They say the only things you can count on are death and taxes. Well, I’d like to add one more thing to that. Lynyrd Skynyrd playing in a town near you every year as well. It’s hard to imagine the band not coming around to the Western New York area as they have been to various venues, including Artpark a handful of times, over the last few years. Nevertheless, regardless of how many times the band has been here, the fans still come out in droves to see the band perform live each and every time.
Taking the stage a few minutes before 8pm, Lynyrd Skynyrd went into what it has become their staple opening song for the last few years in “Working for the MCA.” The set list for Skynyrd doesn’t vary much due to the amount of hits they need to play to keep the core fans happy. You may see one, possibly two get mixed in and out. For this show, “I Ain’t the One” was that choice. The rest were standard classics. Still led by founding member Gary Rossington on guitar, the band still carries its swagger and attitude. With the recent confederate flag controversy, you didn’t see it at any point within their set. Rossington might be their longest member but the band is truly led by guitarist Rickey Medlocke and vocalist Johnny Van Zant. Medlocke gets the crowd into it by really paying attention to the fans’ reactions. Van Zant has been with the band 28 years. He knows what to say and when. He also lets his band mates share in the spotlight as well.
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 40 years since the plane went down carrying members of Skynyrd. With the reformation a decade later, the band still carries on strong and remains able to garner good sized crowds who love the music. This past Tuesday was no different.
Setlist:
Workin’ for MCA
I Ain’t the One
What’s Your Name
Saturday Night Special
Double Trouble
Gimme Back My Bullets
That Smell
The Needle and the Spoon
Tuesday’s Gone
Simple Man
Gimme Three Steps
Call Me the Breeze (J.J. Cale cover)
Sweet Home Alabama
Encore:
Free Bird
We would like to thank Maria Hays from Artpark for her assistance in obtaining credentials so BackstageAxxess can review the show.
