Lynyrd Skynyrd - Birmingham Review

With trips to Torquay and Tavistock last week, July had already been fairly busy for live music - and that was before a trip up to Birmingham over the past couple of days which took in two concerts from long-standing, legendary bands from the US classic rock scene. Tomorrow's review will cover my first ever concert by The Doobie Brothers, hot on the heels of their latest album dropping, but today's piece focuses instead on the southern rock genre - with one of the founders of the sound and one of its best current exponents joining forces for an excellent show at the city's Utilita Arena. When discussing southern rock, perhaps there is no greater band that is synonymous with the sound than Florida's Lynyrd Skynyrd. Whilst The Allman Brothers Band may have been the first band to be called southern rock, they always covered more ground with their jazz and blues backgrounds - whereas Lynyrd Skynyrd solidified the true southern rock sound and the genre only exploded following their popularity throughout the 1970s. All of the southern rock bands to follow owed something to Lynyrd Skynyrd and they remain the genre's kings even today. The Lynyrd Skynyrd of today, though, is very different from the band of the 1970s. Everyone knows the tragic story of the 1977 plane crash, which took the lives of both frontman Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Steve Gaines, but the band's history has been laced with tragedy over the years - to the point now where no-one from the classic era remains. Founding guitarist Gary Rossington had been keeping the band going since their 1987 reunion tour, to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the plane crash, originally with other classic members who have all since died along way, until he himself died in 2023. I had assumed that the band would end following Rossington's passing, given that he was the only true link back to the 1970s band line-ups, but current frontman since 1987 Johnny Van Zant and guitarist since 1996 Rickey Medlocke, a southern rock legend in his own right thanks to his work with Blackfoot, have kept the band going - continuing to pay tribute to the many former band members who have since died. Medlocke has links back to the 1970s, having been in early versions of Lynyrd Skynyrd before their 1973 debut album was released, so there remains some legitimacy - and many of the current musicians in the band have been around for a number of years at this point. I had told myself that I was no longer interested in seeing Lynyrd Skynyrd live following Rossington's death, but when their latest UK tour was announced earlier in the year it did not take me too long to change my mind. It helped that Blackberry Smoke, a band I like a lot, were going to be opening for them - but I still also knew that the show would be a good one. It had been six years since I had last seen the band live, too, following a 2019 show with Status Quo - and it would be my third time seeing them overall. The Birmingham show made the most sense - so I headed up the UK's second city on Wednesday afternoon, ready for a night of southern rock.

I have been to the Utilita Arena quite a lot recently, having seen both Ghost and Iron Maiden already there this year. I think that it is fair to say, though, that both of those bands drew much larger crowds than Lynyrd Skynyrd - with the venue set up to make it look quite a bit smaller than it generally is, and even with those changes there were still quite a few empty seats towards the back. Still, a number likely in the low thousands were also up for a night of southern rock - and most were in place by 7:30pm when Blackberry Smoke kicked off their hour-long set. This was my fifth time seeing Blackberry Smoke live, and the country-tinged southern rockers always really deliver live - even if I sometimes find their albums to be a bit hit and miss. I was looking froward to seeing them again, and they did not disappoint - delivering an 11-song set which elicited a decent reaction from the crowd. Opening with the country strains of Workin' for a Workin' Man, the band seemed to want to hit the ground running. In general, it was a pretty up-tempo set - with plenty of riffing from the band's three guitarists and the keyboard playing of Brandon Still was high in the mix to allow his piano and organ to shine. Perhaps wanting to cram as much music as they could into their hour slot, the band did not jam as much as they often do. Frontman Charlie Starr still delivered plenty of melodic guitar solos, with fellow guitarist Benji Shanks also laying down some tasteful slide licks, but generally there seemed to be an urgency to the band's set - with the short yet rocking Hammer and the Nail, the feel-good Good One Comin' On, and the relatively more plaintive Pretty Little Lie all coming thick and fast early on. Despite this, though, Starr still made sure to talk to the crowd fairly regularly, coming across as his usual jovial self, and the fun side of the band was later shown through the funky Hey Delilah, which included some big vocal harmonies, and the slightly brasher Let It Burn. These songs all flew by, despite some soloing, but the band did allow themselves to stretch out during the set's centrepiece track Sleeping Dogs. This song often acts as a mid-set wig out, and I have seen the band segue into various different tracks during it. This time, they included a portion of the traditional folk song Midnight Special, made famous by Creedence Clearwater Revival, before rounding back to Sleeping Dogs' raucous chorus. There were clearly a few in who were fans of the band, but most around me did not seem that familiar with them. Blackberry Smoke certainly received a warm reception, though, and the lengthy workout around Sleeping Dogs likely helped. By this point there was not a huge amount of time left, but a couple more quicker numbers were run through before the band's signature ballad One Horse Town was the only real slower moment of the set. It elicited a little bit of a sing-a-long with those in the know - before the band's ever-present closing number Ain't Much Left of Me was wheeled out to bring the hour to an end. It opened with as snippet of Little Feat's Willin' before a portion of Led Zeppelin's When the Levee Breaks was also included during it - meaning that the set ended on a relatively lengthy jam with some rootsy energy. The setlist was:

