Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
This past week has seen numerous musicians, bands and artists announce farewell tours, ones marking a supposed retirement of said act, in some cases. It all sort of began when Ozzy Osbourne announced his planned farewell tour, after that of his band, Black Sabbath’s “The End” trek.
This started the ball rolling evidently, as we were hit with similar news from Slayer, Satyricon, Neil Diamond, and Elton John, just this week alone. Other acts to call it a wrap in recent times include Rush and Dillinger Escape Plan. Some bands are outright retiring altogether, others solely refraining from any further full-length road journeys.
Today brought one of the biggest surprises in this growing trend, as the legendary Lynyrd Skynyrd announced their plans for “The Last Of The Street Survivors” Farewell Tour. The tour derives its name from their new song, “The Last Of The Street Survivors“, and the band’s fifth studio album ‘Street Survivors’, certified multi-platinum by the RIAA.
The Last Of The Street Survivors Farewell Tour is being presented by SiriusXM. The first leg of the career-concluding tour, produced by Live Nation, will kick off Friday, May 4th in West Palm Beach, FL at the Coral Sky Amphitheatre, and will wrap Saturday, September 1st in Atlanta, GA at the Cellairis Amphitheatre in Lakewood. The tour will cross the country throughout the summer over Fridays and Saturdays to give fans one last memorable night of classic American rock-and-roll.
Tickets for the tour go on sale to the general public starting Friday, February 2nd at 10 AM, local time at LiveNation.com. Citi® is the official presale credit card for The Last Of The Street Survivors Farewell Tour. As such, Citi® cardmembers have access to purchase U.S. presale tickets, which are available beginning Tuesday, January 30th at 10 AM, local time until Thursday, February 1st at 10 PM, local time through Citi’s Private Pass® program. For complete pre-sale details visit citiprivatepass.com.
Some of the band’s best-known members spoke about this turn of events with original, founding member Gary Rossington saying:
“It’s hard to imagine, after all these years, the band that Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins and myself started back in Jacksonville, would resonate for this long and to so many generations of fans. I’m certain they are looking down from above, amazed that the music has touched so many.”
Lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant added,
“We’ve been blessed by these great songs and the messages they carry to the fans. It’s been a true honor to try and fill in my brother’s footsteps for the past 31 years, keeping the music and his spirit, alive.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd, who was deservedly inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006, will be joined by numerous friends and guests throughout the tour, including but not limited to: Kid Rock, Hank Williams Jr., Charlie Daniels Band, Bad Company, Marshall Tucker Band, 38 Special, Blackberry Smoke, and Blackfoot. This will surely be an experience that’s not to be missed.
Tour Dates 2018:
May
04 – Coral Sky Amphitheatre – West Palm Beach, Florida
05 – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre – Tampa, Florida
11 – Starplex Pavilion – Dallas, Texas
12 – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman – Houston, Texas
18 – Ak-Chin Pavilion – Phoenix, Arizona
19 – Mattress Firm Amphitheatre – Chula Vista, California
25 – Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, California
26 – Glen Helen Amphitheater – San Bernardino, California
June
22 – PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, New Jersey
23 – Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theatre – Wantagh, New York
29 – Coastal Credit Union Music Park – Raleigh, North Carolina
30 – PNC Music Pavilion – Charlotte, North Carolina
July
06 – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater – Virginia Beach, Virginia
07 – Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, Virginia
13 – Darien Lake Amphitheater – Darien, New York
14 – Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, Connecticut
20 – Xfinity Center – Mansfield, Massachusetts*
21 – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts – Bethel, New York
27 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, Ohio
28 – Hersheypark Stadium – Hershey, Pennsylvania
August
03 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, Illinois
04 – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center – Noblesville, Indiana
10 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, Michigan+
11 – Budweiser Stage – Toronto, Ontario
17 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, Ohio
18 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, Missouri
24 – Lakeview Amphitheatre – Syracuse, New York
25 – KeyBank Pavilion – Burgettstown, Pennsylvania
31 – Oak Mountain Amphitheatre – Pelham, AL
September
01 – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood, Atlanta, Georgia
* on sale at 11 AM, local time
+ on sale Saturday, February 3rd at 10 AM, local time
VIP Packages will be available for all dates. Details available here.
