Americana and Southern rock meet in Tinley Park with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Uncle Kracker (Show Review)

By Colette Custin

One of hardest working and longest running rock bands out there, legends Lynyrd Skynyrd brought their classic Southern rock to Tinley Park this week on a bill that also featured ZZ Top as headliner.

Opening with “Working for MCA” and continuing said work through a fourteen-song set that saw all the anthems, lead vocalist Johnny Van Sant whipped the rowdy crowd into an appropriate frenzy for “Gimme Three Steps” and “Call Me the Breeze,” and of course, the set wouldn’t have been complete without a tribute to the late Gary Rossington, the last surviving member of the band who passed away earlier this year. “Tuesday’s Gone,” already a melancholy tune about coping with loss, took on a special significance this time around as a result. And say what you want about “Free Bird” – it’s the southern rock equivalent to the Lord’s Prayer at this point, and guitarists Mark Matejka, Damon Johnson, and Rickey Medlocke were an absolute freight train alongside drummer Michael Cartellone, who surely doesn’t get enough credit.

Americana artist Uncle Kracker brought a mix of roots rock and country as the night’s opener, a surprising but comfortable move away from his hip-hop roots as a part of Kid Rock’s entourage. Tunes like 2000’s breakthrough hit “Follow Me” fit right in with the bill’s country vibe, and covers of Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” and set closer “Drift Away” (a by-the-numbers cover of the Dobie Grey classic) were a perfect start to the summer evening.

Lynyrd Skynyrd – Tinley Park, IL (8/19/23)
Working for MCA
Skynyrd Nation
Gimme Three Steps
What’s Your Name
That Smell
I Know a Little
Whiskey Rock-a-Roller
The Ballad of Curtis Loew
Tuesday’s Gone
Simple Man
Gimme Three Steps
Call Me the Breeze
Sweet Home Alabama
Freebird

Uncle Kracker – Tinley Park, IL (8/19/23)
Nobody’s Sad on a Saturday Night
All Summer Long
Follow Me
Good to Be Me
Reason to Drink
When the Sun Goes Down
Smile
Drift Away