I can remember the first time I heard Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The Friday Rock Show with Tommy Vance played a live version of “Gimme Three Steps”. I was in the middle of a major Black Crowes and ZZ Top phase (in truth, I still am), and that was it. I was hooked.
Around 35 years later, here we are, and Skynyrd are at the world-famous Ryman Theatre in Nashville (I must have reviewed more live albums from there than anywhere else) celebrating 50 years since their debut.
What that means is 2022’s version of the band—featuring Rickey Medlocke, the only member who’s been around since the ’70s, on and off—gathering for about 90 minutes of some of the finest music ever made.
You know them. You know all the songs.
Some—like the opener “What’s Your Name” and “Workin’ for MCA”—set the benchmark for everything that came after. Not least because John Osborne (of Brothers Osborne) appears on the latter, becoming the first of many guest stars.
Others, like “Down South Jukin’”, fall under the category of “blimey, that’s better than I remembered.” But they’re all top-drawer.
“That Smell” is especially poignant, as it features founding member Gary Rossington—his last appearance before he passed away the following March.
Tracks like “Cry for the Bad Man”, with stunning backing vocals from Rossington’s wife Dale among others, tap into that uniquely American, blue-collar spirit—the same one Springsteen often captures so well.
The classics are all present. From “Saturday Night Special”—with a blistering cameo from Marcus King—to “Tuesday’s Gone”, they somehow still sound fresh. It proves, once again, my core belief: the best music never dates.
The fact they can get Jelly Roll on “…Gone” underlines both their contemporary relevance and emotional pull.
“Red, White and Blue” is as sentimental as it gets, and another Van Zandt brother, Donnie, joins Johnny for it.
The final guest, Shinedown’s Brent Smith, is pitch-perfect on “Simple Man”, roaring through it to a powerful finish.
“Gimme Three Steps” remains one of my favourite songs, and this version delivers everything you’d want.
These boys—new members included, such as former Alice Cooper and Black Star Riders man Damon Johnson—are old pros. They know how to close a show.
“Call Me the Breeze” and “Sweet Home Alabama” would be enough for most bands.
But this isn’t most bands, is it? And so they return for the encore with one of the most recognisable songs on the planet.
And if ever there was a bird you wouldn’t want to cage, it’s this one. That closing solo—whoever plays it—will never be beaten.
How do you last 50 years? How do you still matter to people? The answer’s the same to both: you write songs that people love and connect with.
Lynyrd Skynyrd do. And in that respect, Celebrating 50 Years (Live at the Ryman) belongs to us all.
Rating: 9/10
