Last year Fleetwood Mac guitarist Buckingham left the iconic band after 43 years. While there were rumours he had been fired, Mick Fleetwood has since revealed that he quit after a reignited feud with his ex-lover Stevie Nicks. Now Keyboardist McVie has spoken out, praising “grandaddy” Mick for bringing on board Buckingham’s two replacements in Neil Finn and Tom Petty. Speaking with MOJO, the 75-year-old said: “He has a way of finding the right people at the right time. It was Mike Campbell and Neil Finn – they fit the bill absolutely perfectly.”
He added: “But it was a really bad time, I had no bones to pick with Lindsey, I loved working with him but I did see the point and I did see what the problem was.
“And you know, we’re a democracy and we have to kind of make the best of a bad job.
“As it turns out, what we have now is better than what we ever had before.”
She said: “It was the only route we could take, because there was too much animosity between certain members of the band at that point.
“There was just no way it could’ve gone on as a five-piece, a group with Lindsey in the band.
“So it was either just completely break up the band or make the best of it.”
In the same interview, Mick said: “Support really could not be given to ask the situation to continue. It was too challenging.”
He added: “The truth is, call it what you want, a parting of company took place, and it had to take place, and it was supported by the remaining band members around something that for sure was a major problem to two people – Lindsey and Stevie.”
Back in February, Buckingham underwent emergency open heart surgery.
His wife Kristen told her Twitter followers that he felt “fortunate to be alive.”
Meanwhile, Fleetwood Mac continue to tour without their ex-band member.