Eagle Rock EntertainmentLynyrd Skynyrd has just released a new concert video documenting the special hometown shows the Southern rock legends played this past April in Jacksonville, Florida, at which they treated fans to full performances of their first two albums — 1973’s Pronounced ‘Leh-‘nérd ‘Skin’nérd and 1974’s Second Helping. Pronounced ‘Leh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd & Second Helping — Live from Jacksonville at the Florida Theatre can be purchased now on DVD, Blu-ray and as a digital download, while an exclusive DVD/two-CD version is being sold at Walmart stores and Walmart.com.
Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant tells ABC Radio that he had “a fantastic time” at the shows, which took place on April 2 and 3 of this year, noting that the fans in attendance “were just fabulous.”
Van Zant explains that after the band decided to do the special concerts, he and founding Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington agreed that the shows had to be in Jacksonville and had to take place in a more intimate venue than an arena.
“So we found the Florida Theatre there, which is an old theater that’s been there forever,” says the singer. “Elvis [Presley] played there — all sorts of people played there over the years — [and] it’s kind of like a real small theater…So it was a very cool two nights for us as a band.”
One of the main aspects of the shows that Johnny says he found fun was getting the chance to play songs like “I Need You,” “The Ballad of Curtis Loew” and “Swamp Music,” which Lynyrd Skynyrd rarely, if ever, performs live. He adds that one of the most unique parts of either show came at the beginning of the Second Helping concert, which the band opened with its trademark tune “Sweet Home Alabama.”
“We’ve never started a show with ‘Sweet Home Alabama,’ so it was kind of crazy to do that,” Van Zant says, laughing. “You know, ’cause we did it in the order that they were on the actual record.”
Johnny says he also enjoyed being able travel back and forth from his own home for the gigs, noting that Skynyrd doesn’t perform in Jacksonville very often.
“I drove my truck from my house each night and went down,” he explains. “I said, ‘Damn, this must be like it is…if you were doing a Vegas show.'”
As for whether Lynyrd Skynyrd might now consider playing some of its other classic albums in their entirety live, Van Zant says it’s a possibility.
“We’ll see how the fans like these and if they like it surely we would love to go do Nuthin’ Fancy and Gimme Back My Bullets and the whole Street Survivors album, and then start throwing in some of the new records too,” he suggests. “Who knows what the future will bring the group?”
In addition to the full album performances, which were captured in high-definition, the Pronounced ‘Leh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd & Second Helping Live video includes a bonus feature containing behind-the-scenes footage and new interviews with the band members.
Meanwhile, Lynyrd Skynyrd has two more dates left on its 2015 tour itinerary, a November 7 in Montgomery, Alabama, and December 5 in Mescalero, New Mexico.
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