The "Four Horseman of the music apocalypse ". Here is how the song works. Gary Rosington on lead slid guitar in the beginning. Allen Collins (in white) takes over lead and Gary goes to rhythm guitar. Steve Gaines who has been also been playing rhym up till now syncs with Allen playing duel lead. He inserts additional leads over Allen's leads during the song. At the same time. Leon Wilkinson is flying all over his bass guitar. You will never see talent on a stage like this again
Saddest thing about watching this is that all these original members are now gone, guitarist Gary Rossington having passed just a few months ago. Brilliant, historical performance.
@@andreadeamon6419 You are correct, Artimus Pyle (the drummer in this video) is still living. Founding drummer Bob Burns, who played drums on the original recording, is no longer with us. Thanks for catching my error.
Rickey Medlocke is an original member. That's why the band included him in the hall of fame induction ceremony. They started out with two drummers , Bob Burns, and Rickey Medlocke. Rick left prior to the recording of their debut album, but Gary and the rest of the band always considered him an original member.
@@Jaybird_67 Ricky isn’t an original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd - they formed in 1964 and he was only involved for about a year in 1971-1972 filling in for original drummer Bob Burns. He left in 19872 to reform his band Blackfoot and didn’t return to Lynyrd Skynyrd until 1996.
I only appreciate the music more as I get older. I understand the meaning more now than I did when I was young. Bob Seger "Against the Wind" is a prime example.
The guitarist in white jamming at the end of Free Bird is Allen Collins. Allen and Ronnie Van Zant co-wrote Free Bird. Allen Collins was one of the greatest blues guitarist of that era.
I was at this concert. Peter Frampton was the headliner but Skynyrd stole the show. We waited all day in the July sun to hear this song. It was their encore and 70,000 plus teens who had veen stoned and sun stroked came alive at the 12 minute guitar solo. Yeah we were blessed to have these bands. Don't try to hard to analyze, just let go and enjoy.
No, laurabartholomew was correct, you’re wrong. This is the Oakland ‘77 show headlined by Frampton. The ‘76 Winterland show was filmed in B&W, and appeared to be a nighttime show, you can find it on RUclips as well.
I wasn't born yet, but man, I've loved this song ever since I first heard it just over 10 years ago. Anyway, your comment got a 'Like' from me from the time I read your very first sentence: "I was at this concert."....LOL
This is one of best live performances of all time and we are blessed it was recorded for us to enjoy today. This was just before the tragic plane crash that devastated the band. These guys were in the prime of their career and makes you wonder what great music we missed out on because their lives were cut short.
The biggest difference being everything back then was new, most of the pioneers were absolutely great but it was partly because there was less creative space being taken up. In todays world you can find tens of thousands of musicians capable of what only a few were back then, it almost forces new artists into "light shows and stage theatrics".. doesn't mean they arent just as good
One afternoon in 1981, four of our small-town guys died in a car wreck. A bunch of us gathered at the pool hall to try to deal with it- in total shock. One of us rolled in and dumped five dollars worth of quarters in the juke box and played this on repeat- I've never listened to it on purpose since then. That is, until now. Somehow I knew watching you discover it would be worthwhile, and it was. Thank you!
In most of the world, there's an adage that says, "It isn't over until the fat lady sings" (an opera reference). . In the South, "It ain't over 'til Skynrd plays FREEBIRD!"
He was playing harmonics with his slide, but a slide not necessary to make that sound. Harmonics are natural places on the strings, where a very light touch of the string, without bringing it down to contact the fret, will ring out like that, at a very high pitch. There are harmonics at several places up and down the fretboard. They are located at the 5th, 7th, 12th and 19th(?), plus one more that isn't over the fretboard, closer to the bridge.
Well....compared the skills you see today, these guys, as wonderful as they were, are not even in the same league. Sorry but this boomer sees things VERY differently...
The piano player Billy Powell started out with them as a roadie. That is until one day during a break they heard him playing the piano and found out he was a classically trained pianist.. They hired him for the band and the rest as they say is history!!
They were in their 20s. Mind blowing. I couldn’t even attempt to create a masterpiece like this, even with unlimited time. They left us with many gems, god bless Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The sounds you weren’t familiar to you on guitar were slide guitar where the guitar is tuned to an open chord and the slide (which can be metal or glass (in this case glass) is touched onto the strings and moved up and down the fretboard to different chords but the chords blend into each other. It’s the same idea as lap steel guitar basically, which you hear in country music and Hawian music. An absolutely iconic song from an amazing band, such a shame that they left us too soon 🥲😢 Nice reaction Rachael 🌹
@@jimspetdragons3737 Do you play guitar? I suspect not because I do and have done for a very long time and have played Freebird many times - that’s how I know how it’s done; the chirping sounds are harmonics, the slide is on the 12th fret where you get harmonics by touching the strings very lightly. What this is, is a live performance, whether it’s overdubbed or not that’s what’s being done in this performance by the player with the red Gibson SG!
@@DarrellW_UK That would be Gary Rossington. He died in march of 2023. He was the last of the musicians you see on stage here. They all died relatively young. Even Gary was only 71.
@@janpcs thanks, I got a bit annoyed by a stupid remark that seems to have disappeared, yeah, I had a bit of a memory glitch 😆 Yeah, it was a tragic thing to happen! I didn’t know that Gary was still alive until this year he was a great slide player!
All those girls you see in the audience are grandmothers now and great grandmothers. We didn’t know how good we had it back in the 70s and 80s relative to music.
