With so many classic bands having members who retired from the road or died, many fans been left to ponder if who they’re going to see in concert is the real deal or a tribute band.
Rolling Stone has done a piece about how these bands “grapple with how to keep the music playing and profitable.”
Lynyrd Skynyrd is down to one original member, guitarist Gary Rossington, and he says they’re “a tribute band right now, and everybody knows it’s not the original.”
He explains, “Everybody who comes to see us is told that during the show, and probably knows before they even get there. But people still come to hear it live. In a couple of years it’s supposed to possibly stop, and maybe it won’t. I just don’t know, because who can predict the future? We’ll decide then what’s really going to happen.”
Rossington has another way of looking at it, saying, “Look at Ford Motor Company. Guys started it out a long time ago. Somebody went in there going, ‘OK, we got something here. Let’s carry it on.’ You know, I wouldn’t have a Ford Raptor right now in my driveway if it weren’t for that. Me, Allen [Collins] and Ronnie [Van Zant] started this band with a dream of making it big, and that dream came true. They’d love it if their music was still being played when they’re gone.”
Skynyrd manager Ross Schilling says, “As we all get older and people pass, how does the legacy carry on? I think that has to be a decision for each individual group and the estates.”
He adds that when these heritage bands stop touring, “the classic-rock radio spins and the digital streams slow down. The whole catalog takes a large percentage dip. I’m not saying the music is going to die, but it’s going to lose its front-and-center attention once the live part stops.”
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