“I love people, I love black people, I love gay people, I’m a left-wing liberal hippie…”
Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow (2018)
Much to the chagrin of a few wearing “God, Guns & Trump” t-shirts, during intermissions, Showtime previewed their latest documentary Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow to the hardcore southern rock faithful. Demonstrating many misconceptions that have followed the band for decades.
In Canada, regretfully, some of these misconceptions, lies and falsehoods have reared it’s poisonous tentacles. In reality, Lynyrd Skynyrd were cut from progressive roots, with a deep appreciation for all musical history and connective empathy. How else can one explain the decades of resonance the band has created worldwide?
With an audience mixed with cultures, races and age generations — one wonders if Skynyrd realizes the impact of the south in the north?
The opening of the show was the latest incarnation of Blackfoot, a southern rock band founded in 1970 by (now guitarist for Skynyrd coincidently) Rickey Medlocke.
Blackfoot Setlist
- High Roller
- Every Man Should Know (Queenie)
- Wishing Well (Free Cover)
- Hair of the Dog (Nazareth Cover)
- Train, Train
- Highway Song
Keeping it in the “family”, 38 Special were part of a stacked card. Founded by Donnie Van Zant, the younger brother of Lynyrd Skynyrd founder, the late, great Ronnie Van Zant. 38 Special brought a different Southern flavour to a packed Toronto audience.
With an extensive catalogue of hits, 38 Special started off with “Rockin’ Into the Night” and 1984 hit “Back Where You Belong“.
Next came a medley with a couple of memorable 80s movies soundtrack — 1987’s Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise, “Back to Paradise” and 1984’s Teachers, Bryan Adams/Jim Vallance penned “Teacher Teacher“.
Top 10 Billboard hits “Second Chance and “Caught Up in You” continued the winning streak, finishing off their set with AOR classic hit, “Hold On Loosely“.
Let’s hope 38 Special do a proper Canadian tour with a nice long setlist for the faithful!
38 Special Setlist
- Rockin’ Into the Night
- Back Where You Belong
- Back to Paradise / The Sound of Your Voice /
Somebody Like You / Honky Tonk Dancer /
Teacher Teacher / You Keep Runnin’ Away (Medley) - Second Chance
- Caught Up in You
- Hold On Loosely
Legendary Texas trio ZZ Top brought the Southern Boogie to the city, starting with opener “Got Me Under Pressure”.
Classics such as “I Thank You”, “Gimme All Your Lovin” and “Pearl Necklace” were a reminder to the standing, raucous audience that ZZ Top are still going strong after 49 years.
Decades-long classics from albums such as 1979’s Degüello, “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide”, 1973 Tres Hombres“Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” to the latest ZZ Top 2012’s album La Futra’s“I Gotsta Get Paid” displayed why the Texas trio have satisfied generations.
Both chart & video hits “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs” rekindled the audience’s memories of the 80s.
Looking forward to ZZ Top‘s 50th year to continue their Texas boogie tradition!
ZZ Top Setlist
- Got Me Under Pressure
- I Thank You (Sam & Dave cover)
- Waitin’ for the Bus
- Jesus Just Left Chicago
- Gimme All Your Lovin’
- Pearl Necklace
- I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide
- I Gotsta Get Paid
- Sixteen Tons (Merle Travis cover)
- Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers
- Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley (Lee Dorsey cover)
- Sharp Dressed Man
- Legs
Encore:
- La Grange
- Tush
Wanting to go out on their terms, rather than having touring taken away from them. It was announced in January 2018, after 45 years that Lynyrd Skynyrd were ending their 45-year tenure with The Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour.
With their 1973 debut, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd), Skynyrd popularized the Southern rock genre during the 1970s. Gained worldwide recognition for its live performances and signature songs “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird“.
At the peak of their success, band members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, and backup singer Cassie Gaines died in an airplane crash in 1977, band.
The surviving band members re-formed in 1987 for a reunion tour with lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant, (younger brother of Ronnie Van Zant).
And, have toured and recorded with co-founder Gary Rossington and Rickey Medlocke (who first wrote and recorded with the band from 1971 to 1972 before his return in 1996).
Opening with Skynyrd’s second album track, 1974’s Second Helping, “Workin’ with MCA”, the crowd instantly rose to the ‘south’.
“Skynyrd Nation”, “What’s Your Name”, “Travelin’ Man” & cautious-anthem “That Smell” reinforced the decades-long appreciation for Skynyrd‘s resonance to all audiences.
Powerful, thought-provoking songs from Skynyrd’s reflections of the past still reflected today with “The Needle and the Spoon”, “Saturday Night Special”, “The Ballad of Curtis Loew”, “Tuesday’s Gone”, “Simple Man” and “Gimme Three Steps”.
The final song of the set, the anthemic “Sweet Home Alabama“, considered by Rolling Stone‘s as one of “the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time“, a rebuttal to Neil Young, in contrary, the band was not in a feud with Neil Young.
While Neil Young was famously called out in the song “Sweet Home Alabama” rumours of a feud between the “Southern Man” singer and the Southern rockers are an urban rock legend. In fact, Young revealed that he had planned to collaborate with Skynyrd before the fatal crash changed everything — confirmed by drummer Artimus Pyle.
As the tradition, the encore was Skynyrd‘s signature song, “Free Bird“, spellbinding, sad, and uplifting. No other song felt more apropos for the end of the night.
With a stellar lineup, the only drawback were the abbreviated setlists, but it sounds like Skynyrd will do a proper cross-country Canadian tour, which hopefully means longer setlists and proper arenas (and not casinos).
Lynyrd Skynyrd Setlist
- Workin’ for MCA
- Skynyrd Nation
- What’s Your Name
- Travelin’ Man
- That Smell
- I Know a Little
- The Needle and the Spoon
- Saturday Night Special
- Red White & Blue (Love It or Leave)
- The Ballad of Curtis Loew
- Tuesday’s Gone
- Don’t Ask Me No Questions
- Simple Man
- Gimme Three Steps
- Call Me the Breeze (J.J. Cale cover)
- Sweet Home Alabama
Encore:
The farewell tour will continue to take the band across the country and around the globe through the remainder of the year giving fans one last unforgettable night of classic American Rock-and-Roll. The Southern Rockers will be joined for select dates by special guests including: Bad Company, Cody Jinks and Hank Williams Jr. The blockbuster farewell tour kicks off 2019 in Canada where the band will be joined by one of the most celebrated musicians in Canadian history,special guest, Randy Bachman . The two-time inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame is one of few artists to hold the distinction of topping the charts in two different bands: “American Woman” with The Guess Who and “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” with Bachman?Turner Overdrive. Following the Canadian run the band will head to the U.K. and Europe this summer. They will be joined by special guests, English rock band Status Quo, for U.K. dates and Southern rock band Blackberry Smoke for dates in Germany.