The continuing mystery of the Mac's 1974 tour

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by David

I hear that the band was booked to play a bunch of halls as part of the tour, but when Mick and the others called off the tour in the middle of it, they were still on the hook financially for the unrealized bookings. Getting the Davis group on the road may have been more than the manager’s bad idea. Maybe “somebody” in the band liked the idea, too, just to avoid paying promoters. Welch apparently did not like the idea (reasonable), but the manager’s insistence that he owned the name and had final say on membership must have roiled Welch to no end and he wanted to fight. Somehow, finally, Bill Graham got involved on their side, and that was what turned the tide in the States.

MYSTERY TO ME had not sold much, and Mac’s US audience was probably mostly college students and some holdovers from earlier lineups. Those were the people in the halls when the fake band was going. If I’m in college in 1973 and going to see a multi-act concert, I might not totally care whether Mick and Christine and John are there. “Fleetwood Mac” might not even be the band I’m going to see primarily. (Imagine if a fake Mac had been playing those gigs with REO and Benatar at the county fairs in 1994 — would anyone have cared?)

Good article which answers one or two questions but raises several more: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/m...n-tour-233735/

All excellent points David. The financial strain of the cancelled tour and losing a guitarist definitely could of been financial motive for the fake band. Its a miracle they got their s**t together and did Heroes. While the album is fantastic, it has an odd vibe. Bob and Chris pushed to the front. Were they just going through the motions. Its fun to think WHAT IF the fake band never happened or Weston was never fired. Its likely Buckingham and Nicks would have never made the line up.
Another excellent observation is why people went to see the band. Chris and Welch were not really stars on their own merit drawing people to the band. The band was living off its name which was the perfect storm for a fake band resuming a tour.
Its a shame no one recorded any of these shows. It would be something to hear. But according to Joe Walsh they kicked ass.