(L to R): Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Mark ‘Sparky’ Martejka (guitar), Rickey Medlocke (guitar), Gary Rossington (guitar) and Keith Christopher (bass guitar) Photo Credit: Rick Diamond
Southern Rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd wrapped the first leg of their two-year Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour Sunday night with a packed homecoming stadium show presented by The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and the City of Jacksonville. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s were joined by friends Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, The Charlie Daniels Band, Blackberry Smoke and the Marshall Tucker Band at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field, home of the Jaguars.
“There are a lot of people who thought this was going to be our last show, forever, here in Jacksonville,” lead singer Johnny Van Zant told the Times-Union. “That’s not true. We still have places that we need to do.” Added Rickey Medlocke, “We’ve got fans all over the world…You can’t just say we’re only going to do the United States and then shut it down. Those people would be so upset.”
No one left TIAA Bank Field upset — even after a weather delay in the middle of Kid Rock’s set — as Skynyrd’s 90+ minute show featuring classic hits such as “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps,” and “What’s Your Name,” as well as deep cuts such as “The Ballad of Curtis Lowe” kept fans on their feet the entire show. The evening included a moving tribute of “Sweet Home Alabama” to the song’s co-writer and original Skynyrd band member Ed King. The show’s finale ended with a stadium-sized sing-along of “Free Bird.” The evening left no doubt why Rolling Stone magazine calls them one of the 100 Greatest Bands of All Time. The unforgettable homecoming was filmed for future release. Details will be announced soon.
Earlier this year Skynyrd announced that after a career that has spanned more than 40 years and includes a catalog of more than 60 albums with more than 30 million units sold, they would embark on their final tour. Produced by Live Nation, the career-concluding two-year farewell tour will have logged over 50 stops by the end of 2018.
The band returns to the road for the second leg of 2018 dates on Saturday, Sept. 22 for this year’s two-day iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas. The band are part of a star-studded lineup at T-Mobile Arena that includes Justin Timberlake, Jack White, Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Jason Aldean, Sam Smith, Luke Bryan and more. Fans can visit iHeartRadio.com/Tickets to purchase tickets. For those unable to attend, the 2018 iHeartRadio Music Festival will be broadcast live on iHeartMedia Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR) stations across the country that weekend including the iconic Z100 in New York, KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, Y100 in Miami, KISS FM in Dallas, Chicago and Boston, as well as many more. The CW Network will exclusively live stream the mega-concert via CWTV.com and The CW App and broadcast the two-day, televised special on October 7 and October 8.
The tour derives its name from the band’s “The Last of the Street Survivors” and their fifth studio album Street Survivors that is certified multi-Platinum by the RIAA and includes the Platinum-certified single, “What’s Your Name.”
The Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour marks a big moment for generations of fans, as Lynyrd Skynyrd has been touring consistently since the 90s. The band, that USA Today called the “whiskey-soaked genre’s most popular and influential crew,” is ready to rock one last time. The farewell tour will take original member Gary Rossington joined by Van Zant, Medlocke, Mark “Sparky” Matejka, Michael Cartellone, Keith Christopher, Peter Keys, Dale Krantz Rossington, Carol Chase and special guest Jim Horn across the country over the next two years.
Tickets for the second leg of 2018 shows are sale now at LiveNation.com. The farewell tour will continue to take the band across the country through the remainder of this year and all of next year, giving fans one last unforgettable night of classic American Rock-and-Roll. Skynyrd’s 2019 tour dates including stops in Europe and South America will be announced soon.
Lynyrd Skynyrd on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2018 in Jacksonville for their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour stop at TIAA Bank Field
Photo Credit: Dotlyn Snedden
Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour Second Leg of 2018 Dates:
Saturday, September 22 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV+
Friday, September 28 – Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion, Rogers, AR
Saturday, September 29 – Intrust Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
Friday, October 05 – Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, MN
Saturday, October 06 – Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE
Friday, October 12 – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, SD
Saturday, October 13 – US Cellular Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
Friday, October 19 – Resch Center, Green Bay, WI
Saturday, October 20 – Huntington Center, Toledo, OH
Friday, October 26 – Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
Saturday, October 27 – The Ford Center, Evansville, IN
Friday, November 02 – Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
Saturday, November 03 – Peoria Civic Center, Peoria, IL
Friday, November 09 – Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
Saturday, November 10 – KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
Friday, November 16 – Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, MD
Saturday, November 17 – Big Sandy Superstore Arena, Huntington, WV
Friday, November 30 – Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, Wilkes-Barre Township, PA
Saturday, December 01 – Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
Friday, December 07 – Raising Cane’s River Center, Baton Rouge, LA
Saturday, December 08 – Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Biloxi, MS
+ Part of the iHeartRadio Music Festival
VIP packages are available for all dates. Details available at lynyrdskynyrd.com.
About Lynyrd Skynyrd
Original members Ronnie Van Zant, Bob Burns, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, and Larry Junstrom formed the band in 1964, originally known as My Backyard, the band changed to its famous name in the early 1970s, and became popular in the Jacksonville, Florida area, where the original members were from. They signed with Sounds of the South Records in 1972, and released their self-titled disc the following year. The album that featured “Free Bird,” arguably the most-recognized single in the Southern Rock genre, has sold more than 2 million units since its release. Later down the road the band recorded iconic tracks “Sweet Home Alabama” and “What’s Your Name.”
The band’s story took a tragic turn in October 1977 when a plane crash took the lives of Van Zant, Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines, and several of their road crew. The band took a decade-long hiatus before reuniting for a tour and live album, Southern by the Grace of God. Since then, the band has toured and recorded extensively, with their most recent release being Last Of A Dyin’ Breed. The band’s current line-up includes original member Rossington, Johnny Van Zant, Rickey Medlocke, Mark “Sparky” Matejka, Michael Cartellone, Keith Christopher, Peter Keys, Dale Krantz Rossington and Carol Chase. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
