I’ve Been To Three of This Band’s Concerts…But I’ve Never Seen Them Live

Friday September 8th sees the appearance of ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Tickets go on sale Friday December 16th via LiveNation. Understandably, many people are excited that this pairing will be coming to the area. The Sharp Dressed Simple Man tour is definitely not a show to miss. And yet, I have somehow managed to have never seen one of these bands, even though I have attended three of their concerts.

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July 28, 2003 was a beautiful day. A perfect day for an amphitheater show. It just so happened that it was also a perfect day for a club show. I had tickets to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and Sammy Hagar in Massachusetts and I also had tickets to see Beautiful Creatures about 40 minutes away. Beautiful Creatures happens to be one of my all time favorite bands and they were on a four day run through the area and I had attended the other three shows. I figured out what that they would go on and realized I would have enough time to see Sammy Hagar opening for Skynyrd and then start the 40 minute drive and arrive in time for the final show of my Beautiful Creatures marathon. And that's exactly what I did. And since the band pulled me on stage that night, I have no regrets.

Just trust me, under that hair, I am in there somewhere.

May 27, 2005 was a decent day as well. I was in Nashville and had tickets to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bret Michaels at the Starwood Amphitheatre. The only problem was that I wasn't feeling one hundred percent. As a huge Bret Michaels/Poison fan, I wasn't going to miss this show so I showed up anyway. I had a great time as Bret played Poison hits and some of my Bret Michaels Band favorites like "Bittersweet" and "New Breed of American Cowboy". But as intermission fell, so did I. I decided to go home and rest up while handing my tickets to someone on the lawn on my way out. They got an upgrade, and I hope that's all I gave them.

October 11, 2019 was a very nice day. It was also the start of a one time only 3 day festival called Exit 111 which was located, appropriately enough, at Exit 111 in Tennessee on the Bonnaroo grounds. It was a loaded day for rock and metal with bands like Black Label Society, Seether, Slayer and...Lynyrd Skynyrd? Ok so that stuck out like a sore thumb on this day but that's ok. It was finally an opportunity to see them! After a lot of driving to get to the show, get parked and a lot of walking, by the time Slayer hit the stage I was already feeling the fatigue. Knowing that the next two nights would bring headliners Def Leppard and Guns N Roses, I felt that this may be a good time to preserve some energy. So, and i know what the metalheads will say about this, halfway through Slayer, the others in my party and I decided to call it a night. So close and yet so far from the fabulous freebirders.

So, has the time finally come? Will September at SPAC finally fulfill the lifelong need to see the mighty Skynyrd? I know I will be buying my tickets on Friday. Until then, to be continued....