing LB not wanting her up there. He IS a prima donna, and always has been.

You were harsh on LB. I was waiting for Elle to arrive with her coat of armor.:lol:

I doubt Lindsey wanted to keep her off the stage because he'd talked about her coming up and doing something months before they ever got to London. As soon as he was questioned about the dinner in Los Angeles he said she could come up and do a song. At the time, I fervently hoped that her involvement would not be limited to just one (or even 2 songs). I was disappointed in that hope, but he always seemed to expect her to perform. Stevie has just let everyone know he is the reason that the longed for performance was limited to just Don't Stop.

As for her returning from what can be gathered by the comments out there, he'd be up for her returning if she did it on record and on stage, for reasons that I don't understand.

Michele

That he is. When I saw them at the Wells Fargo center back in April the minute he stepped on stage it was like the Lindsey show. I guess it's something he can't control. Fame does that to some people, but that doesn't mean he's a bad guy off stage and out of the public eye.

Wouldn't want that :lol: Like I said above, I shouldn't judge him just by his stage persona. Out of the spotlight he's probably a swell guy. I mean, he is what he is...a family man! (Sorry couldn't resist that one :p )



What just strikes me as odd is the fact that John, Mick, and Stevie have been wanting her to return since she retired but Lindsey is supposedly opposed. Why? I mean they always worked so well together in their collaborations, why wouldn't he want more of that? Then again the media is prone to take statements out of context and twist them for their own wicked ways. and Michele I'm in the same boat as you. We should be blessed though in the fact that Chris is writing again, maybe that'll turn into something with the band. Kinda like the events with the band on LB's project that eventually ignited The Dance :lol:

I can kind of understand that but either way the fact that Christine was to join them on the stage then would've overshadowed the performance in the reviews one way or another. Its just the way those sort of things play out. :shrug:

I don't think anyone said he was opposed to her returning. Well, when they started doing the SYW promotion he was saying that if she wanted to come back now, he wouldn't know what the answer would be, but before they recorded SYW without her, I think he wanted her in the band and was miffed that she didn't relent and come back. I think the assumption was that although she SAID she was done in 1998 that if they gave her enough time she would change her mind. So, when they started recording SYW if she had returned then, that's what he wanted, but then she still wouldn't tour and I don't think he took it well.

I don't think John did either. I think that both John and Lindsey were upset at the time. Christine never said this, but she did say when she promoted Meantime that she was in touch with Stevie and Mick and that some of them were a little angry about her decision to leave and to stay away. I concluded that the two who were angry were not Mick and not Stevie.

Right. The prodigal son is always going to get more attention than the son who stayed. As you said, that's the way these things play out, because that's what makes an exciting narrative. So, the first night the paper didn't talk about Christine and they figured that the first night is the one that all the media would review, not the next two. Yes, I found it extremely disheartening because they had this looooong tour and who cared what the reviews said for ONE night of that tour. It disturbs me that Lindsey cared.

I also remember Lindsey's return during the Behind The Mask tour. He performed on Landslide, GYOW and he also came out on Tear it Up. Plus, he came out for the group bow both nights. So, I wanted to have at least that much of Christine. Michele

I guess I can see your point there Michele. I would be upset if I were in the same situation BUT at the same time I would welcome that person back no matter how much time has passed. That's just me though. The fact that Chris is getting back out there now and writing again gives me the warm fuzzies. Maybe it could lead to a full reunion or maybe just another solo stint. Only time can tell though.



He just loves being in the spotlight I think is all. It's always been that way. And it probably will always be like that. He probably doesn't mean any harm, just loves being in the limelight. Oh well

I don't think it's a question of welcoming her back. If she wanted to come back full stop, it seems like everyone is on board. I think it's a question of insisting that she has to tour, if she wants to record and not be willing to have her do one or the other and not both. That's what it sounded like in their SYW statements and Stevie recently saying that Lindsey said she "can't just come and go" suggests she could come, if she is going to STAY.

This attitude makes little sense to me, because If he enjoys his stage time in the quartet, then having Christine on record (an album that he wouldn't get if she is not on the next album with FM anyway, since Stevie is not interested) and just Stevie on stage would work out swell for him. But having Christine on the record and on a tour as well would reduce the number of songs he would perform on stage. But it wouldn't reduce his guitar solos necessarily because he always had those with Christine there (the never-ending Not That Funny and a shorter ISA too) and she always had Songbird as the close. She said the guys in the band talked her into that.

It seems to be something different than that, because by not having the five of them on the cover of Mojo, the result was that only Mick and Stevie were on the cover and Lindsey was not on the cover himself. So, I'm not sure what he's aiming for, but I hope that John's emergency will bring everyone together in private and for public purposes as they reach the twilight of their careers.

Michele

Point well taken. So if I understand you correctly, there is no future FM album without Chris? And as far as Lindsey having less songs on a potential future album why should that matter? That's what he has a solo career for. Same goes for Stevie. They can just release the creative energy that they couldn't fit on a FM album on their own albums. A FM album, especially with Christine should be a collaborative effort like they had in the pre Tusk days. Not trotting out basically recycled solo attempted songs branded with the FM name which essentially SYW was. If there is another Fleetwood Mac album, it might be a last considering the situation at this time. But maybe I could be wrong. If John pulls through (which he will, I deeply believe it) and Mick's constant ambition to keep FM afloat, they could be up there with the Rolling Stones, who are most likely gonna keep touring and making albums into their mid 80s.



I would hope that John is their primary concern right now. It probably means the world to him that his bandmates are by his side. And I agree with you, maybe John's situation will finally end all the rancor and bring everyone back together. We can only hope for John's speedy recovery. He will pull through, he's a fighter!

Well, there could be a future FM album without Christine, but Lindsey has been saying he wants one for almost 10 years now and it hasn't gotten him anywhere, because Stevie isn't interested. I'm just saying that if Chris was on board, Stevie would change her mind -- and if she didn't. Chris, John, Mick and Lindsey could do the album without her, since they have her on a few songs already anyway. But that would be moot, because you know if Christine was recording for FM, Stevie would want to record with her.

Also, if Lindsey wants exposure for his songs, then the publicity that Christine returning after 16 years would bring to the album is something that could only benefit his exposure, to my way of thinking.

Yes, I agree with you, if everyone is ok, I don't see why they couldn't perform for at least another 5 years. And I was thinking that John could sit and play bass. There's no shame in that. After his spinal tap, Lindsey did have a chair on stage, although he didn't stay in it a lot. Also, I'm not sure but I seem to remember Lindsey sitting down when he and John did Songbird with Christine. John can sit if that makes things easier.

Rolling Stones, McCartney and all of our rock veterans, we just want as much more as they have to give us. Bob Welch's passing should have made them take stock, but maybe it didn't. I hope this John scare puts everything in perspective regarding egos.

Michele

They both sat side by side on the large [amp?] that Mick's drums rested on in my vision of this memory.