My Dad was at this concert. He’s 66.. I wasn’t born until well into the 80s but one thing I’ll always carry with me is my Dads taste in music. Several Skynyrds songs never leave my playlist.
@@Scorpiobwmy dad was exactly the same. a lot of nostalgia in songs like this for me as i’m sure it’s the same for you. i was born in 2000 but my dad was born in ‘64. i’m so glad he showed me real music that was made from a deep place inside. stuff like this is very hard to find today, damn near impossible. same goes for concerts. the last great one in my opinion was woodstock ‘99.
1977, I’m 15 listening to these fellas from Jacksonville Fl. rocking hardcore. Now I’m 63 and playing this song more today than I did back then. Pretty girls, killer music, long hair, bell bottoms and fast cars. What a time to be alive. To everyone from that era I may not know ya but I’m glad you were there.
I'm finally getting to send a comment. 62 yes old . I've very eclectic taste in music, love all types ,styles ....but hands down this song is the top , it gets me every time I hear it I'm actually emotional while listening and typing this . All these years after the tragedy it just gets better , you don't just listen to it , you feel it inside you .
Not sure if thats true with forever, you know, we are right at the begin of going through an anti-Christian age and its unknown of what will remain after that. God bless
RIP Gary Rossington. Haunting to know all the guys on the front of that stage, hair flowing in the wind, in their prime are now all freebirds. Thanks for all the great music.
@@strandalx what he’s saying is everyone at the front of the stage all 3 guitar players, the bass player, and singer are all gone now… not hard to understand if you take more than 3 seconds to read what he said. The only memeber still alive in this lineup is the drummer.
@@troylovette6911 yeah, that comment actually made me cry, and i don't cry. i saw this stadium show in 76 at RFK. was fucking spiritual. dreary day, they came out for an encore and the sky opened up and the sun shown threw was magical....spiritual...
@@Olikiscrazy Too bad about woke wanchors whinging! The atmosphere there was so GREAT, everyone was on a musical HIGH, nobody worried about a flag that represented their home turf!
@@Olikiscrazy Try using your brain. This was a fantastic concert, probably before your time when there were no woke wanchors to whinge about a flag, just enjoy a sunny day and no negative vibes!
Yesterday I watched my Mom tell my Dad goodbye by for the last time. They loved music and going to concerts so I asked the medical staff if it was ok to turn on music. They approved so I started 70’s rock station on pandora. This was the first song to play and as soon my mom heard the song she looked up and said this was our song when we first started to date back in the 70’s. They removed life support at that time and my dad passed as the song ended. What a moment to experience. Freebird will be forever etched in my heart 🥺🤘🏽❤️
That is powerful Antonio, and although it took place during a very emotionally sad moment, that was beautiful. I've requested an informal laid-back gathering for my funeral, and with that request I have also asked for this live version of "Free Bird" to be played in closing. Btw, I'm also Antonio. Just know that your Father is in eternal peace with the love of our dear Lord. Many blessings to you, your Mother and the rest of your family.
Yes it was!! I was there I was 16 in 1977 It was a Hot Day Tons of Ladies and everyone was having a good time !! I still have My Ticket Stub and I even got a Guitar Picks from Steve,Allan and GAry I still have them also ...
My mother's favorite song ❤️ she is a angel now we we love an miss you mom! 😘❤️😊😢 She died yesterday at 12:35 she was the greatest woman in my life ❤ October 11,2024 bless your soul mom😢❤
Sorry for your loss man, her memory will live on and this song will never be forgotten for many Lynyrd Skynyrd fans like us, including your mother as well, for she's free as a bird now 🥲💔🕊️
They're all as free as a bird now... RIP Lynyrd Skynyrd. Fly high Gary (Edit: yes I know Artimus Pyle is still with us, but as for Original Skynyrd they've left us)
I strongly, agree. Fly free without the weight, whatever it may have been!! I love ❤️ and miss you Momma!! Regina Isabella!! We all love you and miss you ❤️ so much our queen 👸!!!
I couldn't believe it when I saw this. I was there with my best bud Mark. Up near the fence. Almost didn't go because I was asked to work that Saturday. Called in sick and went anyway. A few month later the plane crashed. A couple of years later Mark was killed by a drunk driver. It is absolutely true when you get older your real regrets are for what you didn't do. SOOOO glad I blew off work to see this. So glad this is available. Can't watch without tearing up because it brings back so many great memories. Good times!!!
