Lynyrd Skynyrd & Foreigner Review with Photos 8-27-26

    Lynyrd Skynyrd and Foreigner turned a extremely warm Thursday night at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion into a celebration of two very different - and equally enduring - sides of classic rock, with Six Gun Sally setting the tone for an evening built on big guitars, bigger choruses and songs that have outlived generations. There are certain nights when a concert feels less like a stop on a tour and more like a living history lesson. Thursday, August 27, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion was one of those nights.

    With Southern rock powerhouse Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame hitmakers Foreigner sharing the bill on the Double Trouble Double Vision Tour, the evening brought together two bands whose music helped define different corners of the classic-rock landscape. Opening the night was Southern rock outfit Six Gun Sally, whose seven-piece attack provided an appropriate introduction to what was to come. For a Thursday evening in The Woodlands, the recipe was almost impossible to beat: Southern rock, arena anthems, three-guitar firepower, soaring vocals and a catalog that has been embedded in American rock culture for decades.

“Three bands. Three generations of rock. One very loud night in The Woodlands.”

Six Gun Sally: Starting the Night with Southern Grit

    The evening began with Six Gun Sally, a seven-piece Southern rock band built around the powerhouse vocals of Aimee Jane Williams, with Allen Granus on lead guitar, Jeff Yeckel on lead and rhythm guitar, Stan Brusoski on bass and backing vocals, Billy G on percussion and drums, Dave Barbe on drums and percussion and Dan Rach on keyboards. The band's official lineup identifies those seven musicians as the core of Six Gun Sally. The band's musical mission fits this bill perfectly. Six Gun Sally describes itself as a Southern and classic-rock group influenced by the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, while also incorporating original material. Williams, a Pittsburgh-born singer and songwriter who later worked in Nashville, brings an especially strong pedigree to the group. Her background includes performances with major rock acts and a growing body of original material, while her work with Six Gun Sally has placed her squarely in the modern Southern-rock conversation.

    The set opened with “Sittin' Pretty” and the crowd immediately took notice. From there came “Stand Up,” a fitting showcase for a band whose recent album carries the same title. The set moved comfortably between originals and carefully chosen classics. “Piece of My Heart,” the Erma Franklin song famously associated with Janis Joplin, gave Williams a chance to lean into the bluesier side of her voice, while “Ain't Goin' Down” and “Gypsy Queen” kept the momentum moving. Then came “Somebody to Love,” originally recorded by The Great Society, followed by “Redneck White & Badass Blue.” The Allman Brothers Band classic “Ramblin' Man” provided another Southern-rock connection before Six Gun Sally closed its set with “Fast Train.”

    It was a set designed less as a nostalgic exercise than as a statement: Southern rock isn't merely something preserved in a museum. It is still being played, written and pushed forward.

Foreigner: A Celebration of the Songs That Built Arena Rock

    If Six Gun Sally opened the evening with Southern-rock grit, Foreigner took the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and turned it into a full-blown arena-rock cathedral. Before a single note of the set was played, the significance of the night was already apparent. The band was introduced by Al Greenwood, Foreigner's original keyboardist and one of the musicians who helped establish the band's unmistakable sound when the group formed in 1976. Greenwood's presence immediately connected the current incarnation of Foreigner to the band's earliest days.

    Foreigner's history is inseparable from guitarist Mick Jones, who formed the band with Greenwood, vocalist Lou Gramm, bassist Ed Gagliardi and drummer Dennis Elliott. The group's 1977 self-titled debut exploded onto the rock scene with songs such as “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice” and “Long, Long Way From Home.” Over the following decades, Foreigner would sell tens of millions of albums and produce a remarkable run of rock-radio staples. The band was ultimately inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024, recognition that arrived after decades of influence on hard rock, pop-rock and the arena-rock format.

    For this tour, Luis Maldonado handled lead vocals, joined by Jeff Pilson on bass and backing vocals, Bruce Watson and John Roth on guitars, Michael Bluestein on keyboards and backing vocals and Chris Frazier on drums. Together, they have become the musicians entrusted with carrying Foreigner's enormous catalog into its next chapter. Before the night was over, there would be another connection to Foreigner's past. For now, the band opened with “Double Vision,” immediately locking the Pavilion into the band's familiar combination of muscular guitar riffs, pounding drums and massive vocal melodies. Rather than beginning with one of the band's most obvious radio singles, the choice established a harder-edged tone from the outset. “Head Games” followed, keeping the momentum high before the opening salvo reached one of Foreigner's most recognizable songs.

“Cold as Ice.”

    The opening keyboard hook remains one of those instantly identifiable sounds in classic rock and hearing it roll across the Pavilion produced an immediate reaction from the crowd. The song's combination of precision and drama remains remarkably effective nearly five decades after its release. The mood shifted toward something more atmospheric with “Waiting for a Girl Like You.” Maldonado brought a contemporary energy to the song while respecting the character of the original recording, allowing the ballad to become one of the evening's first major sing-along moments. “Say You Will” continued the melodic side of the set before the band shifted gears again.

