As Lynyrd Skynyrd gears up to celebrate its 50th anniversary with a series of performances, Johnny Van Zant addressed concerns about escalating ticket prices. In a conversation with The Forbes Books Podcast, Van Zant urged fans not to hold the band accountable and forgive them for the uptick in concert ticket costs.
Van Zant expressed understanding and empathy for fans frustrated by the rising costs associated with attending live concerts. He pointed to increased expenses in recent years, saying:
“In the past two years, everything’s gone up. Fuel, you know, now they have a regulation for bus drivers that you can’t drive more than 10 hours, so you have to stop or bring in another driver. It sucks because who who pays the price for that? The consumer, the people coming to the shows. I remember going to shows for six dollars, fifty cents, or even less. Now, you couldn’t even get near the parking lot, and it just keeps going up and up.”
He continued, touching upon the challenges young artists face while touring:
“When you’re running five or six trucks, trailers, buses, and crew, it’s very expensive to tour. It really is. For the younger ones, I mean, you see them pulling trailers, buying buses, and doing most of it themselves, and they have to do that to make some living.
They have to play multiple shows every week. I’m very serious whenever I say ‘I’ll tell you at the end of the year,’ you see, all that comes in at the end of the year. But everything has gotten so expensive, it really has in the last few years.”
Despite the rise in ticket costs, Van Zant clarified that the band has minimal influence over pricing decisions. While acknowledging the jump in ticket prices compared to earlier years, he stressed:
“And again, getting back to the consumers, all these shows that are out, for me, sometimes the fans blame the band. You know, ‘Oh, the band’s charging too much, man.’ No, we don’t have anything to do with that. We come in, we get a guarantee, and if it sells enough tickets, we may get some commission on the back end, but most of the time, it’s where it’s at, the promoter, and what the charges will be. It’s not our fault, folks; don’t blame the artists!”
The ‘Celebrating 50 Years of Lynyrd Skynyrd Tour’ includes performances on September 22 at Espaço Unimed, Sao Paulo, Brazil; September 23 at Jaguariuna Rodeo Festival, Jaguariuna, Brazil; October 5 and 6 at St. Augustine Amphitheatre, St. Augustine, Florida, and October 7 at Gretna Heritage Festival 2023, Gretna, LA. You can grab your tickets here.
In addition to their live shows, the band is set to unveil ‘FYFTY’ on October 13. Released by Geffen/UMe Recordings, this 4CD/digital collection spans the band’s career, featuring early Muscle Shoals recordings, hits from the 70s, and a previously unreleased live track from their final show with Gary Rossington in November 2022, among others.
Fans interested in the collection can pre-order it on uDiscover Music and the band’s official website. For collectors, an exclusive limited-edition version featuring a signed lithograph is also available.
You can listen to the full interview below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imgQ2gk-pJo
