Lynyrd Skynyrd Announce “Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour”
Southern rock Gods Lynyrd Skynyrd—or at least what’s left of them—have announced a massive final farewell tour, planning to leave the stage afterwards for good in the midst of a few of the post-1977 crash member’s declining health, including primary leader Gary Rossington who has suffered from heart issues over the past few years.
Starting May 4th in the band’s native state of Florida, and stretching until September 1st when they will circle back to Georgia, the “Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour” will also see many openers from the Southern rock world including Hank Williams Jr., Charlie Daniels Band, Bad Company, Marshall Tucker Band, .38 Special, Blackberry Smoke, Kid Rock, and Blackfoot on selected dates. They haven’t announced which openers are opening which dates at present.
Of course the original, most legendary lineup of Lynyrd Skynyrd was shattered when Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines all died in a plane crash on October 20th, 1977 in Mississippi. Ronnie’s younger brother Johnny Van Zandt took over lead vocals when the band first reunited in 1987. Other 70’s-era members like Ed King and Artimus Pyle no longer tour or record with the band either. Gary Rossington is the only founding member still playing with the band.
No word if previous members of the band will appear on the farewell tour. The current lineup is Gary Rossington, Johnny Van Zandt, Rickey Medlocke (who played briefly in the band in the 70’s), Michael Cartellone (joined in 1999), Mark Matejka, Peter Keys, and Keith Christopher.
Tickets will go on sale beginning Friday, Feb. 2 at 10:00 a.m. local time via Tickebastard. Don’t be surprised if more shows get added.
May 4 – Coral Sky Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, Florida
May 5 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Florida
May 11 – Starplex Pavilion, Dallas, Texas
May 12 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman, Houston, Texas
May 18 – Ak-Chin Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona
May 19 – Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, California
May 25 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California
May 26 – Glen Helen Amphitheater, San Bernadino, California
June 22 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, New Jersey
June 23 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, New York
June 29 – Coastal Credit Union Music Park, Raleigh, North Carolina
June 30 – PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, North Carolina
July 6 – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, Virginia
July 7 – Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, Virginia
July 13 – Darien Lake Amphitheater, Darien, New York
July 14 – Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut
July 20 – Xfinity Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts*
July 21 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, New York
July 27 – Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, Ohio
July 28 – Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania
Aug. 3 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, Illinois
Aug. 4 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana
Aug. 10 – DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, Michigan+
Aug. 11 – Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Aug. 17 – Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Aug. 18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, Missouri
Aug. 24 – Lakeview Amphitheatre, Syracuse, New York
Aug. 25 – KeyBank Pavilion, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania
Aug. 31 – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, Pelham, AL
Sept. 1 – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, Georgia
January 25, 2018 @ 10:23 am
Had the opportunity to join the band in prayer prior to going onstage at a show last year…great bunch of guys, even if not all original.
January 25, 2018 @ 10:30 am
I am a very big fan of “Young Skynyrd”. In fact, I own everything that is available commercially (and some bootleg material) from the pre-1977 band. I just haven’t been able to get into anything they have done after the plane crash. But I might go see them on the farewell tour.
I know there have always been rumors that Ronnie Van Zant was grooming Steve Gains to take over as lead singer. Ronnie wanted to move into country music and felt Steve had the talent to lead Skynyrd. In fact, Ronnie was a huge Haggard fan (The Haggs Honky Tonk Night Time Man can be found on the Street Survivors album) and wanted to make a country album. Who knows what could have been if he had gotten to make that album.
January 25, 2018 @ 1:47 pm
Rumor has it Ronnie was planning on a duet with the Hag before the crash. You can hear Ronnie say “sounds like Roy” during Steve Gaines guitar solo on honky tonk night time man- he is referring to Roy Nichols, hags guitarist. I believe hags “I take a lot of pride in what I am” was played at Ronnies funeral. Also Steve Gaines was one of if not the most gifted guitarist to ever play.
January 25, 2018 @ 11:29 am
Saw the original Skynyrd several times back in the early 70’s including the Georgia Jam at the old Atlanta Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta in 1974. Skynyrd, ABB, Marshall Tucker and Grinderswitch. Skynyrd blew them all away. Wonder what Ronnie would think about the current bands penchant for jingoism and redneck pandering. Sadly and like most bands from that era still around today, the current lineup is a shell of the original band. Saw Tucker a couple of years ago….Doug Gray is the only original member and he had to take rest breaks during the show while his daughter sang a few songs. But hey…God bless ’em for keeping the music alive.
