Review and photos by Peter Coates
This is apparently the first time US Southern Rock giants LYNYRD SKYNYRD have ever toured Australia in their 40+ years as a band! Judging by the number of tour T-shirts in the crowd from the past 20 years, many of the audience had seen them elsewhere!
I was lucky enough to shoot (photograph) their “God & Guns” Tour in London in March 2010, and jumped at the chance to see them again when the Australian dates were announced. Only two shows in Melbourne and Sydney, after a couple of festival shows in New Zealand, but two shows in 40 years is certainly better than none!
The Entertainment Centre was set up in ‘theatre mode’, and had a decent crowd in when Melbourne rock band MY DYNAMITE hit the stage, with their classic sounding blues-rock, blending Bad Company and Free with a hint of the Black Crowes. A tight and professional 6 piece band, honed by extensive touring in Europe and around Australia, with Pat Carmody up front looking very much at home on the big stage.
The set included “Take It or Leave IT”, “Inside Out” and “Raise Your Glasses” from the debut self-titled album, as well as “Witch Hat”, “State We’re In” and “So Familiar” from the next record.
The crowd grew bigger and more responsive with each song. By the end of the set and with a rousing version of “Other Side” the band had made a whole lot more friends.
With a loud Southern-drawl intro, and the unveiling of a huge LYNYRD SKYNYRD back-drop, the 7 members of the band hit the stage, opening with “Working for the MCA” and “I Ain’t The One”, and then the title track from the most recent album, “Last of a Dyin’ Breed”.
Back in full-time action since 1987, with a varying line-up featuring the core of Gary Rossington (Guitars – the only original member) and Johnny Van Zant (Singer from 1987 onwards), and including Ricky Medlocke from the great Native American southern boogie band BLACKFOOT on lead guitar. Mark “Sparky” Matejka is the third guitarist, and it is the rarest of things to see a band with three true lead players who share the workload and the limelight pretty equally. This was highlighted on “That Smell”, where all three featured in an extended triple-guitar battle.
Gary Rossington has the clean southern rock sound and slide guitar; Ricky Medlocke, the dirty southern boogie; and Mark Matejka the more bluesy feel – combining so well across the whole set.
Michael Cartellone on Drums, and ex-Black Crowes bassist Johnny Colt kept the whole thing together, with the Hairy Biker clone of Peter Keys slamming out the honky-tonk piano and Hammond organ to great effect – particularly on “You Got That Right”, “Saturday Night Special” and “I Know a Little”.
Dale Krantz-Rossington and Carol Chase, the glamorous ladies on backing vocals, as they have been for over 20 years – helping Johnny van Zant ‘stay honest’! They feature in the intro to the great “Simple Man”, with the crowd using mobile phones instead of lighters to set the mood, enhanced by the emotion from the wailing organ.
A bit of bluegrass acoustic “geetar” for “Mississippi Kid”, and piano straight from a western movie saloon, led into “Tuesday’s Gone” featuring one of the road crew on harmonica. The home straight featured the classics “Gimme 3 Steps” and JJ Cale’s “Call Me The Breeze”, with a rip-snorting Gary Rossington solo and some wild piano, until the Confederate Flag was unveiled for set closer, “Sweet Home Alabama”, with Johnny van Zant and the girls belting out the chorus, with great crowd support.
Everyone knew there would be an encore…..and what the song would be……a solo spotlight on the main Mike stand to remember Ronnie, and Peter Keys providing a teasing piano intro to what then became the southern rock anthem, “Freebird”. The oldies in the crowd go collectively nuts, and the three guitars give us every bit of the solos we remember – Medlocke especially – and they absolutely nailed it!
“SKYNYRD IS IN THE HOUSE!”
Review and photos by Peter Coates – Inside Edge Photography – for Life Music Media
My Dynamite
