Written by Robert Herrington
Lynyrd Skynyrd and the multi-genre Kid Rock sound as different as they are intertwined, but on Saturday night the two shared Verizon Wireless Music Center’s stage with both providing their fans a solid, powerful, rockin’ set.
The sold-out crowd, 25,000-plus strong, arrived early for Southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, which was good because the show started 45 minutes early.
Among the great American rock bands, Skynyrd is also one of rock’s great tragedies. Three days after the 1977 release of “Street Survivors” – the album that solidified Skynyrd’s standing as a marketable and creative powerhouse – the band’s plane crashed in Mississippi en route to a show in Baton Rouge. Both pilots and four members of the band died, including vocalist and primary songwriter Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines.
Now only two original members (keyboard player Billy Powell and guitarist Gary Rossington) lead the rejuvenated band, which includes Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny singing the songs Ronnie and company wrote decades ago.
Sticking to the classics, Skynyrd played “What’s Your Name,” “You Got That Right,” “Gimme Three Steps” and “Call Me the Breeze.” Video images of American troops served as the backdrop to “Simple Man.”
“I’ve been waiting all night to say this, ‘I do believe it’s time for the south to rise again baby,’” Van Zant said before “Sweet Home Alabama” was played.
As the band exited the stage to the deafening applause, everyone in attendance knew what the encore was going to be, especially after a golden eagle statue was placed over a Confederate flag on the piano.
The crowd responded even louder, which caused the speakers to be turned up so the audience could better hear “Freebird,” As Van Zant sang the opening lyrics – “If I leave here tomorrow would you still remember me?” – names and photos from Skynyrd’s past flashed on the screen behind him in a touching remembrance of those no longer with the band.
About an hour later, those same fans roared with applause as Kid Rock sampled “Sweet Home Alabama” and Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” on the harmony- and acoustic guitar-laden “All Summer Long.”
Rock took the baton from Skynyrd and continued the evening of rock ’n roll laced with other genres. Saturday’s set list was stacked with staples from Rock’s 1998 breakthrough album, “Devil Without a Cause,” several tracks from 2007’s “Rock N Roll Jesus,” and a mixture of hits from the three albums in between.
Rock and his Twisted Brown Trucker band kicked things off with the title track to “Rock N Roll Jesus.” “Testify, it’s a rock revival!” Rock sang.
He continued with 2001’s hit about never meeting a person like him and intertwined that with 2000’s “American Bad Ass.”
It was like that all night, with Rock and his band slashing through rap, country, gospel and rock.
Showing just how far his style has evolved since his rapping debut, Rock’s gospel “Amen” centered on how hard life is in American. To lighten the song’s heavy message, Rock stopped the music and instructed all in attendance to high-five someone they didn’t know, just as he did by running around the stage and greeting as many audience members as he could.
Rock’s second career single, “Cowboy” became an interesting mess. He began with a cover of the chorus of “Midnight Runner” and detoured into a cover of the “Dukes of Hazzard” theme midway though the song, only to swing back into a fully amped version of “Cowboy.”
The set also included “Only God Knows Why,” “Devil Without a Cause” and “Picture.” Rock’s debut single, “Bawitdaba,” ended the night that left the crowd screaming as loud as they had hours earlier for Skynyrd.
By Robert Herrington
rherrington@noblesvilledailytimes.com
http://www.county29.net/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17424&Itemid=230
Rock,Skynyrd share rockin’ stage
Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
