With Ann Arbor blues guitarist Laith Al-Saadi opening the show, Lynyrd Skynyrd made the third concert at 20 Monroe Live a memorable one for classic rock devotees. (Review, photo gallery)
Southern Rock Heroes: Rickey Medlocke and the rest of Lynyrd Skynyrd unleashed a passel of favorites on Friday. (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
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Give Lynyrd Skynyrd credit: This venerable Southern rock band has endured a devastating plane crash that took the life of its frontman, various lineup changes, the loss of key members, and countless shifts in musical tastes and trends over the past 40 years.
After all that, these “Street Survivors” continue to churn out distinctive, Southern-fried favorites that have earned the band a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the avid adoration of a hard-drinking fan base and – in the case of Grand Rapids’ recent history – a headlining slot in the first week of 20 Monroe Live and its much-ballyhooed presence as a downtown hot spot.
Lead singer Jonny Van Zant (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
On Friday evening, with Ann Arbor’s own Laith Al-Saadi giving the show a warm and rousing blues-rock kickstart, Lynyrd Skynyrd did it all again, playing many of the same audience-friendly songs that made the band with the funny moniker a household name some four decades ago.
They did it with a surprising amount of on-stage fire and fervor, from a lengthy opening rendition of “Workin’ for MCA” to the show-closing rock standards, “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird” (which energized a lively crowd during the encore).
Perhaps it was the excitement of playing a new concert hall or the fact that it was just the second show of 2017 for the band, but the blissful, seven-piece Lynyrd Skynyrd (plus two female backing vocalists) rolled out a big and loud 80-minute set that was heavy on its trademark dual-guitar leads and time-tested hits that invigorated the throng of classic rock devotees.
BLUES-ROCK FROM LAITH AL-SAADI AND SOUTHERN-FUELED JAMS
“Ain’t nothing like a Skynyrd crowd,” lead singer Jonny Van Zant roared at one point while cavorting with Lynyrd Skynyrd guitar mainstays Gary Rossington and Rickey Medlocke and the rest of the band.
That certainly may be true considering the enthusiastic response they received, though it was clearly the smallest crowd thus far of the three concerts held this week at 20 Monroe Live, with a number of empty $100 mezzanine seats. (The 2,600-capacity venue makes up for it tonight – Saturday – when Shinedown and West Michigan’s own Wayland play a sold-out show at 20 Monroe Live.)
Laith Al-Saadi (Photo/Anthony Norkus)
The party got started Friday with an impressive and bluesy 40-minute set from the power trio led by Al-Saadi, who took full advantage of his high-profile opportunity on stage. Stretching out on guitar, he delivered plenty of flashy-yet-tasteful solos that proved his instrumental mettle way beyond anything he uncorked during his successful run on NBC’s “The Voice” last year.
Lynyrd Skynyrd, meanwhile, came off as a sort of classic rock version of a jam band (the night after Chicago-area jam band Umphrey’s McGee lit up the same stage). Amid those jams, the band trotted out familiar anthem after anthem, including “That Smell” and “The Needle and The Spoon” (anti-drug odes), “Saturday Night Special” (quite likely rock’s first gun-control anthem), “Sweet Home Alabama” (a paean to a state) and “Simple Man” (dedicated to those in the U.S. military).
They even paid tribute to late country legend Merle Haggard with a version of “Honky Tonk Night Time Man,” while gleefully interacting with fans.
In return, members of the Lynyrd Skynyrd “army” responded by raising their beer glasses in salute to this band of Southern rock survivors who, as Van Zant put it, still endeavor “to have a good time.”
And, of course, it was not only a concert where fans could scream “Free Bird” and it made sense, but it paid off, too.
PHOTO GALLERY: Lynyrd Skynyrd at 20 Monroe Live
SET LIST: Lynyrd Skynyrd at 20 Monroe Live
1. Workin’ for MCA
2. What’s Your Name
3. You Got That Right
4. Saturday Night Special
5. Honky Tonk Night Time Man
6. That Smell
7. Simple Man
8. Gimme Back My Bullets
9. The Needle and The Spoon
10. Tuesday’s Gone
11. Gimme Three Steps
12. Call Me the Breeze
13. Sweet Home Alabama
ENCORE
14. Free Bird
Copyright 2017, Spins on Music LLC
