"Although Fleetwood Mac has never technically been away, the line-up that people consider the one true Mac is finally back together and stronger than ever! Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham were together for 13 years; they are, and always will be, the Fleetwood Mac of record. Now they are back with a new album and video, The Dance, taken from the MTV special by the same name; they are touring for the first time in more than a decade, and fans world-over are rejoicing. The timing could not better. It's been 30 years since the formation of the original Fleetwood Mac, and 20 years since the release of Rumors, the most influential and innovative album of the group's career, and an enduring landmark of the rock era.
Though they approached many times over the years about getting back together, the group's reunion was not really planned. Lindsey Buckingham was working on some solo material in later 1995 when he happened to run into Mick Fleetwood. Mick says, "We started working together on some of his songs and immediately sparked off each other. It's like learning to ride a bike; once you've got it you never forget." Lindsey and Mick worked together through the summer of 1996 and when Lindsey asked Mick who he though should lay down some bass parts, there was little doubt who Mick would suggest. Soon after John McVie joined them in the studio, the potential-unspoken but palpable-began to build, gathering momentum when Lindsey asked Christine McVie to come in and sing harmonies. "The magic, the energy, the pure joy of working together was stronger than ever," recounts Lindsey. "There we were," adds Mick, with a laugh "all four of us in the control room actually enjoying each other's company. At the time she got the call, Christine says, "I was very content with my life, but at the same time, I must admit, I felt the pull."
The pull also exerted its influence on the fifth Mac member. "None of us really had to do this, "Stevie remarks. "We had our separate lives and careers. But the chance to work together again, without all the conflicts that had once made things so difficult, was hard to resist. The Rumours anniversary was a perfect excused, but what's more important is how we've each grown. I'd always loved being part of this band, feeling that extraordinary energy we could create, and now there's nothing to interfere with that flow of energy."
The resulting flow of that collective energy, The Dance, features masterful re-workings of eight of Fleetwood Mac's most beloved songs, plus four new tunes. The album went straight to number one at the top of the Billboard album charts upon it's release. Tickets to the group's reunion concert also sold out immediately in city after city, leaving no doubt that the Mac is most definitely back and their fans have been sorely missing them.
Fleetwood Mac Tour '97, Collector's 2 CD Set (Best Buy)