Fleetwood Mac Will Likely Never Perform Again, Mick Fleetwood Says
The band's drummer said it's "unthinkable" to go on without Christine McVie.
If you've always wanted to see Fleetwood Mac in concert, it unfortunately might be be too late. Speaking to The Los Angeles Times at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, Mick Fleetwood revealed that the band may never perform together again following the death of Christine McVie in November 2022. According to the drummer, members of the band will likely continue on in music on their own, but Fleetwood Mac as a band could be over for good. He called moving forward without McVie "unthinkable right now."
Read on to see what else the musician shared and to find out more about the band's status.
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Fleetwood can't fathom going on without Christine.
Fleetwood Mac has gone through a number of lineup changes over the years with Fleetwood and John McVie being the only two members to consistently be with the band since its founding in 1968. Christine—at the time married to John—joined the band as keyboardist and singer in 1970. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham joined later in 1975.
"I think right now, I truly think the line in the sand has been drawn with the loss of Chris," Fleetwood told the Los Angeles Times of the band's potential future. "I'd say we're done, but then we've all said that before. It's sort of unthinkable right now."
Christine died only three months ago.
Christine died on Nov. 30, 2022 at age 79. As reported by People, her family announced that she died in the hospital "following a short illness."
"She was in the company of her family," the statement reads. "We kindly ask that you respect the family's privacy at this extremely painful time, and we would like everyone to keep Christine in their hearts and remember the life of an incredible human being, and revered musician who was loved universally."
The band also released a statement on Twitter, which reads in part, "There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure … We were so lucky to have a life with her."
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The musicians aren't retiring.
Fleetwood told the Los Angeles Times that he still plans to perform, but "not as Fleetwood Mac." He also mentioned other members of the band, past and present, and said, "They all get out and play, so I'm gonna be doing the same thing, finding people to play with." He added with a laugh, "Anyone out there?"
Nicks is set to begin an American tour on March 10 that will go through November. Buckingham, who left the band in 2018, toured as recently as last year. As for Fleetwood, he performed at the Grammys alongside Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow as a tribute to Christine.
Fleetwood Mac last toured together in 2019.
Fleetwood Mac's most recent tour was called An Evening with Fleetwood Mac and took place across 2018 and 2019. Buckingham was not on the road with them then, however—his last with the group was in 2015. Fleetwood Mac's last performance as a band was in San Francisco on Nov. 20, 2019 for Dreamfest, as reported by NME.
In June 2022, Christine told Rolling Stone that she didn't know if the band would continue working together following the 2019 tour. "I don't know. It's impossible to say. We might get back together, but I just couldn't say for sure," she said.
She said that she'd want Buckingham back if they ever did tour again, but she wasn't sure she was up for it, explaining that she was "in quite bad health" and had a "chronic back problem."
"I'm getting a bit long in the teeth here," she said at the time. "I'm quite happy being at home. I don't know if I ever want to tour again. It's bloody hard work."
