Concerts

[WalshFan88]

Lynyrd Skynyrd + ZZ Top "Rebels and Bandoleros Tour" - Peoria, IL

Lynyrd Skynyrd Setlist:

Workin' For MCA (opener)
Saturday Night Special
What's Your Name
Skynyrd Nation
That Smell
Down South Jukin'
Gimme Three Steps
Sweet Home Alabama (closer)

Free Bird (encore)

ZZ Top Setlist:

Got Me Under Pressure (opener)
Waitin' For The Bus
Jesus Just Left Chicago
I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide
Future Blues
Cheap Sunglasses
I Need You Tonight
Party On The Patio
Gimme All Your Lovin'
Sharp Dressed Man
Legs
La Grange
Tush (closer with no encore)

Lynyrd Skynyrd Review:

There was a guy who played some acoustic country music covers and a couple originals open for them but he wasn't very good on guitar I'm afraid but a good singer. He had no backing band - just him and an acoustic guitar (a poor one at that I might add). As a musician who knows some of the songs he played, I could tell he was playing the wrong chords and then scurrying to find the right one after hitting the wrong one, especially when doing "Keep Your Hands To Yourself" by the Georgia Satellites. His acoustic guitar was also feeding back and buzzing horribly. He played from 7:30-7:45 and then 15 minutes for Skynyrd to come on. It seemed like he played forever.

Skynyrd came on at around 8PM and opened with "Workin' For MCA" and took the stage with a bang. Very loud straightahead rock n' roll. Just how I like it. The band sounded great for the entire show. Johnny Van Zant seemed a little displeased by the fact the crowd wasn't rowdy enough and said several times "C'mon Peoria, Skynyrd's in the house" although I heard plenty of cheering and singing. During "Simple Man", Johnny Van Zant looked at me and pointed as he sang the classic lyrics for a few seconds and then nodded. They of course came out and did an encore with the rock anthem "Free Bird'. I got the pick Rickey Medlocke used to play the guitar solo in that song with! I also got two picks of Gary Rossington's. All in all it was an amazing show and something else to be that close. I saw Skynyrd in Peoria in '07 but obviously this show blew it out of the water for me. Front row is amazing.

ZZ Top Review:

ZZ came on right around 9-9:30 if I remember correctly. They opened with "Got Me Under Pressure". I could tell right off though that Billy Gibbons was having some vocal trouble and that maybe he was having a hard time hitting the notes, so Dusty Hill sang some on Billy's parts. But Billy was no slouch on the guitar. He really can play that Texas bluesy rock like no other. He really rocked it. Now, for some negative things. First off, they burned incense and had a dispenser/blower facing right at me. I'm allergic to incense, it causes me to have a horrible sore throat and get a headache. I could have done without the incense. The last negative thing was the fact they did not do an encore. They basically went into "Tush" and then left the stage and then roadies took the stage to tear down. Some others in the front row were upset by this fact but stated they felt they "got their nickels worth". I know I definitely did.

Which Act I Liked Best:

Lynyrd Skynyrd - no contest. I like more of their songs. For quite a few ZZ songs I didn't know the lyrics or had heard them before. Don't get me wrong I still really enjoyed ZZ Top but Lynyrd Skynyrd was the reason I got the tix in the first place. I'm a harcore Skynyrd fan. I know and can sing along to all of their songs, and I can play a few on guitar. Rickey Medlocke is one of my new guitar heroes. That man can PLAY. He played the most and the best of the 3 Skynyrd guitarists. He also had great stage presence and a TON of energy and never stood in the same place for more than a few seconds at a time. He really gave it his all.

I would go back again in heartbeat, but I'd have to think twice about Front Row for ZZ Top - as good as they were it isn't worth the illness I have now if they keep doing the incense thing. I'm having horrible sinus drainage and sore throat and couldn't eat any dinner. I'm sipping ice water and just trying to let it recover. Incense is horrible to me. I get very sick with it.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Wow Austin - Sorry you got sick from the incense, but glad you had such a good time at the show. Thanks for the review and, for what it's worth, I like Skynyrd better too. Hope you feel better soon. They actually played here in my hometown last month, but I didn't know about it until after the show. Oh well - maybe I'll get to see them next time.

