CAN DON HENLEY AND STEVIE NICKS WORK TOGETHER?

Can Don Henley and Stevie Nicks Work Together on an Eagles and Fleetwood Mac Tour?

December 27, 2009 by Ron Hart Ron Hart
Associated Content

Will Don Henley and Stevie Nicks share the stage, and the limelight, as the rumored Eagles and Fleetwood Mac co-headlining classic rock tour seems to be close to official? As Henley and Nicks are the most recognizable names and faces in their respective 1970's rock super-groups, the two share a history that somehow manages to be both shrouded in mystery and well publicized.

Probably the most difficult aspect to putting together a concert tour like this one is not logistical in nature. Though logistics can be a challenge, the biggest obstacle can be the egos involved. Who exactly is the bigger group, the Eagles or Fleetwood Mac? Who will close the show? Are more Eagles fans or more Fleetwood Mac fans coming? How will this affect the dynamic between the principals in the two groups?

Now, throw in the fact that Don Henley and Stevie Nicks had an on again and off again love affair during the late 1970's and into the early 1980's, and you have an even more complicated situation. While both are quite a bit older now, romances from the past often are hardwired in people's psyche. To further complicate matters, Nicks was involved in no less than three of the other participants in this mega concert tour: Lindsay Buckingham and Mick Fleetwood from Fleetwood Mac, and Joe Walsh from the Eagles.

If this all seems to add up to a potentially tenuous situation, here is one more thing to consider. Don Henley, in an GQ article from the early 1990's, told the world that he believed Nicks became pregnant by him, aborted the baby and named the unborn fetus Sara. Henley shared that he believed Nicks then wrote one of her most famous songs, Sara, and dedicated it to the Henley sired love child that would never be.

In subsequent years, Stevie Nicks made it clear that she was not at all happy with Henley's statement to the world. While she did not deny being pregnant with Henley's child, she apparently was very unhappy with Henley for sharing it in an interview with a national magazine.

Certainly, it appears that through the years Henley and Nicks have patched things up. In recent years, they have performed on stage together, most notably during a mini-tour without the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac in which both performed alone and together.

While both Henley and Nicks became solo stars in their own right, neither became nearly as big as they were with the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac respectively. So while a small solo tour with the King and Queen of 1970's Southern California rock seemingly went well, an Eagles and Fleetwood Mac pairing will have a lot more attention and will represent a lot more at stake.

Both groups have had more than their share of internal drama, but as they bring them together to sell out football and baseball stadiums across the country, it will be very interesting to observe their on stage dynamic (if they perform together), and any offstage drama that may leak out to the world at large.

While both Henley and Nicks are total professionals, and as each are nearing the point of senior citizenship, it is unlikely that any real 'dirty laundry' will be exposed. And for his part, Henley is now a married man. But if the interpersonal relationships again get emotional or complicated, it will be interesting to see how it might effect the tour and the product on the stage.