It was only a few hours ago that we posted about the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” Final Tour by Sir Elton John and without giving you a break to let this news sink in, I must add to the website the news about the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd who have just announced their own “Last Of The Street Survivors” Farewell Tour. Check out the full press release and dates below. Don’t worry I’ll toss in some closing commentary as well.

The Press Release:
After a career that has spanned more than 40 years and includes a catalog of more than 60 albums, Southern Rock icons, Lynyrd Skynyrd, will embark on its final Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour presented by SiriusXM. The first leg of the career-concluding tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off Friday, May 4 in West Palm Beach, FL at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre and will wrap Saturday, September 1 in Atlanta, GA at the Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood. The tour will cross the country throughout the summer over Fridays and Saturdays to give fans one last memorable night of classic American Rock-and-Roll.
Tickets for the tour go on sale to the general public starting Friday, February 2 at 10:00am local time at LiveNation.com. Citi® is the official presale credit card for the “Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour”. As such, Citi® cardmembers have access to purchase U.S. presale tickets, which are available beginning Tuesday, January 30 at 10:00am local time until Thursday, February 1 at 10:00pm local time through Citi’s Private Pass® program. For complete presale details visit www.citiprivatepass.com.
“It’s hard to imagine, after all these years, the band that Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins and myself started back in Jacksonville, would resonate for this long and to so many generations of fans. I’m certain they are looking down from above, amazed that the music has touched so many,” said Gary Rossington, original and founding member of Lynyrd Skynyrd. Lead vocalist, Johnny Van Zant added, “we’ve been blessed by these great songs and the messages they carry to the fans. It’s been a true honor to try and fill in my brother’s footsteps for the past 31 years, keeping the music and his spirit, alive.”
In addition to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, they will be joined on stage by numerous friends throughout the tour, including but not limited to: Kid Rock, Hank Williams Jr., Charlie Daniels Band, Bad Company, Marshall Tucker Band, 38 Special, Blackberry Smoke and Blackfoot. The tour derives its name from their new song, ‘The Last of the Street Survivors’ and the band’s fifth studio album Street Survivors that is certified multi-platinum by the RIAA and includes the platinum-certified single, “What’s Your Name.”
The Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour marks a big moment for the three generation of fans, as the band has been consistently touring since it took a decade off in 1977. The iconic group is widely known for their live performances that usually include their beloved, elongated version of “Free Bird,” most often played at the end of their set, and their live albums including their multi-platinum certified One More from the Road.
The Southern Rockers are best known for their RIAA platinum-certified anthems “Sweet Home Alabama” and self-proclaimed signature song, “Free Bird,” that Rolling Stone said was “easily the most requested live song in existence.” With more than 30 million units sold over their career, the band, that USA Today called the “whiskey-soaked genre’s most popular and influential crew,” has become a cultural icon that has spanned five decades. With everlasting hits such as “Simple Man,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “What’s Your Name,” “Call Me The Breeze,” “You Got that Right,” and more, Rolling Stone named Lynyrd Skynyrd one of its 100 Greatest Bands of All Time.
Stay tuned for future announcements and specific tour line-ups in your markets.
The Tour Dates:
May 4 – Coral Sky Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach, Florida
May 5 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre, Tampa, Florida
May 11 – Starplex Pavilion, Dallas, Texas
May 12 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman, Houston, Texas
May 18 – Ak-Chin Pavilion, Phoenix, Arizona
May 19 – Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, Chula Vista, California
May 25 – Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California
May 26 – Glen Helen Amphitheater, San Bernardino, California
June 22 – PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, New Jersey
June 23 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre, Wantagh, New York
June 29 – Coastal Credit Union Music Park, Raleigh, North Carolina
June 30 – PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte, North Carolina
July 6 – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater, Virginia Beach, Virginia
July 7 – Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow, Virginia
July 13 – Darien Lake Amphitheater, Darien, New York
July 14 – Xfinity Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut
July 20 – Xfinity Center, Mansfield, Massachusetts*
July 21 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, Bethel, New York
July 27 – Blossom Music Center, Cleveland, Ohio
July 28 – Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey, Pennsylvania
August 3 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, Illinois
August 4 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana
August 10 – DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, Michigan+
August 11 – Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
August 17 – Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
August 18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, St. Louis, Missouri
August 24 – Lakeview Amphitheatre, Syracuse, New York
August 25 – KeyBank Pavilion, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania
August 31 – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre, Pelham, AL
September 1 – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, Georgia
*on sale at 11:00am local time
+on sale Saturday, February 3 at 10am local time
VIP Packages will be available for all dates. Details available at lynyrdskynyrd.com.
About Lynyrd Skynyrd: Original members Ronnie Van Zant, Bob Burns, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, and Larry Junstrom formed the band in 1964, originally known as My Backyard, the band changed to its famous name in the early 1970s, and became popular in the Jacksonville, FL area, where the original members were from. They signed with Sounds of the South Records in 1972, and released their self-titled disc the following year. The album that featured “Free Bird,” arguably the most-recognized single in the Southern Rock genre, has sold more than 2 million units since its release. Later down the road the band recorded iconic tracks “Sweet Home Alabama” and “What’s Your Name.”
The band’s story took a tragic turn in October 1977 when a plane crash took the lives of Van Zant, Steve Gaines, backup singer Cassie Gaines, and several of their road crew. The band took a decade-long hiatus before reuniting for a tour and live album, Southern by the Grace of God. Since then, the band has toured and recorded extensively, with their most recent release being Last Of A Dyin’ Breed. The band’s current line-up includes original member Rossington, Johnny Van Zant, Rickey Medlocke, Mark “Sparky” Matejka, Michael Cartellone, Keith Christopher, Peter Keys, Dale Krantz Rossington and Carol Chase. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
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PiercingMetal Thoughts: So here we go again, another band has decided to call it a career and all we can do is attend one of the shows and raise our fists in the air together one final time as they rock us with that awesome Southern musical hospitality. Historically speaking, I’ve never seen Skynyrd in concert before and hope that the regional dates near me do not conflict with my own annual family vacation plans. Though my parents were very instrumental in my musical discoveries I don’t know how they feel about long concerts in their retirement years. You readers can let me know what you think about this news down in the comments section and especially if you’ve seen the band across their history. Those are the comments that I enjoy the most. Bring it on.
Official Website: http://www.lynyrdskynyrd.com