Lindsey Buckingham has announced his first concert since undergoing open-heart surgery. The former Fleetwood Mac singer will be part of the Beale Street Music Festival, taking place May 1 to 3 in Memphis, Tenn.

Buckingham underwent the emergency surgery in early 2019, a process that included the insertion of tubes into the singer’s throat to help him breathe. Shortly afterward, his wife, Kristen, released a statement explaining that her husband’s vocal cords had been damaged during the medical procedure. "While it is unclear if the damage is permanent, we are hopeful it is not," Kristen noted at the time before adding that all tours and shows would be “put on pause” while Buckingham recovered.

Recently, the rocker made his first public appearance since the surgery, playing guitar as his daughter’s high-school graduating class performed a rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”

Buckingham was dismissed from Fleetwood Mac in 2018, a move bandmate Christine McVie would later refer to as “the only route we could take” to avoid the group’s complete breakup. The separation was contentious, with Buckingham suing his former band for "breach of fiduciary duty, breach of oral contract and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage." They would eventually settle out of court, and Buckingham later expressed hope that he and the group may someday make up.

Since then, Fleetwood Mac has continued touring, with Mike Campbell (of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and Neil Finn (of Crowded House) filling Buckingham's shoes.

Meanwhile, Buckingham embarked on a tour of his own, while also teasing the possibility of his first solo studio album since 2011. His last concert prior to the surgery was a performance in Bethlehem, Penn. on Dec. 9, 2018.

 

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