
Between their ever-growing tour itinerary and their upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Southern-rock vets Lynyrd Skynyrd are staying plenty busy in 2006.
The group has lined up a number of concert dates that are scattered from this month through mid-September, and are expected to continue filling the gaps in that loose-knit itinerary. Information on the currently confirmed shows is included below.
Among the group's upcoming tour stops is a March 12 performance in New York City. Billed as the "Special Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Celebration for the Fans," the concert takes place on the eve of the 2006 Rock Hall induction ceremony. The group will join the ranks of the Rock Hall during a March 13 ceremony, which is set at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
"I'm glad those we've lost--[original bandleader] Ronnie [Van Zant], [guitarist] Allen [Collins], [bassist] Leon [Wilkeson], [guitarist] Steve [Gaines] and [backing vocalist] Cassie [Gaines]--will get the honor and recognition they deserve," Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington said in a statement. "I'm also thankful to Rickey Medlocke and Larry Junstrom, who were with us in the beginning and Rickey's even in the band with us now. Those two also deserve a piece of this honor. We're just all really thankful for this."
Formed in 1973, Lynyrd Skynyrd rose to fame in the '70s thanks to a string of hits that included "Freebird" and "Sweet Home Alabama." Ronnie Van Zant, Cassie Van Zant and Gaines were killed in October of 1977 when a chartered plane carrying the group crashed in Mississippi. Collins was paralyzed in a 1986 car accident that killed his girlfriend, and died of respiratory failure in 1990. Wilkeson, who reportedly suffered from chronic liver and lung disease, died in 2001.
Skynyrd's most recent studio set is 2003's "Vicious Cycle." The group followed that up with last year's "Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve," a double album and companion DVD that features the group's 2003 performance at the Nashville-area's Amsouth Amphitheatre.
Also in 2003, Skynyrd offered up a best-of set titled "Thyrty," which marked the group's 30th anniversary.