Lynyrd Skynyrd was at CasinoNB in Moncton last evening . . . and so were we. Skynyrd has been one of my southern rock & roll staples for as long as I can remember. I’ve got all of their classic stuff on one form of media or another. I first saw them live May 18, 2001 at Harbour Station in Saint John, along with Ted Nugent as opener. Ted is a story unto himself. At that time, the band enjoyed the presence of Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, and Leon Wilkeson, who were all founding members as well as survivors of the deadly plane crash in 1977, Johnny VanZant, Ricky Medlock, Hughie Thomason, and Michael Cartellone. Although Medlock and Thomason weren’t part of the original lineup, they had played guitar off and on with Skynyrd for so many years that they passed as family. Thirteen years have passed, and so have Powell, Thomasson, and Wilkeson. Peter Keys plays keys where Billy Powell once sat, Mark Matejka has replaced Thomason on guitar, and bassist Johnny Colt, who immigrated to LS from the Black Crowes, fills Leon’s space on stage left.
Skynyrd is both nostalgic and current. Under the guidance of Gary Rossington, they’ve kept the flame lit for forty-plus years. They have history, and they have cred, but buying tickets to a show like this is often done with more than a wee bit of trepidation. Are they over the hill . . . have they still got what it takes . . . are they mere shadows of their past . . . are they worth the price of tickets, meals, and a night in a hotel . . . am I nuts? Admittedly, they’ve lost some key personnel since 2001. There are certainly unknowns, but the internet seemed to have viewed them in favourable light, so we were in.
Show day . . . rained axe handles the whole drive to Moncton . . . northern NB got snow. Got checked in and fed, then off to the venue. After ACDC’s Thunderstruck defined the opening, the band came to the stage snapping with fire. They played a set list of their classic hits, and man, they were good. They beamed enthusiasm and professionalism and showmanship. Ricky Medlock is bigger than life. What a stage presence! Thank you to Johnny VanZant for wearing a poppy, and dedicating Simple Man to the Canadian Military. Peter Keys, on keys, has “the persona” with long, dark, flowing hair, long beard, top hat, and awesome lighting. He demo’d his playing ability on a couple of short features. Johnny Colt, carries on Leon’s “mad hatter” tradition, alternating through a trunkfull of hats . . . big hats . . . top hats . . . fur hats. Mark Matejka is the fabulously capable third guitarist. One of Skynyrd’s hallmarks from the beginning has been three front line guitars. Gary Rossington has always been very unassuming on stage. He’s rarely “in your face” and seems quite content to let the band happen around him. You’d never know that he is “the brains” of the operation, and that he has written or co-written many of their hits. Such talent.
They closed the show with Sweet Home Alabama. There wasn’t a person in the house, short of the crowd of young girls that shows up at every concert knowing squat about the band, or even that there is a band, who didn’t anticipate the encore would be Freebird, and it was, and the house came apart. At every concert, there is the guy that predictably yells Freebird in the middle of a pristine vocal solo. This is the only time where that idiot gets his wish. All in all, it was a fantastic evening that I will score as “exceeds expectations”.
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