Relative to just about everything really. Looking back at life how it was doesn't even seem possible. Kinda like a dream in the realest sense of the word
One of the great live performances ever ! Real musicians with no tricks or computers ! It's such a shame at what lots of young kids call music these day's ! What about that crowd ! Thanks for your review 😎✌
@aloneranger3980 By choice. No one said, " black people don't come. There were a few black folk out there brave enough to go against the cultural grain and listen to " white music," to probably realize as Gen X did, music is music. My communities choice is not to listen. Music is for everyone.
I was there...yes, Oakland Coliseum 1977. Went to Skyline High School in Oakland back in the day Class of '75' Went to every Day on the Green for years. Always had 3 to 5 bands at each one. Where else could you see the Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys at the same concert. They killed it !!!! Back then, it was Real Rock and Roll and it RULED the day !!!!
My Florida beach town wore out Sweet Home Alabama on the radio stations back then. Panama City Beach is Florida Lower Alabama! Fla. Jeff your comment is mine too, just put Florida in it for me.
I was at this concert. The lineup, in order of appearance, The Outlaws (Green Grass and High Tides, There Goes Another Love Song) Santana (Oye Como Va) Lynyrd Skynyrd (Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man); Peter Frampton, (Do You Feel Like We Do) It was a great show, my first concert. Gary Rossington played lead slide guitar in the opening section, with Allen Collins shredding it in the closing.
Since this was filmed, I wonder if the whole show & maybe even the entire day was also filmed. What a killer first concert to attend! I think that's the best crowd I've ever seen, so much energy/synergy.
Live at Knebworth opening for the Stones is cool as they were told to stay off the tongue and Ronnie said he would have pushed the piano down there as well. Badass.
You would love “Simple Man, Tuesday’s Gone, That’s Smell, Ballad of Curtis Lowe, etc etc etc. The live Concert at Knebworth 1976, opening for the Rolling Stones, who they blew away, was iconic in really propelling them to Super-Star status on the world stage!
Great reaction! Speaking as an old fart that was around back then, as long as young people continue to experience the sheer joy that they shared, and the amazing skills, they will continue to live on...
That was fun. You will probably hear this a lot in the comments but a really great next choice to check out by them is The Ballad Of Curtis Loew. It is just beautiful and warm and fantastic storytelling.
Fantastic reaction. This is definitely one of the most iconic songs ever written. This was one of the bands last performances before their infamous plane crash, and one of the best performances of this song ever. Long live Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Very sad indeed. This concert was their last before the tragic plane crash in October 77, 3 months after this concert. The Knebworh Concert in 76 in England supporting the Rolling Stones. That concert is considered the best ever LIVE PERFORMANCE EVER. A must watch
I met Allen Collins once down in Sunrise Fla. After a Rossington - Collins band concert and I gotta tell ya he was one of the nicest guys I ever met. He signed an autograph for my girlfriend and it said God Bless you Joanna , Allen Collins. Now how cool is that.
They lost the lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitar player and vocalist Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie who sang backup, and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick. The pilot and his 1st officer were also lost. 20 people survived. All because the plane ran out of fuel. That should never happen ever! Yesterday, today, or tomorrow. What a loss!
@@antoinebrg6299 It was just like you saw here, plus being in a crowd crowd of 60,000. It was just great, so I went and saw them again two days later. Peter Frampton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, and The Outlaws played.
Gary’s bird sound that he made with his guitar is legendary. The way he expressed himself with his guitar, it sounded like a bird. One of the many reasons why this song is a Legend of a song. Btw your input of this song is amazing. I love sitting down and just closing my eyes to this song. So much is happening all at once and you were very descriptive ❤ loved this!
Allen Collins is the incredible guitarist dressed in all white. He was co-author of this song along with Ronnie Van Zant. “These words were inspired by a real experience of Skynyrd guitarist and songwriter Allen Collins. His girlfriend Kathy Johns actually asked him the question, If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? He wrote her words down and used them as inspiration for the song. Bye, bye, baby, it’s been a sweet love, yeah yeah Though this feeling I can’t change But please don’t take it so badly ‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame Despite the finality of the lyrics, Collins and Johns eventually got married in 1970.” From AMERICAN SONGWRITER by Kathleen Nolan
In the mid-90s I saw the Skynyrd “Reunion Tour” with Jonnie van Zant as the vocalist. He sounded incredibly like his older brother. During the encore they started playing Freebird… Jonnie sang the first verse of the song…walked up to the microphone and set his hat on it ( looked just like Ronnie’s hat in this video). He said, “There’s only one man that can sing this song”, and stepped back. The remainder of the song was played as an instrumental…The crowd was jumping up and down as they are in this video…not a dry eye in the house
In the summer we hitched to their concerts and the Allman Bros concerts. We stayed sunburnt all summer long from the outdoor concerts. It was so worth it. This was the last concert I saw befire I joined the Air Force. The last of my hitchhicking hippie days. I was 21. God I miss thos summers in the late 60s early seventies clear to the end of the 70s. Life has bever been as free since for any of us.
Fun little side note to this amazing song and performance. If you listen to their live album (One more from the road) Ronnie asks the crowd what song they want to hear and the crowd roars "Freebird!". For many years after that, people attending concerts of other artists would often hold up lighters during an encore and a segment of the crowd would be chanting "Freebird", kind of a fun tradition...
The reference that in guitar hero 2 as well lol . At the end of the “story” freebird is the final song you have to pass and the crowd chants “freebird freebird!!!”
It was intentionally melancholic as he is explaining his end to the relationship, and then erupts into him reveling in his freedom. The accelerating tempo is incredible in the last two thirds of the song (it's a lot like "Stairway to Heaven"), as is the resounding bass, which is hard to get on computer speakers. Equally important to the video is the response of the women to the music, particularly the lady with the black hair, yellow shirt and her hands on her head, she seems to find Cloud 9. One of the most incredible live performances of all time. Also "and this bird you cannot chain", not change. "Sweet Home Alabama" from 1976 Knebworth concert. Thanks a lot for the video.