January 25, 2018 @ 12:33 pm
Well, the train Grinderswitch is runnin’ right on time…
That’s all I know about Grinderswitch. Not a single song of theirs made it to NYC rock radio or into the repertoire of any of the Southern Rock cover ands that I would see.
I remember seeing a Skynyrd show on VH1 maybe 20 years ago. The late, great Hughie Thomasson of Outlaws fame was in the band, too. I tell you what. They were good.
I’ve seen MTB on the schedule of my favorite venue in the DC area fairly regularly. At least one time it was a double bill with The Outlaws. I’m not sure if The Outlaws are still out there. Maybe with Henry Paul fronting them. If so, I’d have say for me, it’s No Hughie, No Outlaws. And really, MTB without Toy? I don’t know.
Good question about Ronnie. Seems to me he was a nuanced thinker even as a young man. At least that seems to come through in a lot of his lyrics.
January 25, 2018 @ 1:33 pm
Good thoughts Jack. Grinderswitch is well worth looking into. I have their debut album on vinyl, they were kind of a blues band, Hammond b3 organ, Gibson guitar, harmonica etc. They were always more blues than country sounding. Pullin Together is a decent album from them. Charlie did indeed love them and they played Volunteer Jam more than once.
Yeah, Henry Paul has reformed the Outlaws for better or worse. You can’t replace Hughie Thomasson. Henry leaned much more to the country side of things and he is more a songwriter and strummer as opposed to Hughie the all out rocker. They had differing philosophies and when Henry left the band, The Outlaws became straight up rock and roll.
Doug Gray is the lone MTB original and they soldier on. But yeah, Toy Caldwell did do much for them , he’s not replaceable. His thumb picked leads gave them an original sound very different than ABB or Skynyrd.
I’m passionate on the Southern Rock front as you can tell.
January 26, 2018 @ 6:56 am
Yeah, I saw the Outlaws in ’78 when they were touring on Bring ‘Em Back Alive. Guitarslinger Freddie Salem had replaced Henry Paul and they were billing themselves as The Florida Guitar Army. Molly Hatchet, who I’d hadn’t heard of, opened the show and everybody loved them. The Outlaws were great as well. As I recall, they played new song You Are The Show, which I think was on the next album Playing to WIn (is that actor Robert Conrad on the cover?). I didn’t buy that one, mainly because I missed Henry Paul and didn’t have the disposable income to buy every album I might be interested in.
I saw them in a bar off my college campus about 5 years later. Henry Paul was back in the band, but Billy Jones had left (a great player and singer , too). I guess he killed himself in ’95.
January 26, 2018 @ 7:26 am
Wow! I’m jealous….You saw Outlaws and Hatchet in a prime period of time. I have never had the pleasure of seeing Hatchets original vocalist Danny Joe Brown much to my regret. I’ve seen Hatchet with the current guy Mcormack, he’s ok but he ain’t Danny. Danny was special…in a good way. He released a solo record years ago called Edge of Sundown, it’s as good as Hatchet. Look it up.
I do like Henry Paul, as you know he had a decent country band , Blackhawk which I still listen to. And, I enjoyed some of his Outlaw material , Gunsmoke for example, but I really think they were better as the guitar army. Hughie was the man, such a brilliant guitar player and a decent voca list and songwriter. Green Grass and High Tides…..nuff said
January 25, 2018 @ 2:00 pm
As Kevin Smith notes, Outlaws are still out there on the road, two originals, Monte Yoho and Henry Paul. Just saw that they are on a package tour dubbed “Southern Uprising” with Marshall Tucker, Charlie Daniels Band, and Travis Tritt (headliner). Trying to convince my wife to go just for shits and giggles, but so far, she is not receptive to the idea.
I’ve seen the reconstituted Skynyrd a few times, once opening for ZZ Top, once opening for Hank Jr, and once as headliner. The Top show was in ’98 or ’99, Leon Wilkerson and Billy Powell were still alive. Last couple times were more recent, so only Gary left (I think Hughie was still in the band at the Hank Jr show).
