20 Things That Happen The Moment “Sweet Home Alabama” Starts
Some songs get recognised. This one gets identified on the first three notes by people who have never bought a Lynyrd Skynyrd…
By Darl Messy
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20 Things Gary Rossington Meant To Skynyrd Nation
Gary Rossington was there at the start in Jacksonville and he was still there fifty years later, the last original member of…
By Darl Messy
20 Things That Changed For Skynyrd Nation After October 1977
On October 20, 1977, a plane carrying Lynyrd Skynyrd came down, killing Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines along with…
By Darl Messy
20 Things Every Lynyrd Skynyrd Setlist Always Has
Lynyrd Skynyrd have been playing live for over fifty years across multiple lineups, and the shows vary. But the shape of the…
By Darl Messy
20 Reasons “Simple Man” Hits Harder Than Any Other Skynyrd Song
“Free Bird” gets the finale and “Sweet Home Alabama” gets the singalong, but ask Skynyrd Nation which song actually matters most and…
By Darl Messy
20 Things You See In A Skynyrd Parking Lot Before The Show
A Lynyrd Skynyrd concert starts several hours before anybody goes inside. The car park is not a place people pass through on…
By Darl Messy
20 Things Only Skynyrd Nation Will Understand
Skynyrd Nation is not a fan club with a membership card. It is a loose, enormous, multi-generational thing that recognises itself instantly.…
By Darl Messy
20 Things That Happen The Second “Free Bird” Starts
There are a handful of songs that reorganise a room the moment they begin, and Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote one of the biggest.…
By Darl Messy
20 Things You Notice Watching A Beautiful Noise On Stage
A Beautiful Noise takes Neil Diamond’s life and catalogue and puts them in a theatre, which is a very different room from…
By Darl Messy
20 Things Every Neil Diamond Setlist Always Had
Across roughly five decades of touring, Neil Diamond’s shows varied enormously in venue, band and decade, but certain things were fixed. If…
By Darl Messy
20 Things That Happen When “Sweet Caroline” Plays At A Sports Game
A song written in 1969 by a Brooklyn songwriter should have nothing to do with sport. Instead it has become part of…
By Darl Messy
20 Things That Made Hot August Night A Legendary Live Album
Live albums are usually contractual filler. Hot August Night is one of the handful that became more important than most studio records,…
By Darl Messy
20 Things That Happen When A Neil Diamond Song Comes On At A Wedding
Wedding DJs have relied on Neil Diamond for about fifty years, and for good reason. His catalogue does something very specific to…
By Darl Messy
20 Things You Notice In A Neil Diamond Crowd
You could tell a Neil Diamond audience apart from any other arena crowd within about ninety seconds of walking in. Across roughly…
By Darl Messy
20 Things Only People Who Grew Up With Neil Diamond Will Understand
If Neil Diamond was playing in your house, your car or your grandmother’s kitchen, certain things will be immediately familiar. This is…
By Darl Messy