Oakland Coliseum- site of some of the best rock concerts in the 70’s and 80’s. Saw many Day on the Greens there. Massive all day festivals. Saw Metallica, Scorpions, Ratt, Triumph, all the great ones!!!
'Freebird' was not a hit originally from the 1st Lynyrd Skynyrd album in 1973... it was composed by Allen Collins (guitar) who was in the white pants and jumping onstage... lyrics by vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. It wasn't until 1976 when Skynyrd's double live album "One more from the road" became a platinum selling success that the live version of 'Freebird' became a massive hit single. It was tragic that the band was peaking in 1977 when the plane crash took the lives of vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie Gaines (backing vocals) and seriously injured all the members. The line-up in this clip was the same one in 1976: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitars), Gary Rossington (slide guitar), Leon Wilkeson (bass), Billy Powell (piano) and Artimus Pyle (drums)... (Only Artimus Pyle is alive today, but not a member of Skynyrd) The studio version was recorded w/ Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington... Ed King on bass and Bob Burns on drums (all of whom have passed away)
They are the pride of Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville was a really small town back then, it's hard to wrap your head around there being that much talent on the Westside, that could get together and create something magical.
Jacksonville was much smaller then, but later, to increase revenue, some of the surrounding counties were incorporated into Jacksonville, making it much larger.
@BrandonLeeBrown no, they didn't incorporate any other counties. They made the entire county, Duval, part of the city of Jacksonville. Jacksonville is the largest city in the country in land size.
He’s right Jacksonville encompasses the entire county. And the west side is the best side. Grew up and still live a mile from where most of them lived. Lake Shore/ Murray Hill.
You have to love that intro by the great Billy Powell on Piano AND that raucous guitar instrumental by Allen Collins and Gary Rossington. That piano intro was Billy's own invention that he created after Allen and Ronnie VanZant wrote the song proper. He was their roadie when he showed it to them and they invited him to join the band and perform that intro for audiences live.
3 months after this was recorded, most of the band members you see here died in a plane crash. Seeing this makes me sad. Amazing song, and strangely it feels like they were singing their own goodbye song.
A cornerstone of Southern Rock....epic live performance. Glad you enjoyed this, have another live concert suggestion; Peter Frampton "Do You Feel Like We Do" from the Frampton Comes Alive tour & The Who "Who Are You", live at Shepperton Studios!!! You will love them🤟😎
Seen them live in WV back when they were alive ,when they started really jamming , more tube tops in the air and more titles in one place that I've ever seen in my life 😅
Yes back when no one was offended..if you could play good rock and roll no matter where you are from you're in brother..people lived them southern boys with their southern rock in California !!! They had the biggest rebel flag that will ever be in California ..great reaction !!
Wondering how a guitarist achieves all that speed and energy throughout a massive solo? It’s all in practice and constantly playing live for years. Nobody is born a guitar god, they are hard-working, hard-rocking musicians who perfect their craft through blood, sweat, and tears.
Just FYI, that drummer (Artymus Pyle) is the only one of those musicians still with us today. All the other band members are gone. Well,... I should mention, there is one of the female backup singers from the trio called the Honketts that is still alive as well. Her name is Leslie Hawkins. Although they didn't perform on this particular song, they can be seen on the video of the "Sweet Home Alabama" performance at this same concert.
I worked with them on a German tour about 10 years ago. Only 1 guitarist was the same as the gig you just watched, but I still considered it an honour to be there and they were still really good. (I was stage manager for an English band called 'The Brew' who supported them on that tour).
I saw them perform this in September 1974 at Atlanta Fulton Co. Stadium as a backup to the Allman Bros Band. An epic performance with 100,000 people moving during Alan Collins guitar solo. When Gary Rossington started the intro, everyone payed attention. Will not forget Skynnrd forever!
I got there first album that came out and every one after that .They were the greatest southern rock band ever in my opinion. I'm glad to see you really enjoying that music. I could just Imagine you back then with the fans, I bet you would have have been awesome!❤✌
This is my favorite version of the tune. Great sound, everyone is on fire. The piano player used to be one of the crew, then he mentioned he wrote a piano intro to free bird and next thing you know, he is in the band. Nice!
I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd live in the “Warehouse March 30, 1975” New Orleans,La. It was the Nuthin’ Fancy Tour I was 17 years old at the time… I am truly blessed.
I remember paying $11 for tickets. Day on the Green concerts were the best, Truth is, most of us young ladies were there to see Peter Frampton, He was a bit of a heart throb at that time.
Great reaction! It hit me especially hard because I realized that you strongly resemble in both features and expressions a very close friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. So seeing you react to the music, knowing that we were watching one of their last concerts with the original lineup, it just hit hard. But it is so good to see the memory preserved of a band that connected with their audience in a way few could match. Lot of great songs to hear from them, but Sweet Home Alabama is a great place to continue the journey.
Even though some will argue that the concert in Knebworth England was a better concert, but for "Freebird" this is the best version. It shows Billy Powell's classical piano training and how the "3 Guitar Army" of Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, and Steve Gaines could jam and play in one accord, and don't forget Leon Wilkeson being amazing on bass. Artimus Pyle with that driving drum set is just unreal. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant is at the top of his game like never before. Other than Artimus, they are all gone now. He is still playing with his own band that does a lot of Skynyrd songs as a tribute to his fallen brethren.
