@@dannycorbitt2389 I saw them live in Nashville in 74 0r 75....whenever this song came out. I used to see them in nightclubs in Atlanta a few years before that.
No light show, no special effects, it's the middle of the day. It's all about the music, I miss those days. Also, Harri, you have to remember, they were on tour, this is the last song after playing for 2hrs or so, anyone's voice would be raw, it ain't easy
@@HarriBestReactions yes... They always save this song AS their finale to do right before they left the stage because it was the most popular song of their career. When they did a show it was a straight 2-hour show, no breaks! Not like today my brother...none of this ridiculous Auto-Tune crap. He's just getting up there and belting it out to every song they had. I WAS one of the lucky ones who got to see them in concert. BOTH bands, the original band that you're looking at now. Then later on after the plane crash had happened. I got to see SEVERAL concerts of the surviving members of this band. Those was still amazing concerts in my opinion.
I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd four times in the early years (before plane crash) and my first time seeing them was at the 1974 Tennessee State Fair and it was just them and ZZ Top as headliner act. As amazing as ZZ Top was I thought Lynyrd Skynyrd was better.
My friends opened for Johnny and Edgar Winters and we didn't expect to have LS as the middle band,tuning up backstage in our room Allen Collins walks in with his explorer,quiet very nice guy,sends chills up my spine what was coming.
One of the greatest live performances EVER 💯 Not to mention I'm in the crowd footage...yea the bleach blonde yellow shorts on my boyfriend's shoulders burning like a piece of bacon 🤣🤣
That was really you in the bleach blonde shorts on your boyfriend's shoulders !? WOW ! And he was one lucky Brother ! What else could you ask for !? The best RNR band Kicking the living Hell out of the greatest song that's ever been and Got a Foxx on his shoulders jamming out to Skynyrd ! Long Live Skynyrd Nation !
In an interview with Ronnie which is the lead singer he said that that he felt like they had some pretty good guitar players and the the song Free Bird was arranged to showcase the guitars 🎸 and to let Ronnie rest his voice. He said that he wanted to do his part during the first half of Freebird and then let the guitars soar and did they ever ? You damn right they did !
A field full of hot grandmas. "Free Bird" became Skynyrd's show closer, for obvious reasons. It is considered by many to be the Southern Rock anthem. To this day, in concert venues and bars everywhere, someone is apt to yell out "Free Bird!" between songs in a set.
On a Facebook musician's forum, someone asked how his sets should be organized, how long, how many, etc. I replied that he should do 3 sets of 45 minutes, and then play Freebird until closing time. That's what we used to do when I was in bands.
they yelled "FREEBIRD!" or "STAIRWAY To HEAVEN" for songs. They became cliche's of what the drunks would holler out in every bar for the cover band. The farther you got into rural areas and the south it was Freebird.
@@gypsygirl3255 'Cocaine" was more of that song that people would put on 20 damn times in the jukebox at the pool hall, than shout out for the encore song. It went from being real request to be a there is always that idiot to hey someone needs to keep that alive status. A "living meme" before memes existed. Cheap pool hall that allowed us to come shoot, it was like war to try get another song on that jukebox . Often bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival were popular also. Then you had the local southern region band Sugarcreek and after a break up as "The Creek" with added tag line is now sugar free. Which even though Lynyrd Skynyrd became a national band they were still felt as regional southern band and their shows in their former small touring region would often be packed. Sugarcreek were making out of the south before they imploded as bands do when they start making it from inner issues and issues from the record company trying to break them up to get the good players into another band and leave the less skilled behind. Then There was " Fetchin Bones, " that was competing and par with R.E.M. before they broke up made on to MTV120 minutes even, then R.E.M blew past them. That sad breaking up a band to pick out the musicans you want for "project/studio band" tale is as old record companies themselves though. The film "Almost Famous" had so many hidden facts in it about being in the industry . especially during those years and many of it lasted well into the 1990's before it became far more bussiness on the backstage technical side. "Almost Famous" hit so many moments you experience in some form especially if you grow up in it from being a young adult. The names might change , well except for "Red Dog"(damn I can still here his honest with deep love for you Hey brother as he grabs you for hug...) but so many of those scenes were just moments that you get to experience. Like when William is walking down the hallway and you see through a doorway open that is meant to show Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris just having moment playing music together for no one but themselves. I've seen friends just play together hanging out having jam session that sadly could never be reproduced, unless some big broadcast company brought them all together and even that would be manufactured moments not the free flowing purity of just them playing together and sharing what they had created and others giving it a go...... That Graham Parsons and Emmylou Harris Clip that was sadly cut down can be seen at ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-iWpfW13RJZU.html Those are magical moments you get to see that before the day of everyone having dam production studio on a phone in their pocket , were lost to time and fading memories.
