2014 Reunion Articles

[Petercorbasson]

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...-tour-20140327

The return of Christine McVie to Fleetwood Mac has been a poorly kept secret over the past few months, but it's still shocking to hear her voice on the phone for an interview about the group's upcoming reunion tour entitled On With the Show. She's the songwriter and vocalist on some of Fleetwood Mac's most enduring hits - including "Don't Stop," "Little Lies," "Everywhere" and "You Make Loving Fun" - but she quit the group in 1998 and disappeared completely from the scene. The remaining members said over and over again that she'd never return.

Rolling Stone spoke with her about leaving the band, what she's been up to during the past two decades and what the future holds for Fleetwood Mac.

Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Fleetwood Mac Songs

Let's go back to 1998. Why did you quit the band?
Well, I initially developed a great fear of flying. It was a real phobia. I also bought a house in England and decided, to a degree, I was really tired of the road. I wasn't just burned out, but I was tired of traveling and living out of a suitcase. I’m quite a domestic person by nature and the nomad thing had got a bit stale on me, really.

It was never anything personal between the five of us. It was just that I felt my time had come and I just thought that I really wanted to leave Los Angeles and make a home in England. That was the root of it, really. And the earthquakes—I was terrified of the earthquakes. So I came back at the right time because we just had one [laughs]. Good timing.

Leaving when you did must have been a hard decision since the group had just wrapped up such a hugely successful tour and you'd stuck around through some pretty lean years.
It was a hard choice, but I made the choice a few months prior to that. Like I said, I had already bought the house in England and I was having it restored. I had planned to move at some point back there, but I hadn’t because of the band touring. I did say to them at the beginning of the last tour we did that this would be my last one.

When you left, did you think there was even a tiny chance that you'd return?
Not as I left, no. But as the years went on, I had some deluded idea that I wanted to live the "Country Lady" life — basically hang out with my Range Rover and my dogs and bake cookies or something. I don’t know what I was thinking, really. I just wanted to live a normal, domestic life with roots.

What filled up your days during all those years?
Looking back at it now, I guess there was an awful lot of restoring going on, a lot of building work, a lot of making the house just as I wanted it, which took a couple of years. There wasn’t really a lot of writing involved at that time — I didn’t really do much playing.

Did you ever sing, even just for fun?
Well, music left my life for a while, to be honest. It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, but you know, I’m not really a solo player. I have always needed other musicians to bounce off. And of course, the ultimate band being the band that I have just rejoined, so, I couldn’t imagine doing anything with anyone else.

I did make a solo album in my house when I was there. And because I was just afraid of flying, I wouldn’t promote it and I wouldn’t tour. Actually, it wasn’t a very good album anyway — it got buried underneath the pits of Hell, I suppose [laughs].

Were you talking to your bandmates during this time?
Well, when they came to England, I did. John and myself have stayed in touch. Mick and I have stayed in constant touch over the years. I had also gone through a divorce and got very isolated and hardly ever went to London. I found that I was spending a lot of time in the country on my own and it started to play tricks on me and made me quite ill and depressed. This had all happened about five years ago, really. I’ve gravitated back to the piano and started diddling around. I don’t think talent or the gift ever goes away. I just think that it had got so buried.

Did you watch Fleetwood Mac play during this time?
Yeah, quite a few times.

That must have been weird for you.
It was weird, but it was fantastic at the same time to be a fly on the wall watching them without me. I went down to the soundboard and watched with the sound guy. They just sounded fantastic; as good as they ever were.

How long ago did you start feeling the first inklings that you might want to come back?
About two years ago. I started to think, "What am I doing? I really miss that camaraderie with those four people. I miss everything about it." I missed the music, to be able to create again. I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone besides Fleetwood Mac. I knew that they were my musical family.

How did you get the ball rolling to come back?
It was an epiphany because I suddenly knew I wanted to join the band again. Obviously, my muscle memory was a bit challenged, but I just thought, "I got to go for it. I can’t just sit here in the country rotting away. I have to do something, and something special."

I’d finally went to a therapist to talk about my fear of flying—and as serendipity would have it, Mick was happening to be coming to London to promote the upcoming Fleetwood Mac tour in Europe. He lives in Maui. The therapist said, "Where would you like to go most of all, if you could get on a plane now? Where would you go?" And I said, "Maui." So I got on the phone to Mick and said, "Hey Mick, I’m going to come to Maui, I’m going to get on a plane." And he said, "Fantastic, fantastic. But listen—I’m coming to England, blah blah blah, so why don’t we just go back together?"

