Lindsey Buckingham has settled his lawsuit against Fleetwood Mac after suing his ex-bandmates for what he believed would have been his income from the band’s current tour.
Rumors began circulating at the beginning of April that Buckingham had been ousted from the group and the news was confirmed shortly thereafter with the announcement that two new members – Mike Campbell, longtime lead guitarist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and Crowded House frontman Neil Finn – would take his place. The statement concluded with two terse sentences regarding Buckingham’s departure.
“Lindsey Buckingham will not be performing with the band on this tour. The band wishes Lindsey all the best.”
Related: Fleetwood Mac Fires Lindsey Buckingham
The guitarist was reportedly asked to leave the band because he couldn’t commit to a touring schedule, but Buckingham has been adamant that he was fired because Stevie Nicks refused to share a stage with him.
During an interview with CBS This Morning: Saturday, Buckingham shared news that an agreement had been reached and that he’s “happy enough” with the terms of the settlement. “I’m not out there trying to twist the knife at all,” Buckingham said. “I’m trying to look at this with some level of compassion, some level of wisdom.”
Of course, in keeping with the ongoing Fleetwood Mac saga, Buckingham did reveal the contents of a recent e-mail from Christine McVie, with whom he teamed up for a 2017 album and tour.
Related: Hear Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie’s New Song
“She wrote me an email and basically said, ‘Dearest Lindsey, just know that I had nothing to do with any of this. Know that I miss you so much…I believe deep in Stevie (Nicks) heart that she would like you to come home.’”
When asked how he interprets the new message from McVie, Buckingham said, “maybe underneath everything, Stevie would like to see me back already – that maybe she feels ambivalent about what’s going on.” He also admits, “This could be Christine just expressing wishful thinking, or expressing something she thinks will make me feel better.”
Buckingham has not revealed any details of the terms of the settlement, nor have any of Fleetwood Mac’s current lineup commented on the agreement.
