Lynyrd Skynyrd Changes Heart About Retiring
via Lynyrd Skynyrd / Youtube
After announcing a farewell tour for 2018, the epidemic made Lynyrd Skynyrd reevaluate their plans.
In 2021, Gary Rossington stated:
“There’s a saying in the music business: You don’t retire from it, it retires you. I have heart problems. I thought I couldn’t get around anymore a year or two ago – but I got it all fixed, so now I’m feeling all right.”
Regrettably, the guitarist who helped start Lynyrd Skynyrd had ongoing health problems and had to stop going on tour that year. However, he managed to make occasional special appearances with the band until he passed away in March 2023.
The fate of Lynyrd Skynyrd was uncertain. With no original members left, there was a question of whether they would keep going. Nevertheless, the band chose to go ahead with their plans for 2023, which included a summer tour alongside ZZ Top.
Johnny Van Zant Talks Tour, ZZ Top, and Memories
Lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant discussed their ongoing tour and their collaboration with ZZ Top. He expressed that the tour was off to a great start and emphasized the healing power of live music after the challenges of the pandemic.
When asked about his memories of ZZ Top, Van Zant recalled discovering them during their Worldwide Texas tour and developing a close friendship with Dusty Hill. He also mentioned dedicating the song “Tuesday’s Gone” to Gary Rossington and regretted not being able to make one last call to him before his passing.
Van Zant also praised Rossington’s unique guitar style, describing him as the soulful backbone of the band. He shared memories of the early days of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the band’s unexpected rise to fame, as well as the impact of his brother Ronnie’s tragic death.
Regarding their farewell tour plans, Van Zant explained:
“I want to be upfront with you. We were on our last year – 2020 was really going to be our last year. It was like, OK, we’ll go out and maybe do two or three shows after that or do some charity work. We were [in our] last year and COVID hit. We were like, ‘Well, shit. This is great.’ We sat at home for 15 months and when those months were up, we were obligated to finish off the dates that we had booked. So we said, ‘OK, well, let’s reform and get back out there and put everybody back to work.’”
