Lynyrd Skynyrd – Xcel Energy Center – St. Paul MN – October 5th 2018

Xcel Energy Center and 92 KQRS present Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bad Company.

Opening tonight was Jamey Johnson. I did not get there in time to see him but when I came in he was playing East Bound and Down from Jerry Reed. My guess it was a tribute to Burt Reynolds who died a few weeks back. Dang I wish I could have seen it.

Up next one of the best rock n roll bands of all time – Bad Company. With the list of great song writing and hits I have no idea why they are not in the rock n roll hall of fame. But that place is a debate for another time. With a typical greatest hits set Paul rogers showed why after all these years he is rock n roll.

He sounded like he was in 1974 promoting their debut album. My buddy and I were talking about how he played woodstock.

Original drummer for Free and Bad Company Simon Kirke was drumming. He is in excellent shape also. He pounded the skins huge!!

One guitar was Howard Leese from Heart fame and on bass was Todd Ronning. The band played everything you would want a classic rock band to play. They even got two encores where at the end they played Free’s All Right Now. These guys will always be fantastic.

Setlist – Can’t Get Enough – Live For The Music – Feel Like Makin’ Love – Movin’ On – Burnin’ Sky – Run with the Pack – Ready for Love – Gone Gone Gone – Honey Child – Shooting Star – Rock N Roll Fantasy – Bad Company – All Right Now

This is The Last of the Street Survivors Tour. As a kid growing up my sister introduced me to Street Survivors, it really freaked me out about the similarities of who was in the fire and who was not. I just though how weird it happened right when they just had a new record. Ever since then I have had a love affair with this band. I Need You off Skynyrd’s Second Helping is one of my all time favorite songs. We did not get that one tonight.

As with anything ending you might think they maybe there to just cash in on one last tour. Well these guys are just ready to rock.

Hitting the stage with Working For MCA I knew it was gonna be a hell of a show. All the band had great energy and rocked the whole night.

Ripping guitar riffs and solos from Rossington, Medlocke, and Mark Matejka all night. These three together are amazing. I swear as the night went on they just kept getting louder. I think the sound guy was pushing it. Speaking of him if you go to the show watch him at the sound board. He looked like he was having a good ol time.

There also was a guy in the front row on stage left just dancing up a storm all night. He was awesome, big orange shirt so he stood out so everyone could see him. Even caught the band in a laugh a few times.

They pulled out The Needle and The Spoon off Second Helping, again one of their best albums. I did not expect this so it was a nice surprise. Ballad of Curtis Loew was another nice surprise.

The show was mostly a greatest hits show with a few newer, song not form the seventies thrown in. Tuesday’s Gone and Simple Man got best crowd response. I have not heard a crowd cheer like this in a long time between songs. Lately it seems to die off after a minute of cheering. Not tonight.

With the band rocking the whole night and playing everything so good the only complaint I had was for Johnny, we just can’t scream through every song all night long. He seemed to get frustrated a bit when we were not screaming all night. Don’t get me wrong the crowd response was excellent just can’t be for the whole show.

Everyone was on their feet and dancing the whole time. When it came time for Free Bird the stage was draped in dry ice all over it. Have not seen this for years. After half way through Jonny left and Ronnie came on the screen for some of that digital magic and sang with the band. His hat hung on the microphone stand. While he sang it made you think what if the plane crash never happened, what if they were still here. It made you appreciate what we have and what we were seeing for the last time. God bless Lynyrd Skynyrd. Thank you for everything you have given us.

Setlist – Working for MCA – Skynyrd Nation – What’s Your Name – That Smell – Travelin’ Man – I Know a Little – The Needle and The Spoon – Saturday Night Special – Red White & Blue – The Ballad of Curtis Loew – Tuesday’s Gone – Down South Junkin’ – Simple Man – Gimmie Three Steps – Call Me The Breeze – Sweet Home Alabama – Free Bird

Review and photos by Kyle Hansen