Knebworth is longer and it has been recorded as the BEST LIVE VERSION IN THE HISTORY OF LS AND HOW LS SMOKED THE STONES AT KNEBWORTH AND PISSED MICK JAGGER OFF!! OAKLAND IS GREAT, A BETTER VIDEO THAN KNEBWORTH !!! AT ONE TIME UNLESS YOU WENT TO LIVE SHOWS OR SAW MUSIC ON TV , YOU LISTEN TO RADIO, 8-TRACKS,CASSETTES AND CD'S !! VIDEOS ARE NICE TO WATCH BUT FOR ME MUSIC SHOULD BE LISTENED TO!!
This was recorded July 2, 1977. Most of the people on this stage were taken from us just 3 months later. THAT was truly the day the music died. Rebels Forever!
This video can evoke a sadness as you watch knowing this was just a few weeks before the plane crash. I think this may have been the last time performed this song together as the original band, but I may be wrong on that. When you watch this from the perspective of knowing the future, it can be very emotional.
One of my favorite things is when young people watch this and it's dawns on them, through the video itself, or from a comment like mine, that all these audience members are their GRANDPARENTS now! We aren't so different after all!
What i love most about this video, there ain't a friggin camera to be seen anywhere. People understood how to have a good time and what was truly important.
The "Four Horseman of the music apocalypse ". Here is how the song works. Gary Rosington on lead slid guitar in the beginning. Allen Collins (in white) takes over lead and Gary goes to rhythm guitar. Steve Gaines who has been also been playing rhym up till now syncs with Allen playing duel lead. He inserts additional leads over Allen's leads during the song. At the same time. Leon Wilkinson is flying all over his bass guitar. You will never see talent on a stage like this again
Correct. I have to explain to people all of the time that that’s not just Allen playing that by himself. 👍
Yes man this will never be repeated
Awesome Insights! Ty!
Correct! It's all about the Harmonics!
Allen helped write the song and music for this and many other songs. Probably one of the top 3 leads in history.
Saddest thing about watching this is that all these original members are now gone, guitarist Gary Rossington having passed just a few months ago. Brilliant, historical performance.
The drummer is still alive. Lives in Florida
@@andreadeamon6419 You are correct, Artimus Pyle (the drummer in this video) is still living. Founding drummer Bob Burns, who played drums on the original recording, is no longer with us. Thanks for catching my error.
Imagine what could’ve been.
Rickey Medlocke is an original member. That's why the band included him in the hall of fame induction ceremony. They started out with two drummers , Bob Burns, and Rickey Medlocke. Rick left prior to the recording of their debut album, but Gary and the rest of the band always considered him an original member.
@@Jaybird_67 Ricky isn’t an original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd - they formed in 1964 and he was only involved for about a year in 1971-1972 filling in for original drummer Bob Burns. He left in 19872 to reform his band Blackfoot and didn’t return to Lynyrd Skynyrd until 1996.
All of those grandparents & and great-grandparents in the audience. That's right, we rock back then.
Daisy dukes and all...❤🎉😊
We STILL rock today!
I only appreciate the music more as I get older. I understand the meaning more now than I did when I was young. Bob Seger "Against the Wind" is a prime example.
My man Leon be killing it on the base as always. He didnt get the lime light behind Ronnie and guys but his base lines were sublimne. RIP brother.
Yes Sir he was phenomenal
Yes he was.
YES. also, his role is the climax of the guitar solo is so underrated. his climbing line from 14:40 to 14:55 are integral to that energy shift
He played a fish, a bass
@@jefffredenburg7231
And that's why your music sucks.
The guitarist jumping wrote this song in high school at 17 years old. That's incredible!
This is my first choice to be played at my funeral
The guitarist in white jamming at the end of Free Bird is Allen Collins. Allen and Ronnie Van Zant co-wrote Free Bird. Allen Collins was one of the greatest blues guitarist of that era.
It is indeed incredible...and even more so...many those nice looking ladies at the 5:30 mark are now grandmother
I was at this concert. Peter Frampton was the headliner but Skynyrd stole the show. We waited all day in the July sun to hear this song. It was their encore and 70,000 plus teens who had veen stoned and sun stroked came alive at the 12 minute guitar solo. Yeah we were blessed to have these bands. Don't try to hard to analyze, just let go and enjoy.
Amen
No, you weren't. That was Frampton Oakland 77 . This concert was in San Francisco, 76 Winter PARK.
No, laurabartholomew was correct, you’re wrong. This is the Oakland ‘77 show headlined by Frampton. The ‘76 Winterland show was filmed in B&W, and appeared to be a nighttime show, you can find it on RUclips as well.
I wasn't born yet, but man, I've loved this song ever since I first heard it just over 10 years ago. Anyway, your comment got a 'Like' from me from the time I read your very first sentence: "I was at this concert."....LOL
Can't find music like that today 😮 That era produced so many good musicians.
This is one of best live performances of all time and we are blessed it was recorded for us to enjoy today. This was just before the tragic plane crash that devastated the band. These guys were in the prime of their career and makes you wonder what great music we missed out on because their lives were cut short.
Makes me sad to know they died after this.
My Lord you are right. Sweet Home and Gimme 3 steps are my favorite too.
Yeah, puts a new melancholy on the song when you realize that the crash was only a little less than four months after this performance.
*Amen*
Hard to take anyone seriously when they don't even have a stereo system or headphones to listen to it with
No fancy light show, no stage theatrics, and no autotune. Just pure talent front and center!
You got that right, you sho got that right! Pun intended.
Music we'll NEVER see again!!
No I phones or Botox either !
The biggest difference being everything back then was new, most of the pioneers were absolutely great but it was partly because there was less creative space being taken up. In todays world you can find tens of thousands of musicians capable of what only a few were back then, it almost forces new artists into "light shows and stage theatrics".. doesn't mean they arent just as good
Lol the complete opposite of a KISS show
Well done. I never get tired of watching newbies seeing it for the first time!
