Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackberry Smoke - 2025 UK Tour

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Tue 15 Jul 2025 - Sat 19 Jul 2025

Rock’n’roll legends Lynyrd Skynyrd bring their 50th anniversary tour to the UK in July 2025 – and they’ve asked some very special guests to open the shows. Blackberry Smoke will join the band from Jacksonville, Florida, at Manchester AO Arena on July 15, Birmingham Utilita Arena on July 16, Brighton Centre on July 18 and London OVO Arena Wembley on July 19. With Blackberry Smoke earning a reputation for their dynamic live performances, this appearance with Lynyrd Skynyrd is a match made in heaven for fans of southern rock and boogie.



Lynyrd Skynyrd have been marking the 50th anniversary of the release of their groundbreaking debut album, Pronounced 'L?h-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd, since 2023. The record, released in August, 1973, features the timeless tracks Free Bird, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man and Tuesday’s Gone. UK fans now have the chance to once again hear those songs performed live, alongside a host of classics from half a century of Skynyrd.

Johnny Van Zant (pictured below), lead vocalist and brother of the late Ronnie Van Zant, says: “It’s about the legacy of Lynyrd Skynyrd, and what it stands for, what the fans are all about. There’s nothing like getting out there, playing a great show with Skynyrd and seeing people love this music.”



The band has experienced as much tragedy as triumph over the past 50 years, and Skynyrd gigs reflect this. It’s always an emotional part of the show when tributes are paid to former band members and those who lost their lives in a plane crash in 1977. Three days after the release of fifth album, Street Survivors, the band was flying from a show in Greenville, South Carolina, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, when their chartered plane ran out of fuel. The plane crashed in the woods five miles outside of Gillsburg, Mississippi, killing band members Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines, as well as backup singer Cassie Gaines (Steve’s sister) and road manager Dean Kilpatrick. Both pilots also lost their lives. Other band members suffered serious injuries. Skynyrd disbanded following the crash. It would be ten years before they reunited, with Ronnie’s younger brother Johnny Van Zant, as frontman. It was intended to be a one-off tribute tour but was so successful it led to new music and many more shows.



The forthcoming concerts will be the first time Lynyrd Skynyrd have toured the UK without original founding member Gary Rossington, who passed away on March 5, 2023. Paying tribute to Gary on the Skynyrd website, Johnny Van Zant said: “Gary was not only my brother, bandmate and friend. I think he loved me as much as I loved him. We would do anything for each other. We laughed, we fell, we cried and made up, and shared the stage for the last 36 years. Gary, along with my brother Ronnie and Allen [Collins] started this band and left us all a legacy of music that has stood the test of time, and crossed three generations of fans. The music they created, and the music we created, together since 1987, was always meant to be experienced LIVE. We have come together with the founding band member's estates, and everyone involved, and feel the music should continue for everyone to love and enjoy. So we will continue to perform for the Skynyrd Nation.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd and Blackberry Smoke 2025 UK dates:

July 15: AO Arena, Manchester;
July 16: Utilita Arena, Birmingham;
July 18: Brighton Centre;
July 19: OVO Arena Wembley, London.


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