Fleetwood Mac aims to 'get along, have a great time'
Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
"We are a cast of characters who never really belonged in the same band in the first place," says Lindsey Buckingham of the famously fractious band.
4:18PM EST December 3. 2012 - The friction between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham that went public with 1977's Rumours has yet to cool.
"We are a cast of characters who never really belonged in the same band in the first place," says Buckingham, 63. "But the synergy works, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the mines lie in the field this time. It wouldn't be a band without that tension. All the same things kick in. I know what I'm supposed to do. I know whose face to get in to make things happen. All those roles are so familiar. I'm ready to pick up the dice and roll again."
Rumours was recorded during the breakups of the band's two couples, Nicks and Buckingham and John and Christine McVie, who left in 1998. The three carried on, along with drummer Mick Fleetwood, and will launch an arena tour April 4.
Nicks and Buckingham are considering a 40th anniversary reissue of their storied Buckingham Nicks album next year, with a newly unearthed, previously unreleased track from the sessions.
Fleetwood Mac regroups to launch a 34-city tour
Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
December 3. 2012
After a three-year absence, the legendary rockers embark on a 34-city tour starting April 4 in Columbus, Ohio.
Hungry for a big Mac splurge? After a three-year absence, Fleetwood Mac embarks on a 34-city North American tour starting April 4 in Columbus, Ohio.
Tickets for the first run of shows go on sale Dec. 14 at LiveNation.com.
The band, founded in 1967, is celebrating the 35th anniversary of its trailblazing Rumours, which sold 40 million copies worldwide, held Billboard's No. 1 spot for 31 weeks and spawned top 10 hits Dreams, Don't Stop, Go Your Own Way and You Make Loving Fun.
To coincide with the tour and 35th Anniversary of Rumours , a new deluxe reissue of Rumours with previously unreleased studio and live tracks will be released in early 2013 from Rhino. More details on the set will be announced soon.
Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who joined in 1975, and namesakes Mick Fleetwood and John McVie last toured in 2009 and haven't released a studio album since 2003's Say You Will.
Yet new tunes may be shoehorned into a set list packed with classics.
"There were some tracks John, Mick and I cut with Stevie in mind while she was on the road," Buckingham says. "It's the most Fleetwood Mac-sounding stuff I've heard in a long time. We've been talking about releasing an EP, but I don't know how these moving parts will fit together yet."
In light of the band's deep catalog, the singer/guitarist isn't concerned about a second consecutive tour without a studio album.
"We'd be OK for one more round," he says. "People do want to hear that body of work and be transported to a certain time. The older you get and the longer the band has been around, you come to terms with the fact that no one's particularly interested in hearing anything too new. It's about what you do with what you've got."
Nicks envisions performing hits, rarities and maybe a couple of migrants, particularly the war-themed Soldier's Angel, a duet with Buckingham from her 2011 solo album, In Your Dreams.
"It's become a standard in my set, and I get a standing ovation every night," Nicks says. "Fans might like seeing Lindsey and I sing it. And it gives me a chance to ask people to help veterans who are so young and so messed up. I turn into an eighth-grade teacher."
Opting to extend her solo tour, Nicks was a holdout when the band wanted to hit the road early this year.
"I had to put my foot down and say, 'I'm not touring with you in 2012,' and it wasn't a very popular idea," she says. "I always think it's good for Fleetwood Mac to be away for three years. Two years is like, well, 'I just saw you.' My feeling was, let 2013 be the year of Fleetwood Mac and make it an exciting event."
Tour dates:
April 4 Columbus, Ohio (Nationwide Arena)
April 6 Philadelphia (Wells Fargo Center)
April 8 New York (Madison Square Garden)
April 9 Washington, D.C. (Verizon Center)
April 11 Louisville (KFC Yum! Center)
April 13 Chicago (United Center)
April 16 Toronto (The Air Canada Centre)
April 18 Boston (TD Garden)
April 20 Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun Arena)
April 23 Ottawa (Scotiabank Place)
April 24 Newark, N.J. (Prudential Center)
April 26 Pittsburgh (CONSOL Energy Center)
April 28 St. Paul (Xcel Energy Center)
April 30 Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
May 1 Tulsa (BOK Center)
May 3 Little Rock (Verizon Arena)
May 12 Winnipeg (MTS Centre)
May 14 Saskatoon (Credit Union Centre)
May 15 Edmonton (Rexall Place)
May 17 Calgary (Scotiabank Saddledome)
May 19 Vancouver (Rogers Arena)
May 20 Tacoma, Wash. (Tacoma Dome)
May 22 San Jose (HP Pavilion)
May 25 Los Angeles (Hollywood Bowl)
May 26 Las Vegas (MGM Grand Arena)
May 28 Anaheim, Calif. (Honda Center)
May 30 Phoenix (US Airways Center)
June 1 Denver (Pepsi Center)
June 4 Dallas (American Airlines Center)
June 5 Houston (Toyota Center)
June 7 Tampa (Tampa Bay Times Forum)
June 8 Fort Lauderdale (BB&T Center)
June 10 Atlanta (Philips Arena)
June 12 Detroit (Joe Louis Arena)
Most dates are now on Ticketmaster or on the 2013 Tour Page
here
USA Today
Fleetwood Mac to Launch World Tour in April
'It's the perfect time to go back out,' says Stevie Nicks
Rolling Stone Magazine
"We actually have two new Fleetwood Mac songs that I cut with Lindsey two weeks ago we might play," says Nicks. "I had a really good time working with him for four days at his house. I got to hang out with his family and his kids, his grown up kids, and really connect with him again. We’re pretty proud of what we have done, and we’re looking at it through the eyes of wisdom now, instead of through the eyes of jealousy and resentment and anger."
"If everything goes will we'll be in Europe doing festivals this summer," says Nicks. "Then we'll actually tour Europe, which is different than just doing festivals. Then we might do fifteen or so shows in Australia."
Check in later this week for a detailed Q&A with Nicks and Buckingham where they discuss the upcoming tour, their failed attempt to record a new Fleetwood Mac album, the possibility of reforming their old duo Buckingham-Nicks and the many tensions that linger in their long relationship.
Fleetwood Mac Will Tour in 2013
By JAMES C. MCKINLEY JR.