“Foreigner never needed to choose between melody and muscle - and this set proved exactly why.”

    The guitars came roaring back with “Dirty White Boy,” but not before Maldonado issued a simple command to the audience: stand up. The Pavilion responded. With the crowd on its feet, “Dirty White Boy” became one of the night's more physical moments, the song's driving rhythm giving the audience little choice but to move along with it. It was a reminder that Foreigner's catalog isn't built exclusively around power ballads and radio-friendly hooks. At its best, the band has always had teeth. From there, Foreigner returned to where it all began with “Feels Like the First Time.” The band's debut single remains an especially fitting song for a group celebrating a career that has now stretched across nearly five decades. Maldonado's performance kept the song firmly rooted in its original identity while giving it the energy of a live band that has no intention of treating these songs like museum pieces.

    Then came “Urgent.” The song's unmistakable bass-and-guitar groove filled the Pavilion before the band brought the song to a conclusion and opened the stage for a keyboard and drum solo. It gave Bluestein and Frazier their individual opportunities to step out from the ensemble and showcase their musicianship, while also providing a brief change of pace before the night's closing run.

    That run began with “Juke Box Hero.” The song has always been a natural concert anthem and the band expanded it into an extended version, using the performance to introduce the musicians onstage. One by one, the audience was given a closer look at the players responsible for keeping Foreigner's music alive. But Foreigner wasn't finished.

The Encore Brings Foreigner's Past and Present Together

    When the band returned for the encore, the evening took an unexpected turn into something even more historic. Before “Long, Long Way From Home” began, Al Greenwood was introduced once again - this time not simply as the man who had introduced the band at the beginning of the evening but as a musician. Greenwood took his position behind a keyboard on the lower stage. Suddenly, a founding member of Foreigner was back where he belonged: onstage, playing the music he helped create nearly 50 years ago.

“For one night in The Woodlands, Foreigner's history wasn't just being remembered - it was standing behind a keyboard and playing along.”

    “Long, Long Way From Home” was a particularly appropriate selection for Greenwood's return. Released on Foreigner's debut album in 1977, the song represented the very beginning of the band's recording legacy. Hearing Greenwood perform it with the current lineup created a direct bridge between Foreigner's original era and its present-day incarnation.

    The emotional centerpiece of the encore followed. Before “I Want to Know What Love Is,” the lights dimmed once again. The atmosphere inside the Pavilion changed as members of the School of Rock Clear Lake moved into position on the upper stage, taking their places as the choir that would accompany the band. As the opening notes began the aspiring musicians joined Foreigner for one of the band's most enduring songs. The sight of a new generation standing onstage with seasoned musicians carrying a catalog nearly five decades old was particularly fitting. “I Want to Know What Love Is” has long transcended its original recording, becoming a song that belongs as much to the audience as it does to Foreigner. Then just when the night appeared ready to close on its emotional high point, Maldonado had one more surprise. For “Hot Blooded,” he began the song with a guitar solo, building the tension before the familiar opening of the song kicked in. The band tore into the song, bringing the night to its final, appropriately explosive conclusion.

    Foreigner's performance demonstrated why these songs have endured for so long. The band has undergone enormous changes since its formation and none of the musicians currently carrying the group represents the complete original lineup, yet the songs remain remarkably resilient. With Greenwood's appearance, the evening also offered something more than nostalgia, it offered continuity.

    From “Double Vision” to “Cold as Ice,” from “Waiting for a Girl Like You” to “Juke Box Hero” and from Greenwood's return for “Long, Long Way From Home” to the School of Rock Clear Lake choir joining “I Want to Know What Love Is,” the performance connected Foreigner's past, present and future in one night. When Maldonado's guitar finally gave way to the opening charge of “Hot Blooded,” the message was unmistakable: Foreigner may have nearly five decades of history behind it but on this night, the band sounded like it was still just getting started.

Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Free Bird Still Flies

    Then came the band the audience had been waiting for. More than half a century after its beginnings in Jacksonville, Florida, Lynyrd Skynyrd remains one of the defining names in Southern rock. Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington and Bob Burns first began playing together in the 1960s, eventually adding Allen Collins and Larry Junstrom and cycling through several names before settling on Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band released Pronounced 'Lĕh-'n�rd 'Skin-'n�rd in 1973, introducing the world to a sound that fused blues, country and hard rock. The band's rise was meteoric but its history was also marked by extraordinary tragedy. The October 1977 plane crash claimed Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines and effectively ended the band's first era. Lynyrd Skynyrd eventually returned in 1987 with Ronnie's younger brother Johnny Van Zant taking over lead vocals. Founding guitarist Gary Rossington, the final surviving original member, died in 2023 leaving today's band to carry the music forward without any original member remaining in the touring lineup.

