Earlier this week, Lindsey Buckingham escalated his feud with Fleetwood Mac by claiming that he was kicked out of the band at Stevie Nicks’ insistence – partly, he says, because of the way he “smirked” during Nicks’ speech at a MusiCares benefit show in January.
As Reuters reports, Buckingham has now filed a lawsuit against Fleetwood Mac accusing them of breach of contract for dropping him and therefore cutting him out of the earnings from their current arena tour.
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In the lawsuit, filed on Tuesday at Los Angeles Superior Court, Buckingham says the dispute stemmed from a clash between the Fleetwood Mac tour and his own wish to play some solo dates. It states that the other band members “intentionally acted to interfere with Buckingham’s relationship with Live Nation and the prospective economic benefit he was to receive as a result of his participation in the tour”.
Buckingham included in the lawsuit a copy of an email he sent to Mick Fleetwood in February, imploring the band to reconcile its differences. “After 43 years and the finish line clearly in sight, it is hard to escape the conclusion that for the five of us to splinter apart now would be the wrong thing. If there is a way to work this through, I believe we must try. I love you no matter what.”
Fleetwood Mac are yet to respond. You can view the rest of the dates for their US tour here. The dates for Buckingham’s current solo tour can be seen here.