Mick Fleetwood says doing a Fleetwood Mac farewell tour would be “the right thing to do” but has ruled out a reunion with ousted guitarist Lindsay Buckingham.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, the 72-year-old musician said the band is “very, very committed” to Neil Finn and Mike Campbell, who replaced Buckingham when he was fired by the band in 2018.
“So I have to say no,” Fleetwood said of welcoming Buckingham back. “His legacy is alive and well, and as it should be. A major, major part that will never be taken away, and never be down-spoken by any of us.”
Fleetwood added: “The situation was no secret. We were not happy. It was not working, and we parted company. And that really is the all of it.”
Buckingham, who reached a settlement with Fleetwood Mac shortly after filing a lawsuit against the band, suffered vocal cord damage during emergency heart surgery early last year.
Fleetwood said the members of the iconic group have no immediate plan to go their own ways but added there won’t be any more major tours.
“There’s loads of alternatives. People like Peter Gabriel have a lovely way of working where they go and just do four or five major festivals during the summer. That’s the sort of vision that I see for Fleetwood Mac,” he explained.
"We’re able to cherry-pick things that have dignity, and are fun to do, and they’re historically interesting."
Fleetwood said it’s important to “let people know you’re not wanting to play again” – but insisted he and his bandmates aren’t ready to make that decision.
“We are not at that point,” he said, “but if we get there, it’s a pretty good, gracious thing to let people know they’ll never see the band play again.”