[WalshFan88]

Skynyrd rocks. Definitely a great show.

[Koala]

Thanks for the review!

[Brooke]

Thanks for the review Austin! Sounds like a great show, but sorry you got sick. At least you stuck it out. Hopefully you are feeling better by now.

Very cool that you got those picks, too! And having a front row seat spoils you for ever sitting very far back any more! It's just too great to get to see so good!

[Prettymaid]

Nice review WF, glad you enjoyed your front row experience (except for the incense). Brooke is right. It's hard to 'settle' once you've had great seats.

I don't think there was a bad seat in the house at the intimate Virginia Theatre, where we saw REO Speedwagon last Friday. What an awesome show! I needed a little a** kickin' music for a change, and boy did they deliver! Hubby and I had 2nd row mezzanine seats, but since the mezzanine stuck way out it was like being in the 10th row on the floor. As I've told you guys or maybe you already knew, REO is a hometown band, and they got the hometown welcome they deserved. Throughout the night lead singer Kevin Cronin would talk about the old days (early 70s) when they would tour the area in a beat up old station wagon and play just about every bar in the midwest. But, he said, they would always try to make it back to Champaign, IL for last call at the Red Lion, a bar that has undergone different names since then, but is now once again called the Red Lion.

When they came out for the encore, Kevin said, "People, we're going to do one more song for you, and then we're HEADING OVER TO THE RED LION FOR LAST CALL!!!" I tried to talk Hubby into going, but of course I married Mr. Practical, who said that the place would be packed and reminded me that I had to get up early the next morning and go to work. Whatever...

Here are some videos from my show. You guitars guys will like these, as the guy taking video was right in front of lead guitarist Dave Amato, who joined the band in 1989.

This is one of my favorite REO songs, Roll With the Changes.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqneC447AX0[/ame]

Ridin' The Storm Out.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76xDstIMvrY[/ame]

This song often fights for 1st place as my all time favorite song, Time For Me To Fly, followed by Champaign born and bred base guitarist, Bruce Hall doing Back On the Road Again.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6QHze7ioao[/ame]

And here they are at the Red Lion doing Gloria. Funny, during this song Kevin asks the bartender for a Tequila Sunrise, his beverage of choice back in his early Red Lion days.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puNIR9OYaec[/ame]

BTW, the guy sharing the mic with bass player Bruce Hall is his brother Stevie Hall, whose band The Stevie Hall Band, opened for them at the Virginia Theatre.

http://www.youtube.com/user/dcooper8.../1/pXr1sLD-Re0

Kevin Cronin does a lot of 'pontificating' during and between songs, but that's his thing and I love it! His messages are good spirited and he delivers them in the way a southern baptist minister delivers a sermon. And just one more thing - this band has a good time onstage! You can tell even by watching their videos. And the crowd soaks it up. And then the bands soaks it up, and then the crowd...well, you get the picture.

[Brooke]

Pm, fantastic review! I'm so glad you had such a great time. I'd like to see them live again. I saw them in the 70's and don't remember much at all!

And your hubby sounds like mine. I would have been ready to go, but he would have said the same thing!

They've got tons of great songs and it's hard for me to pick a favorite, but Back On The Road Again is right up there.

[Troubadour]

Fantastic review, Cathy! Great videos, and I'm thrilled you had fun.

[Prettymaid]

I didn't take notes at our show but this set list is very representative.

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/reo-sp...-3bd25828.html

[WalshFan88]

Great review PM! Glad you enjoyed it!

Funny you should mention Dave Amato - I'm a HUGE fan of his and I think he's very underrated. One of the nicest guys in the biz. When I saw REO front row a year or so ago I was right in front of him for the whole show. Dave loves guitars and has his own site that has pictures of all of his guitar collection.