Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour

Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour
Tour by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Associated album N/A
Start date September 23, 1987
End date September 25, 1988
Shows 71
Lynyrd Skynyrd concert chronology
Street Survivors Tour
(1977)		 Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour
(1987-1988)		 Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 Tour
(1991-1992)

The Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour was a tour that was undertaken to pay tribute to the original band members who died in a plane crash in 1977. The tour began in the fall of 1987, in honor of the 10-year anniversary of the plane crash. A number of surviving members reunited for the tour. Original members Gary Rossington, Billy Powell and Leon Wilkeson were joined by Ed King (original member who had left the band in 1975), Artimus Pyle (drummer at the time of the plane crash), Randall Hall and Johnny Van Zant.

Rossington, who had formed the original band with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant was initially reluctant to do the tour. He was, in the words of his wife Dale Krantz-Rossington, still "very emotional" about the preceding events and about the anniversary of the plane crash. Eventually, Rossington decided that if the tour was to be done right, and if his fallen colleagues were to be honored properly, that he should be involved. Ironically, Rossington is the sole remaining original member still touring with the band today.

Original guitarist and founding member, Allen Collins, was unable to play as a result of being paralyzed in a car crash in 1986. Collins served as musical director for the tour, picking setlists and making cameo appearances onstage. He chose former bandmate Randall Hall (who had played with Collins in the Allen Collins Band) to take his spot.

Ronnie Van Zant's youngest brother, Johnny, was chosen to assume the role of lead vocalist. Other candidates were considered, including Paul Rodgers (of Free and Bad Company fame). Ronnie had been a huge Paul Rodgers fan and even owned a boat named "Bad Company" at one point. Ultimately though, it was Johnny who was deemed to be the best replacement for his brother.

The first leg of the tour was enormously successful. Moved by the loyalty and reaction of the fans, the band elected to add a second leg (which ran through the summer of 1988). The Tribute Tour Band played an inspired selection of classic Skynyrd tunes and ended the show with a heart-wrenching instrumental version of Free Bird.

The Rossington Band opened for the entire tour, playing a mixture of Rossington band original material and earlier material from the Rossington/Collins Band era. Dale Krantz-Rossington sang lead vocals for the Rossington Band and backup vocals for the Skynyrd set. Between the Rossington Band set and the Skynyrd set, old videos of the original Skynyrd band were shown on the bigscreen featuring full length versions of such songs as "T for Texas", "Don't Ask Me No Questions", "Cry for the Bad Man" and "Whiskey Rock-A-Roller".

Typical setlist

Also Occasionally Played

Tour dates

Date[1][2] City Country Venue
September 23, 1987Concord, CaliforniaUnited StatesConcord Pavilion
September 24, 1987Reno, NevadaLawlor Events Center
September 25, 1987Sacramento, CaliforniaCal Expo Amphitheatre
September 26, 1987Mountain View, CaliforniaShoreline Amphitheatre
September 27, 1987Irvine, CaliforniaIrvine Meadows
September 28, 1987Universal City, CaliforniaUniversal Amphitheatre
September 29, 1987Wheeling, West VirginiaWheeling Civic Center
September 30, 1987St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis Arena
October 1, 1987Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati Gardens
October 2, 1987Chicago, IllinoisUIC Pavilion
October 3, 1987Detroit, MichiganJoe Louis Arena
October 4, 1987Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaCivic Arena
October 6, 1987Landover, MarylandCapital Centre
October 8, 1987Worcester, MassachusettsCentrum
October 9, 1987Uniondale, New YorkNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
October 10, 1987New Haven, ConnecticutVeterans Memorial Coliseum
October 11, 1987Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSpectrum
October 14, 1987Atlanta, GeorgiaOmni Coliseum
October 15, 1987
October 16, 1987Jacksonville, FloridaJacksonville Coliseum
October 17, 1987Tampa, FloridaSun Dome
October 19, 1987Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte Coliseum
October 20, 1987Birmingham, AlabamaBirmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex
October 24, 1987Indianapolis, IndianaMarket Square Arena
October 25, 1987Richfield, OhioRichfield Coliseum
October 27, 1987Norman, OklahomaLloyd Noble Center
October 29, 1987 Memphis, TennesseeMid-South Coliseum
October 30, 1987Biloxi, MississippiGulf Coast Coliseum
October 31, 1987Houston, TexasThe Summit
November 1, 1987Dallas, TexasReunion Arena
May 14, 1988Pensacola, FloridaPensacola Civic Center
May 17, 1988New Orleans, LouisianaUNO Lakefront Arena
May 18, 1988Shreveport, LouisianaHirsch Memorial Coliseum
May 19, 1988Jackson, MississippiMississippi Coliseum
May 21, 1988Lexington, KentuckyRupp Arena
May 25, 1988Columbia, South CarolinaCarolina Coliseum
May 28, 1988Orlando, FloridaOrange County Convention Center
May 29, 1988Pembroke Pines, FloridaHollywood Sportatorium (moved from Miami Baseball Stadium)
June 5, 1988Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta-Fulton County Stadium
June 7, 1988Cuyahoga Falls, OhioBlossom Music Center
June 8, 1988Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaCivic Arena
June 9, 1988Clarkston, MichiganPine Knob
June 11, 1988East Troy, WisconsinAlpine Valley Music Theatre
June 12, 1988Thornville, OhioLegend Valley
June 15, 1988Bloomington, MinnesotaMet Center
June 18, 1988Peoria, IllinoisPeoria Civic Center
June 20, 1988Omaha, NebraskaCivic Auditorium
June 23, 1988Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Palace
June 27, 1988Portland, OregonStarry Night
July 1, 1988Sacramento, CaliforniaCal Expo Amphitheatre
July 2, 1988Mountain View, CaliforniaShoreline Amphitheatre
July 3, 1988Concord, CaliforniaConcord Pavilion
August 8, 1988Universal City, CaliforniaUniversal Amphitheatre
August 16, 1988Costa Mesa, CaliforniaPacific Amphitheatre
August 17, 1988Chandler, ArizonaCompton Terrace
August 20, 1988Morrison, ColoradoRed Rocks Amphitheatre
August 23, 1988Des Moines, IowaVeterans Memorial Auditorium
August 24, 1988St. Louis, MissouriFox Theatre
August 29, 1988Mansfield, MassachusettsGreat Woods Center for the Performing Arts
September 2, 1988Portland, MaineCumberland County Civic Center (moved from Old Orchard Beach Ballpark after city council voted to cancel all concerts)
September 4, 1988Allentown, PennsylvaniaFairground Grandstand
September 6, 1988New York City, New YorkThe Ritz (Miami Project To Cure Paralysis Benefit)
September 7, 1988East Rutherford, New JerseyMeadowlands Arena
September 8, 1988Uniondale, New YorkNassau Coliseum
September 10, 1988Landover, MarylandCapital Centre
September 15, 1988Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaSpectrum
September 16, 1988Darien Lake, New York
September 22, 1988Trotwood, OhioHara Arena
September 23, 1988Louisville, KentuckyLouisville Gardens
September 24, 1988Huntsville, AlabamaVon Braun Civic Center
September 25, 1988Antioch, TennesseeStarwood Amphitheatre

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Lynyrd Skynyrd Gigography, Tour History | Songkick
  2. ↑ The Great Rock Discography (third edition) by M.C.Strong

External links