PALMETTO – Lynyrd Skynyrd honored and celebrated their southern rock legacy and their deceased band members while barnstorming the Bradenton Area Convention Center on Friday night as part of the Rock ‘N’ Support hurricane relief benefit concert.
Proceeds from the concert that also featured opening act Marcus King will be used to give $250-$500 grants to hurricane-impacted hospitality and tourism industry employees in Anna Maria, Holmes Beach, Bradenton Beach, Cortez and Longboat Key. The concert was organized by The Center of Anna Maria Island, the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and was sponsored by the Manatee County Tourist Development Council and the board of county commissioners.
Led by lead singer Johnny Van Zant and the three-guitar onslaught of Rickey Medlock, Mark Matejka and Damon Johnson, the band joyously ripped through a hit-laden 13-song set after taking the stage to a recording of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”
Van Zant is the younger brother of original Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Ronnie Van Zant, who died in a 1977 plane crash, along with guitarist Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines and three others. Keyboardist Peter Keys, bassist Keith Christopher, drummer Michael Cartellone and backing vocalists Carol Chase and Stacy Michelle round out the highly-talented, stellar-sounding lineup that admirably carries on the legacy of the original band formed in Jacksonville.
The band opened with “Working for MCA,” a song written about the original lineup’s working relationship with the MCA record label, followed by “Skynyrd Nation,” a Van Zant/Medlock composition from the band’s 2009 “God & Guns” album.
They then launched into “What’s Your Name,” from the Street Survivors album released three days before the fatal plane crash. When the song ended, Van Zant said, “Good evening, Good evening. How you doing Florida?”
He then explained the band’s presence that evening after ending their latest tour in late September.
“Our manager called me up and said ‘Hey Johnny, how about helping out south Florida? He said we can go play a show and help out some people. God bless you guys. I’m a Floridian. I love our state. Let’s all have a good time.”
The band then launched into “That Smell,” a 1977 song about some of the original band members’ struggles with alcohol and drugs.
After “Down South Jukin’” and the cautionary handgun tale, “Saturday Night Special,” the band paused before playing another crowd-favorite, “The Ballad of Curtis Loew.”
Van Zant made a toast and thanked the audience for keeping Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music around for all these years. After asking how many diehard Lynyrd Skynyrd fans were in the house, and encouraging everyone to sing along, Van Zant dedicated “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” to Shorty Medlock (Rickey Medlock’s musical grandfather) and the fictional character Curtis Loew who represents some of the musicians Ronnie Van Zant grew up around in Jacksonville.
The band then dedicated “Tuesday’s Gone” to Gary Rossington, the lead guitarist who died in 2023 as the last member left over from the classic lineup. A collage of Rossington photos played on the video screen as the band played on.
Before “Simple Man,” Van Zant made an apparent reference to the recent presidential election and said, “Do you guys still believe in America now?” which prompted loud applause from many in the audience.
He then dedicated “Simple Man” to the first responders, doctors, nurses and military personnel and asked the audience to light up the room up with their cell phones as the song was played.
“Gimme Three Steps” came next, followed by “Call Me The Breeze,” with Marcus King joining in on electric guitar. The main set ended with a rousing version of “Sweet Home Alabama” and after a short pause the band returned for a much-anticipated “Free Bird” encore.
The song began with a short clip from an old Ronnie Van Zant interview. During the song, a candlelit list of former and deceased band members appeared on the screen. Midway through the song, Van Zant placed a black hat on his flag-draped mic stand and walked off stage as the band continued playing with a recording and video footage of Ronnie Van Zant singing the final portion of the song that ended with its classic, guitar-driven, up-tempo musical outro.
Performing as a solo acoustic act, Marcus King’s well-received opening set included several of his original songs and a number of crowd-pleasing cover songs that included Kris Kristofferson’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Heard It In a Love Song,” a gorgeous rendition of the soul classic, “When a Man Loves a Woman,” and a set closing, sing-along version of The Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See.”
After King’s set, Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Elliott Falcione addressed the crowd.
“This concert was literally planned three weeks ago. The band scrambled to be here tonight,” he said before thanking Center Executive Director Chris Culhane, John and Amanda Horne from the Anna Maria Oyster Bar and the Shuckin’ Good Cause hospitality initiative, The Shriners and several others who assisted with the concert. He also noted the concert was being produced by Pittsburgh native, legendary Pittsburgh music promoter and producer Rich Engler.
To apply for a concert-supported hurricane relief grant, visit The Center website.
See the Lynyrd Skynyrd setlist here.
John and Amanda Horne are part of the hurricane relief efforts. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The crowd enjoyed and appreciated Lynyrd Skynyrd's excellent performance. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Melanie Massell and Doreen Wymer were all smiles at the show. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Shriners assisted with the fundraising activities. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Mark Pearce, Ruth Stief, Dana Chaves and David Higgins enjoyed the concert together. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Former county commissioners Betsy Benac and Carol Whitmore were on hand for the show. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Chris Patton and Amy Hendricks had a great time at the show. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
