Photos, review: Lynyrd Skynyrd gives ‘shot’ of Rupp concert at new Lexington distillery
What’s this? A stalwart Southern rock band encouraging its audience to “not drink too much”?
Not only that, such advice is presented at the onset of a promotional event for a new Lexington distillery, that, in turn, is spotlighting said band’s new brand of 90 proof whiskey?
Well, it turns out there was marketing to this madness. Lynyrd Skynyrd lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant’s words of caution were presented with tongue placed assuredly in cheek. Why? Because he was encouraging the few hundred fans gathered at Greyline Station on Wednesday evening to hold some of its celebratory mood, as well as its thirst for libations, for the following evening when Skynyrd was set to unleash the full electric throttle of its Southern music at Rupp Arena with tour mates ZZ Top and Black Stone Cherry.
In essence, Van Zant was encouraging fans to save a little something for the show – the real show.
As it was, what the Wednesday crowd got was the musical equivalent of a sample – a shot, for the cocktail minded – of what its 50-plus year legacy was based on. The music presented an acoustic version of the longstanding, Florida-rooted band by way a sit-down teaser set of sorts. It wasn’t really a formal concert, per se, but a relaxed promotional event to accentuate two of the most formidable inspirations of rock ‘n’ roll – a love of spirits and a knowing way with a guitar tune.
The 30-minute set zipped through five Skynyrd classics – “What’s Your Name,” “Down South Jukin’,” “Simple Man,” “Whiskey Rock-A-Roller” (well, naturally) and “Sweet Home Alabama.” Van Zant was in fine voice for all of it, despite the fact the echoes at play proved Greyline Station, for all its commercial appeal, was not a concert venue. But again, this wasn’t a concert in any practical sense.
Lynyrd Skynyrd history
Those in attendance seemed eager to catch this unplugged snapshot of a band celebrated for its Southern-inspired electric jams. Some regaled each other, while the band members were involved with meet-and-greet duties, with stories of catching Skynyrd during its storied era prior to the 1977 plane crash that took the lives of frontman Ronnie Van Zant (the current singer’s older brother) and guitarist Steve Gaines, among others, leaving the band crippled for roughly a decade. From the late ‘80s onward, Skynyrd picked up the pieces but gradually lost them again as one member after another from the signature early ‘70s lineup passed away. The March 2023 death of guitarist Gary Rossington ended the connection completely, leaving the current Skynyrd without any of the artists who forged its ‘70s recordings.
A slight exception was guitarist Rickey Medlocke, who recorded with the band mostly as a drummer before leaving to further his own group, Blackfoot, in 1972. He rejoined Skynyrd as lead guitarist in 1996. On Wednesday, donning shades and a healthy mane of snow-white hair, Medlocke was the most arresting presence in the band, especially when the rough, brittle rhythmic drive of his acoustic playing mingled with the musicianship of Skynyrd’s most recent guitar recruit, Damon Johnson. Such an instance surfaced during “Simple Man,” a song whose performance profile was already heightened by solemn audience sing-a-longs during choruses.
Lynyrd Skynyrd whiskey made in Lexington
The acoustic setting meant dropping the rhythm section, although bassist Keith Christopher and drummer Michael Cartellone popped up briefly onstage as a sign of camaraderie, one supposes, before making a quick exit without playing. Admittedly, such a stripped-down setting took a little getting used to. “Sweet Home Alabama,” for example, without its jovial piano runs, is a very different beast. But the audience, as well as the artists, seemed quite taken with the intimacy such an environment offered.
Of course, what was being promoted as much as the music and perhaps as much as Bespoken Spirits (even with CEO Peter Iglesias on hand to help introduce the band) was the whiskey Skynyrd was packing. The brand, Hell House, will be made at the new Lexington distillery and is named for the Florida farm dwelling where the elder Van Zant and his bandmates composed the tunes that made up Skynyrd’s first two albums and, eventually, the backbone of the repertoire the current lineup still performs today.
While the Greyline Station audience was full of fans who championed those songs, one woman stood at a distance from the stage wearing a worn t-shirt bearing the cover art to Skynyrd’s 1997 album “Twenty,” its first studio record released after Medlocke rejoined – an ambassador from a more recent past.
What was missing from such a spirited evening? What else – the anthemic show-closer, “Free Bird.” For that, fans will have had to shell out a few bucks for the full electric evening at Rupp. Gotta save a little something for the show, right?
