Showco Archives

10/18/2026

🎸 TODAY IN SHOWCO HISTORY | OCTOBER 18, 1977

Lakeland Civic Center. And after the show, another city on the schedule.

Dad’s original Skynyrd itinerary lists Le Blanc & Carr and Cheap Trick alongside the band for this stop. The Hilton Inn was about 15 minutes from the hall. Doors at 6 p.m., the show at 8, and Skynyrd scheduled onstage at 10:15.

Then, farther down the same page: “DEPART AFTER SHOW — FLY TO GREENVILLE.” The plan allowed approximately two hours in the air, followed by the trip to the Sheraton Palmetto Inn.

That’s one of the things these papers preserve—the next stop was already part of the working day.

Swipe from Collins onstage, courtesy of Bill “Doc” Gans, to the October 18 page and the original Lakeland map. Dad, Donnie “DK” Kretzschmar, kept these documents, including the handwritten markings for the hotel and venue. ❤️💙

Were you at Lakeland Civic Center that night? Did you work the show? Have a ticket, photo, or memory of Skynyrd, Cheap Trick, Le Blanc & Carr, or the crew?

Add to the Story in the archive:
https://www.showcoarchives.com/lynyrd-skynyrd-1975-1977

Live photo courtesy of Bill “Doc” Gans; photo date and venue unconfirmed. Original itinerary and map: Donnie “DK” Kretzschmar family collection.

Cheap Trick Lynyrd Skynyrd

10/18/2026

Ronnie Van Zant was clearly a fan of SHOWCO! 🤘🎸

He and the rest of Lynyrd Skynyrd were often spotted wearing SHOWCO shirts, both onstage and off. I always love seeing these little reminders of the connection between the band and the crew behind the music.

These photos are from October 18, 1977, in Lakeland, Florida — just two days before the tragic plane crash.

Another great example of SHOWCO in the Wild! ❤️

Explore the Lynyrd Skynyrd archives and the stories behind the music:
https://www.showcoarchives.com/lynyrd-skynyrd-1975-1977

10/18/2026

On this day in 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd released *Street Survivors*.

From that same year: Kenny Byrnes’s summer tour lighting pass and an original Showco crew shirt from the Japan and Great Britain tour. Both came directly from Showco alumni who worked these tours and are preserved in the Collector Vault.

For everyone waiting on auction news, I’m still gathering interest and exploring auction-house options. No auctions have taken place, and no date is set yet.

Join the Collector List for updates as plans come together:
https://shop.showcoarchives.com/pages/collector-list

10/17/2026

Artimus remembers my dad.

In this interview, Artimus Pyle recalls making a way out of the wreckage and going back to help his friend, Don Kretzschmar—my dad. Hearing him say Dad’s name means so much to me.

Donnie “DK” Kretzschmar was a Showco sound engineer and a survivor of the October 20, 1977 Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash. These memories are part of the family story I’m preserving at Showco Archives.

Watch the full interview: ARTIMUS PYLE: LYNYRD SKYNYRD Drummer on Gary Rossington & Fatal Crash
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4zkHZCqYIg

Read Dad’s story:
https://www.showcoarchives.com/donnie-dk-kretzschmar-1

Original interview: Smashing Interviews Magazine ( on YouTube). Reel excerpt: 16:40–17:09.

Family photograph: Rosemary, Artimus Pyle, and Indigo in Greenville, Texas. DK at work, 1977: courtesy of Karen (Schertz) Wilson.


Artimus Pyle Band

10/16/2026

🎸 TODAY IN SHOWCO HISTORY | OCTOBER 16, 1977

St. Petersburg, Florida. Bayfront Center.

Dad’s Skynyrd itinerary has an 11 a.m. stage call at one end of the day and a midnight curfew at the other.

In between: soundcheck at 4 p.m., doors at 6:30, an 8 p.m. show, and Skynyrd scheduled onstage at 10:15. Le Blanc & Carr and Lake are listed on the bill.

The Ramada Inn was listed as 15 minutes from the hall. On the map, someone marked the two places that mattered: “Hotel” and “GIG.”

Those handwritten notes are part of what I love about Dad’s tour papers. You can see how they were used. ❤️💙

Opening photo: Ronnie Van Zant and Steve Gaines onstage, courtesy of Bill “Doc” Gans. Its date and venue aren’t confirmed; the following pages document the October 16 stop.

Were you at Bayfront Center that night? Do you have a ticket, photograph, or memory of the show or crew?

Add to the Story in the archive:
https://www.showcoarchives.com/lynyrd-skynyrd-1975-1977

Original itinerary and map: Donnie “DK” Kretzschmar family collection.

10/16/2026

10/15/2026

🎸 SHOWCO SWAG SPOTLIGHT!
From the closet of Showco alumnus Mike “Dr. Funk” Ponczek!
This vintage Eric Clapton Behind the Sun Tour ringer tee is a little piece of life behind the music, with Showco and Vari-Lite connections.
Take a closer look at this original tour shirt in the Showco Archives Swag Shop!
https://shop.showcoarchives.com/products/eric-clapton-vari-lite-showco-ringer-tee
Eric Clapton