(Credits: Far Out / Polydor)
Sun 24 August 2025 21:30, UK
The relationship between Fleetwood Mac duo Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham has been manoeuvred past seemingly immovable road bumps on plenty of occasions over the years.
Following Buckingham’s acrimonious exit from Fleetwood Mac in 2018, it seemed like they would never cross paths in a professional sense ever again. From the outside looking in, there was too much bad blood and too many insults that can’t be unsaid for them to ever navigate past, even with lucrative financial incentives on the line.
Nevertheless, in 2025, the pair took out a billboard on Sunset Boulevard to announce their classic album, Buckingham Nicks, would be released on physical media for the first time in decades, and also become available on streaming.
While these may seem minor in the grand scheme of things, it was still an improbable turn of events to even consider 12 months ago. Of course, Buckingham and Nicks have been here before, and made amends, including one crucial conversation that took place before Fleetwood Mac began their world tour in 2013.
In a frank discussion with Mojo, shortly before the tour got underway, Buckingham explained how Fleetwood Mac cleared the air to make their world adventure a possibility. “There are still parts of mine and Stevie’s relationship that are unresolved, and it will be interesting to visit that on this next tour,” the guitarist said.
To provide some context, this was their first tour in four years, and it was to take them all over the world. Therefore, if it were to go smoothly, then it was necessary for words to be exchanged that they’ve both been meaning to say for decades.
(Credits: Far Out / IMDB)
In the same interview, Nicks revealed precisely what was said, sharing, “He’s probably referring to what I call ‘The Talk’. About a year and a half ago, I told him everything I had wanted to say to him since 1968. I said, ‘Do you remember how cute we were? How could we walk into the room together and people would be mesmerised because we were so funny and smart?
Nicks honestly recalled, “I said, ‘Lindsey, if we can’t go back to being those people, I’m going to quit. I have other people I can work with that treat me with warmth and utter respect, and in my world, there’s never a harsh word spoken.’”
When asked about Buckingham’s response to her remarks, she said, “He was very quiet. I said, ‘The ball’s in your park, Lindsey – 2013 better be great.”
While they did complete all of their touring commitments in 2013 without a blip, it didn’t take long for the cracks inevitably begin to appear again. After frustrations reached fever pitch, Nicks ultimately served Mick Fleetwood an ultimatum between choosing to continue with her or Buckingham, leading to the guitarist’s dismissal.
Nicks explained to Rolling Stone in 2024: “I think that all just happened the way it should have. It happened one night, not planned, at MusiCares. I didn’t even tell anybody it had happened in my head until the whole ceremony was over.”
Although the honest conversation was enough to briefly get them singing from the same hymn book, the solution was only temporary. Only the future knows whether another pact can be reached between the two to get Buckingham and Nicks back on stage together, but every Fleetwood Mac fan wants to see it happen.
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