Questions about the concert and album
 

Is it true that the one confirmed upcoming concert will NOT feature Mick Fleetwood or John McVie, but hired musicians? I'm trying to understand why they would do this, and greed is the only answer. Imagine Chris Martin recording an album with Coldplay, then performing live with hired musicians that aren't in Coldplay.

I would have felt the exact same way if, after recording Say You Will, Stevie and Lindsey had toured without Mick and John. But they DID tour with them. So what's the difference? All four recorded the album.

Just disappointing. I hope it's not true and John and Mick are included.

Calm down. Greed? It's not a Fleetwood Mac album and I doubt they excluded Mick and John from participating. If they aren't involved, and that's what the report is, then I'm sure it was their decision and not Lindsey and Christine.

What a rather stupid thing to say. Do you really think they'd exclude Mick and John purposely out of greed? Do you not think they'd actually love to have Mick and John involved if possible? I'm not sure anything is really confirmed, though it does sound likely they wont be involved in concerts. I'd be more inclined to think Mick and John simply didn't want to be involved for whatever reason.

Yeah, maybe John and (especially) Mick have decided to retire. We all know that Mick in particular doesn't like to tour lol. Especially one date!

I'm open to other ideas about why they're not performing with Christine and Lindsey, but let's keep it realistic. To say Mick "probably doesn't want to participate" is BS. He'd be the first one on the bus! Greed is a possible answer- this is a smaller venue than what FM plays so there's a lot less money to pass around. If you think greed is too harsh a word, feel free to substitute a nicer, more PC word, if there is one.

I hope I'm wrong, and Mick and John are included in this performance, since they recorded this album as Fleetwood Mac, and only changed it to a 'duets' album at the last minute when it became obvious Stevie wasn't going to record with them.

I believe this is it. Smaller venues, less money available for top accomodations, perhaps no private jet. This tour is likely "break even" at best for Lindsey and Christine from a financial perspective. I recall Lindsey saying some of his previous solo tours actually cost him money. Mick and John may have been offered a lesser financial deal to tour but turned it down.

Or it could have been that Mick and John understand that this is Christine and Lindsey's time to be in the spotlight and did not want to distract from their creative endeavor. In any case, I think this album and tour are a WIN for Lindsey and Christine fans, and for music lovers in general.

I like your explanation that maybe John and Mick may have CHOSEN to step out, if money was an issue. That would be so much nicer and respectful than the other way around. I would hate to think there was discord behind the scenes over money...

My guess is that Mick and John chose to opt out. The four of them touring together could confuse the public and/or over saturate the market.Then we would have Stevie joining them and they'd all the sudden be called Fleetwood Mac. Even though us fans KNOW Buck/Mc is Fleetwood Mac, the casual fan would be totally confused.
In the 1970's there was a Bootleg album with the title: Will the real Fleetwood Mac please stand up

I get the feeling from comments over the last few years that John is likely wanting to call it a day with the big tours after this next FM jaunt. And who can blame him? He is probably happy to let Lindsey and Christine take this on the road without him. I also agree having both Mick and John join them just before they go out on the road again with Stevie would confuse the casual fans. Mick has a number of endeavors to such as his latest book, his blues band and restaurant to keep himself occupied until time to bring it all back together for one last hurrah. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mick pop in once or twice for a song like World Turning if they play several dates and he is available. One thing you can say about Mick is that he supports his band members work outside of FM so he will likely be backstage or in the audience for at least one show. He wants to keep everyone happy so this last big tour really happens.

Mick choosing to opt out? That's hard to believe. I've read 2 of his books and he always wanted to keep Fleetwood Mac alive, no matter the lineup. Yes this time it's Buckingham McVie, but I guess he always wants to keep busy, playing music, and earning money anyway (not a critic, if that's his priority good for him).

Mick has a European tour with his blues band, mainly in support of his coffee table book. He does a lot of corporate gigs with that band, so there's probably a lot more money in it for him.

This seems like the most probable explanation.

It's also in line with the official stance that this micro tour should be considered apart from the tour the five of them will do later in the year.