By Craig Michaels
It was just one month into their 2017 tour when Lynyrd Skynyrd brought their Southern Rock to the Show at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa. Upon entering their March 3rd concert, the first thing I noticed was the sprinkling of cowboy hats and baseball caps. I have been to hundreds of concerts in my life (many I can’t remember) but this was my first time seeing Skynyrd. They are one of those groups that have a ton of hits you forgot about until they start playing them all one by one.
Starting off with hits like, “What’s Your Name,” “You Got That Right” and “Saturday Night Special,” the group had the front section of the floor on their feet. Although most of the original members are no longer with the group, founding member Gary Rossington can still play a mean guitar. Lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant (brother of Ronnie Van Zant the group’s original singer) joined Skynyrd in 1987 and sounds incredibly just like his brother.
The second thing that stood out at the concert was the abundance of American flags on stage. The group showed their patriotism about mid-way through the concert when a large portion of the crowd stood up as they broke into “Simple Man” and dedicated it to all the men and women who wear a military uniform. Building up to an explosive encore with songs like “Gimme Three Steps,” “Call Me the Breeze” and “Sweet Home Alabama” the crowd was in full sing-a-long mode.
It was the last song of the night that gave me goosebumps. Although I have heard this song many times on the radio, when they came back out and played “Free Bird” for an encore I was playing air guitar and dancing in front of my seat. It was a great show and I am very glad I was able to check them off my concert bucket list.
For a complete list of upcoming concerts at The Show you can visit their web site: www.hotwatercasino.com/theshow
Written By: Craig Michaels Productions
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