Yours truly, was in the throng of people, at a well attended grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair Thursday night, to see, (for the second time), the great southern boogie rockers... the great survivors, Lynyrd Skynyrd. These guys have been through much tragedy through their career and have had various new members joining the band. Guitarist, Gary Rossington, is the only original member left, and one of them, who did survive the horrible 1977 plane crash that took the lives of original bandleader Ronnie van Zant, and brother/sister duo of backing vocalist Cassie Gaines, and her brother, guitarist, Steve Gaines.
More recently, original keyboardist Billy Powell, and bassists Leon Wilkeson and Ean Evans, have left us. I first saw Skynyrd, in 2007, with Powell and Evans in the lineup. Since then, lead vocalist (and Ronnie's brother), Johnny van Zant, Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke, and Mark "Sparky" Matejka (who also played a brief stint with fellow southern fried boogie rock legend Charlie Daniels), have been joined in the band by Peter Keys on keyboards, and Johnny Colt on bass, along with longtime drummer, Michael Cartellone.
Some doubt that the spirit of the original Skynyrd, is left in this formation of the band. But, to the legions of fans at the sold out grandstand Thursday evening, that was hardly noticeable. The band, played ALL their hit songs that made them famous, beyond their roots in the south, specifically, in Jacksonville, Florida. The set list, was completely made up of all the songs that fans remember from the band's glory years, between 1973 and the horrendous 1977 plane crash, near Gillsburg, Mississippi, when they were en route, from a gig at Greenville Memorial Auditorium in Greenville, South Carolina, to another show, at LSU (Louisiana State University), in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
However, in their State Fair concert, they showed why legions of fans from all over, still appreciate and genuinely love their music. They played all their hit songs, one after another and the trademark twinned and sometimes tripled guitar solos between Rossington, Medlocke (who started out with the band very early on as they formed, as a drummer), and Matejka, sent the crowd into a frenzy. Peter Keys, for his part, replicated the late, great Billy Powell's piano parts, to a T. Johnny van Zant called to the crowd, to keep them pumped, throughout the show, "Skynyrd Nation, we need to hear you!"
Mr. van Zant is passionate about the bands fans, and knows what they want to hear. As bandleader, and lead vocalist, he also keeps them cheering and wanting more. This is a band, that knows what their fan base likes, and delivers it, in spades. Memorable songs, with lyrics the common man can relate to, and also, much delight, for the ears of electric guitar lovers, everywhere. So, the band is a triple threat. Solid songs, good players, and just a general, "let's have a good time!" attitude. The list of songs, is a long one, and can only be mentioned, at the end of this review, because, guaranteed, every single tune on the set list, was a familiar one, that fans knew and loved.
For their part, opening band Collective Soul... part of the 1990s alternative rock scene, who hail, from Atlanta, Georgia (so, another southern bred band, but with different musical ideas), delivered a decent set, even if the songs were not so recognizable, except for occasional radio hits, from their formative years in the '90s. Guitarists Dean Roland on rhythm, and Jesse Triplett on lead, both wielded those classic guitar rigs of Gibson Les Paul's plugged into Marshall amps, and the highlights, were Triplett's wah pedal fueled solos, played on his main axe of choice, a "black beauty" Les Paul Custom.
Vocalist Ed Roland occasionally played acoustic guitar. Some of the more radio recognizable hits included "The World I Know", "December", and "Shine". Like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Collective Soul, had many fans at this show, too. So, the whole concert, was a win win, for fans, of both bands. Skynyrd songs included such hits as "Workin' For MCA", "I Ain't The One", J.J. Cale's "Call Me The Breeze", "Saturday Night Special", "What's Your Name", "That Smell", "Tuesday's Gone", "Gimme Three Steps", "Simple Man", "Sweet Home Alabama", and, the band's magnum opus, "Freebird".
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