Lynyrd Skynyrd Postpones 2 Dates After Gary Rossington Surgery

Angelo Merendino/Getty Images – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Mark Matejka, Rickey Medlocke, Johnny Van Zant, Michael Cartellone, and Gary Rossington of Lynyrd Skynyrd perform at Jacobs Pavilion in Cleveland, Ohio.

Due to the illness of guitarist and original member Gary Rossington, Lynyrd Skynyrd must postpone shows for the band’s “Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour” this weekend.

The Friday, Aug. 16, date at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has been rescheduled for Friday, Oct. 18, and the Saturday, Aug. 17, performance at Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, Calif., has been moved to Saturday, Oct. 19.

Bad Company will remain as special guest, co-headliner for the rescheduled Las Vegas date on Oct. 18. Tickets purchased for the original Aug. 16 -17 dates will be honored for the rescheduled dates in October.

Rossington had been experiencing fatigue and other symptoms related to a leaky heart valve and underwent a procedure on July 31 to repair the valve. Rossington is expected to make a full recovery.

“We all appreciate the well wishes for Gary and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused,” said lead vocalist Johnny Van Zant in a statement. “But he can’t wait to come back and perform at 100% for the fans. We will see you all soon!”

See: One more From The Road: Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Final Farewell

Last year the southern rock icons announced that after a career that has spanned more than 40 years and includes a catalog of more than 60 albums with more than 30 million units sold, they would embark on their Farewell Tour produced by Live Nation. logging over 50 stops by the end of 2018 and has continued throughout 2019 taking the band across the country and around the globe.

During last fall’s first leg of the tour, singer Johnny Van Zant told Pollstar he’d noticed the crowds increasing.

“It’s actually even gotten bigger and bigger as the summer went on,” Van Zant says. “I was like, ‘My God!’ And the only way I can explain it to you is that when I first started with Skynyrd, I couldn’t believe the magnitude and how the fans loved the band at that particular time. But I think this, right here, has probably doubled that.”