My dad was at this show. I think about him in the crowd and look for him every time I watch this. I miss my dad. He’s up there with Ronnie Van Zant. Dang Ronnie was a special special person and a big loss. All the good rock songs remind me of so many memories. It will never be like that again, young and feeling so alive with the best music EVER!!!
Rest in Peace, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Larry Junstrom, Bob Burns, Leon Wilkeson, Billy Powell, Ed King, Steve Gaines, Cassie Gaines. Gone but not forgotten.
Yeah, but Ronnie, Van Zandt, Steve, Gaines and Cassie Gaines should have remembered the first three that died in the accident. They should always come first when mentioning what happened to the greatest southern rock band ever.
My husband just died of cancer. He was 63. I'm 52. He played this for me a month before he died. This is my first time listening to it since he passed. The words mean so much more now...
Similar here Sheena. Husband died July 2018. He was 59 I was 54. This was one of his favorites but I couldn't use it in his funeral because it was too long. I cry every time I play it.
@@NotSoCrazyNinja Let's hope that's still the case in 3069 and beyond and even more importantly that this will be playing in some club up in Heaven in the afterlife, with Skynyrd as the headliners --- let's hope that great music isn't the only thing that lives forever!
Thank you, Gary, for everything you brought to the unique and powerful sound of southern rock. May you rest in peace. Duane, Hughie, Billy, Allen, Steve have a place at the table set for you.
What an artist! I love hearing all of this. Rip Gary and thank you for the magic of your words. I'm a senior lady now and hearing his music takes me way back in time.
Yes yes so true, Free Bird is soulfull yet so driven in youthfull splendor with symphomic rock Harmonies as this Majestic piece defies time Expresses love and creates inphinite Joy.
I'm from Georgia growing up in the South as A black man. This song and this group represents the South. I know my history. But it was still black and white people who built this country. May not agreed on a lot of things, but shit got done! Meanwhile, Lynard Skynard band was not politicians, they were a band that if you like "MUSIC," THEY PLAYED IT. THANK YOU SKYNARD BAND FOR ALL OF YOUR GOOD MUSIC. WHICH IS STILL IN MY SOUL!! SOUTHERN BORN AND SOUTHERN FED,I'LL BE SOUTHERN TIL IM DEAD!! A FAN!!! 👍✌️👊
I love how this song does a slow burn for the first 6 minutes or so, slowly increasing in tempo until it hits a crescendo that just keeps going for another 5 minutes. Amazing. It's one of the best rock-n-roll songs ever recorded, and it's iconic for a good reason.
@@jeffk464 The Tennessee Battle Flag (not Confederate Flag) was not seen as a bad thing then, and that's because it never was until propaganda started about it in the 1990s. It was a battle flag, just like Texas' but I guarantee you no one here knows what Texas' Battle Flag looks like.
@@jeffk464I don't think the place matters much, but the setting. This genre of music is often listened to by those who have those flags, not surprising. Not all of course.
So tragic and sad that just over three months later, the plane went down and ended Skynyd. Makes you wonder what else they would have given us. Truly a magical band that still sells their original albums. RIP to all founding members.
@@janetprice85 yeah Janet, I cried too. I worked at Mercedes Benz and I'd listen to the radios while working on them. At first it seemed surreal and when he started saying their names it hit me. I read stories about that plane and Aerosmith turned down flying in it , so it was a stupid decision to take the chance that forever changed a lot of peoples lives. One thing is I get to play their music on my guitar. Peace always.
They're still touring. The spirit of Skynard lives on in the current band. They're as tight as ever. They still live for all the right reasons. They're some of the realest people that exist on the earth.
The last original member Gary Rossington died this year. Everyone from this performance (Except drummer Artimus Pyle because he's still here today) is a free bird now.
@@IaintTheHerb "Thanks Boomers"??? WTF is that supposed to mean? If it wasnt for "boomers" as you so insultingly refer to us, that music would never have come to be. Getting damn sick and tired of being insulted for my generation! People try to put us down, just because we got around... Talkin about my generation.. Why don't you all just fade away... we stopped a war, what has your entitled sorry-ass generation done or likely to do? Not much it would seem.
This was my dad's favorite band, and favorite song. Ever since I could remember, he wanted this to be played at his funeral. And I did. He passed on 11.10.2021. he is a free bird now. The lyrics feel like they were written for me and my dad. I love you, dad! Fly high
I have a list of songs my wife has been told to play at that time. I told her to get some big speakers, put one on each side of my head, crank it up and play them. If no part of me moves, then I'm gone. Freebird is at the top of the list.
