Though 2023 is still winding down, Lynyrd Skynyrd‘s Rickey Medlocke is already looking forward to 2024. Lynyrd Skynyrd is set to co-headline the Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour with ZZ Top, and Medlocke couldn’t be more excited to get back on the road. The tour kicked off in 2023, marking the first time the two rock titans have co-headlined a tour, which is named after ZZ Top’s signature hit “Sharp Dressed Man” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” They spent the summer on the road together and will reunite for four months in 2024.
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“We’ve got a really full schedule ahead of us this year and we’re excited about it,” Medlocke tells American Songwriter. “It’s fun.” The tour runs in March and April before going on hiatus. They’ll reunite for several shows in August and September. Medlocke, who’s been playing guitar in Lynyrd Skynyrd for more than 27 years says that he’s a road warrior who would rather be onstage than off.
“I’m the worst for having time off,” he explains, adding how his bandmates knew that he “hated going home at the end of the tour.” “I get excited about it because I’m back out playing music. I always love being on the road. I still love being on the road.”
[RELATED: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Rickey Medlocke on Gary Rossington: “He Was a Phenomenal Soul”]
The Sharp Dressed Simple Man Tour was Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first without the late Gary Rossington, who passed away in March 2023. He was one of the founding members of the iconic rock band and played guitar since they formed in 1964 up until his death at age 71. His final live show was at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville in November 2022. “I’m always going to hold that one really special to my heart because that was his final performance with us,” Medlocke recalls. “We had a lot of people with us and it was really a lot of fun.”
Before they head out with ZZ Top, the “Free Bird” singers will perform at Nashville’s New Year’s Eve show airing on CBS. Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, Thomas Rhett, and more are on the bill. “It looks like it’s gonna be jam-packed with phenomenal stars,” Medlocke says. “There are going to be some surprises on stage. It’s gonna be really cool. We’re excited about it. There are going to be great surprises, let’s put it that way. It’ll be a heck of a way to ring in the new year.”
Tickets for the 2024 dates are available via StubHub, where orders are 100% guaranteed through StubHub’s FanProtect program. StubHub is a secondary market ticketing platform, and prices may be higher or lower than face value, depending on demand.
Nashville’s Big Bash airs on CBS and Paramount+ on December 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Stagecoach
