Lynyrd Skynyrd is being forced to postpone a couple shows on their final Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour, due to founding member and guitarist Gary Rossington’s recent heart surgery. The operation took place on July 31 after the 67-year-old complained of fatigue and other issues, which led doctors to discover a leaky heart valve.
“We all appreciate the well wishes for Gary and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” lead singer Johnny Van Zant said in a statement. “But he can’t wait to come back and perform at 100% for the fans. We will see you all soon!”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Friday night show at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has been moved to Friday, Oct. 18, and the Saturday night performance at Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, California, has been changed to Saturday, Oct. 19. Bad Company will remain as the special guest and co-headliner for the rescheduled Las Vegas date on Oct. 18. Tickets purchased for the original August 16 and 17 dates will be honored for the rescheduled dates in October.
Lynyrd Skynyrd launched their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour in 2018, in part because of Rossington’s ongoing health issues.
“We did this because of Gary Rossington, the last founding member of the band,” guitarist Rickey Medlocke told PopCulture.com. “In the recent years it’s been pretty well publicly known that Gary’s had a heart issue. And so for us, what we wanted to was, we wanted to make sure that Gary stays with us as long as possible. And, you know what? It wasn’t worth losing him during heavy touring like that. He just can’t do it anymore.”
The iconic band intentionally drew out their tour so they could perform in front of all of their fans one more time.
“When you say farewell tour, you’ve got to understand what that entails,” acknowledged Medlocke. “You just don’t do the United States and call it a day. You’ve got to realize this band has toured all over the world, and you’ve got fans all over the world, so if all of the sudden we did it just for the states, what are the people in the rest around the world going to think? ‘Well they snubbed us.’ We don’t want anybody to feel like they’re left out.”
A list of all of the remaining shows on Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s farewell tour can be found by visiting their website.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of EB Media/Doltyn Snedden