I played in Mick’s little blues group on the island and the ball just started rolling, one way or another. Neither of us can remember just quite how it happened, but it eased into the situation where Mick spoke for the rest of the band and we had conference calls with Lindsey and Mick. I called Stevie, spoke to John, and they obviously were saying, "If she does rejoin, she has to commit and understand and remember how hard the work is. Can she physically do it?". I just said with a big capital "Y," "Yes—I’m going to challenge myself and I want to do it more than anything in the world." It’s just such a joy. It’s an affirmation of something so magical, there’s just a chemistry between us that’s just phenomenal.

Going back a bit, how was the flight from England to Hawaii? That's a long time on a plane.
Well, it was with Mick, and I don’t mind jumbo jets [laughs]. I did, but I had this sort of therapy and I knew how to breathe and what to think when there were bumps, and la-dee-da-dee-da. But I was with Mick so we chatted the whole way there. It took all the pain out of sitting on my own. Since then, I went to Africa, and flown around in 12-seaters in safaris, of all things. I don’t even think about it now.

The band toured last year. At what point was it firmly decided that you were coming back?
I went over to Dublin and it was decided that I would go on stage and do "Don’t Stop" with them at the O2. We rehearsed it in Dublin and everyone was looking over at each other smiling thinking this was fantastic. For me, I was looking over at my family again and it was effortless. I don’t know. It felt comfortable. It felt right.

What's the plan now?
Well, the plan is we’re going to start rehearsing in July and go on the road in September. The tour starts in Chicago and we head west and come back east again, finish at Christmas and pick up end of January and complete America and we can do the world, really. And there’s a studio album somewhere in the mix too. We’re playing around in studios now.

How has John's health been since his cancer diagnosis?
John’s health is on the up. He’s still doing chemotherapy and gets tired quickly, but he’s definitely been on the mend. He’s been such a man about this whole thing. I have renewed respect and love for him.

What music are you recording now?
We’re really running through some demos that I sent Lindsey. My demos are rough, [but] we’re just trying to construct some proper tracks from them and the chemistry is magic.

Is the whole band there right now?
Yes, we’re all here. We’re doing some photo shoots and everything for the tour and getting on with the show really.

It must feel like a time warp for you to be back with them after all these years.
It is a time warp; it is very, very happy. None of the nonsense with the drink and the nasty stuff. We’re all grown up, of course. One thing that we definitely have is chemistry and respect for each other's music, and Lindsey and I play well off each other. We have great rapport; he loves working on my songs and I love what he does with my songs, not to mention the fabulous written section. So I’m a pig in a pile of poo really.

Have you guys plotted out a setlist?
We haven’t actually sat down and written a list. We just know we have so much to choose from. All my hits haven’t been aired for years live, so you have all that chunk. Then you have a whole other chunk of Stevie and Lindsey’s stuff, maybe some more obscure tracks from well-known albums. It's mind-boggling.

Any chance you'll do Rumours straight though at some point?
That’s a concept. I think we probably did think about doing it for a special gig somewhere. Who knows? That's something certainly to think about.

How's your singing voice? Have you been doing any exercises to get it in shape for the tour?
Yeah, [we have] a guy who’s been on the road for years that does vocal exercises and I’m sure he’ll come with us this time. My voice is hanging on pretty well. I’m not doing lead vocals right now, but rough vocals and I’m happy with it. My pitching is really on, so I feel no worries about that either.

How long is this tour going to last?
Who knows? This tour will be a world tour. Then we just have to see what will happen after that. A year is a long time. The thing is that we’re all committed to keep on going until one of us says stop it.

The fans are so happy that you're back. This is just so clearly where you belong.
Yeah, I belong here. Not to mention the peripheral people: the managers, the crew, have welcomed me back so warmly. I feel I am in a big family again, it's fantastic. I really had no question that they would want me back. I don’t think I ever worried about it too much. I had e-mails from Stevie offering me money to come back. She said, "Just don’t leave me in this wilderness!" And I know I said to Mick when I left, “Mick, don’t ask me back." And I did mean it then.

Do you regret leaving now?
I don’t think you can spend your time regretting what you did in the past, but you can look to the future and try and glean the very best, sweetest time one has left.

Are you worried the strain of the road is going to drain you?
No, because myself and Mick are on a fitness campaign. We’re working out and doing rigorous training. I need to get my body in shape. I’m doing yoga and breathing exercises—I’m fit as I’ve ever been, so I’m not worried about that.

You mentioned earlier that you had suffered from depression. It's hard to think of a better cure for that than old friends and music.
Music and old friends, and the music happens to be really special in my view. Really lovely songs. As a final note, I'd just like to say, this is unprecedented—band members leave and other people take their place—but there was always that space where the piano should be. I had all my keyboards in storage in Los Angeles. I never shipped them to England. About two years ago, my manager said, "Oh, we should just sell them or give them to the band members." And Stevie said, "I'll take them!" And yesterday, we went to her house for a photo session and went to a room where she kept them safe. She didn't know I was going to come back, but she left them in great shape.

