Lynyrd Skynyrd Proves Southern Rock Still Relevant
Through tragedy, sixty two years, early name changes and other adversities, Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to wear the crown of the creators of Southern Rock.
Not every band can claim to be innovators, but certainly this group, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band owns that when it comes to blasting the Southern Rock genre on to the main stream music radar. Originally hailing from my hometown, Jacksonville, Florida, these guys were a long shot from the begining. As we say if you are from there “the West Side is the best side” IYKYK. Let’s rememisce of bit to understand why that alone is a miracle. Come back with me to 1964 when soft rock, the Supremes and Elvis Pressley were the main thing on the charts. Here’s this group of fellows who could not have lived much futher from Los Angeles, Detroit, and they did not look like that clean cut young man from Tupelo, Mississippi. Yet here they were, forming a grungy, loud, backwoods band in a shed aptly named Hell House ( *side note there’s a whisky brand now https://hellhousewhiskey.com/).
In a time where you were either in the scene or you weren’t. These guys screamed from coast to coast until they were heard. That is a testment to their goals, desires and quite frankly a little bit of fate. In a time where there wasn’t YouTube, TIKTOK, Facebook Instagram and other ways to deciminate music, profiles or anything else. I still have the tshirt that ended with me trying to expalin to the Principle of the school that it wasn’t a liquor shirt. Lynyrd Skynyrd produced a shirt very similar to a popular whisky and they swore I was violating the dress code. I turned it inside out and kept going. It wasn’t the last time I wore that shirt to school either. They finally just relented and let it go.
Flash forward, after a past that is one of the saddest in music history, to a hot summer night sixty two years later in West Palm Beach, a beautiful celebration and a love note to every person ever involved in the hisotry of Lynyrd Skynyrd. I have often wondered what it was like being the little brother of a legend, aptly blessed with the vocal chops to nightly remind people why these songs are independent works or art and defined a genre. How it feels as this band to hear those songs sung back as if it were decades ago, and I sincerely hope they understand the crowd needs them as much as they need the crowd. From start to finish, this show is worth seeing.
From the begining hype video featuring Florida Swamps, Hell House and rising music to the last note of Free Bird, there are short history lessons, interactions with the crowd and many many smiles. Were there tears as well, of course there were. During the tribute Gary Rossington, I noticed a brief hand hold affirmation between the ladies providing the backing vocal that have become synonomis with Southern Rock sound. If you were really watching, you would know why. This is more than a band. These people are family. Full disclosure, having grown up in the smaller version of Jacksonville, I may have crossed paths more than once with them, and they are truly good people. That whole vibe just radiates from the stage.
Vocally, Johnny Van Zant was in true form. The same raspy, vocal tone and quality he’s had since he picked up the torch in 1987. It was really good to see Ricky Medlocke still playing as I’d heard he might have hung up his touring. That would have been very disappointing as music is in his blood. He’s one of a kinda and still rocks these songs with love. Infact, this entire group is there full of love of where they came from and appreciation for those that came before them. The unabashedly give their look into the world of the unlikely group’s meteoric rize and the sudden, horrific events that lead people to believe this night would not be possible. Yet the rose from that and became the keepers of the faith of Southern Rock. It was a fun and sometimes bittersweet walk down memory lane. That attendees were glad to have taken:
Additional tour dates:
July
- 10 – Rock The Country 2026, Ashland, KY, United States
- 17 – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, FL, United States
- 18 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL, United States
- 23 – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, Alpharetta, GA, United States
- 24 – Truliant Amphitheater, Charlotte, NC, United States
- 25 – Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, VA, United States
- 26 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ, United States
- 30 – RBC Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
- 31 – Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI, United States
August
- 1 – Future Acrisure Amphitheater, Grand Rapids, MI, United States
- 6 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, Maryland Heights, MO, United States
- 7 – Ruoff Music Center, Noblesville, IN, United States
- 8 – Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States
- 11 – Sturgis Buffalo Chip 2026, Sturgis, SD, United States
- 14 – Azura Amphitheater, Kansas City, KS, United States
- 15 – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL, United States
- 16 – Mystic Lake Amphitheater, Prior Lake, MN, United States
- 20 – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion, Camden, NJ, United States
- 21 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY, United States
- 22 – Xfinity Center, Mansfield, MA, United States
- 23 – Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, United States
- 27 – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX, United States
- 28 – Dos Equis Pavilion, Dallas, TX, United States
- 29 – Walmart AMP, Rogers, AR, United States
September
- 4 – Velocity Music Fest, Dyersville, IA, United States
- 5 – Walworth County Fairgrounds, Elkhorn, WI, United States
- 27 – Rock The Locks 2026, Umatilla, OR, United States
October
- 1 – The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA, United States
- 4 – Yaamava’ Theater, Highland, CA, United States
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