Agreed! When they begin to realize that the guitars aren't stopping, thats a great moment.
Aye
One afternoon in 1981, four of our small-town guys died in a car wreck. A bunch of us gathered at the pool hall to try to deal with it- in total shock. One of us rolled in and dumped five dollars worth of quarters in the juke box and played this on repeat- I've never listened to it on purpose since then. That is, until now. Somehow I knew watching you discover it would be worthwhile, and it was. Thank you!
This was played at my nephew's funeral
I get that. I can watch people react to something that I wouldn't watch or listen to again on my own, for whatever reason.
We dedicated this song to my wife's granddaughter who passed away from suicide on Halloween of 2021. I've always loved this song and this performance
This song was played at a army friend's funeral. I used to associate the song with a guy leaving his woman.
In most of the world, there's an adage that says, "It isn't over until the fat lady sings" (an opera reference).
.
In the South, "It ain't over 'til Skynrd plays FREEBIRD!"
Billy Powell was a roadie, trained in classical piano. They heard him messing around on the keys before a set and said, " Hey... wanna sit in?"
I like his can of Bud sitting on top of his grand piano.
@@michaeldonnan6767 I'd pay money for a can like that.
To answer your question yes Gary Rossington was making the whistling/bird sound with his guitar by using the end of his slide bottle on the strings
That takes a lot of talent
He was playing harmonics with his slide, but a slide not necessary to make that sound. Harmonics are natural places on the strings, where a very light touch of the string, without bringing it down to contact the fret, will ring out like that, at a very high pitch. There are harmonics at several places up and down the fretboard. They are located at the 5th, 7th, 12th and 19th(?), plus one more that isn't over the fretboard, closer to the bridge.
The reason he's making that sound is he's imitating Duane Allman, because the song is dedicated to his memory...
You are another dude that that thinks he knows everything just shut up and listen
Its hard to catch most cams miss it
Don't roll your eyes at boomers & GenX when they tell you how much better things were. They were. 💕
Just turned 60 born in 63 and I can def second that!!!!! Funny just clicked the thumbs up and was number 63!!!
Well....compared the skills you see today, these guys, as wonderful as they were, are not even in the same league. Sorry but this boomer sees things VERY differently...
These boys made real music without the tech crutches they use today
We were pretty good once. Might just be so today.
@@The2ndFirst
Well, some are dead, so..
When she said, "I'm interested in what they do next," I just thought, man, buckle in. You're going on the ride of your life.
The piano player Billy Powell started out with them as a roadie. That is until one day during a break they heard him playing the piano and found out he was a classically trained pianist.. They hired him for the band and the rest as they say is history!!
Music is a pretty powerful thing isn't it!? Cool to see this iconic performance hit you the way it did.
They were in their 20s. Mind blowing. I couldn’t even attempt to create a masterpiece like this, even with unlimited time. They left us with many gems, god bless Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The sounds you weren’t familiar to you on guitar were slide guitar where the guitar is tuned to an open chord and the slide (which can be metal or glass (in this case glass) is touched onto the strings and moved up and down the fretboard to different chords but the chords blend into each other. It’s the same idea as lap steel guitar basically, which you hear in country music and Hawian music.
An absolutely iconic song from an amazing band, such a shame that they left us too soon 🥲😢
Nice reaction Rachael 🌹
@@jimspetdragons3737 Do you play guitar? I suspect not because I do and have done for a very long time and have played Freebird many times - that’s how I know how it’s done; the chirping sounds are harmonics, the slide is on the 12th fret where you get harmonics by touching the strings very lightly. What this is, is a live performance, whether it’s overdubbed or not that’s what’s being done in this performance by the player with the red Gibson SG!
@@DarrellW_UK That would be Gary Rossington. He died in march of 2023. He was the last of the musicians you see on stage here. They all died relatively young. Even Gary was only 71.
@@janpcs thanks, I got a bit annoyed by a stupid remark that seems to have disappeared, yeah, I had a bit of a memory glitch 😆
Yeah, it was a tragic thing to happen! I didn’t know that Gary was still alive until this year he was a great slide player!
@@janpcs Artimus the drummer is still alive.
@@DarrellW_UK Gary got that sound by putting fret wire behind the 1st fret.
All those girls you see in the audience are grandmothers now and great grandmothers. We didn’t know how good we had it back in the 70s and 80s relative to music.
But God was it fun.
Relative to just about everything really. Looking back at life how it was doesn't even seem possible. Kinda like a dream in the realest sense of the word
One of the great live performances ever !
Real musicians with no tricks or computers !
It's such a shame at what lots of young kids call music these day's !
What about that crowd !
Thanks for your review 😎✌
That crowd is the best. Gave them honest love. All of them despite today's focus on the confederate flag.
That wuz a very WHITE crowd...
@aloneranger3980
By choice. No one said, " black people don't come. There were a few black folk out there brave enough to go against the cultural grain and listen to " white music," to probably realize as Gen X did, music is music. My communities choice is not to listen. Music is for everyone.
@@JaquelineGoodspeed true, I'm Asian but I enjoyed listening to Fortunate Son, Born In The USA & of course this song
I was there...yes, Oakland Coliseum 1977. Went to Skyline High School in Oakland back in the day Class of '75' Went to every Day on the Green for years. Always had 3 to 5 bands at each one. Where else could you see the Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys at the same concert. They killed it !!!! Back then, it was Real Rock and Roll and it RULED the day !!!!
that was an AWESONE Concert! I was there as well, living north of the bay area I got to see *ALL* the great Rock Bands *LIVE & IN THEIR PRIME!*
Growing up in Alabama in the 70s and 80s lynyrd skynyrd was /is a religion !