    The 2026 lineup features Johnny Van Zant on vocals, Rickey Medlocke on guitar and vocals, Damon Johnson on guitar, Mark “Sparky” Matejka on guitar and backing vocals, Michael Cartellone on drums, Robbie Harrington on bass, Peter Keys on keyboards and Carol Chase and Stacy Michelle on vocals. Current tour information lists that nine-piece configuration, while the band's own 2026 materials similarly emphasize the expanded ensemble carrying the legacy forward. Medlocke brings particularly deep history to the group, having first been associated with Lynyrd Skynyrd in the early 1970s before returning in 1996. Cartellone has been behind the kit since 1999, while Houston native Matejka joined the band in 2006.

    The Skynyrd story has always been larger than the people currently standing onstage. Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Steve Gaines, Ed King, Billy Powell, Bob Burns and Leon Wilkeson are all part of the band's permanent historical DNA. Those members were among the musicians honored when Lynyrd Skynyrd entered the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 but on this night, the emphasis was firmly on the songs.

    The set began with Van Halen's “Panama” playing from tape before Skynyrd took control of the stage with “Workin' for MCA.” “What's Your Name” followed, setting up a run of classics that moved effortlessly between swagger, blues and Southern-rock storytelling. “That Smell” brought some of the band's darker edges into focus before "On The Hunt" and “I Know a Little” kept the guitars front and center. The set then dug deeper into the catalog with “Don't Ask Me No Questions,” “I Need You” and “Gimme Back My Bullets.”

    Then came one of the evening's most anticipated moments: “The Ballad of Curtis Loew.” Originally appearing on Second Helping, the song remains one of Ronnie Van Zant's most affecting portraits of the musicians and characters who populated his world. That same album also contained “Sweet Home Alabama,” the song that would become one of the most recognizable Southern-rock anthems ever recorded. The band's official history credits Second Helping with cementing Skynyrd's legacy and specifically highlights both “Sweet Home Alabama” and “The Ballad of Curtis Loew.” “Tuesday's Gone” slowed the evening down before “Simple Man” brought thousands of voices together.

“For all the mythology surrounding Lynyrd Skynyrd, the heart of the band has always been the songs.”

    From there, the show accelerated again with “Gimme Three Steps” and “Call Me the Breeze,” the J.J. Cale composition that Skynyrd transformed into its own Southern-rock workout. And then came “Sweet Home Alabama.” Few songs are as immediately identifiable from their opening seconds. Few create the same reaction in a pavilion full of people. The song's 1974 success helped turn Lynyrd Skynyrd from a rising Southern band into a national phenomenon, reaching No. 8 on the charts. But everyone knew the night wasn't over.

Free Bird

    The encore was reserved for the song that has become inseparable from the Lynyrd Skynyrd name. “Free Bird.” What began as a song from the band's 1973 debut became something much larger over the decades: a rock anthem, a concert tradition and perhaps the ultimate expression of the band's ability to turn a song into an experience. The extended instrumental passage has long provided the perfect showcase for Skynyrd's multi-guitar identity, the same approach that helped make the original band so distinctive.

    On this night, as the final notes rang across the Pavilion, the significance went beyond simply checking the biggest song off the setlist. Lynyrd Skynyrd has survived tragedy, lineup changes, changing musical tastes and the loss of virtually every member of its original classic-era lineup. What remains is the music - and the willingness of the musicians carrying the name to keep putting those songs in front of audiences.

A Night Built on Rock's Endurance

    Taken together, the three sets created a remarkably cohesive evening. Six Gun Sally represented the continuing evolution of Southern rock. Foreigner delivered the precision and bombast of arena rock at its most commercially powerful. Lynyrd Skynyrd closed the night with the roots, rebellion and mythology that helped establish Southern rock as one of America's defining rock traditions. The most remarkable thing about the evening wasn't that these songs were familiar, it was that they still mattered. “Workin' for MCA,” “Cold as Ice,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “Juke Box Hero,” “Simple Man” and “Free Bird” are not museum pieces. They were living songs being played to a new generation of listeners alongside the fans who have carried them for decades. As the last echoes of “Free Bird” disappeared into the warm August night over The Woodlands, one thing was clear: classic rock doesn't survive simply because people remember it.

   It survives because people still show up - and still sing along.

Lynyrd Skynyrd Setlist:
Panama (Van Halen song) From Tape
Workin' for MCA
What's Your Name
That Smell
On the Hunt
I Know a Little
Don't Ask Me No Questions
I Need You
Gimme Back My Bullets
The Ballad of Curtis Loew
Tuesday's Gone
Simple Man
Gimme Three Steps
Call Me the Breeze (J.J. Cale cover)
Sweet Home Alabama
Encore:
Free Bird

Foreigner Setlist:
Double Vision
Head Games
Cold as Ice
Waiting for a Girl Like You
Say You Will
Dirty White Boy
Feels Like the First Time
Urgent (Keyboard and Drum Solo)
Juke Box Hero (Extended, with band introductions)
Encore:
Long Long Way From Home
I Want to Know What Love Is (with School of Rock Clear Lake)
Hot Blooded

Six Gun Sally Setlist:
Sittin’ Pretty
Stand up
Piece of My Heart (Erma Franklin cover)
Ain't Goin' Down
Gypsy Queen
Somebody to Love (The Great Society cover)
Redneck White & Badass Blue
Ramblin' Man (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
Fast Train