Concert Review #3: ZZ Top & Lynyrd Skynyrd!

There is nothing quite like good old southern rock on an August night, at an outdoor venue by the lake.

ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd brought their Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour to Budweiser Stage in Toronto on Sunday, and as much facial hair and hair was in abundance, so were good ol’ fashioned rock tunes.

The two acts have been co-headlining on this tour alternating who opens; this is somewhat of a reunion for the bands as they toured together in 1999 and 2000, and Skynyrd opened for ZZ Top for a couple of shows on their 50th anniversary tour in 2019. Interesting note, ZZ Top gave Lynyrd Skynyrd one of their first paying gigs. 

Uncle Kracker was the opener, while an odd choice perhaps, they brought a few hits that had the crowd singing along; this included Drift Away, Follow Me (with a bit of You Shook Me all Night Long thrown in) to All Summer Long which gives a nod to Lynyrd Skynyrd and was a good warm up for the act to come.

The Southern boys hailing from Florida opened the first half of the show with a tight 14 song set. A band no stranger to tragedy and heartbreak having recently lost their last surviving original member, Gary Rossington, these southern boys were there to party and have a good time. In a poignant tribute to Rossington, they played Tuesday’s Gone while videos of Rossington through the years flashed on the screen. Picking up where Rossington left off, Damon Johnson, guitarist working with the band since 2021 was one of the three all star aces that provided Skynyrds signature three guitar choir along with Mark Matejka and Rickey Medlocke. Also taking centre stage was lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant, younger brother of founding member Ronnie Van Zant. Rounding out the line-up were drummer Michael Cartellone, bassist Keith Christopher and the aptly named keyboardist/pianist Peter Keys. While none of the original members are left, the line-up is composed of some players who have been in the game for some time. 

As one would expect, the evening’s set drew a lot on the hits from their first album (Pronounced ‘Leh-‘nerd ‘Skin-‘nerd) with hits like Simple Man (dedicated Canadian troops and first responders), Gimme Three Steps, What’s Your Name, That Smell. The final song in the regular set had the crowd singing along to Sweet Home Alabama. No Skynyrd show is complete without a lengthy encore. Skynyrd returned to the stage to take flight again with the classic and epic Free Bird. They regaled us with a guitar heavy, soulful 15 minute rendition that included vocal tracks and video of original singer Ronnie Van Zant .

If Skynyrd warmed up the crowd, then ZZ Top stoked the fire, despite the fact that they were a Z short from the original line-up as bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill passed away in 2021. Stepping into his spotlight was former guitar tech Elwood Francis.  They touched on highlights of their entire repertoire from Tres Hombres to Eliminator. Present along with all the hits were the signature fur guitars, the choreographed movements, sunglasses, and long beards and a 12-string bass. While no overt tribute was paid to Hill, the evening’s show included a stream of original videos featuring Hill.

Francis fit in well with vocalist-guitarist Billy Gibbons, and drummer Frank Beard (who ironically doesn’t have a beard). Where previously ZZ Top was all about the duo out front and their banter, moves and matching outfits, this was more of a Billy Gibbons show with Elwood Francis (can’t help but to think about the Blues Brothers when I hear that) taking a back seat.  Billy Gibbons commanded the stage with his signature raspy voice, while Francis and Beard laid down a roaring bluesy beat.  The trio’s chemistry was evident as they effortlessly worked their way through their decades long catalogue with ease. 

Fan favourites were Gimme All Your Lovin’, Pearl Necklace, I Gotsta Get paid, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs and closing out the show with La Grange. That Little Ol’ Band from Texas brought all of the bluesy rock we have come to expect.

Despite both bands being around for half a century plus, their music still resonates with fans both young and old. 

Keep on rockin’

Categorised in: Classic Rock Intern

This post was written by Blackburn Media