RIP my brothers ❤
Right next door to you brother in Mississippi
@@BullseyeForever24 Right next door to where LS originated. Alas, moved to Nashville just as they were starting and never saw them.
Amen!!! Same from us in texas!!!!
Religion? ALL religion crashes and burns. Following Jesus not religion. Religion is stale dead and boring.
My Florida beach town wore out Sweet Home Alabama on the radio stations back then. Panama City Beach is Florida Lower Alabama! Fla. Jeff your comment is mine too, just put Florida in it for me.
I was at this concert. The lineup, in order of appearance, The Outlaws (Green Grass and High Tides, There Goes Another Love Song) Santana (Oye Como Va) Lynyrd Skynyrd (Sweet Home Alabama, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man); Peter Frampton, (Do You Feel Like We Do)
It was a great show, my first concert.
Gary Rossington played lead slide guitar in the opening section, with Allen Collins shredding it in the closing.
Since this was filmed, I wonder if the whole show & maybe even the entire day was also filmed. What a killer first concert to attend! I think that's the best crowd I've ever seen, so much energy/synergy.
Damn! What a great line-up! Back when Rock was ROCK!
What a jaw dropping first concert to have been a part of👍👍👍
I was lucky enough to see them live
This proves how great the 70's were for music!
The downside of the ‘70s was disco. I hated it.
Gary Rossington was an awesome guitar player especially when he did the slide on Freebird. Rest in peace Gary fly free with your brothers.
Live at Knebworth opening for the Stones is cool as they were told to stay off the tongue and Ronnie said he would have pushed the piano down there as well. Badass.
You would love “Simple Man, Tuesday’s Gone, That’s Smell, Ballad of Curtis Lowe, etc etc etc. The live Concert at Knebworth 1976, opening for the Rolling Stones, who they blew away, was iconic in really propelling them to Super-Star status on the world stage!
Best reaction yet. Heartfelt and real. The music I grew up on, and this song was our anthem.
Please react to I’d Love To Change The World by Ten Year’s After.
Great reaction! Speaking as an old fart that was around back then, as long as young people continue to experience the sheer joy that they shared, and the amazing skills, they will continue to live on...
This is what concerts used to be.....affordable and fun.
Exactly right
And safe
@@HankCherryyou are so envied by generations that came after. We only stand on the shoulders of the legends that came before
That was fun. You will probably hear this a lot in the comments but a really great next choice to check out by them is The Ballad Of Curtis Loew. It is just beautiful and warm and fantastic storytelling.
THAT WAS MY EXACT THOUGHT!
Either that or Simple Man
Take a good look, folks, that America is gone forever.
Fantastic reaction. This is definitely one of the most iconic songs ever written. This was one of the bands last performances before their infamous plane crash, and one of the best performances of this song ever. Long live Lynyrd Skynyrd.
😭😭😭👍
Very sad indeed. This concert was their last before the tragic plane crash in October 77, 3 months after this concert. The Knebworh Concert in 76 in England supporting the Rolling Stones. That concert is considered the best ever LIVE PERFORMANCE EVER. A must watch
I met Allen Collins once down in Sunrise Fla. After a Rossington - Collins band concert and I gotta tell ya he was one of the nicest guys I ever met. He signed an autograph for my girlfriend and it said God Bless you Joanna , Allen Collins. Now how cool is that.
They lost the lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitar player and vocalist Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie who sang backup, and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick. The pilot and his 1st officer were also lost. 20 people survived. All because the plane ran out of fuel. That should never happen ever! Yesterday, today, or tomorrow. What a loss!
Their '77 tour was awesome. The last tour as the plane crash happened. I went to this one in Oakland
how was it like ? tell us we that are too young to have known that ^^
I was only 10 - i knew the songs as it was all my babysitters listened to
@@antoinebrg6299 It was just like you saw here, plus being in a crowd crowd of 60,000. It was just great, so I went and saw them again two days later. Peter Frampton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, and The Outlaws played.
@@andreadeamon6419now you wish you could've thanked her for getting you into our old American rock 🎸💙🙏🍺🗽🗽🗽
Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH, United States May 18, 1976. I was there. :) Your reaction is priceless.
they have a sound that has never been duplicated, piano, numerous guitars, bass, drums, killer lyrics and vocals.
Country music?
Allen, Gary and Steve are three very underrated guitarist, very talented
Allen Collins with the solo at the end is just legendary! Rip Allen ,Gary,Steve,Ronnie,Leon,Billy,Cassie
Gary’s bird sound that he made with his guitar is legendary. The way he expressed himself with his guitar, it sounded like a bird. One of the many reasons why this song is a Legend of a song.
Btw your input of this song is amazing. I love sitting down and just closing my eyes to this song. So much is happening all at once and you were very descriptive ❤ loved this!
Hypnotic is the word that explains the feeling, from the slide guitar work.
Making it look easy is a combination of talent, passion and a hell of a lot of hard work.
simply amazing! this concert footage will never get old to me! God i wish i was there!
Allen Collins is the incredible guitarist dressed in all white. He was co-author of this song along with Ronnie Van Zant.
“These words were inspired by a real experience of Skynyrd guitarist and songwriter Allen Collins. His girlfriend Kathy Johns actually asked him the question, If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me? He wrote her words down and used them as inspiration for the song.
Bye, bye, baby, it’s been a sweet love, yeah yeah
Though this feeling I can’t change
But please don’t take it so badly
‘Cause Lord knows I’m to blame
Despite the finality of the lyrics, Collins and Johns eventually got married in 1970.”