I'm 81. So fucking proud and happy that I was part of this generation. Soon I'll be a freebird. "Things just couldn't be the same and this FREEBIRD you'll never tame."
I hear you!! I'm 63 almost 64 and I love listening to this song over and over. I saw them in the late '80's in Indy. They were fabulous even though my BF got mad at me for taking a hit when the guy in front of me offered to share. 😂 This song is a national treasure. Way before everyone got PC about flags etc. They were amazing. Let Freedom ring!!! ❤️🇺🇸💙
You lived during all the great decades you fucking legend. I so wish I was in my 80s and soon to be off this fucking cesspool of a planet. No culture class talent arts love congregation nothing anymore. I'm jealous of your generation.
FUCKING CHRIST! @8:44 WHEN THE MAD HATTER ENTERS THE SHOT, HIS FUCKING HANDS ARE MOVING. ANYONE THAT PLAYS BASS OR EVEN GUITAR CAN TELL YOU THE AMOUNT OF CRAMPING AND BLISTERING SOMETHING LIKE THAT WILL DO TO A MANS HAND. FUCK MAN, THIS GUYS HANDS MUSCLES AND LIGAMENTS MUST BE LIKE LEATHER. JESUS CHRIST!! LEON WILKESON 🙏
I'm right here with ya girl!! I'm 71 and STILL listen to this song all the time, especially while driving in the summer with windows down and FreeBird on blast. Lol, the looks I get seeing a granny rocking out to this iconic forever song.
I’ve watched this video many times. For some reason I got emotional this morning watching it. I miss these days. The world was so much simpler. Today’s world is full of so much hate. People pitted against one another. I wish we could go back. It just made me tear up thinking about it. You can literally feel the happiness in the crowd.
@@mtns340 Concerts are way to expensive these days. I’m just not going to pay $150 a person to watch a band from the nose bleed section. When I started going in the early 80s they were only $11-12 a person. Besides the old bands are just a shell of their former selves and there hasn’t been any “new” band worth listening to since the 90s. I was really into music and going to concerts back in the day. Literally hundreds of shows and I still have my concert Tshirts to show for it but at my age now , I’d rather be at home at 11:00 at night and not driving two hours to get home.
The audience is very one toned, I’m sure they were happy. Not sure about people of other colors. Life is never simple. It’s a concert for a few hours , then you go back to fighting over the credit card balance, in laws and whatever.there was and will never be a simpler time in history.
This was our sons favorite songs, we lost him to leukemia at age 22 - grateful for the time we had with him. We know he is in Heaven Flying like a Freebird! We Love this song, many memories...😢
I’m so sorry for your colossal loss, may you seek solace in Jesus or seek comfort and peace knowing you were blessed with your son… gone too soon, 22👣🙏❤️
I graduated from high school in 1977. This song was the anthem of my generation. Yes I'm a boomer, and an old man now - but this one still gives me goosebumps - still gets me up, singing and playing the air guitar. Jesus this was such a great time.
My oh my, what a glorious time to be alive then. Before the internet and "smart phones" and influencers and big name sponsors. Just music and people enjoying life.
I wish I was born in the 50s instead of 1980 so i would been able to listen amd see all the greatest live and in their prime, like this performance here which is one of the best.
@@subjectively-observeredexelend music is the ultimate barrier chrusher and connector for us as beings, so i hope someone will start making great music again, we have some but the industry wants hits for like 3 months and it's all crap in my opinion.
Heard this song a million times, but something about this live version, seeing these guys perform it. All gone now. Just chills all over when they hit the chorus. Feels more human than anything else.
Freebird was first song I heard after my husband passed suddenly in 1975. He was 27. This song never fails to send me back to those emotional days. I'm 75 now and this song still tears me up in so many ways. Peace 🌞🙏🕊🕊🕊🇺🇸
the best part about this is that the only reason they flew that shitty traitor rag is to rope in their white trash fans they wouldn't have otherwise had.
Concerts like this is where the term "Rock Star" was born. No computer help, just talent and ability. Getting an entire stadium jumping up and down, clapping hands and singing. This was done pre computer and internet.
