Lynyrd Skynyrd sounds like they’re second-guessing saying goodbye to the road.
Singer Johnny Van Zant was asked by Ultimate Classic Rock about Skynyrd announcing their farewell tour 2018. However, the band is still on the road, even following the death of Gary Rossington, guitarist and last surviving original Skynyrd member.
Van Zant explains that Skynyrd’s final year of touring was going to be 2020. Of course, the pandemic led to an early end of the tour. After touring finally resumed about 15 months later, Skynyrd had to fulfill their previous show obligations. Van Zant notes how much the band missed performing to due the COVID hiatus. He said that, at the time, Rossington was a big reason why they changed their minds about the farewell tour.
“[Gary] was like, ‘I don’t want to sit at home. COVID retired me for 15 months and I didn’t like it.’ [Laughs] That’s all he’s ever done. That’s all any of us have ever done,” said Van Zant.
He added that maybe Skynyrd “were wrong” about saying farewell to the road and said, “I’ve come to a conclusion: Musicians never retire; they just play less shows.” Van Zant further confirmed that the shows Skynyrd is performing now Rossington knew about before he died.
No one in Skynyrd should feel awkward about going back on their word about a “farewell tour.” Plenty of other artists have done that before them. Keep scrolling for just nine examples.