From AMERICAN SONGWRITER by Kathleen Nolan
In the mid-90s I saw the Skynyrd “Reunion Tour” with Jonnie van Zant as the vocalist. He sounded incredibly like his older brother. During the encore they started playing Freebird…
Jonnie sang the first verse of the song…walked up to the microphone and set his hat on it ( looked just like Ronnie’s hat in this video). He said, “There’s only one man that can sing this song”, and stepped back. The remainder of the song was played as an instrumental…The crowd was jumping up and down as they are in this video…not a dry eye in the house
Johnny sounds nothing like Ronnie
Is there a video by any chance?
@@jamestate5059No one sounds exactly like Ronnie…
In the summer we hitched to their concerts and the Allman Bros concerts. We stayed sunburnt all summer long from the outdoor concerts. It was so worth it. This was the last concert I saw befire I joined the Air Force. The last of my hitchhicking hippie days. I was 21. God I miss thos summers in the late 60s early seventies clear to the end of the 70s. Life has bever been as free since for any of us.
Fun little side note to this amazing song and performance. If you listen to their live album (One more from the road) Ronnie asks the crowd what song they want to hear and the crowd roars "Freebird!". For many years after that, people attending concerts of other artists would often hold up lighters during an encore and a segment of the crowd would be chanting "Freebird", kind of a fun tradition...
The reference that in guitar hero 2 as well lol . At the end of the “story” freebird is the final song you have to pass and the crowd chants “freebird freebird!!!”
Lol I’m guilty of that several times over
It was intentionally melancholic as he is explaining his end to the relationship, and then erupts into him reveling in his freedom. The accelerating tempo is incredible in the last two thirds of the song (it's a lot like "Stairway to Heaven"), as is the resounding bass, which is hard to get on computer speakers. Equally important to the video is the response of the women to the music, particularly the lady with the black hair, yellow shirt and her hands on her head, she seems to find Cloud 9. One of the most incredible live performances of all time. Also "and this bird you cannot chain", not change. "Sweet Home Alabama" from 1976 Knebworth concert. Thanks a lot for the video.
It ends like a freight train running at full speed down the tracks.
Oakland Coliseum- site of some of the best rock concerts in the 70’s and 80’s. Saw many Day on the Greens there. Massive all day festivals. Saw Metallica, Scorpions, Ratt, Triumph, all the great ones!!!
New subscriber here.I loved your reaction to Freebird one of most iconic songs in history.❤ Much love from Canada❤🇨🇦
They would play for 1.5 hour shows, come back and do Freebird as an encore sometimes lasting 15-20 minutes. Amazing!!
'Freebird' was not a hit originally from the 1st Lynyrd Skynyrd album in 1973... it was composed by Allen Collins (guitar) who was in the white pants and jumping onstage... lyrics by vocalist Ronnie Van Zant. It wasn't until 1976 when Skynyrd's double live album "One more from the road" became a platinum selling success that the live version of 'Freebird' became a massive hit single. It was tragic that the band was peaking in 1977 when the plane crash took the lives of vocalist Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister Cassie Gaines (backing vocals) and seriously injured all the members.
The line-up in this clip was the same one in 1976: Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Allen Collins, Steve Gaines (guitars), Gary Rossington (slide guitar), Leon Wilkeson (bass), Billy Powell (piano) and Artimus Pyle (drums)... (Only Artimus Pyle is alive today, but not a member of Skynyrd)
The studio version was recorded w/ Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington... Ed King on bass and Bob Burns on drums (all of whom have passed away)
Ronnie Van Zant was just 26 years old when he died
They are the pride of Jacksonville, Florida. Jacksonville was a really small town back then, it's hard to wrap your head around there being that much talent on the Westside, that could get together and create something magical.
Jacksonville was much smaller then, but later, to increase revenue, some of the surrounding counties were incorporated into Jacksonville, making it much larger.
@BrandonLeeBrown no, they didn't incorporate any other counties. They made the entire county, Duval, part of the city of Jacksonville. Jacksonville is the largest city in the country in land size.
He’s right Jacksonville encompasses the entire county. And the west side is the best side. Grew up and still live a mile from where most of them lived. Lake Shore/ Murray Hill.
One of the greatest guitar solos that has ever been recorded!!! By one of the greatest bands that there ever has been!!!
I've watched this video many times and your reaction is hands down the very best I've seen. Thank you for posting and R.I.P. Lynyrd Skynyrd!
You have to love that intro by the great Billy Powell on Piano AND that raucous guitar instrumental by Allen Collins and Gary Rossington. That piano intro was Billy's own invention that he created after Allen and Ronnie VanZant wrote the song proper. He was their roadie when he showed it to them and they invited him to join the band and perform that intro for audiences live.
3 months after this was recorded, most of the band members you see here died in a plane crash. Seeing this makes me sad. Amazing song, and strangely it feels like they were singing their own goodbye song.
3 died. There were 10 members at the time (including the Honkettes)..
A cornerstone of Southern Rock....epic live performance. Glad you enjoyed this, have another live concert suggestion; Peter Frampton "Do You Feel Like We Do" from the Frampton Comes Alive tour & The Who "Who Are You", live at Shepperton Studios!!! You will love them🤟😎
Seen them live in WV back when they were alive ,when they started really jamming , more tube tops in the air and more titles in one place that I've ever seen in my life 😅
Yes back when no one was offended..if you could play good rock and roll no matter where you are from you're in brother..people lived them southern boys with their southern rock in California !!! They had the biggest rebel flag that will ever be in California ..great reaction !!
I love everything about Skynyrd. I can't possibly point out all of the greatness, but Gary on the slide is other worldly. RIP legends. ❤🦅
Wondering how a guitarist achieves all that speed and energy throughout a massive solo? It’s all in practice and constantly playing live for years. Nobody is born a guitar god, they are hard-working, hard-rocking musicians who perfect their craft through blood, sweat, and tears.
