So I read back a bit and, I must say, that stuff about the band misleading Lindsey about being OK with his solo tour was very interesting! I don't think it changes my opinion all that much, however. It seems fairly obvious that Stevie Nicks has made herself "queen of the band" (not that she's wrong in doing it, however!). So yeah I'm not surprised she's sick of dealing with Lindsey, and you're right -- Mike/Neil are never going challenger her. But apparently, neither is Mick, John, or Christine. And if they're all on the same page, that makes me think MAYBE Lindsey has spent just a few too many years being a just bit too difficult.
That's my gut reaction. I could be totally wrong. It just seems like firing Lindsey is the result of either A) Stevie is an absolute dictator who demands the entire band (3 millionaires who don't really "need" to tour) bend to her will or B) Stevie is tired of dealing with Lindsey... and the rest of the band is also tired of dealing with Lindsey. "B" strikes me as a little more likely.
But I do get the frustration. Phasing out Lindsey FM songs for Petty covers, Don't Dream It's Over, and solo work is not a true "Fleetwood Mac" setlist, and the comparison to Ringo's band seems appropriate. For me, and this is not really a compliment, but the big appeal of seeing FM today would be the novelty factor. I would like to see them play Stop Draggin' My Heart and Don't Dream It's Over.
But only once. I'd rather see Stevie solo work at a Stevie solo show. But, in this context, I am a beggar that really cannot be a chooser lol. I hope to see FM this year, but that might be the last time, ever. And THAT is what truly blows.
"City streets don't have much pity,
When you're down, that's where you'll stay..."
-Joe Walsh
How sucky that our last Fleetwood Mac show would be this farce, eh? The idea of that is a real turn-off to me, honestly. But I promised my friends, and I'm going to that conference.
Still, if Stevie doesn't play any rarities from her Mac catalog - NOT her solo catalog because yeah, I'll go to a solo show for that - then it will be especially crappy. I don't give a hoot about Rattlesnake Shake. In fact, it makes me cringe. I do NOT need to hear an ode to wanking. As I've said before, other "glories of the past" that I care about are few in number.
The last time Lindsey left, they pulled out Stevie's solo song "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything for You" for Mac shows, and her own backup singers were up there drowning out Christine and the rest of the Mac. It was NOT the Mac, despite the beauty of the song. I hope they don't do something like that again, but if they had no problem doing it last time....
For the curious, the Lindsey vocals they felt comfortable playing last time he left were "The Chain", "Don't Let Me Down Again" (a Buckingham Nicks cover, bizarrely and insultingly IMHO), "Go Your Own Way", and "Blue Letter." "The Chain" is a co-write; "Blue Letter" is a cover; "Go Your Own Way" was a huge hit. I understand those choices. "Don't Let Me Down Again" - a Lindsey song from an album that was a Stevie/Lindsey project done when they were a romantic couple? Wow.
I don't think Neil Finn should be in FM any more than Vince Gill should be in the Eagles, but I like his music and respect him a lot so I don't particularly like "this Neil dude" kind of comments. "For seasons in one day", for one, is a fabulous song. I think he co-wrote that one with his brother.
Neil is a talented songwriter; I still treasure the pop gems he did with Split Enz such as “History Never Repeats” and of course “I’ve Got You” -the latter is a New Wave classic. I’d rather hear that than the tired “Don’t Dream It’s Over.”