I was fortunate enough to see the original band twice in the 1970s . They were my favorite band back then. There's no describing the loss I felt when their plane crashed. So much talent lost. I never tire hearing them. Thanks Harri!
@@keithgrandstaff6343 Not sure if you read my separate comment from this - I was able to get a bunch of tickets about 10 rows from the stage at Cobo Hall through a friend of my dad's for a concert in June 77. It was postponed until October 31st, so we waited about five months from when we first bought them. The crash was on Oct 20th. Sad day, I remember getting the news from some friends that we ran into that night.
Three guitars, one bass, one piano, and a mad man drummer, all working in perfect harmony. This band was amazing live. I wish that I had been just a little older at the time to be able to see them live. This video seemed a bit short. Pretty sure that went on a lot longer.
The version at Knebworth, where they opened for the Stones and walked on the tongue, plays the whole solo and you see the band rather than the audience. Only bad thing is you don't see Billy Powell on piano.
I had tickets to see them a month after the crash. I never got to see them with this full crew. I saw them a few times after everyone healed and they regrouped but it was not the same.
Keep in mind, the version here is taken from “Free Bird: The Movie”, which did edit a bit out of the solo , even in the original movie. Probably done to keep the film around two hours exactly.
The vocalist was Ronnie Van Zant. The way I understand it, he was, on a personal level, the Alpha guy amongst them as friends. They knew, on an internal level, how important he was to the band. It's no exaggeration to say that there would not have been a Lynyrd Skynyrd without RVZ. Southern folks tend to value friendships, perhaps more than Hollywood types do. I hope you can understand what I've awkwardly tried to convey here. Rock on !!!
The band and the crowd just energized each other that day. This was the July second show and I've read that for the July fourth show Frampton said if Skynyrd was allowed to play Freebird at the July fourth show he wouldn't perform. After the Freebird performance on the second the crowd had no energy for Frampton's performance. That was Ronnie VanZant's motto, play so the crowd won't forget you. At a 1976 concert where they played before The Rolling Stones, Ronnie had the guitarists move out on to the tongue section of the stage during Freebird. That was a huge deal because Mick Jagger wanted no one from the opening acts on that part of the stage.
You can see a stiff wind blowing their hair and Ronnie's shirt and once it looked like he grabbed his rattlesnake skin hat to keep it from blowing away. I can't even talk normal when a stiff wind has been blowing in my face for near an hour so I think that affected his singing where he had trouble hitting a couple of the higher notes but then he got stronger perhaps he snuck a swig of water or beer when he was off camera. Over all I liked most of his vocals all things considered. Sometimes because of the amazing guitar jam people don't really notice how great Artemis is banging those drums esp. during the jam he is setting that frantic pace. And loved Gary making his guitar chirp like a Free Bird and then making such melodic sounds with the slide guitar and engulfing Ronnie's vocals with great timing and skill. The whole band just did the most inspiring performance that will amaze music lovers forever.
One really nice thing that RvZ does during the guitar solo is walk to the back of the stage, so the guitars get to be front and center. Not a lot of lead singers would have done that.
the song was written to give Ronnie's voice a break. that's why he always went to the back of the stage during the song. they played this song for 15-20 minutes after doing a 2 hour show.
Ronnie Van Sant co-wrote this masterpiece. He as the leader knew when to step back and let the others shine. They say the guitar riff is still playing in the Universe. Cosmo great pick. Harri your reaction was wonderful! They deserved your standing O. I love watching your reaction!
I've heard the long instrumental interludes and rather subdued vocals (by Ronnie's standards) was meant to give Ronnie a break as much as it was to highlight the amazing talent of every individual on that packed stage. Three guitar attack with keys and a wild man on the drum kit. Backup singers, the whole 9 yards. Every body playing and singing their a$$ of. Actually the ability to get on a stage and give it 100% every show day after day for months on end. I can't imagine attending a huge high energy concert nightly, let alone playing one every night.
