The Tusk Tour was a world concert tour by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. The tour began on October 26, 1979, in Pocatello, Idaho and ended on September 1, 1980, in Hollywood, California. The band's 1980 Live album contains many of the live recordings of songs from the Tusk Tour.
In 1979, Fleetwood Mac embarked on their 112 show-long world tour promoting their new album, Tusk. The tour began in Pocatello, Idaho on October 26, 1979 at the ASISU Minidome and ended September 1, 1980 at the Hollywood Bowl, both of which were sold-out shows. Every one of their shows performed were filmed and recorded for their Live album.
The band adjusted the setlist throughout the tour: "Say You Love Me" served as the first song of the opening night in Pocatello and "Monday Morning" opened the set for their final tour in Los Angeles. Kate Bush declined an offer to open for Fleetwood Mac on this tour, so Danny Douma and Christopher Cross served as the opening act instead depending on the performance.
Starting with the Tusk Tour, Buckingham began to use a Model 1 guitar developed by Rick Turner. The instrument was equipped with a mahogany body, a rosewood fingerboard, and a single pickup with semi-parametric EQ. After playing the Model 1 during a rehearsal, Buckingham decided to make the instrument his primary guitar onstage, supplanting his Gibson Les Paul and Fender Stratocaster in the process.
Christine McVie mentioned that "somebody once said that with the money we spent on champagne on one night they could have made an entire album. I used to go onstage and drink a bottle of Dom Pérignon, and drink one offstage afterwards . It's not the kind of party IâÂÂd like to go to now. There was a lot of booze being drunk and there was blood floating around in the alcohol, which doesnâÂÂt make for a stable environment." The band members indulged in heavy amounts of cocaine and marijuana during the tour. McVie joked that the strength of the marijuana was so strong that the actual act of smoking was not needed to feel the effects of the drug.
As the tour progressed, the band members became less fond of each other. As a result of this tension and the financial setbacks endured, the band members were "barely able to stand the sight of each other". While in Auckland, New Zealand in 1980, Stevie Nicks said that Buckingham began to mimic her by pulling his jacket up over his head to mirror what she did stylistically with her shawl during this performance.
"The Ledge" and "I Know I'm Not Wrong" were rehearsed before this tour, but it is unknown if they were performed.