Stevie Nicks confirms there is “no chance” of Fleetwood Mac reuniting
Stevie Nicks has confirmed that Fleetwood Mac is officially over. While many fans have presumed this was the case following the death of core member Christine McVie in November 2022, and members’ comments since, this is the first time it has been fully verified.
A keyboardist and vocalist, McVie joined the group as a session musician in 1968 before officially joining two years later. She was present throughout several lineup changes for Fleetwood Mac and became a key member by writing songs and performing lead vocals. Her compositions include ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Everywhere’ and ‘Little Lies’.
In 1998, McVie departed and entered semi-retirement after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the British-American outfit. She then assisted the group on stage at London’s O2 Arena in 2013 before officially rejoining in 2014.
McVie died of a stroke in hospital, aged 79, on November 30th, 2022. At the time of her death, she had been suffering from metastatic cancer.
In a new interview with Mojo, Nicks confirmed that Fleetwood Mac cannot continue without the late McVie and is now over. “Without Christine, no can do,” she said. “There is no chance of putting Fleetwood Mac back together in any way. Without her, it just couldn’t work.”
Nicks also noted that while the band worked well without McVie for 16 years, things are different now. Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham shouldered much of McVie’s prolonged absence, but the latter – her ex-romantic partner who she joined the group in 1975 – was fired in 2018. He was replaced by Mike Campbell and Neil Finn.
However, it’s not just that Buckingham is now not in the band. The pair last converged at a memorial service for McVie in 2023, yet despite the possibility of them working together in the face of ample acrimony, Nicks suggested that Buckingham’s health following open heart surgery in 2019 might not be fit for the demands of such lengthy touring.
“Even if I thought I could work with Lindsey again, he’s had some health problems,” Nicks continued. “It’s not for me to say, but I’m not sure if Lindsey could do the kind of touring that Fleetwood Mac does, where you go out for a year and a half. It’s so demanding.”
Nicks’s comments about the end of Fleetwood Mac follow those she made in October last year. Reflecting on her long friendship with McVie, she noted: “When she died, I figured we really couldn’t go any further with this. There’s no reason to.”
Nicks is currently on the road in the US and will return to Europe next month. This stint includes her headline set at London’s Hyde Park on July 12th.
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