Lynyrd Skynyrd nowhere near retirement age
Get ready to yell out “Free Bird” when Lynyrd Skynyrd returns this month to Northern California.
The Rock & Roll of Fame act, also known for “Gimme Three Steps,” “Tuesday's Gone,” “Sweet Home Alabama” and other classics, performs tonight at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View and Friday at Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland.
Shows start at 8 p.m. and tickets — $18.75-$354 (subject to change) — are available at livenation. com.
The Southern Rock outfit is co-headlining these concerts with the Texas troupe ZZ Top. The outing is dubbed the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour — a clever title that draws from a pair of the bands' best-known songs (ZZ's “Sharp Dressed man” and Skynyrd's “Simple Man”).
I recently had the chance to chat with Skynyrd guitarist Rickey Medlocke on a number of subjects. The one topic that kept coming up again and again during our conversation, not surprisingly, was Gary Rossington — the last surviving original member of the band — who died on March 5 at the age of 71.
Q Hey, Rickey. It's nice to see you heading back to NorCal so soon. I just saw your last gig in our area, back in June at the Country Summer Music Festival in Santa Rosa. You guys really put on a great show that night.
A Yeah, man, that was a good one! After the show was done, I remember all of us getting in the transport vans and everybody was like, “whoa, man!” We felt great.
We try to go out there and give 110 percent every night. And we do that because of the people who are there to see the band. It's important for a band to go out and go, OK, these people are the reason why you're here, the reason why you have had this life — they are everything. You've got to go out there and give your 110 percent to those people. Don't put nothing in reserve.
Q What are your thoughts about touring with ZZ Top again?
A This is about the sixth or seventh — or whatever — time in our history where we have shared the stage with ZZ. One of the biggest tours was back at the millennium — 1999-2000 — we did 103 shows with them.
I've known those guys since the mid-`90s. Billy (Gibbons) and I are still really good friends today. I just love those guys and we are just excited to be going out on tour with them.
Q Back in 2018, I believe, the band announced that it was embarking on a farewell tour. Is that still a thing? I mean, here we are 5 years later and you are still playing shows.
A I knew you might ask that. See what happened back in 2020 is we were on the last, I think, 64-65 shows and that was going to be it.
Well, COVID hit. And you had all these people
who had bought tickets and were hoping to see the band. We just kind of felt like we really weren't doing those people — the fans — a lot of justice.
Q Yeah, COVID basically put a lengthy halt to the entire touring industry.
A We were off for a year and a half and we really felt like we had not fulfilled everything. So, when everything cranked back in 2021, Gary (Rossington) wanted to continue. Gary said, “Look, let's just go back out and finish out what we started. Let's just keep this thing going for a little while.” Gary said, “Let's just call it the Big Wheels Keep on Turnin' Tour.” And that's what we did.
Q The fans were certainly thrilled that you decided to keep right on rolling along.
A We love our audiences. We have to give them the credit for everything. I am thankful that they love all the iconic music. I am thankful that we can still, with integrity, go out and play that material. And we play it from the heart. It's not like we go through the motions.
Q Unfortunately, things would change for the band not long after embarking on that '21 tour due to Rossington's health concerns.
A Gary just succumbed to the problem that he had been battling for years and he couldn't make the rest of '21. He called and he decided that he was going to pull back. That's when we ended up getting someone to cover for him — who is Damon Johnson.
Q What was it like taking the stage and playing those first few shows without Rossington?
A It hit me really weird. I had been able to look over there (at Gary) every night and we were able to have eye contact and play off each other, and just know that each other was there and support each other — the whole bit. It was very strange for me. It was hard to get used to.
I mean, Damon is an incredible player. He came in and has done just the most incredible job. We couldn't have asked for a better person, a better guitar player.
Q Did Rossington remain involved with the band even though he wasn't playing shows?
A We didn't lose any kind of contact — any kind of relation — with Gary. Johnny (Van Zant, the band's vocalist) and I, we called Gary almost every day, or every other day. When we were getting ready to do shows, we would ask Gary, “What do you think of this set? Should we put this (song) in here?” Just like as if he was sitting there. We never excluded him from any of the conversations, any of the plans — nothing.
Q That's very cool. I'm very glad to hear that.
A We've got a tribute to him that we do every night that we do to the song “Tuesday's Gone.” The tribute is shown on the video wall — and, right now to this day, I can't look at it. I guess something like that affects everybody in different ways. But, for me, it affects me in an emotional way that I just can't look at the video. Not only that, but my mom loved that tune. That was her favorite song. So, now I have got two people up there in the promised land together hearing it. It's tough. It really is.
But you know what, man? The band is sounding great. We know that his spirit is there. And we know that Ronnie's spirit is there and Allen's and Billy and Leon's and all that has gone on before. (Referencing Skynyrd members Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson, all of whom are now deceased.)
Gary never wanted this music to fade out and only be heard on the radio or by some tribute band. Johnny and I are going to carry this thing as long as we can. Of course, everything comes to an end at some point. But not for us anytime soon.