That was actually three guys on that solo. 👍
Just FYI, that drummer (Artymus Pyle) is the only one of those musicians still with us today. All the other band members are gone. Well,... I should mention, there is one of the female backup singers from the trio called the Honketts that is still alive as well. Her name is Leslie Hawkins. Although they didn't perform on this particular song, they can be seen on the video of the "Sweet Home Alabama" performance at this same concert.
I worked with them on a German tour about 10 years ago. Only 1 guitarist was the same as the gig you just watched, but I still considered it an honour to be there and they were still really good. (I was stage manager for an English band called 'The Brew' who supported them on that tour).
Yep, Gary Rossington, who just passed away March 5th of this year.
@@notablindliberal896 hope his old friends welcomed him up there, RIP
Yes Johnnie is good.
@antoinebrg6299 I bet there was one hell of a party that night.
I absolutely love how we can see the music touch you, and invade your soul. The music of my youth being rediscovered is magical.
LS "Lord help me I can't Change"
Every groupie in the crowd "I can change him"
I saw them perform this in September 1974 at Atlanta Fulton Co. Stadium as a backup to the Allman Bros Band. An epic performance with 100,000 people moving during Alan Collins guitar solo. When Gary Rossington started the intro, everyone payed attention. Will not forget Skynnrd forever!
Alan Collins survived the plane crash, but was never the same after. Think today we would call it PTSD. It is a sad story.
And that was compounded by the death of his wife Kathy just 3 years later, who was pregnant with what would have been their third child.
This is the type of music you FEEL not just listen to.
The live version shows you the intensity. The studio version allows you to hear the details and enjoy the mastery.
One of the best instrumentals ever recorded!!!
I’m so blessed to have grown up in the sixties and seventies when the best bands were around. And getting to see most of them.
I got there first album that came out and every one after that .They were the greatest southern rock band ever in my opinion. I'm glad to see you really enjoying that music. I could just Imagine you back then with the fans, I bet you would have have been awesome!❤✌
Defo
This is my favorite version of the tune. Great sound, everyone is on fire. The piano player used to be one of the crew, then he mentioned he wrote a piano intro to free bird and next thing you know, he is in the band. Nice!
I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd live in the “Warehouse March 30, 1975”
New Orleans,La.
It was the Nuthin’ Fancy Tour
I was 17 years old at the time…
I am truly blessed.
back in the day when we had real musicians...
I remember paying $11 for tickets. Day on the Green concerts were the best,
Truth is, most of us young ladies were there to see Peter Frampton, He was a bit of a heart throb at that time.
Crazy to think most of the people in the crowd are now in their late 60's early 70's
Love those 70s. Love the crowd appreciating what they have.
That's back when we enjoyed real talent and real songs
Great reaction! It hit me especially hard because I realized that you strongly resemble in both features and expressions a very close friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. So seeing you react to the music, knowing that we were watching one of their last concerts with the original lineup, it just hit hard. But it is so good to see the memory preserved of a band that connected with their audience in a way few could match. Lot of great songs to hear from them, but Sweet Home Alabama is a great place to continue the journey.
Even though some will argue that the concert in Knebworth England was a better concert, but for "Freebird" this is the best version. It shows Billy Powell's classical piano training and how the "3 Guitar Army" of Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, and Steve Gaines could jam and play in one accord, and don't forget Leon Wilkeson being amazing on bass. Artimus Pyle with that driving drum set is just unreal. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant is at the top of his game like never before. Other than Artimus, they are all gone now. He is still playing with his own band that does a lot of Skynyrd songs as a tribute to his fallen brethren.
Knebworth is longer and it has been recorded as the BEST LIVE VERSION IN THE HISTORY OF LS AND HOW LS SMOKED THE STONES AT KNEBWORTH AND PISSED MICK JAGGER OFF!! OAKLAND IS GREAT, A BETTER VIDEO THAN KNEBWORTH !!! AT ONE TIME UNLESS YOU WENT TO LIVE SHOWS OR SAW MUSIC ON TV , YOU LISTEN TO RADIO, 8-TRACKS,CASSETTES AND CD'S !! VIDEOS ARE NICE TO WATCH BUT FOR ME MUSIC SHOULD BE LISTENED TO!!
Plus the crowd in Oakland was more exciting and into the band. Probably 90% of the Knebworth crowd didn’t know the band before they saw them.
@@Redwhiteblue-gr5em But they sure as heck knew them afterwards!
Surprise! Good ole 70's Rock and Roll. So glad this was saved for the generation now can enjoy!
They did an even longer solo at their 1976 Knebworth performance. Like another solid minute of soloing
This was recorded July 2, 1977.
Most of the people on this stage were taken from us just 3 months later.
THAT was truly the day the music died.
Rebels Forever!
This live performance is iconic
I can’t watch this without shedding tears every time or at least almost every time.
Sadly all original members are gone now but their music will live on forever. Peace!
It was so great to be alive back in the day, and so many great memories of the time.
This video can evoke a sadness as you watch knowing this was just a few weeks before the plane crash. I think this may have been the last time performed this song together as the original band, but I may be wrong on that. When you watch this from the perspective of knowing the future, it can be very emotional.
Yes it is just like that. Sad but beautuful at the same time.
It was actually a few months before the crash. They played this Day On The Green then went east. It was a little over 3 months later
Every time I see this video I'm 23 again. Enjoyed watching your reaction.
One of my favorite things is when young people watch this and it's dawns on them, through the video itself, or from a comment like mine, that all these audience members are their GRANDPARENTS now! We aren't so different after all!
What i love most about this video, there ain't a friggin camera to be seen anywhere. People understood how to have a good time and what was truly important.
Transcendental music, nothing more needs saying. Amen...❤
The live version of this on their Gold and Platinum album goes on for a glorious 22 minutes.