Lindsey Buckingham May Have Attacked Stevie Nicks On Stage in 1980 Due to Combining His Medication With Drugs and Alcohol

Musicians Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham are known for their work in the band Fleetwood Mac and for their tumultuous relationship off stage. While Fleetwood Mac did have breakups that occurred between members, Nicks and Buckingham occasionally shot looks at each other on stage that concertgoers picked up on. According to Music Spotlight Magazine, Buckingham allegedly attacked Nicks on stage during a concert in 1981.

Lindsey Buckingham allegedly attacked Stevie Nicks during a Fleetwood Mac concert

Fleetwood Mac’s most notable lineup includes Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie, Nicks, and Buckingham.

In 1979, the band set out on The Tusk Tour. By March 1980, Fleetwood Mac was performing The Tusk Tour in Australia and New Zealand.

During one show in New Zealand, Buckingham’s “behavior” allegedly “hit a new low.”

“On March 20, his behavior hit a new low during a show at Athletic Park in Wellington, New Zealand. During another performance of ‘Rhiannon,’ he pulled his jacket over his head and twirled around Stevie, mimicking her dance moves,” recounts Music Spotlight Magazine.

According to Music Spotlight Magazine, “When she ignored him, he kicked her with his steel-toed cowboy boots, then picked up a guitar and ‘Frisbee’d it at me,’ Stevie recalled. ‘He missed- I ducked. But he could have killed me.’ Buckingham continued to kick her while the crowd of 60,000 fans looked on in astonishment.”

What allegedly happened backstage with Fleetwood Mac after this incident

While Buckingham’s behavior may have been startling for concertgoers in New Zealand, Christine McVie apparently put a stop to it when she confronted the guitarist backstage.

“Backstage, Christine McVie slapped him and threw her drink in his face. ‘Don’t you ever do this to the band again!’ she screamed. The tour continued without another incident, but behind the scenes, Fleetwood Mac considered replacing him with their old friend Eric Clapton,” reports Music Spotlight Magazine.

The magazine reveals that Buckingham addressed the incident in 2003.

“If I kicked her onstage, that was something coming through the veneer. There has been a lot of darkness,” Buckingham told Mojo according to Music Spotlight Magazine.

Why Lindsey Buckingham acted that way toward Stevie Nicks

While there is no excuse for Buckingham’s alleged behavior, there is a possible explanation.

According to Music Spotlight Magazine, “Lindsey Buckingham was diagnosed with mild epilepsy and given Dilantin to control his seizures. He apparently wasn’t aware that the medicine in combination with alcohol and recreational drugs could lead to fits of rage.”

When the tour reached Australia and New Zealand, the magazine reports that “Stevie became the target of his anger.”

Buckingham was fired from Fleetwood Mac in 2018, and he has not been invited back to the band since.