Pretty rough words about Ronnie Van Zant (singer) (RIP) I don't think he was bothered being drowned out by those amazing guitarists, I bet he was extremely happy for his boys rocking out there in the spotlight ! Free Bird is a true rock classic that will fly forever high
This is simply one of the best live performance videos ever! Allen Collins’ (1952-1990) solo is one for the ages, Steve Gaines (1949-1977 ) had such a great future in front of him, bassist Leon Wilkeson (1952-2001) did his thang, and of course Gary Rossington (still with us) got it started off. Billy Powell (1952-2009) on piano was perfection and we can’t forget Artemis Pyle (also still with us) on drums. What I wouldn’t give to have been there! My chance to see them in person almost happened, though. On July 17, 1976, my friend and I went to a mega concert at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. On the schedule were ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, J. Geils Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Charlie Daniels. Everyone of which would be a great show on their own! Sadly, after J. Geils played, it was announced that Skynyrd had to cancel, apparently due to PLANE TROUBLE! Pandemonium broke out, but that’s another story! Anyway, a year and a half later we all know what happened. On October 20, 1977 the plane went down near Gillsburg, Mississippi. It was found to be due to pilot error. Killed were lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, his sister, backup singer Cassie Gaines, their assistant tour manager Dean Kilpatrick and the pilot and copilot. There is now a lovely monument erected near the crash site.
Count me in Cosmo. Outstanding live performance. Lynard Skinner got their name from one of their high school teachers. Unfortunately the band was in a plane crash in 1977. Lead singer Ronnie Van Zant was killed and his brother Johnny took over the lead. Such great hits as Sweet Home Alabama, Simple Man and Freebird. Great lyrics and musical presentation make this song a winner. Great reaction Harri. Mind Blown. Thanks Harri and Cosmo. Always a pleasure Cosmo. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦
When they toured England as an opening band for the Rolling Stones ~ they literally blew the Stones off the stage ~ When they finished their set & the Stones came out the audience screamed for an encore
They also walked out on the "tongue part of the stage while playing Freebird which was against Mick Jaggerrs rules. Ronnie didn't give a damn about rules and out they went.
I feel blessed growing up in the 70s ! A much simpler time and the best music ever. Going to a concert like this would basically be a 4 day party. No cell phones, no computers but we were never board and the girls ! Ahh the girls .
One of best live performances EVER. FYI there were actually 3 guitarists (besides bass) Steve Gaines, Allen Collins and Gary Rossington. Leone Wilkerson on bass.
Who plays the Free Bird solo? Although this video hit the RU-vids a few years ago, we thought you'd enjoy hearing the isolated guitar-solo track from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird." The solo on the song-which was played by Allen Collins and Gary Rossington-comes it at Number 3 on Guitar World's list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time
I highly recommend the documentary Muscle Shoals, which is about the studio(s) in northern Alabama where a ton of the best music of the 20th C. was made.
It can be easy to miss how impactful the lead singer Ronnie is to the band. Some people think his voice is nothing special. But he was the leader of that band. If you watch him during the solo you can see the whole band watches his cues. Every member is important but Lynyrd Skynyrd fell apart after Ronnie past away. I love Ronnie’s voice and the way he talks to the crowd in this performance.
Free Bird was the very last song that any fans got to see Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ronnie Van Zant play live in concert, The last concert was in Greenville, South Carolina on October 19th, 1976. It still hits home when I think about this. I saw their next to last concert live in Lakeland, Florida on October 18th, 1976. The concert was amazing, the crowd was energized and I will never forget that night. Lynyrd Skynyrd's music is still alive today!!! And the wonderful memories of seeing them live in concert can never be taken away from me as long as I live. Free Bird remains one of the best songs ever!!!
Y’all end up deaf for two days but it was worth every minute. You can feel every lick on that guitar. It vibrates you to your soul. Those were the days for great music! ❤️☮️👵🏼🔥
Every time I came into work after a great concert night I would have no voice and my bosses would be really pissed because they would have to answer the phone and deal with customers. They tried to tell me that I couldn't go to concerts if I would not have a voice for work but I told them that they had no control over what I did on my own time. 😝😎
I agree about the band, but about the singer Ronnie Van Zant? His laid back but confident demeanor is the perfect compliment to the frenetic place this song goes to. He sets the tone. He was the perfect front man for these guys. He let the guitars do the showmanship but he was the leader for sure.
You’d be surprised Harry, but I’ve seen them 7 times since 1975 and every concert was basically just as intense! The put on as good of a show any anyone could. There were many other great bands I got to see inside and outdoors, but Skynyrd was never a letdown and you alway felt genuinely fulfilled after each one! (Ears always rang for a couple days!). The singer, Ronnie Van Zant, ran a very tight ship and everyone always played their hearts out!
