Think of it as the "Sweet Home Alabama"-meets-"Smoke on the Water"-meets-"Cat Scratch Fever" '70s supertour.
Southern-fried rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd will co-headline a summer tour with vintage British metal act Deep Purple, starting on June 2 in Tinley Park, Illinois. Gonzo guitarist and sportsman Ted Nugent adds even more '70s fuel to the fire, as he has been tapped to open all of the dates on the Skynyrd/Purple outing.
Aside from its own classic rock merits, the amphitheatre-sized Lynyrd Skynyrd/Deep Purple trek should also provide a wizened parallel to another Southern boogie-meets-Brit rock outing slated for this summer — the Tour of Brotherly Love featuring the Black Crowes and Oasis set to launch on May 11 in Las Vegas.
For those keeping score, the current lineup for Deep Purple includes singer Ian Gillan, guitarist Steve Morse, bassist Roger Glover, keyboardist Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice, while Skynyrd features singer Johnny Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington, Rickey Medlocke and Hughie Thomasson, keyboardist Billy Powell, bassist Leon Wilkeson and drummer Michael Cartellone, according to the bands' official Web sites.
Before they head out with Deep Purple, Lynyrd Skynyrd will take to the road for their own month-long tour beginning on May 3 in Vevay, Indiana, and will hook up with Nugent for a brief run through Canada in mid-May.
Dates for the Lynyrd Skynyrd/Deep Purple/Ted Nugent summer tour, according to Skynyrd's reps:
6/2 - Tinley Park, IL @ Tweeter Center 6/7 - Shreveport, LA @ Century Tel Center 6/8 - Wichita, KS @ Kansas Coliseum 6/9 - Omaha, NE @ Westfair Amphitheatre 6/10 - St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center 6/12 - Scranton, PA @ Montage Mountain 6/14 - Wantagh, NY @ Jones Beach 6/15 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center 6/16 - Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center 6/17 - Saratoga, NY @ Performing Arts Center 6/19 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre 6/20 - Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center 6/22 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Post Gazette Pavilion 6/23 - Hartford, CT @ Meadows Center 6/24 - Buffalo, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheatre 6/26 - Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Amphitheatre 6/28 - Detroit, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre 6/29 - Indianapolis, IN @ Deer Creek 6/30 - Columbus, OH @ Polaris Amphitheatre 7/1 - Charlotte, NC @ Kyle Petty's Farm 7/3 - Kansas City, MO @ Sandstone Amphitheatre 7/5 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Zoo Amphitheatre 7/6 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Amphitheatre 7/7 - San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Amphitheatre 7/8 - Houston, TX @ Woodlands Pavilion 7/10 - Lafayette, LA @ Cajun Dome (Skynyrd and Nugent only) 7/11 - Little Rock, AR @ AllTel Arena (Skynyrd and Nugent only) 7/12 - St. Louis, MO @ Riverport Amphitheatre (Skynyrd and Nugent only) Dates for Lynyrd Skynyrd's headlining tour, as provided by the band's publicists:
5/3 - Vevay, IN @ Belterra Casino & Resort 5/4 - Vevay, IN @ Belterra Casino & Resort 5/5 - Memphis, TN @ Tom Lee Park 5/6 - Jackson, MS @ Smith Wills Stadium 5/9 - Grand Rapids, MI @ DeltaPlex 5/10 - Sarnia, ON @ Sports and Entertainment Centre (w/ Ted Nugent) 5/11 - Hamilton, ON @ Copps Coliseum (w/ Ted Nugent) 5/12 - Barrie, ON @ Barrie Molson Centre (w/ Ted Nugent) 5/15 - Moncton, NB @ Moncton Coliseum (w/ Ted Nugent) 5/17 - Halifax, NS @ Halifax Metro Centre (w/ Ted Nugent) 5/18 - Saint John, NB @ Harbour Station (w/ Ted Nugent) 5/19 - Bangor, ME @ Bangor Auditorium & Civic Center 5/20 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Casino Ballroom 5/24 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Casino 5/25 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Marina 5/26 - Atlantic City, NJ @ Trump Marina 5/27 - Big Flats, NY @ Budweiser Summer Stage 6/1 - Green Bay, WI @ Oneida Casino 
