Lindsey Buckingham Leaves Fleetwood Mac; Mike Campbell, Crowded House’s Neil Finn In For Tour

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) – Fleetwood Mac MusiCares
Fleetwood Mac band members take a bow, from left, Stevie Nicks, John McVie, Christine McVie, Lindsey Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood at the 2018 MusiCares Person of the Year tribute honoring Fleetwood Mac at Radio City Music Hall on Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, in New York.

While fans wait for the dates to be confirmed for Fleetwood Mac’s next tour, Lindsey Buckingham has reportedly departed the band, with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn taking his place on the road.  

“We are thrilled to welcome the musical talents of the caliber of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn into the Mac family. With Mike and Neil, we’ll be performing all the hits that the fans love, plus we’ll be surprising our audiences with some tracks from our historic catalogue of songs,” Fleetwood Mac said in a joint statement, according to Variety, which first reported Buckingham’s had left the lineup. “Fleetwood Mac has always been a creative evolution. We look forward to honoring that spirit on this upcoming tour.”

The band added, “Lindsey Buckingham will not be performing with the band on this tour. The band wishes Lindsey all the best.”

Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974, following the departure of Bob Welch. The guitarist was first featured on the band’s self-titled 1975 album, which included the hits “Over My Head,” “Rhiannon” and “Say You Love Me.” He left the lineup in 1987 and rejoined the group in 1996. 

The to-be announced gigs are the follow-up to the band’s highly successful 2014-2015 “On With The Show” tour, which was significant for its ticket sales and for marking the first time Christine McVie had reunited with the lineup of Buckingham, John McVie and Stevie Nicks since 1998. 

Fleetwood Mac placed at No. 5 on Pollstar’s Top 200 North American Tours chart in 2014 with a gross of $74.1 million and at No. 6 on the chart the following year with a gross of $125.1 million.

After playing Classic West at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium and Classic East at New York’s Citi Field in 2017, Fleetwood Mac most recently took the stage Jan. 26 at Radio City Music Hall where the band appeared as the guest of honor at the MusiCares Person Of The Year Gala. 

Pollstar reached out to Fleetwood Mac’s agent and manager, as well as Buckingham’s representatives, for comment.

The band has not acknowledged Buckingham’s departure on its social media pages, as of post time, other than updating his Facebook profile photo to an illustration of a penguin wearing a top hat. Fleetwood Mac’s previous profile photo was a group shot of the band, with Buckingham front and center.