On Friday night, those who rocked were saluted.
The Energy City was host to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first stop of their western Canada tour and the 85-minute, 13-song performance nearly blew the lid off Affinity Place, which was packed with more than 1,800 fans.
“It’s good to see that our Skynyrd Nation is alive and well up here in Canada,” said lead singer Johnny Van Zant, as he and the rest of the band took the stage, following the Texas-based Whiskey Myers’ opening act.
“You guys are awesome,” said Whiskey Myers’ lead singer, Cody Cannon, after a couple songs in, to the delight of the crowd.
Whiskey Myers was playing in Canada for the first time and the crowd met their upbeat southern country/rock sound with open arms.
The audience was mixed with young and old, but it was the older crowd who enjoyed some of Skynyrd’s most popular songs in the 1970s who, no doubt, populated the majority.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees kicked things off with Workin’ for MCA, followed by I Ain’t the One and their cover of J.J. Cale’s Call me the Breeze.
Simple Manreceived a monstrous applause, a song, which Van Zant dedicated to members of the Canadian, and American Forces and their families.
The pace and excitement didn’t falter once, and climaxed during the final song of the main set, Sweet Home Alabama.
An encore performance was met with wild applause as Lynyrd Skynyrd took to the stage once more and played Free Bird.
Lynyrd Skynyrd and Whiskey Myers played in Enoch, Alberta, which is just outside of Edmonton, on Saturday night. They will play eight shows in nine days in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C.