Workin' for a Workin' Man

Hammer and the Nail

Good One Comin' On

Pretty Little Lie

Hey Delilah

Let It Burn

Sleeping Dogs/Midnight Special [Traditional American folk song]

Old Scarecrow

Run Away from It All

One Horse Town

Willin' [Little Feat cover]/Ain't Much Left of Me/When the Levee Breaks [Led Zeppelin cover]

Following a 30 minute changeover, the lights went down a short film detailing the early history of Lynyrd Skynyrd was played on the big screen. The band filed on as this played, and once it concluded they launched into their perennial set-opener Workin' for MCA. The mid-paced and riffy rocker has always been a great way to kick off a show - and from the off the band sounded tight and powerful. The first couple of numbers were perhaps a little boomy sound-wise, but these initial niggles were soon brushed off - and the mix was generally clear to allow the nuances of the band's sound to shine. Medlocke and Mark Matejka (guitar/vocals) traded solos during the barrelling rocker, showcasing their guitar firepower, whilst latest guitar recruit Damon Johnson, whom I had previously seen in both Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders, largely stuck to rhythm early on. Johnny remains a powerful and commanding frontman, too, and he has lost none of his voice in his near 40 year stint filling in for his departed brother. The band had 90 minutes to play with, and what essentially followed, with one exception, was a fan-favourite and hit-filled setlist. My main complaint with Lynyrd Skynyrd in recent years is their unwillingness to really shake up the setlist - but I understand why they do not. Whilst I might care about the band's more recent work, 90% of those in attendance likely did not - and this was very much a set to please the masses. This was clear when three songs from 1977's Street Survivors were played as something as a suite, with the boogie blues of What's Your Name, complete with lots of barroom piano from keyboard player Peter Keys, the more plaintive and slightly progressive That Smell, and the upbeat bluegrass/rock mash-up of I Know a Little all going down well. That Smell always showcases the slightly more complex side of the band's songwriting - whilst Matejka in particular impressed during the high-octane leads of I Know a Little. Another highlight early on was a great rendition of the shuffling Saturday Night Special, a groovy tune which is another which showcases that the band have always been great musicians. Southern rock often has a feel-good and simplistic feel, but Lynyrd Skynyrd have always had interesting and intricate arrangements - with the chugging riff and off-kilter chorus of Saturday Night Special a good example of such. Perhaps the real highlight for die-hard fans, though, was a mid-set inclusion of the deeper cut Cry for the Bad Man. This is not a song that has been played all that often in more recent years, so I really enjoyed hearing the moody semi-ballad - which Johnny owned vocally. Despite the time constraints, too, Johnny made plenty of effort to speak to the crowd - but I felt that he was not getting the reception he would have liked. I sometimes find crowds at all-seated classic rock shows a bit unresponsive - which was a shame in this case as the band's music deserves energy. This did not knock them back, though, with Medlocke taking the lead on The Needle and the Spoon being another highlight - before Tuesday's Gone was dedicated by Rossington. Johnson started to solo a bit more as the set progressed, with this one and Simple Man featuring him a bit more. He seems to fit nicely in the band, complimenting Medlocke and Matejka nicely, and he also led the way during the riffy Gimme Three Steps. The main set was coming to an end by this point, but an extended workout during Call Me the Breeze and the ever-present Sweet Home Alabama ensured that the crowd were on their feet by the end. Following a brief break, the band came back out for the obligatory rendition of Free Bird - but the lengthy track always really comes alive on stage. Johnny always sings it well, and Johnson's slide guitar playing captured Rossington's spirit nicely. It was left to Medlocke to close things out, though, and his gargantuan solo brought the curtain down on another excellent set from the legendary band. The setlist was:

Workin' for MCA

What's Your Name

That Small

I Know a Little

Saturday Night Special

Down South Jukin'

Gimme Back My Bullets

Cry for the Bad Man

The Needle and the Spoon

Tuesday's Gone

Simple Man

Gimme Three Steps

Call Me the Breeze [J.J. Cale cover]

Sweet Home Alabama

-

Free Bird

Despite having no members left from the band's 1970s classic era, Lynyrd Skynyrd remain a fantastic live act and their Birmingham show this past Wednesday was very enjoyable. There has been a long lineage through the years which keeps the band feeling legitimate - with many of those on stage having been a part of the band for a long time at this point. Clearly there is still an appetite for the band live, even if the turnout and the crowd itself was a little on the disappointing side (touring at the same time as The Doobie Brothers likely will not have helped), and hearing those classic songs live again after a few years was a lot of fun.