Summer Concert Tour announces classic rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas (of Jefferson Starship fame) and iconic British group 10cc will perform Taupo, Matakana and Queenstown in February 2014.
Promoters Greenstone Entertainment is proud to follow the success of the 2013 Summer Concert Tour - headlined previously by Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, Bachman & Turner and America.
CEO Amanda Calvert said “This will be Lynyrd Skynyrd and Starship’s first ever NZ performances, so along with 10cc, fans can re-discover an incredible collective catalogue of hits and finally experience the excitement of seeing these bands live in the backdrop of some of NZ’s most stunning outdoor locations. These are ‘the not to be missed’ concerts of the summer!”
American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd shot to fame in the 70’s as a result of their driving live performances and signature tunes like the classic rock anthem Sweet Home Alabama, Free Bird, (which ranked the third greatest guitar solo by Guitar World and was voted #2 in a Kiwi radio station’s 2012 Top 1000 Songs list), Saturday Night Special and Simple Man. In 1977 three members of the band died tragically in an airplane crash. The surviving members re-formed in 1987 and the current line-up consists of core members Johnny Van Zant (the younger brother of lead singer and founder Ronnie Van Zant) on vocals, co-founders Gary Rossington (guitar) and Rickey Medlock (guitar), plus bassist Johnny Colt (Black Crowes, Train), guitarist Mark ‘Sparky’ Matejka, Michael Cartellone on drums and keyboardist Peter Keys. Skynyrd have a catalogue of over 60 albums, sales beyond 35 million worldwide and in 2005 were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Black Sabbath, Blondie, Miles Davis, and the Sex Pistols. Their new album Last of a Dyin’ Breed continues to build on the legacy that began over 40 years ago and further cements Lynyrd Skynyrd one of the most beloved bands of all time.
Mickey Thomas is the soulful voice that propelled Starship through the 80’s and 90’s. He was the lead vocalist on the mega-hit Fooled Around and Fell In Love with the Elvin Bishop Band and in 1979 he joined Jefferson Starship who immediately scored a #1 song with Jane. With line-up change in 1984, the band became just ‘Starship’ and they went on to record a string of hits including No Way Out, We Built This City, Sara, Laying It On The Line, It’s Not Over (Til It’s Over) and the #1 Oscar nominated hit Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now (from the movie Mannequin). Since 1979 every Starship album released has gone sky high, reaching Gold, Platinum, or Multi-Platinum sales.
English art rock group 10cc have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. With hits such as Dreadlock Holiday, the Things We Do For Love, I’m Not In Love (which has since been covered by the likes of the Pretenders, Peggy Lee, Richie Havens, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, and the Flaming Lips!), Art For Art’s Sake, Rubber Bullets, Cry, I’m Mandy Fly Me and Donna, band members Eric Stewart, Graham Gouldman, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme are responsible for some of the most lyrically dextrous and musically varied songs of the 70’s and 80’s. For the Summer Concert Tour concerts Godley (who, along with Crème, directed music videos for artists such as the Police, Ultravox, Duran Duran, Lou Reed and Frankie Goes To Hollywood) will be joining co-founder Gouldman (who wrote the songs Bus Stop for the Hollies, the Yardbirds For Your Love and No Milk Today and Listen People for Herman’s Hermits) on stage for the first time in many years.
Catch three legends of rock together in three rocking “not to be missed” summer concerts!
