Lynyrd Skynyrd, Los Lonely Boys

The bands:

Los Lonely Boys
Lynyrd Skynyrd

The venue:

DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI

Date: 

September 21, 2012

When an old friend of mine called me up at 7 a.m. on a Friday I thought I must have pocket dialed her so I hung up. Thankfully, she knows me well enough to send a follow up text because she had extra tickets to the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert that night. How could I pass up an opportunity like that?

The weather was cool and damp but that didn't seem to stop anyone from rocking out. Los Lonely Boys were, for lack of a better word, groovy. They just jammed on and on and it was a lot of fun to listen to. The people around us were really into it. Of course they played "Heaven" to round out their set which is not only a great jam but really fun to sing along to.

When Skynyrd came out the crowd went bonkers. I've never been a huge fan but I know the standards, like "Sweet Home Alabama", "That Smell", "Gimme Three Steps", etc. They played a great show. They're down to, oh, I don't know, two original members (not including the back up singers, who I think I heard were also originals but I can't swear to it) but every person on stage was rocking out and looking like they were having the time of their lives.

There was one moment where they slowed it down and the lead singer said "Now, we're living in crazy times," and I thought here it comes. We're going to get political and I'm going to get uncomfortable but all he did was send out a call of support to the troops, which of course I can get behind. They dedicated the next song to the troops. I don't recall the song as it wasn't one that I knew but watching the audience I knew it was a favorite and it was really moving to me how moved everyone else was by it. They dedicated other songs to fallen band members, as well.

Then the lights went out and we waited for the encore. There was only one song of theirs that I knew that they hadn't played. A spotlight came on, illuminating a confederate flag and a golden figure perched atop of it. Against all reason, a part of my brain screamed, "Holy crap! That's a dinosaur!" The other part of my brain, the intelligent part, countered, "No way is that a dinosaur, idiot. That's an eagle." And so it was, but I swear it did look a little bit like a brontosaurus or something from where I was sitting. The band returned to the stage and asked what song we wanted to hear. Thunderous cries of "Free Bird!" filled the air. It was a pretty cool moment, they killed the song and then it was over.

Would I go see Lynyrd Skynyrd again? Probably not and not only because it is a serious pain for me to type their name. They just aren't really my thing. But that didn't stop me from enjoying the show immensely and I will always be grateful to my friend for thinking of inviting me. It was a heck of an experience and one I won't soon forget.