[MoonSister75]

Originally Posted by Johnny Stew

I think Stevie will drop in while they're working on Christine's songs, but will only stay when it comes time to work on her own and to record harmony vocals with Christine and Lindsey for their songs. And, really, that's all she's needed for. Otherwise, she'll be sitting around twiddling her thumbs while Chris & Linds work.

As for Stevie's songs... I'm thinking maybe Stevie might have some stuff that's much more fleshed-out that she intends to offer, and wouldn't require Lindsey to build from the ground-up. Maybe some material that's been recorded in the past (e.g. "If You Were My Love") or that she's already worked out an arrangement for with Dave Stewart.

I agree. I don't think Stevie has a problem recording with the band. Its just probably not necessary for her to be there now. She'll be there when the time is right to be there.

[Johnny Stew]

By the way, I see from the Rolling Stone article that Karen posted (thank you, Karen!), that John has been in the studio recently. Christine's quote in the USA Today article, about John having only "threatened to come into the studio," must have been from an interview conducted a little earlier this month.

The USA Today article is also the source of Lindsey's comment that Stevie was still deciding how & when she wants to approach recording... so there's a possibility that has since been worked out.

[wondergirl9847]

Any chance you'll do Rumours straight though at some point?

That’s a concept. I think we probably did think about doing it for a special gig
somewhere. Who knows? That's something certainly to think about.


She'd better be joking or I'm going to puke. LOL

They already DO 99.9% of Rumours out of order.....FRIG OFF!!!

[Johnny Stew]

[MoonSister75]

^^^ eek!! Love it!!

[mottabam]

^ WOW That is a Great picture.

[wondergirl9847]

Why does Lindsey look so peeved? LOL

Great pic though. I like when they take them outside!

[Mr Scarrott]

Originally Posted by mottabam

^ WOW That is a Great picture.

It'sd like seeing all your maddest and dearest aunts and uncles all in one place together...

[sywlindseyfan]

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

Why does Lindsey look so peeved? LOL

Great pic though. I like when they take them outside!

hahah oh that's cute. Lindsey thinks he's being so cool doing an "I'm mysterious and don't really care" pose like the past band photos, when all the while everyone else realizes that this was a friendly photo shoot.

[michelej1]

I had wondered about Christine's dogs. Fifteen years old now.

Michele

[Johnny Stew]

http://www.people.com/people/article...800646,00.html

Christine McVie Returns to Fleetwood Mac After a Long Hiatus
By K.C. Baker



It's a Fleetwood Mac lovefest!

After leaving one of the most successful rock bands of all time 16 years ago, Christine McVie is back – and her band mates couldn't be happier.

"We're thrilled," the band's co-founder and drummer, Mick Fleetwood, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "She's just the dearest of friends and we've remained that way always. We've always missed Chris. To have a key, key member return to the fold is huge. It's really not happened, to my knowledge in any shape or form, on this level."

McVie, 70, whose songs "Little Lies" and "Say You Love Me" were among Fleetwood Mac's biggest hits, tells PEOPLE exclusively, "I honestly could never in my wildest dreams have thought I could return to the band. It's just a dream come true. I go to bed going, 'This is so great. This is what I've been yearning for all these years and I didn't know it.' We're family. We're very lucky."

All five members of the band reunited this morning when McVie, along with her ex-husband, John McVie (who is "on the mend" after a cancer diagnosis last year, she says), Fleetwood, Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks appeared on Today to officially announce the return of the keyboardist and singer/songwriter.

Starting this fall, McVie will join Fleetwood Mac on its upcoming tour, On with the Show, and the band may release a new album "down the road," she says.

Fans, of course, are thrilled to have her back – and are wondering if there will be any drama, since the band was known as much for its mega-hits as for its feuds and, um, offstage fun.

"Us?" joked Fleetwood.

Says McVie, "Well, it wouldn't be Fleetwood Mac without a bit of drama, you know. Of course there will be some drama, but for the most part I have to say everyone is getting along really well. At the moment the drama is kind of the fun."

The British-American band was also notorious for its hookups – and breakups – which they wrote about in numerous songs. Nicks and Buckingham famously broke up, Fleetwood had an affair with Nicks, and the McVies divorced. Considering their history, do they foresee any more inter-band romances down the road?

"God knows we were probably overly open about all that stuff years ago," says Fleetwood, 66. "But that goose is cooked."

Why McVie Decided to Return

McVie joined the band in 1970, which her then-husband John McVie and Fleetwood founded three years earlier. In 1975, they were joined by Buckingham and then-girlfriend Nicks, becoming one of the most successful groups of all time, with best-selling albums including Fleetwood Mac, Rumours and Tusk.

