Stevie Nicks Has One Major 'Regret' About Original Fleetwood Mac Leader Peter Green

Stevie Nicks' life as a member of Fleetwood Mac hasn't been without drama, including her 1976 split with bandmate Lindsey Buckingham. Still, Nicks dominated the 1970s, scoring hits like "Rhiannon" and "Dreams" before quitting Fleetwood Mac for a time during the 1990s. While it's not surprising Nicks might want some do-overs, her biggest regret comes from never getting the opportunity to perform live with Peter Green, one of the band's founders. 

In a July 2020 post on X, Nicks wrote a poignant tribute amid Green's death. "My biggest regret is that I never got to share the stage with him," Nicks shared. "I always hoped in my heart of hearts that that would happen. When I first listened to all the Fleetwood Mac records, I was very taken with his guitar playing. It was one of the reasons I was excited to join the band."

Unfortunately for Nicks, their timelines never meshed. Green and Mick Fleetwood started the band in 1967. After three studio albums, Green left in May 1970. Back then, Nicks and Buckingham were still involved in a band called Fritz and they were years away from getting an invite from Fleetwood to join his group. Buckingham and Nicks joined the group at the end of 1974, after tracks from their album, "Buckingham Nicks," inadvertently served as an audition tape. Although Fleetwood wasn't looking for two new hires, Buckingham advocated for his musical partner/girlfriend, and it turned out to be a serendipitous move.

Even though their Fleetwood Mac involvement never overlapped, it's understandable that Stevie Nicks held out hope she and Peter Green would work together someday. "Nobody ever really leaves Fleetwood Mac. They're all here in spirit," Nicks declared in the late 1970s (via Americana Highways). Besides her fandom for Green's music, he'd also been on her mind in other ways. She was convinced Mick Fleetwood recruited Lindsey Buckingham to emulate Green. This was a necessary skill, especially in the early days of his tenure, since Buckingham was playing Green's songs during live shows.

Although Green was doing his own thing musically, both solo and with other bands, after leaving Fleetwood Mac, he still kept in touch with his co-founder. In 1971, Green even did some live shows with his old band when another member quit mid-tour. Eight years later, when Fleetwood Mac was making "Tusk," Nicks and Buckingham's third album with the band, Fleetwood and Green were spending a lot of time together. Green ended up making the briefest of contributions to Christine McVie's song "Brown Eyes." However, even though Nicks and McVie had a famously tight bond, it's unknown if Nicks was there at the time or if she and Green had any opportunities to interact during "Tusk."

As for stage-sharing ops, Nicks' chances ended when Green retired from live performance in 2010. Years later, when Fleetwood organized a February 2020 performance in Green's honor — mere months before his July 2020 death — neither Green nor Nicks participated.