After losing their founding member, Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd performed their first concert on March 12 at the Florida Strawberry Festival. Johnny Van Zant honored his late bandmate on stage, saying that his replacement, Damon Johnson, was playing for Rossington, who was up in ‘rock and roll heaven.’
The last original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Rossington, passed away on March 5 at the age of 71. The late guitarist had been struggling with health problems related to his heart for years prior to his death, yet the official cause of his death was not revealed. His health issues had also prevented him from taking the stage with the band.
For a while now, Damon Johnson has been playing with Lynyrd Skynyrd as the replacement for Rossington. The late musician had the intention to return to the stage in 2023 and play as many shows as possible with the band, but his wish didn’t materialize. It was an emotional moment for the remaining band members to perform their first show after losing Rossington.
During their performance of the song ‘Tuesday’s Gone,’ the images of the late guitarist appeared on the giant screen. Later, Johnny Van Zant paid tribute to Rossington while introducing Damon Johnson. The singer said that Johnson had been playing it for their late bandmate, who was now up in ‘rock and roll heaven.’
After losing the original members, fans often prefer bands to end their careers. However, the situation is apparently different for Lynyrd Skynyrd, as fans want them to keep going even without the absence of original members. Under a YouTube video of their performance, some commented that they should keep the legacy going with this lineup.
