The Southern rock band Lynard Skynard opened up the 2010 Wild Adventures concert series Saturday night.

The band took the stage shortly after 8 p.m. to an audience of both old and young fans, ready to rock out to the band which originated in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Southern rockers started the show singing such hits as “Skynard Nation,” “Simple Man” and “What’s Your Name,” with the only original Lynard Skynard member, Gary Rossington, providing intensifying guitar licks with fellow guitar player Rickey Medlocke.

Johnny Van Zant, who took over as lead singer for his late brother, Ronnie, when the band reformed in 1987, kept the crowd engaged the entire evening. Van Zant held the audience’s attention during the concert, traveling from one end of the stage to the other.

 He may not be the original lead singer of the band, but he’s the next best thing and did his job perfectly.

The entire band made contact with the audience in some form or another. Whether it was throwing out guitar picks to fans or reaching out to shake their hand in the middle of a long note, the crowd was not ignored.

Lynard Skynard packed in as many hits as they could into the nearly hour and a half show such as “Gimme Three Steps,” “Down South Jukin’,” and “I Know a Little.” They also included a few new songs off of their 2009 album, “Gods and Guns,” such as the title track and “Still Unbroken.”

The band ended the concert with the southern rock classic, “Sweet Home Alabama.” The crowd jumped to their feet at the beginning licks of the song and rushed the stage.

For an encore, Lynard Skynard came back out to perform their second biggest hit, “Free Bird.”

Before leaving the stage, the band leaned over to shake hands with their fans, sign autographs and give out guitar picks before jumping on their bus for their next gig.

Wild Adventure’s concert season continues this Sunday with George Thorogood and the Los Lonely Boys.