During a tour of the United States in February 1971 with new keyboardist Christine McVie now having joined the band , Spencer grew disillusioned with his life in Fleetwood Mac , and has mentioned in several interviews an incident when the band were listening to a recording of an old concert . When he heard himself singing , he said , " That sounds horrible . It sounds like shit . " According to one account by Mick Fleetwood , Spencer apparently had difficulty recovering from a mescaline trip he had experienced very early on the US tour . Shortly before a journey of the band from San Francisco to Los Angeles , LA experienced a major earthquake . Being in a fragile mental state and filled with strong negative premonitions , Spencer was very apprehensive about having to travel to LA . He unsuccessfully pleaded with Fleetwood to cancel this leg of the tour . Shortly after arriving in LA on the day of a gig the group was scheduled to perform at the Whisky A Go Go , Spencer left the hotel room he shared with Fleetwood to visit a bookshop on Hollywood Boulevard . He did not return , forcing the cancellation of that evening 's concert while the band and members of their entourage went searching for him . Some days later , he was found to have joined the religious group the Children of God , and he declared that he no longer wanted to be involved with Fleetwood Mac . Despite appeals from the band 's manager , Clifford Davis , to fulfil his obligations to Fleetwood Mac , Spencer could not be persuaded to rejoin the band , and thus they had to struggle on without him , first recalling Peter Green out of retirement as an emergency measure , and later recruiting new guitarist Bob Welch
earthquake
1971 San Fernando earthquake
Jeremy Spencer