After playing with Fleetwood Mac for 28 years, McVie left in 1998. "I think that I was probably just burned out when I left and I was frightened to fly," she says.

While she released her last solo album in 2004, spending much of her time quietly in England, she says she had no intentions of returning to Fleetwood Mac.

"But then," she says, "two years ago I started to really miss playing. I was toying with the idea of playing with some little band or … I didn't know what, really. The truth of the matter is the only people I wanted to play with were the people I had played with all my life – these guys – Fleetwood Mac."

She overcame her fear of flying through therapy, boarding a plane for the first time in years in February 2013 with Fleetwood at her side, where she spent time in Maui with him and other friends, watching the Mick Fleetwood Blues Band rehearse for an upcoming show.

She did something else for the first time in 15 years during that Maui trip: She performed onstage at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center with Fleetwood – and Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler, a close friend and neighbor of Fleetwood's.

When Tyler asked McVie during rehearsals if she was going to join them onstage, she declined, which came as no surprise to Fleetwood, who promised he "would never ask her to play" since she would probably say no.

Still, says Fleetwood, "Chris called me the next morning and suddenly the ambient voice sounded quite small and she said, 'I was actually just thinking, would you like me to play at the gig?' I said, 'Are you kidding me? Of course!' And that was how we segued into Chris coming up and doing a few songs along with Steven Tyler and my little band."

The Dinner that Clinched It

Shortly after McVie performed with Fleetwood and Tyler in Maui, she had dinner at Locanda Portofino in Santa Monica, Calif., with the four remaining members of Fleetwood Mac, which convinced her to return to the band.

"Lindsay was saying, 'The chemistry around the table is so fantastic, you know?' " says McVie. "That was the start of it. I think I made overtures to Mick, saying, 'What would you think if I were to rejoin the band?' "

The four members talked it through, telling her they would love to have her back – as long as she meant it. "Lindsay was saying, 'If you really are serious, then you've got to commit.' It was sort of an epiphany in a way. I just knew that's what I wanted."

Preparing for Her Momentous Return

"I'd like to say it's like falling off a log but it's a little more complicated than that. My muscle memory needs to return," she says, explaining that she needs to brush up on the lyrics to the songs that made her famous. "But I also slipped back in to it as though I never left, in a sense. In fact, I actually feel stronger."

McVie – who wrote many of the band's most famous hits – is also writing new songs, which could turn up here or there during the tour or on an upcoming album.

"Lindsay has been trolling through some tapes and files I sent to him when I was in England," she says. "He took bits that I thought were useless and said, 'That's fantastic!' So he's made them into something that I didn't realize were really that good. I am going, 'God. I can't believe that I actually wrote that.' "

Full Circle

McVie says that she can't wait to start touring again. "It is a celebration and it is a really joyful time for the band. God must have been smiling on me because I feel like a different person. This has done nothing but wonders for me and I love my band so, so much."

[welcomechris]

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/2014/...YnI/story.html


Pinch me.

Last year when Fleetwood Mac stopped at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, there was something major missing (besides half of Stevie Nicks’s vocal register): Christine McVie.

The founding member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-inducted group said goodbye to her bandmates in 1998, and we were pretty sure (as was Nicks) that she’d never return. We were wrong.

McVie announced that she was planning to rejoin the band in September of last year, and made it official today when Fleetwood Mac released a 34-date tour schedule, including a stop in Boston on Oct. 10.

Why come back?

“I had some deluded idea that I wanted to live the ‘country lady’ life,” McVie told Rolling Stone. “But I went through a divorce and I felt isolated in the country. I grew quite ill and depressed.”

Not everyone was entirely on board with her decision, though. Lindsey Buckingham told the mag that he “had some reservations” about her return, but they were ironed out.

Shortly after McVie announced her return, Fleetwood Mac had to cancel its Australian and New Zealand tour dates last year while her ex-husband, John, underwent cancer treatment. He’s still undergoing chemotherapy, according to McVie, but she said “his health is on the up.”

“The tour is going to be great fun,” McVie said. “I feel like a pig in poo right now.”

Tickets go on sale April 7.

[MikeVielhaber]

Originally Posted by MoonSister75

I agree. I don't think Stevie has a problem recording with the band. Its just probably not necessary for her to be there now. She'll be there when the time is right to be there.

Yeah, but you also seem to be thinking it's right on schedule and that she's purposefully absent right now. Lindsey seems to imply they don't know when Stevie will be involved in the process and how she'll involve herself.

[lovethemac1]

That is an amazing picture of her so far, and a fabulous one of the 4 of them as well.
I can hardly believe it.......yesterday we were all speculating what was going on when and where and with who. Amazing what 24 hours can do.