Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour
Tour by Lynyrd Skynyrd | |
Associated album | Lynyrd Skynyrd Live: Southern by the Grace of God |
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Start date | September 23, 1987 |
End date | September 25, 1988 |
No. of shows | 84 |
Lynyrd Skynyrd concert chronology | |
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The Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour was a tour that was undertaken to pay tribute to the original band members who died in a plane crash in 1977. The tour began in the fall of 1987, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the plane crash. A number of surviving members reunited for the tour. Original members Gary Rossington, Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson were joined by Ed King (original member who had left the band in 1975), Artimus Pyle (drummer at the time of the plane crash), Randall Hall and Johnny Van Zant.
History
Rossington, who had formed the original band with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant was initially reluctant to do the tour. He was, in the words of his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington, still "very emotional" about the preceding events and about the anniversary of the plane crash. Eventually, Rossington decided that if the tour was to be done right, and if his fallen colleagues were to be honored properly, that he should be involved.
Original guitarist and founding member, Allen Collins, was unable to play as a result of being paralyzed in a car crash in 1986. Collins served as musical director for the tour, picking setlists and making cameo appearances onstage. He chose former bandmate Randall Hall (who had played with Collins in the Allen Collins Band) to take his spot.
Ronnie Van Zant's youngest brother, Johnny, was chosen to assume the role of lead vocalist. Other candidates were considered, including Paul Rodgers (of Free and Bad Company fame). Ronnie had been a huge Paul Rodgers fan and even owned a boat named "Bad Company" at one point. Ultimately though, it was Johnny who was deemed to be the best replacement for his brother.
The first leg of the tour was enormously successful. Moved by the loyalty and reaction of the fans, the band elected to add a second leg (which ran through the summer of 1988). The Tribute Tour Band played an inspired selection of classic Skynyrd tunes and ended the show with a heart-wrenching instrumental version of Free Bird.
The Rossington Band opened for the entire tour, playing a mixture of Rossington band original material and earlier material from the Rossington/Collins Band era. Dale Krantz-Rossington sang lead vocals for the Rossington Band and backup vocals for the Skynyrd set. Between the Rossington Band set and the Skynyrd set, old videos of the original Skynyrd band were shown on the bigscreen featuring full length versions of such songs as "T for Texas", "Don't Ask Me No Questions", "Cry for the Bad Man" and "Whiskey Rock-A-Roller".
Typical setlist
- "Workin' for MCA"
- "I Ain't the One"
- "Saturday Night Special"
- "The Needle and the Spoon"
- "That Smell"
- "I Know a Little"
- "Gimme Three Steps"
- "Call Me the Breeze"
- "Swamp Music"
- "You Got That Right"
- "What's Your Name"
- "Gimme Back My Bullets"
- "Simple Man"
- "Sweet Home Alabama"
- "Free Bird"
Tour dates
Personnel
- Johnny Van Zant – vocals
- Gary Rossington – guitars
- Ed King – guitars
- Randall Hall – guitars
- Billy Powell – keyboards
- Leon Wilkeson – bass
- Artimus Pyle – drums
References
- v
- t
- e
- Rickey Medlocke
- Johnny Van Zant
- Michael Cartellone
- Mark Matejka
- Peter Keys
- Keith Christopher
- Ronnie Van Zant
- Allen Collins
- Gary Rossington
- Bob Burns
- Larry Junstrom
- Greg T. Walker
- Leon Wilkeson
- Billy Powell
- Ed King
- Artimus Pyle
- Steve Gaines
- Randall Hall
- Kurt Custer
- Mike Estes
- Owen Hale
- Hughie Thomasson
- Jeff McAllister
- Kenny Aronoff
- Ean Evans
- Robert Kearns
- Johnny Colt
- (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd)
- Second Helping
- Nuthin' Fancy
- Gimme Back My Bullets
- Street Survivors
- Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991
- The Last Rebel
- Endangered Species
- Twenty
- Edge of Forever
- Christmas Time Again
- Vicious Cycle
- God & Guns
- Last of a Dyin' Breed
- One More from the Road
- Southern by the Grace of God
- Lyve from Steel Town
- Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour
- Live from Freedom Hall
- Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour Lyve!
- Skynyrd's First and... Last
- Gold & Platinum
- Best of the Rest
- Legend
- Skynyrd's Innyrds
- Lynyrd Skynyrd (box set)
- A Retrospective
- What's Your Name
- Old Time Greats
- The Essential Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Skynyrd's First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album
- 20th Century Masters: The Best of Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Solo Flytes
- All Time Greatest Hits
- Collectybles
- Then and Now
- Thyrty
- Then and Now Volume Two
- Greatest Hits
- Icon
- Freebird... The Movie
- Lyve from Steel Town
- Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve: The Vicious Cycle Tour
- Live from Freedom Hall
- "Gimme Three Steps" / "Mr. Banker"
- "Don't Ask Me No Questions" / "Take Your Time"
- "Sweet Home Alabama"
- "Free Bird"
- "Saturday Night Special"
- "Double Trouble"
- "What's Your Name"
- "That Smell"
- "Truck Drivin' Man"
- "You Got That Right"
- "Preacher Man"
- "Red White & Blue"
- "Need All My Friends"
- "Tuesday's Gone"
- "Simple Man"
- Street Survivors Tour
- Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour
- Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 Tour
- Edge of Forever Tour
- The Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour
- Discography
- Members
- Skynyrd Frynds
- Plane crash
- Ronnie Van Zant Memorial Park
- Leonard Skinner
- "All Summer Long"