Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyve From Steel Town CD

LYNYRD SKYNYRD LYVE is an Enhanced CD containing both a full audio program and multimedia computer files.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Rickey Medlocke (vocals, electric, slide & acoustic guitars, dobro); Johnny Van Zant (vocals); Hughie Thomasson (electric, slide & acoustic guitars, background vocals); Gary Rossington (electric, slide & acoustic guitars); Billy Powell (piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Owen Hale (drums, percussion); Dale Krantz-Rossington, Carol Chase (background vocals).
Engineers include: Jeff Beckett
Recorded live at The Coca Cola Star Lake Amphitheater, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania on July 15, 1997. Interviews recorded at Emerald Studios, Nashville, Tennessee.
This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files.
Personnel: Johnny Van Zant (vocals); Hughie Thomasson (guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar, background vocals); Gary Rossington (guitar, acoustic guitar, slide guitar); Billy Powell (piano); Owen Hale (drums, percussion); Dale Krantz-Rossington, Leon Wilkeson, Carol Chase (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Ben Fowler.
Recording information: Coca Cola Star Lake Amphitheatre, Burgettstown, PA (07/15/1997).
Director: Mark Weiss.
Photographers: Mark Weiss; Thorsten Eichhorst; Don Petersen.
This CD/DVD package, originally released in 1998, captures the Johnny Van Zandt-fronted Skynyrd live in Pittsburgh in all their rowdy good-ol'-boy glory. While the revamped line-up simply can't hold a candle to the original, not many bands ever could. Nonetheless, the newfangled Lynyrd Skynrd still know how to rip it up, as LYVE FROM STEEL TOWN makes amply clear. The band runs through new tunes and all the requisite favorites--including "Sweet Home Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps," and, of course, "Freebird"--for an audience as fired up as they are, making LYVE FROM STEEL TOWN a nice treat for die-hard Southern rock fans.
Lyve from Steel Town captures a July 15, 1997, concert given in a suburb of Pittsburgh that was originally released on DVD in 1999. Roughly eight years later, the home video was released as a CD that lacked five songs that were on the video, but their absence isn't that big of a deal since in this CD incarnation Lyve from Steel Town is a lean rock & roll album that stands as a good testament to the strength of the reunited Skynyrd. While it's still true that lovers of the classic original lineup will remain unconvinced that anybody could replace Ronnie Van Zant -- or the kinetic kick of drummer Artimus Pyle for that matter -- this is a tight, professional set that finds this latter-day Skynyrd in fine form, driving through such standards as "What's Your Name," "You Got That Right," "That Smell," and "Gimme Three Steps." For the diehards who appreciate the idea of this reunited lineup carrying the torch left from the classic lineup, Lyve from Steel Town is an entertaining listen, capturing this latter-day incarnation at something close to a peak -- which of course isn't the same thing as the original band at its peak, but for those who realize the difference and love the band anyway, this is certainly worthwhile. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Recorded during their 1997 tour, Lyve captures the latter-day incarnation of Lynyrd Skynyrd running through their biggest songs -- "That Smell," "Saturday Night Special," "What's Your Name," "Gimme Three Steps," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Free Bird," etc. -- plus a handful of recent numbers. The record is enjoyable -- the band is in good form and play with a fair amount of energy -- but most fans will find that One More from the Road will be the only live Skynyrd they need. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
After reforming in the late-'80s with singer Johnny Van Zant filling in for his late brother Ronnie, Lynyrd Skynyrd decided to make the reunion a permanent proposition--and remained a solid concert draw. 1998's LYVE FROM STEEL TOWN showed that the band was still a force to be reckoned with, even though only three orig