A show at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium always is a special occasion, and cameras captur                       ed Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 2022 performance there for a PBS special.

It ended up being the final on-stage appearance by founding member Gary Rossington, who died March 5, 2023, at age 71.

Rossington had heart surgery the year before and hadn’t been touring with the band except for an occasional guest appearance (he wasn’t part of the band’s 2022 show at the Covelli Centre), but he played guitar for most of that Ryman show.

“Little did we know that it would be Gary’s last show,” guitar player Rickey Medlocke said during a phone interview in advance of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s show Monday to close out the 179th Canfield Fair. “We shared some cool moments backstage.”

Spacious dressing rooms weren’t the norm when the Ryman opened in 1892, and Medlocke, Rossington, lead singer Johnny Van Zant and his brother, Donnie Van Zant, lead singer of .38 Special, all had to share a tiny dressing room. The four of them crammed in there together and eating cold pizza reminded them of when they were all starting out as struggling musicians.

“It was kind of a reflection of the days gone by,” Medlocke said. “Then, lo and behold, Gary succumbed to his heart issues and he had to get off the bus … There were no plans to put it out (except for PBS). Then when that happened, we were glad the cameras were rolling. We were so happy that we did because it was Gary’s last time playing ‘Freebird’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and all that kind of stuff.”

Along with the PBS special, the band decided to release “Live at the Ryman: 50 Years of Skynyrd” on vinyl, CD and streaming earlier this year.

In addition to Rossington, the band was joined by several special guests, including Jelly Roll, Marcus King, Brent Smith of Shinedown and John Osborne of The Brothers Osborne.

“We had never heard of Jelly Roll,” Medlocke said. “He was just starting to explode. He came in for rehearsals and he was very, very gracious, and you could tell he was just really happy to be there and he did a great job.

“Brent from Shinedown, we’ve known him for many, many years, so that was cool. He did ‘Simple Man’ with us because Shinedown did ‘Simple Man.’ And we were excited about the young guy, Marcus King, who’s a badass guitar player.”

Osborne sings “Workin’ for the MCA” with the band, and Donnie Van Zant duets with his brother on “Red White and Blue,” a song they recorded together for Skynyrd’s “Vicious Cycle” album.

Artists like Jelly Roll and King weren’t even born when Lynyrd Skynyrd released its debut album in 1973 or when a 1977 plane crash killed lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitar player Steve Gaines, backing vocalist Cassie Gaines and three others.

If they ever saw the band live, it was the lineup fronted by Johnny Van Zant and for the last 30 years has included Medlocke. He played drums with the band in the early 1970s, before starting his own band Blackfoot, one of the southern rock acts that found success after the void left by Lynyrd Skynyrd’s 10-year hiatus following the crash.

“I remember him (Jelly Roll) saying something like that. He’s been a fan since day one and knew the incarnations of the band through the years. We have faced so many tragedies in this band. We’ve had guys go away, get off the bus and pass away … Marcus King is a young Skynyrd freak. This band has influenced now four generations. You’re talking from 8 to 80, and we see it pretty much every show. It’s pretty amazing.”

While there are certain songs Lynyrd Skynyrd always plays, the band — which also includes Michael Cartellone, drums; Mark “Sparky” Matejka, guitar; Damon Johnson, guitar; Peter Keys, keyboards; Keith Christopher, bass; and Carol Chase and Stacy Michelle, backing vocals — does try to mix it up some for those returning fans. This is the 50th anniversary of the release of the “Gimme Back My Bullets” album, so the band has been playing the title track and “Cry for the Bad Man” this summer. “Needle and the Spoon” from the “Second Helping” LP is another deep cut the band has been playing.

“We have to play the classics, we know that,” Medlocke, 75, said. “It’s not a hard choice to figure out the setlist. We start at the top, and we have for years, with ‘(Working for the) MCA,’ and of course at the bottom is ‘Freebird’ and (‘Sweet Home) Alabama,’ and then you fill in the blanks.

“It’s a love affair with the music. The music is an incredible legacy. It’ll be here a lot longer after I’m gone.”

If you go …

WHO: Lynyrd Skynyrd and Dillon Carmichael

WHEN: 7 p.m. Monday

WHERE: Canfield Fairgrounds Grandstand, 7265 Columbiana-Canfield Road

HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $50.50 to $126 and are available at the fairgrounds box office and through Ticketmaster.