The "Day on the Green" concerts held in the Oakland Coliseum every summer were legendary even way back when. Did you notice how the entire stadium was filled to the top? Watching this clip and seeing all the fans in the audience going wild reminds me of the high school kids back when I was in elementary school. I'm around the same age as Slash and I've got no doubt he was influenced by Lynyrd Skynyrd. All the guitar playing kids I knew back when were. Every time I watch this clip it makes me want to buy a Gibson Explorer. PS. The line up for that concert was Peter Frampton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, and the Outlaws. Killer!
I can't believe I was so close and never got to go, my folks wouldn't allow it, I remember people talking about it and feeling left out, now I wish I had found a way to get it done by hook or crook!
The website “Wolfgang’s Vault” is an archive of “Bill Graham Presents” who was the concert promoter at that the time for all of the Day on the Greens and countless other concerts. It has videos, live audio recordings of the shows, photos and merchandise such as retro concert t-shirt. Worth checking out.
Harry, I saw Skynyrd in 1976 in an outdoor concert with 3 other Southern Rock bands. The band members of all the bands would get onstage from time to time and jam together. It was hard to tell which band was playing since it turned into players just jamming. Charlie Daniels Band opened with him reaching into a case of Whisky sitting beside the microphone and drinking a huge drink and said hello to the crowd before launching into their set. The crowd was orderly, really high, and loving it! My friends are I were stationed at a nearby military base and when we heard the concert was about to start we grabbed a large rubber wastebasket from the barracks orderly room. It had yellow warning tape along the sides saying “no classified material in this container “. We didn’t have a cooler so we put the trash can in my VW van and loaded it with ice and cases of beer and snapped on the lid. We didn’t know exactly where we were going but took off toward the area which was several miles away. We were military guys and didn’t have much money. We got to the outdoor concert and carried the trash can to the entrance but saw the admission price and began talking to each other about how to get in cheaply. Some bikers had parked nearby and told us to use grease from their motorcycles to mark the back of our hands. The dark oil resembled the stamp used to mark paid concert goers. We all walked right into the concert carrying the waste can full of beer without anyone stopping us! We settled in the grassy lawn near the stage and began trading cold beer for whatever substances that people offered us. What a wonderful time! We spent the day and evening really loaded and enjoyed it immensely. Those were times that were somewhat common back then and the open and unstructured nature of things was super cool. Just remembering all that and wishing you and others could experience the “freedom” we did back then!!!
Helps to bear in mind this song was their second top 40 hit in 1973 - nearly 5 years before this concert, so the song had gained enormous momentum as the band continued to put out more and more hits - including Sweet Home Alabama. So the reaction you see from this crowed is no one-time anomaly! Skynyrd began playing Freebird as their encore closing song knowing full well they'd get this reaction. Check out their 1976 album "One More from the Road" if you want an authentic feel for their whole stage show.
So many ladies, so few bras. Great song, I've played it a few times, it gives me forearm cramps every time. We played it back in March 2020, when everybody was tense about Covid, the gig was a family reunion, so we couldn't refuse the request. We had people actually genuflecting.
Free Bird starts out like a little sparrow just slowly flying through the forest, then it cranks up to an eagle soaring down to catch a fish. So glad i did get to grow up in the 70's hearing this band.
Three all time live performances are Queen at Live Aid in London, AC/DC at River Platte in Argentina and this show at the Oakland Coliseum. They all had massive audiences just eating out of their hands. Total control and magnificent music.
As someone born and raised In Jacksonville, FL I hold these guys close to my heart. What a fantastic reaction. I truly feel as if this is what the world should be like all the time. Everyone just loving each other, loving the music and dancing.
@@bphat68 absolutely! You could throw 38 Special in there as well. My mom’s parents met at a small gig in Jax that had Skynyrd and Molly Hatchet playing. My grandma was apparently good friends with some of the guys in Skynyrd and Papa knew a few dudes from Molly Hatchet. So much good music comes out of FL!
Grew up with it, it reminded me of those days in high school. But when I hear it now, I think of my Mother who died almost 10 years ago. It’s because of the lyrics. Lol. She wouldn’t have ever had anything to do with this kind of music. Oh, it’s also a great warmup song if you’re working out, running, or walking. You know, it’s wild to think about most of these people in the crowd are now in their mid-60s.
Cruising across this rockin amazing country back in the 80s, there wasn't a dive bar I hit that didn't have Free Bird on the juke. We're a generation. We know who we are.
One More from the Road is a live album by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, capturing three shows recorded in July 1976 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 1974 Lynyrd Skynyrd had supported rock promoter Alex Cooley so that the theatre could be saved from demolition. I was there all 3 nights. I've seen them a dozen or more times and these 3 nights in ATL we the best shows I ever saw them preform.
