Mick Fleetwood wishes that his Fleetwood Mac bandmates Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham would put their differences aside. https://t.co/cGrXyy3HYN

— Us Weekly (@usweekly) February 4, 2025

“I always have a fantasy that [Stevie] and Lindsey would pal up a bit more and just say everything’s OK for them both,” said Fleetwood. “But we’ve had such an incredible career.”  

Nicks and Buckingham’s relationship stretches all the way back to their high school days when Nicks joined the band Fritz. They became involved romantically before moving to Los Angeles and forming Buckingham Nicks. They released one album before joining Fleetwood Mac in 1975, though they were initially hesitant with the band’s reputation for being a meat grinder for musicians.  

Their romantic split during the writing and recording of 1977’s ‘Rumours’ produced some of the most iconic Fleetwood Mac songs, but those tensions often spilled over into their live performances, most notably a performance of ‘Silver Springs’ in 1997.

The pair’s professional relationship reached boiling point in 2018 when Buckingham was asked to leave the group, with Nicks giving them an ultimatum that she would leave if he stayed. In 2021, Buckingham claimed that Nicks had never got over him, while Nicks countered by saying that she “gave him more than 300 million chances.”

 

 

 

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Following the death of Christine McVie in 2022, the future of Fleetwood Mac has been in the air. Mick Fleetwood acknowledged the impact of her passing, describing it as something that changed the band forever. “Losing Chris, it was beyond unexpected,” he told US Weekly. 

McVie was instrumental in shifting Fleetwood Mac’s sound from their blues roots to the pop-rock sound they would become known for, and wrote hits like ‘Everywhere’, ‘You Make Loving Fun’, and ‘Little Lies’. As the keyboard player, she would be heavily involved in the more electronic-influenced ‘Tango in the Night’, released in 1987. Since her passing, the band have released no original material, though 2023’s ‘Rumours Live’ performed well, reaching 19 on the UK Charts.

Fleetwood has previously shown a willingness to reunite the band without McVie, though Stevie Nicks has remained resolute in her stance that Fleetwood Mac is done. “Without Christine, no can do. There is no chance of putting Fleetwood Mac back together in any way,” she told MOJO in October 2024. On the other hand, Buckingham said he would reunite the band “in a heartbeat” when asked in February 2024.  

Fleetwood has remained active since The Mac’s disbandment. He released an album with ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro in 2024, and teased an upcoming solo album on which he would sing too. His comments to US Weekly seem to suggest the drummer is itching to get back on the road, “I miss playing as much as we used to. ​​I’m hoping next year, one way or another, some band somewhere will say, ‘Come and play with drums or something.’”

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Despite their last studio album coming in 2003, Fleetwood Mac are one of the most enduring acts of their era. ‘Rumours’ is a mainstay on the UK Album Charts, spending over 1000 non-consecutive weeks on it. With an upcoming Apple+ documentary, Fleetwood Mac are as relevant as ever, even if the surviving members don’t reunite.