Lindsey Buckingham to return to stage first time since open-heart surgery

Lindsey Buckingham is back from open-heart surgery and feeling better than ever, with plans to return to the stage.

Ex-Fleetwood Mac singer and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham will at last return to the stage this coming spring for his first concert since he underwent emergency open-heart surgery in early 2019, an operation that had reportedly damaged his vocal cords. It seems that although doctors had fed tubes down his throat so he could breathe, he is back in pristine performance conditions.

Lindsey Buckingham’s first performance since his surgery will occur at the Beale Street Music Festival, in Memphis’ Tom Lee Park. Dates stretch from May 1st to May 3rd.

In the early month of 2019, Buckingham suffered a heart attack, and at the time, his wife Kristen did not know whether the vocal-cord damage would be permanent or not post-surgery. In May, Buckingham made an appearance at his daughter’s high school graduation, where he played — but did not sing — ‘Landslide.’ Instead, the students sang the Fleetwood Mac hit.

Buckingham’s last full concert was way back in December 2018. The show was a solo gig following his dismissal from Fleetwood Mac in Spring 2018. Buckingham was reportedly removed from the band due to tensions with Stevie Nicks, which ended in a nasty case of Buckingham suing the band, only to settle the matter outside of court.

“The past year has been a very stressful and difficult year for our family, to say the least,” Kristen said in her statement at the time of Lindsey’s heart attack — referencing his dismissal from the band. “But despite all of this, our gratitude for life trumps all the obstacles we have faced at this moment. … Needless to say, all touring and shows currently scheduled have been put on pause for the moment as he gathers strength to heal completely.”

In May, Lindsey’s wife Kristen tweeted that he was seeing a vocal specialist, and in September, she wrote that “life, love and Lindsey are all great.”