advertisement

Ron Onesti: Remembering Lynyrd Skynyrd on Oct. 7

On Oct. 20, 1977, Southern rock superband Lynyrd Skynyrd suffered a tragic loss after the small plane they took from a show in Greenville, South Carolina, crashed in a wooded area of Mississippi, killing three bandmates and three crew members.

And on Oct. 7, 2018, almost 41 years to the day of the crash, Artimus Pyle, the band's drummer at the time and one of 20 survivors, will perform at The Arcada for a special concert commemorating that fateful night.

I had the opportunity to work with Artimus before, just a couple of years ago. I put together an outdoor Southern Rock Bash that featured the Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, the Marshall Tucker Band and Pyle's tribute to the early era of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Pyle was gracious to also appear on my radio show on WGN-AM to talk about the crash. That is when I first learned of some of the interesting facts surrounding the horrid event. So when the 40th anniversary approached last year in 2017, I reached out to my old friend Artimus and he said: "I was thinking about your place as the perfect venue to hold this special event." The deal was done in 10 minutes.

So on Oct. 20 last year, on the 40th anniversary of the crash, we had a surreal event commemorating that tragic night. Earlier on that day before the show, I had the windows down as I was driving in, jamming to the extended versions of "Free Bird," "Simple Man," "Give Me Three Steps" and "Sweet Home Alabama" on my CD player in the car. Yeah, CD player.

The show happened, and it was magical.

Artimus, in his white cowboy hat, was cordial and animated, just as I had remembered. I toured him around the theater, and we wound up on the third floor where our new 1920s-style speakeasy and restaurant is. He was floored!

"I ain't never seen a place like this," he said. "Let's sit down in your VIP room, and I'll answer those questions you said you had for me."

So we sat in our Jean Harlow Room talking about the night the plane went down. I asked him if it were true Cassie Gaines (Skynyrd's backup singer and sister of band guitarist Steve Gaines) had a premonition about the crash. He said she sure did, and really didn't want to go. She wanted to drive with the equipment to the next gig. But Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer who died when the plane went down, convinced her to go. "If it's your time to go, it's your time to go," he said.

I was curious why most plane crashes result in 100 percent fatalities, but 20 of the 26 passengers survived. He said the plane ran out of gas and kind of glided into the field, but very fast. It was those who had the worst impact that died. The flight crew died because they were in the front, and the band members did because of not wearing seat belts and being thrown from the plane and into trees.

If you research this, you will find many accounts of this event, but it really happened. After the crash, with broken ribs, Artimus made his way to a nearby farm to get help. The residents of the farm shot at Artimus, fearing he was trying to rob the off-the-beaten-path property. They eventually saw what happened and called authorities, who otherwise could not find the wreckage because without gasoline, there was no fire, so the crash site was hard to see.

For last year's show, Artimus brought with him the family of Steve and Cassie Gaines, all the way from Florida. He also had another member of the band crew with him who is also a survivor. He showed scars from the crash and walked with a cane. Everyone was solemn and soft-spoken as the 10 of us sat in the room, reliving that day.

Then, Artimus looked at me and asked for a bottle of champagne. I got the bottle and handed out the glasses. "I don't really drink much," he said. "But this is the exact moment 40 years ago that the plane went down. Let's toast to Ronnie, Steve, Cassie and the others we lost that day, and since then."

I was so humbled to have shared that personal moment with former members of the band who were there that day, and their families. This was a completely unplanned moment, one I will never forget.

Later, as the ending of Artimus' live show got to the final song, he once again told his story on stage. He brought up members of the families of those who perished that day. I was fortunate enough to join him on stage and ask him those questions. He then toasted to his fallen friends, and a slow piano "Free Bird" overture began to play. I went backstage and got a large American flag we keep for anthem singers and posted it on the drum riser. The crowd rose to its feet, moving in unison, all practically joining hands and hugging in salute to Lynyrd Skynyrd.

When the singer began the song with the ever-familiar lyrics, "If I leave here tomorrow, will you still remember me?" you could see the audience tear up with grief and remembrance.

Yes, it was another special night at The Arcada. The music was rockin', the emotions were flowin', and the memory of the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band was saluted. Even though "Freebird" was yelled out a bit too much during the show, it still was magical!

Another example of the power of music to unite people, and the ability of "Sweet Home Arcada" to bring it home to the true fans of rock 'n' roll.

Hope to see YOU rockin' to the musical memory of Lynyrd Skynyrd on Oct. 7! Logon to www.oshows.com.

• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp. and The Historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.