LS is a top 5 band for me. Their musicianship is off the charts. So many epic tracks....both hard and soft. A great amount of meaningful "message" in their music as well.
Sir you were hearing three guitarist. Alan Collins ( in all white), Steve Gaines (in the red pants) and Gary Rossington(with the red guitar) were guitarists. Unfortunately 2 of the band members and a back up singer died on October 20, 1977, about 3 months after this concert. RIP Ronnie Van Zant (January 15, 1948 to October 20 1977), Steve Gaines (September 14, 1949 to October 20, 1977) and Cassie Gaines (January 9, 1948 to October 20, 1977).
The slide guitar bird chirp was added in tribute to the late great Duane Allman. He was an influence to LS. You can hear Duane play the bird chirp at the end of Layla by Derek and the Domino's.
This was the TOP, ABSOLUTE #1 song for anyone in high school in America during the mid- to late-seventies!!! At every Lynyrd Skynyrd concert, the audience was yelling "Freebird!! Freebird!!" from the very beginning of the concert to the end. It was the most requested song - bar none - at every high school dance and party. Every local cover band in every town had to learn how to play this song, because EVERYONE wanted to hear it. People were yelling "Freebird!!" so much, it became an anthem or a meme for that whole slice of our generation. You can still hear reference to it sometimes - it's been used on Saturday Night Live. "FREEBIRD!!!!"
Those were far out, beautiful, musical times friends! Great reaction Harri!! You captured in words, the essence of that concert! mind blowing! I watched it twice! lol. As that song said, "those were the days my friends, we thought they'd never end! California class of 1968..
Harri I was one of the fortunate few who got to see this very iteration of the band live back in 76. And this is not a one night energy event. they brought it every night. Check out their live version of the song from Knebworth England. Same atmosphere. Pure energy.
Your reaction is awesome!!!! I was there, we were on the first base side...UNBELIEVABLE day..I am a grandma now, and my grandkids know the good book of 70's Rock and Roll and of course FREEBIRD! RIP legends
I saw this tour when it hit Chicago a week or so later in 1977. It was unbelievable !! It was barely 3 months later and the horrific plane crash happened.
I was at this concert. To this day, I still get goosebumps at this performance. They had the entire coliseum on there feet. It was off the hook and the guitar riff was one of the most amazing thing to witness. It was devastating the fate that was awaiting. A sad day for rock and roll.
nope, after nuthin fancy ed king left . gimmie back my bullets was made with 2 guitarists . cassie gaines told the boys about her brother . he was in a band called crawdaddy. gary tells the story . they invited him up onstage to play a song and were blown away . on the live album he was only with the band for about six months. he also did some vocals on street survivors.
They were even better in person (I was at this show). You know who I felt bad for? Peter Frampton - his set was the last set of the day (Outlaws, Santana, Skynyrd, Frampton). I turned 18 in August, left for college and then the plane crash was in October. Then in December was the 1st time I saw Queen. It was a great time to be a teenager
Being from Florida, the home of Lynyrd Skynyrd where Free Bird is the unofficial theme song of the South, it warms my heart to see you so touched by their performance! And yes, the band was very special! Thank you for reviewing it!
I saw Skynyrd live 3 times. The 1st was at Georgia Jam at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium in '73. I was 14. That was the 1st time I heard FreeBird. We were standing on the infield 50 ft from a huge speaker tower. 90 seconds into the guitar solos, you couldn't hear the music for the fans cheering. All three times I saw them it was like that. But the singer was the heart of the band. He couldn't read or write music, everything was in his head. If you want to hear one of his best songs listen to The Ballad of Curtis Loew.
One of the biggest concerts to ever take place was "Metallica " in Russia with 1.6 million attending. Copacabana FREE New Year's Eve Concert 1994/1995 with more than 3.5 million people. Rod Stewart broke it one year later (Same occasion, same place)
WOW!!! I lost it when I heard that mournful beginning! This emotes so much emotion for me. Their next performance was to be in Baton Rouge and I had my tickets at the ready!!!! I couldn't hold back anticipation of seeing these guys live. What a heartbreak! This song, in my opinion is the NATIONAL ANTHEM OF SOUTHERN ROCK!!! I always look back at these videos with both sadness and joy. They may be gone but they will never be forgotten. RIP GUYS!!!
Great selection of this classic and high-energy song, Free Bird, performed live. Harri, fantastic reaction! I nearly had to place my earbuds in the refrigerator to cool off.
