Lynyrd Skynyrd Made A Stop In Toronto With Their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour Presented by SiriusXm

Lynyrd Skynyrd brought their show to Toronto’s Budweiser Stage Saturday night and it was a huge hit! They have been on the road in one form or another for over five decades, playing under various names and settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969. At the height of their career, in 1977 there was a tragic plane crash and the band was instantly over when Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie Gaines and Steve Gaines perished. The remaining members reformed in 1987 with Johnny Van Zant, Ronnie’s younger brother singing lead and they have continued, since then, to tour and record. 2018 will mark the end of their long and storied career with this Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour, presented by SiriusXM.

The tour is featuring a long list of opening bands that have been friends over the years. Toronto featured Blackfoot, whom we did not get to shoot so I can’t comment on them. Next was 38 Special, who themselves have gone through a lot of adversity in their four decade career. The original lead singer was Donnie Van Zant, another brother of Ronnie’s so there was a long connection with these two bands. Donnie retired from the band and music in 2013 due to health problems, leaving Don Barnes as the lead singer and he handles it extremely well. Don is the only original member left, but the band lives on. The sounded great and I had actually forgot they had so many recognizable songs.

38 Special. Budweiser Stage, Toronto. August 11, 2018. Photo: Ron Pettitt

They opened with “Rockin’ Into The Night” and instantly blew me away! It sounded like a step back to a different time for me. I grew up on classic rock and here I was watching one of the masters up close. Don Barne’s voice was still the same as it ever was and Danny Chauncey’s guitar sounded just like I remembered. 38 Special played a relatively short set but did a remarkable job, rocking it all the way.

So, for a concert where you started with Blackfoot, 38 Special and were still awaiting Lynyrd Skynyrd, what could be next? How about ZZ Top? Can You imagine? That Li’l Ole Band From Texas proved they can still Rock with the best of them Saturday night. They opened with Got Me Under Pressure and and never looked back. They played a mixture of some of the oldies and some not so old but one of my favorites was “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide”, some of Billy Gibbons’ best guitar playing in my opinion. The whole set was packed with great music and some of the band’s slightly cheesy but classic dance steps that they make look very cool. The highlight for me had to be the last two songs, “La Grange” and “Tush”! This instantly transported me back to high school, the two very best ZZ songs of all saved for the finale. The crowd was into it, by this time mostly up and dancing. I think Tush is just about everyone’s favourite ZZ Top song and they proved it Saturday night, singing along right on cue when Billy requested. ZZ Top never disappoint, giving their own ultra-powerful style of blues infused rock’n’roll.

ZZ Top, Budweiser Stage, Toronto. August 11, 2018. Photo: Ron Pettitt

Following ZZ Top is a hard task for any band but Lynyrd Skynyrd handled it like the pros they are because they can rock with the best of them. They came out with “Workin’ For MCA” and any Skynyrd fan recognizes that song as one of their anthems, great song. I thought that Johnnie handled the vocals very well, his voice sounding very much like his older brother’s. Throughout the show, there were clips of Ronnie or other members of the original band and sometimes families flashing up on the semi-circle screen behind the band. Some was just fun stuff but much of it was pretty moving.

The band moved on through lots of their hit songs, “What’s Your Name”, “That Smell” and “The Needle And The Spoon” to name a few. Gary Rossington showed that he still has it on guitar. His guitar playing was note for note perfect and full of energy. If not for his now white hair, you would think he was still 30 years old. The other guitar players, Rickey Medlocke and Mark “Sparky” Martjka were also solid and made that traditional three guitar Skynyrd sound come alive. Peter Keys on Keyboards, Michael Cartellone on drums and Keith Christopher on bass all work together well to create that classic sound the band are known for. Another thing they are known for is background singers and they were there too. Dale Krantz Rossington and Carol Chase filled those spots perfectly. Last but not least, Johnnie VanZant, filling in for his brother! What a job he did. When you closed your eyes, you could actually imagine Ronnie himself up there.

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Budweiser Stage, Toronto. August 11, 2018. Photo: Ron Pettitt

During “Traveling Man”, that’s just what happened. Johnnie and his brother, via clips, actually duetted the song. At this time Johnnie turned around facing the screen while watching his brother sing. Talk about a moving moment! If that wasn’t enough, before the encore, “Freebird” of course, Johnnie stood looking up at the sky while holding a peace sign and gave a salute to his brother and the others in Rock and Roll heaven. Johnnie sang the opening of the song which was moving in itself considering the lyrics he was singing, then walked to the drum riser, returning with a hat. Ronnie’s hat. He placed it on his mic stand and left the stage while Ronnie’s image again took over the singing duties for the rest of the song. Ronnie started with Skynyrd all those years ago and it seemed fitting that he took it home. Many tears were shed over that one.

Lynyrd Skynyrd, Budweiser Stage, Toronto. August 11, 2018. Photo: Ron Pettitt

I don’t think Lynyrd Skynyrd could have done any better, giving not only an awesome farewell show, but I think one of the best concerts, period. They took you on a ride through their history, from the early days of the band with all the original members to some more recent memories as well. You saw news clips, private home movie clips, happy clips and incredibly sad and poignant clips. Rock and Roll is supposed to make you feel things and that happened in Toronto last Saturday night.

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