CRR Concert Review - Lynyrd Skynyrd with The Marshall Tucker Band in Wichita

Lynyrd Skynyrd with The Marshall Tucker Band in Wichita

Intrust Bank Arena
Wichita, Kansas
September 29, 2018

By Jeb Wright

Encore:
Free Bird

This night was all about Southern Rock’s finest, Lynyrd Skynyrd, coming to Wichita, Kansas one more time before they hang it all up and go fishing! The band, on their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour is taking a few years to wrap things up…but that’s okay. They have a lot of fans around the world they need to see before they ride off into the sunset.

Opening up for Skynyrd was another grand band of Southern Rock’s illustrious history, The Marshall Tucker Band. Led by original vocalist Doug Gray, the band plays well. However, and it is with great sadness these words are being typed, Gray should not be on stage singing anymore. At 70 years of age, his day has come and gone and that is all there is to it.

The band can flat out still play but the lead vocals are subpar and the end is long past being near. There is still a way for this to work, however. I would love to see Doug center stage telling stories about the classic songs, and then playing his tambourine and having someone else sing the songs. It could work. It would actually be pretty cool. They are not, however, doing that, sadly.

Enough of that…This night belonged to the main act, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The lights went low and just as one expected Skynyrd to take the stage, the house system blasted out “Thunder Struck” by the band AC/DC. The crowd started whooping and hollering as the entire song was played. Then…all of sudden-like here they came! The Street Survivors themselves…

The band broke out into the classic “Workin’ for MCA” and it was on! The crowd was on their feet loving all the redneck rock they could handle. Okay…that was too easy of a description. Let’s cut the BS. Lynyrd Skynyrd may be southern but calling them ‘redneck rock’ was uncalled for. Sure…the songs are southern. Sure…they probably have more Johnny Cash downloaded on their Spotify than they do Black Sabbath. Like it or not, Lynyrd Skynrd is one of the biggest rock bands in the history of hard rock. This is also their farewell tour…and I, for one, believe it really is. This is not just another Kiss or Ozzy trick…Skynyrd deserve accolades for keeping their music alive after surviving many deaths.

I take it back…the crowd was feasting on some of the most classic American rock anthems known to man…that’s a better way of saying it!

Next up was the only corny song of the set, “Skynyrd Nation.” Hey—the younger fans missed out on all the great stuff we had so this anthem is kinda for them in my eyes-plus it is solid ass smart marketing. It rocks okay…but it is not my cup of tea. What’s my cup of tea? Easy. Everything that came after this song.

As they say in Internet land…OMG…this set was down and dirty good. Just scroll up and look. We got all the huge hits…well we missed a few like “Don’t’ Ask Me No Questions” and “Give Me Back My Bullets” but we got our share of them ‘fo sure!

When guitarist Rickey Medlocke tore up “The Needle and the Spoon” I knew we were in for a great night. Other highlights included “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” and “Call Me the Breeze,” complete with a real life horn section.

The set list fucking rocked… “Travelin’ Man,” “I Know a Little,” “Tuesday’s Gone,” “Down South Jukin’” and “That Smell.” Are you kidding me? Before we even get to the Massive Five we got ALL of this plus “Saturday Night Special,” “What’s Your Name” and the heartwarming “Red, White & Blue.”

Wow…all I can write is…wow!

How many bands can end their main set with… in order: “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Call Me the Breeze” and “Sweet Home Alabama”? How many? One…that’s how many. And Gary Rossingotn was fucking there in the past for every goddamn note so the purists who complain can shut the heck up. We all know the band has suffered much, much, much death. The fact they carried on and pay homage to their fallen brothers during the show means a lot in my book.

Johnny Van Zant sings these songs in his brother Ronnie’s spirit and he is a great emcee as well. Medlocke, Rossington and “Sparky” Matejka have 18 guitar strings between them and every last one is plucked, bent and hammered on before the night is completed.

Michael Cartellone is an amazing drummer and the bass and keyboard parts are handled with deep respect by Keith Christopher and Peter Keys. Oh… we can’t fail to mention the amazing voices of Dale Krantz Rossington and Carol Chase. They add spice and flavor to the show all night long. In fact, when they belt out background to “Sweet Home” you can’t help but stand and cheer!

The band ended the evening with “Free Bird.” Everyone knew it was coming. It was no shock. What was a great and awesome surprise was Johnny putting a hat like the one his brother wore on the microphone stand and leaving the stage for the last verse. On the giant video screen Ronnie Van Zant appeared and sang the final verse with the band playing live. That was kinda a supersized special sort o’ awesome! Sparky and Rickey took over from there and set the solo on fire.

Lynyrd Skynyrd put on a hell of a show. They played like they’re lives depended on it…even though they are playing each place for the last time. Hats off to these great musicians. The music they played on this night will live on well past our time.

As the band walked off the stage, I was sad to see them go. Standing backstage before the show with Gary, Johnny and Rickey we joked about life and talked about fishing. We even discussed how watching Netflix on the road has replaced sex and drugs! At some point in the talk we discussed the farewell tour. There is enough time left that they are not quite feeling it as much as I am. I get only one show. They have to play many, many more. Yet…on that final day…after the final “Free Bird” I bet there will be a lot of tears as they realize it is not Tuesday that is gone….It’s the band.

Get your tickets here and go see Skynyrd: https://lynyrdskynyrd.com/