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by ALLISON CASEY
Lifestyles Editor
Backstage, seven guitars sit in a case surrounded by rope lights.
The words “Lynyrd Skynyrd” stenciled in white letters across the black case.
A man with silver hair places a series of microphones and tools on a table covered in a Confederate flag that reads,
“Southern by the grace of God: Lynyrd Skynyrd.”
With headphones on, he proceeds to tune the guitars that are about to play some rock classics.
The band
opened up with “What’s Your Name?” and ended, naturally, with
“Freebird.” They played all the classics in between, but really,
“Freebird” is the only one that matters.
MountainHeart, the opening band, played a combination of traditional country and bluegrass with a hint of the blues.
The Grammy-nominated six-piece acoustic band has several members from the mountains of North Carolina.
The show itself bordered on mediocre.
The band’s on-stage arena antics are rehearsed and played out, but amusing nonetheless.
I might have been one of 10 people in the entire audience who got the memo that The Civil War had, in fact, ended.
Laugh as
I might as the culture of southern rock, I can safely say Lynyrd
Skynyrd fans are all about the music, or at least the idea of the
music.
Amid the cries of “Freebird” and the Confederate flags thrown up by audience members, there’s something there.
There’s something of a generation, of a culture.
Despite
the fact that all but two of the original band members are dead and
what is essentially left is a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover band, the fans don’t
seem to know the difference…or care.
A man in front of me brought his daughter and I watched as he pointed out things about each song.
“I grew up in Mussel Shoals, Alabama,” he told me. “I grew up on this.”
Up a few rows a couple danced cheek to cheek and sang the lyrics to one another.
On the way home, I counted at least three cars playing Skynyrd tunes loudly with the windows down.
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s famous guitar solos pump the blood of their fans. Their baselines run in time with heartbeats.
“Sweet
Home Alabama” is the sound of drippy, hot, sweaty southern summers.
It’s the sound of sweet tea on the front porch and shoeless feet in the
grass.
This band and these songs signify a way of life for a generation of southern rockers.
 Lynyrd Skynyrd took the stage Friday night at Holmes Convocation Center after MountainHeart opened. The band rocked the stage with old favorites including “Simple Man” and “Free Bird.” Photo by James Fay
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