In 2023, Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks embarked on a joint tour that surprised fans of both artists. The co-headliners are both experienced artists who have worked in the music industry for decades. For years, Nicks alternated between touring with Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After the death of his longtime girlfriend Christine McVie in 2022, his future with Fleetwood Mac is uncertain. Joel shared his thoughts on bands continuing to perform together following the death of a longtime member.
Billy Joel, who is on tour with Stevie Nicks, spoke about the future of Fleetwood Mac
Joel and Nicks have known each other for about a decade, but they didn’t play together until this tour. He spoke about working with Nicks after McVie’s death, acknowledging that the next 10 years could see the deaths of many famous musicians.
“There’s going to be a lot of attrition,” he told the LA Times. “I had an idea for a tour [of mine]: The poster has illustrations of a bunch of dead bugs, and the name of the tour is Dropping Like Flies. I tell my agent, ‘Look, go ahead and be as sinister as you want.’ We are all aware of this. »
Joel didn’t seem to think it would be in bad taste for Fleetwood Mac to continue touring after McVie’s death. He thinks that a group with enough success should be able to continue working together.
“It depends on who it is,” he said. “I would go to the Eagles even without Glenn because their equipment is so solid. They’ve been together for so long, it’s a hard working band.
Still, he acknowledged that in some bands, like the Rolling Stones, each member plays such a critical role that he’d like the chance to see them.
Billy Joel shared what it was like filming with Stevie Nicks
Joel has been a solo artist for years, so sharing the billing with someone like Nicks is new to him.
“We met at a Fleetwood Mac gig in San Francisco probably 10 years ago,” he said. “I just met her backstage, but we’ve never worked together, even though we both hit it off at the same time. So it’s going to be a completely new thing for me. I’ll probably do one of her songs and she’ll probably make one of mine.
During their first performance together, Joel joined Nicks to sing “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around”. During his set, Nicks appeared on stage to sing “And So It Goes”.
What did Stevie Nicks say about Christine McVie after her death?
His tour with Joel marks the first time Nicks has performed since McVie’s death. On the first night, she dedicated “Landslide” to McVie.
“I have to imagine she’s still here,” Nicks told the crowd, per Rolling Stone. “That’s all I can do.”
Shortly after McVie’s death, Nicks posted a statement on Instagram expressing his sadness.
“A few hours ago I was told that my best friend in the whole world since day one in 1975 passed away,” Nicks wrote. “I didn’t even know she was sick…until late Saturday night. I wanted to be in London; I wanted to go to London – but we were told to wait. So, since Saturday, a song has been going through my head, over and over and over again. I thought maybe I could sing it to him, so I’m singing it to him now.