The Story Behind Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie’s Pact

With the publication of Rumours, Fleetwood Mac cemented their status as one of the most popular bands of their age, due to their radio-friendly brand of pop-rock. Around the same time, the musical partnership of Buckingham and Nicks began to take center stage in the band, bringing the members closer together despite their personal relationships growing apart.

One healthy partnership, however, managed to survive the years despite the prevalence of drugs and alcohol. Despite the group’s ups and downs, Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, the band’s two female musicians, became fast friends. Even Mick Fleetwood, the bandleader, knew of McVie’s impact on the band and in making music. “Christine became the glue [that held the band together]. She filled out our sound beautifully,” he said in his book, My Life and Adventures with Fleetwood Mac.

McVie and Nicks had each other no matter what, and Nicks revealed on an episode of CBS Sunday Morning in 2020 that the two had a “pact” to keep their friendship strong. When host Tracy Smith remarked how the pair “remained together through thick and thin and truly had each other’s backs,” Nicks agreed. “Yeah, we did. And Christine and I, we made a pact at the very beginning that if we were ever in a room of super famous guitar players that didn’t treat us with the respect that we thought that we deserved, that we would just stand up and say, ‘This party’s over,’ and we would walk out.”

But she also said, “So that was a nice surprise. We never had to make a scene,” Nicks laughed.

In a male-dominated industry, it felt great to find out that women would stick together, support, and hype each other up in any way possible. During McVie’s funeral, Nicks was among many who gave tribute to her best friend. “Landslide” was Nicks’ first live performance after McVie’s death, which took place in March 2023. She sobbed as screens behind her flashed pictures of the two and told the audience: “There’s really not much to say. We just pretend that she’s still here, that’s how I’m trying to deal with it.”