Concert Review
April 5, 2024
Tallahassee, FL
Legendary Hall of Fame rockers ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd brought their Sharp Dressed / Simple Man tour to Tallahassee on April 5th, much to the delight of a multi-generational crowd at the Donald L. Tucker Center.
For North Florida music fans no band represents Duval County and the I-10 corridor better than Lynyrd Skynyrd, and probably the same can be said for ZZ Top and the long stretch of I-10 that connects East and West Texas. On April 5th all roads (or just one) led to Tallahassee for a historic night of rockin’ that solidified one generation’s fandom and taught the next what southern rock is all about.
ZZ Top was greeted by an energetic crowd, thanks to a high-octane set by Black Stone Cherry, and wasted no time getting right to business with Got Me Under Pressure. As soon as the sound of Billy Gibbon’s guitar and the unmistakable drum fills of Frank Beard started filling the arena, the crowd knew they were in for a great night. Billy Gibbons has still got IT at 76 years of age, and long-time team member and tech Elwood Francis has filled in for Dusty Hill seamlessly. Elwood brings the same demeanor and style as Dusty always did and in all honesty looks like the coolest ZZ Top member of all time…almost a caricature of the roll, but he nails it with his newly grown beard and spiked hair.
The setlist was full of all the hits that ZZ Top fans have come to expect, but one song stood out above the rest, and it’s not what you would expect. Billy Gibbons surprised the crowd by playing an old Merle Travis cover of 16 Tons on the guitar of old friend and late rock legend Jeff Beck. Gibbons started things off by saying:
“Jeff was a rock guy, we play some rock so I thought…what’s the best thing to play…country!”
He then went on to perform a great cover and tribute to his good friend. After enjoying this historic performance honoring Beck, it was Skynyrd’s time to shine and they did just that. Led by long-time members Johnny Van Zant and Rickey Medlocke, Lynyrd Skynyrd still gets all the cylinders firing for the Tallahassee crowd. Floridians are proud of their in-state rockers and have passed down this love to their children. While many have moved on to celebrate Florida’s rough-and-tumble ways with Florida Man memes, it’s nice to know that there are so many that celebrate the rough-and-tumble music and lifestyle that preceded the internet. A lifestyle that founding members Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and others lived for so many years. Rossington passed away last year and was the last original member still playing with the band.
Skynyrd closed out the night with a special performance of Free Bird, to honor all of those original members that have gone. The performance featured a video and vocal performance of Ronnie Van Zant singing behind the band playing live. Johnny quietly slipped out as his brother took the reigns for an emotional performance that had the crowd wanting more, and rightly so.
See more photos by Alexander Sink at AG Sink Photography
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