Skynyrd concert an exercise in faded glory

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Oct. 20, 2003 | 8:24 a.m.

Watching Lynyrd Skynyrd perform Saturday night, I couldn't help but wonder where the Southern rock band might be had frontman Ronnie Van Zant not been killed in the band's 1977 plane crash.

Not performing to a crowd of just 3,000 at an Orleans Arena with nearly twice that capacity, I reckon. Certainly not on a weekend in Las Vegas, with tickets priced reasonably at $35.

Skynyrd's loyal fans continue to be staunch as ever. They arrived early to down Budweiser, wave cowboy hats and hold giant Confederate flags aloft.

But the diehards' numbers have decreased dramatically over the band's 30 years, to the point where vocalist Johnny Van Zant had to plead with his audience for more noise on Saturday.

"Are you with us?" he asked early. Later he announced: "You guys are making us a tiny bit nervous. You have to get loud in the crowd."

Longtime Skynyrd supporters who opted to stay home probably still listen to the band's albums. They likely would have enjoyed hearing the nine-piece band stomp through "Gimme Three Steps," "What's Your Name?" and "Call Me the Breeze."

They definitely would have dug Hughie Thomasson's long guitar intro to "Sweet Home Alabama." And anyone who has ever been to a rock show can attest to certain fans' fanaticism for encore staple, "Free Bird."

Lynyrd Skynyrd's best songs have aged just fine, even if they get a bad rap in snobby music circles.

Rather, Skynyrd's audience is in decline because of two perceptions: one that today's Skynyrd is Lynyrd Skynyrd in name only, and another that the current incarnation hasn't crafted enough memorable music of its own.

It's hard to disagree with either point.

Not to say that we were watching a Skynyrd cover band onstage Saturday night. Guitarist Gary Rossington is a founding member, keyboardist Billy Powell has been onboard nearly as long and guitarist Rickey Medlocke actually played drums in the '70s version of the group.

As Johnny Van Zant put it a recent interview, "It's not as if we have Floyd from Connecticut doing something."

Yet nearly 25 years after the band's chartered plane went down in Mississippi, it's hard to believe there's a Lynyrd Skynyrd without Ronnie Van Zant.

Johnny has the right tough look and a commanding enough stage presence to hold down the job of Skynyrd frontman. But Saturday his singing lacked both the gritty authority and the sinister quality of his brother's classic vocal work.

And while Ronnie's younger brother has made songwriting strides, the night's three selections from newest album "Vicious Cycle" didn't merit the omission of old favorites "Saturday Night Special," "Workin' for MCA" or "Gimme Back My Bullets" in a relatively short, 85-minute performance.

As for my first experience with Orleans Arena, I'm pleased to report satisfactory acoustics, both close to the stage and in the far recesses of the venue. Parking is available close by, and the flow of traffic out of both the building and the lots was amazingly smooth.

Local product Franky Perez gained some new fans at the event with an energetic 55-minute, 11-song opening set with backing band the Highway Saints. The singer/songwriter's music sounds far edgier in a live setting than on last year's debut album, "Poor Man's Son."

Perez's closing cover of the Allman Brothers Band's "Whipping Post" sent much of the crowd to its feet cheering. But in my head, it also magnified the headlining act's own creeping reality.

Because while the Allmans continue to evolve musically and expand their audience, Lynyrd Skynyrd is fighting a losing battle, bogged down between its tragic past and its unspectacular present.