I go back and forth on what constitutes a “band” when it comes to this sort of thing. There is a part of me that wonders if this is a slur on the band’s good name and this is nothing but a glorified tribute act, but just as strong, how do tell these guys that they’re not allowed to keep going and doing what they want/need to to keep the money coming in? At the end of the day, I probably come down on the side of it’s probably not hurting anyone, so why not.
When they announce the openers, I may hit one of the FLA shows depending on who it is.
At any rate, one of my all time favorite bands.
January 25, 2018 @ 2:03 pm
Should mention I’ve been on a bit of an Outlaws kick as of late, always forget how good those first 3 records were.
January 25, 2018 @ 5:10 pm
The live album that followed was pretty good too. I always thought Hughie Thomasson should have gotten much more attention as a guitarist than he did.
January 26, 2018 @ 7:13 am
I bet the current Skynyrd lineup still puts on a good show. And hey, Johnny is Ronnie’s brother and seems to do a good job on the old songs, from what I’ve heard. And Rickey Medlocke has that early connection and has been with them for a good long while now. Also, he did make a name for himself in Blackfoot.
About 20 years ago, a guitar player friend got a gig backing “The Platters” in the parking lot of a harness race track. We went. The singers were all in their 20’s and maybe ’30s at the oldest, but somehow, they were officially “The Platters.” And they made their way through all those Platters hits. Now that was some funny shit.
January 25, 2018 @ 11:32 am
Don’t know if Ed King is getting invited on this, he wasn’t a Street Survivor. But his contribution cannot be denied. Sweet Home Alabama alone cemented his legend status, not to mention Whiskey Rock and Roller, Swamp Music, his guitar on Workin for MCA.
Anyhow I hope he’s at least considered. Regardless of what you think about Artimus, he was a Street Survivor. Of course his attempt to make a movie about the band has driven a wedge between them, so it’s unlikely to think he’s gonna be part of the tour.Pity…
Ricky Medlocke is a treat however. And Johnny V brings some legitimacy to this. Sounds fun!
January 25, 2018 @ 2:02 pm
Agreed, would be good to see Ed and Artimus up there, but it ain’t happening, I’m quite sure.
January 25, 2018 @ 11:44 am
Wow. Just how many people are in that band now? Are they up on stage at once?
January 25, 2018 @ 5:41 pm
It’s the same number as the classic Street Survivors lineup – lead singer, 3 guitars, bass, keys, drums. Hell, that lineup actually had more onstage, 3 Honkettes vs. current 2.
January 25, 2018 @ 1:18 pm
A disgrace to Ronnie’s vision for the band
January 26, 2018 @ 7:36 am
Morning, Sunshine.
January 25, 2018 @ 1:49 pm
They really should bring the rebel flag back for this tour, it’d only be right.
January 25, 2018 @ 5:07 pm
They never should have taken it away in the first place. A classic case of media-driven ignorance of the facts.
January 25, 2018 @ 3:34 pm
I was born in 1988 but I do have a playlist of all the old Lynyrd Skynyrd songs. I saw the band play at Kings Island with Charlie Daniels and that was a hell of a concert. If the original’s were better than that I wish I could have seen them.
January 26, 2018 @ 7:55 am
Love the old Skynyrd and the current as well. No problems with the current lineup and how they have presented the brand of Skynyrd.
January 26, 2018 @ 5:56 pm
Lynyrd Skynyrd were the greatest southern rock band to ever exist.
They are the epitome of the term “southern rock”.
This band hasn’t been Skynyrd since Ronnie and Allen died….30 years ago. Sorry.
Yet somehow Johnny and Co. managed to squeeze out thousands of ticket sales and a over a half dozen of some of the most truly awful, tired ass, cliché ridden, southern rock drivel ever recorded.
Little brother can’t carry a tune in a bucket.
Just embarrassing.
Oh yeah and that flag…fucking offensive.
January 26, 2018 @ 6:31 pm
Oh brother, here we go with the flag again. Geez.
January 26, 2018 @ 9:53 pm
Comparing “Green Grass and High Tides” to “Freebird”? Kind of like comparing a Toyota Prius to a new Shelby Mustang. “Freebird” is the Toyota btw…
January 27, 2018 @ 12:55 am
Don’t pretend like they won’t tour sans Gary Rossington.
January 27, 2018 @ 12:02 pm
Nothing but a cover band.
January 27, 2018 @ 2:47 pm
Excited to see them!