This may be Lynyrd Skynyrd's last big hurrah on the road, but the band is still flying high

"The show must go on" has been a mantra throughout Lynyrd Skynyrd's existence. The Southern rock group, which survived the loss of members due to a 1977 plane crash, is nothing but resilient.

On the way from Manhattan to Holmdel, N.J., for a recent show, guitarist Rickey Medlocke fell on the tour bus, suffering a facial contusion and a jammed forefinger.

“The toughest part was the jammed finger, since it was my right hand and it made it more difficult to play,” Medlocke says while calling from his Fort Myers, Fla., home. “I did what I had to do. We always do what we have to do. If we have a show to play, we do it.”

That was never more so than when Skynyrd was scheduled to play Raleigh September 12, 2001.

“We all know what happened the day before,” Medlocke says. “I woke up in Raleigh and was told to put on the television. I saw the World Trade Center after the first plane hit it and then I watched as the second plane hit the other tower. We had the show at Walnut Creek and unlike just about any other band, we decided to play. As a matter of fact, I was told the only other group to play the day after 9-11 was the Backstreet Boys. I’ll never forget the fans in Raleigh singing along to 'Tuesday’s Gone.' 9-11 happened on a Tuesday. I never saw so many American flags as I did at that show.”

Skynyrd is on its farewell tour, Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour, which will stop June 29 at the Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek with 38 Special.

But Medlocke is quick to note that the band is not retiring. “There will be other shows after we end this run,” Medlocke says. “The only end is of the big tours. We’ll never do another one like this. But we might do a residency in Las Vegas or some dates here and there. But we’re not thinking about that as much as we are concentrating on the shows we’re putting on.”

The hits were delivered in Jersey before 20,000 fans, who sang along with “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Simple Man” and of course, the epic “Free Bird.”

“It’s no surprise that we’re playing the familiar,” Medlocke says. “But we’re having a blast and so are the fans.”

Confederate flag

Singer Johnny Van Zant has pieces of a number of flags on his microphone stand, including the Confederate flag.

“We’re not trying to be controversial,” Medlocke says. “We have a bunch of proud Southerners in the band. To us, it’s about the South. To put it in perspective, I’m a Native American. If you think about it, the Confederate flag is very offensive to Native Americans. But that flag is about more than that.”

Were the members of Skynyrd offended when some statues of Confederate leaders were removed in various cities in 2017?

“Not at all,” Medlocke says. “You know what would have offended me was if they took down statues of my rock heroes with their guitars in their hand. The bottom line about us is that we’re not about a flag. We’re about music. We’re about making people happy by playing songs that we love. When I look out at the expressions on people’s faces when we perform, I couldn’t be happier.”

Fans at the New Jersey concert danced in an animated fashion, sang along with Van Zant and stood throughout the hour-40 minute set. “Not everyone in our audience is so young anymore but they’re on their feet when Skynyrd hits the stage,” Medlocke says.

There were quite a few millennials in the crowd in Jersey. “I’m not surprised by that because a good song is a good song,” Medlocke says. “It doesn’t matter what generation you’re in. You can still listen to Beethoven. You can certainly listen to Skynyrd now or when we’re not playing anymore.”

Slowing down

The reason the band is slowing down is due to guitarist Gary Rossington’s health. It’s hard to imagine the act continuing on without Rossington.

“I don’t know how you do that,” Medlocke says. “Gary started the entire thing. We continue with him and we’re having more fun now than at any time in our career. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that this is our final tour. We can’t do this forever but we can still do it well, so we’re going to continue. We still have to tour Europe and Japan. We go a ways to go before we stop. You haven’t seen the last of us.”

Details

Who: Lynyrd Skynyrd and .38 Special with Cheap Trick and CJ Solar

When: 6 p.m. June 29

Where: Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek, 3801 Rock Quarry Road, Raleigh.

Tickets: $29.50, $49.50 through $199.50.

Info: 919-831-6400, walnutcreekamphitheatre.com