Doobie Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd prepare to rock Greenville for two nights

Photo by Courtesy photo

Doobie Brothers

Doobie Brothers

If there’s a rock ‘n’ roll heaven, it just might be in Greenville this weekend.

A week after perennial rockers KISS brought their 35 Alive Tour through the Upstate, two of the most popular classic rock bands of all time will come to G-Vegas this Friday and Saturday for back-to-back dates of rockin’ proportions.

On Friday, The Doobie Brothers present 40 years of rock on one stage at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts. Then, on Saturday, southern rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd hit the Bi-Lo Center stage on their God + Guns Tour.

It’s a Greenville double bill that should have lovers of the ’70s prepping their lighters and warming up their vocals to sing classics from “Black Water” and “Jesus Is Just Alright” by the Doobies and “That Smell” and “Sweet Home Alabama” with Skynyrd.

Chatting with one of the remaining Doobie Brothers, Pat Simmons, he revealed a bit of what the band has been up to for the last 40 years, what kind of show the Upstate can expect on Friday night and what keeps them going even after four decades of touring.

Jake Grove: Having done this for nearly 40 years, what is a typical day like for The Doobie Brothers?

Pat Simmons: You know, we are kinda always on tour. We are just glad to still be out there doing it and we are pretty much always on the road. It’s something we love doing and feel very fortunate to still be able to play for people.

JG: With so much to work with, how do you plan a set list for a show?

PS: We are always weaving different songs in and out of the set. We might tune in some obscure stuff with the better-known work and throw a cover song in there now and then. We play around more with the arrangements these days to get a fresh perspective on a song or a whole show.

JG: Why do you think bands like yourself, Lynyrd Skynyrd and other classic rock bands have been able to succeed for multiple generations?

PS: I think radio has a lot to do with that. They still play our tunes and we can still stay in people’s minds. And our core audience introduces the music to their kids and their kids’ kids and it goes down the line. I think people appreciate what we do and we appreciate them continuing with us. Not to mention, if you stick around long enough, you will end up being cool again.

JG: What has kept the band going for so long?

PS: I can only speak for myself on this, but I have always been a blue-collar guy who has never been afraid to get out and work. For me, I am either crazy or lazy and I am sure not lazy. And I think all the guys doing this still enjoy it. We have played music all our lives and to still have the opportunity to do it is not something to be taken lightly.

JG: How do you balance playing stuff you have for years that everyone wants to hear and playing the new stuff that isn’t as well-known?

PS: When it comes right down to it, it’s still music. I love it all and the fact that we have been able to create new music over the years and make it meaningful is very important. I think, now, we have come full-circle. We went through a lot of changes over the years, but now are back to that original format of up-tempo rock that is what we started doing. I think that is what our core audience wants from us right now.

JG: What is a Doobie Brothers show like in 2009?

PS: We know people want to hear the familiar and we are going to play that for them. We don’t want to disappoint anyone. But we dig deep into the albums to reward those who have heard everything and love an album feel to a show. We are also doing more jams and stretching out songs to challenge ourselves musically. It’s high energy and a lot of fun.

JG: What kind of projects are you guys working on?

PS: Actually, we just finished up a new album and it has been awhile since we did that. I think it’s been eight or nine years. By the time we get it out next year, it will have been a decade. When that comes out, we will be concentrating on it hard and bringing that into our live shows.