Lynyrd Skynyrd truly has one of the saddest stories in Rock history. This concert was held about 3 months before the plane crash (plane ran out of fuel and crash-landed in a forested area in Gillsburg) where two of the band members, Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist) and Steve Gaines (guitarist and backing vocalist ), were killed on impact alongside the pilot, co-pilot, Steve's older sister and the Assistant Road Manager. The rest of the band members suffered serious injuries but survived, The lead guitarist Allen Collins (who plays that incredibly legendary guitar solo on this track, accompanied by Gary Rossington playing the rhythm parts) survived the accident only to see his wife die, along with his unborn child, from complications in childbirth. A few years later he suffered a traffic accident that claimed the life of his girlfriend and left him paralysed, without the possibility of playing the guitar ever again on stage. He died in 1990, at the age of 37 from chronic pneumonia, a complication of the paralysis.
Earlier this year, I was in a village in the middle of nowhere in Sweden and a musician outside a cafe was playing this song, that's how powerful it is.
@@nowitsabadtime American music has been playing overseas for a while, my dad's cousin had VHS footage and cassettes of American bands during communist Yugoslavia.
I have a best friend who has a sister and brother in law living in New camera beach FL. 1970 these guys would play on Saturday nites on the beach!!!! Nobody knew who they were. And the he'll of it was..... It was all free. Just like all the drugs being handed around to the guy standing next to you.
Remember what you've seen here and keep the memories alive. Your generation can create new music and pass this along. Introduce others to the music from this era. 👍👊🤘 You have excellent taste!
@@armydlguy Oakland Coliseum. Day on the green. They held concerts every weekend during the summer. I saw the Stones and just about every major rock band during the 70’s. 3 bands performed every concert. Great times!
I'm officially 26 years old listening to this masterpiece. I'm convinced this is the last pedestal to music genius. Learning guitar to reach this eccentric and phenomenal solo. Rip to the men and women lost. Timeless band and wish them the best in the afterlife.
You can tell that on that stage, they knew they have cemented themselves into Rock History as an American cultural icon. A truly legendary performance.
This song has never made me emotional. But after hearing of the passing of Gary, the last surviving original member of the band, I can’t help but get teary eyed. Fly high free bird. 🕊️
All these years later it still gets to me. I was 17 years old when that plane went down. We had just seen them a few months before on Columbus ga. It was the first concert I saw where no one sat down. I’m now soon to be 64 years old and it still breaks my heart. But many thanks to the people that have restored these precious films.
I was thirteen years old at Tate High School, and because of being a Florida band, everyone was grieving the deaths of the band members in the plane crash. Of course some more than others, and out of empathy with fellow students, it became much more collective grieving. It felt like gloom in the hallways between classes, especially in the newer parts of the school.
you were just a kid! i was playing this on a @stereo@ [remember stereo?] in a soulless town in the soulless heart of east london/thames estuary but we got stoned and this was our number one track.. followed by mountain jam or rattus norvegicus. i'm a bit olld for all those marathon hard rock sessions and my darling wife doesn't approve but i still like my music.
Yep, the whole world now is such a sh1tshow, nothing but anger and angst, all due to multi culturism, certain cultures simply do not mix with others, you know who i'm talking about. They want to rule/take over the whole world.
I was born in 1972 now I’m 51 and am grateful to have been in one of the greatest generations of music. Now music just isn’t what if use to be. No new awesome band.
54 and I agree , everything is to fast to much BS ....I loved the time when there where no cellphone z life was easier...we grew in the 70s and 80s best times
Oh I LOVE this! I wanna go back to this time in my life so bad. Even though I'm old, I'm happy to be old knowing that I was able to live in this time period.
Let’s be honest young people right now will be saying the same thing in a few decades. People forget the bad things from the past and remember the good thing
I get very emotional thinking back on the million things that have passed by, never to return. I'm 63 as well and I can completely understand how my parents clung on to the music of their time. Yes, the 70s were such a time of optimism where everything seemed possible. I left home at 17 and traveled the country completely free and have been ever since. Poor, but free. This song is my anthem.
@@llamapajama7840 the plane had insufficient fuel, so sad but true. This was taken from Wikipedia: The pilots attempted to navigate to McComb Airport, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of the eventual crash site in Amite County, Mississippi, but soon realized that the plane would not make it. As a last resort, they attempted an emergency landing in an open field about 300 yards (270 m) from where the plane eventually went down.[7] Despite their efforts, at approximately 6:52 pm[1] the plane skimmed about 100 yards (91 m) along the top of the tree line before smashing into a large tree and splitting into pieces near Gillsburg, Mississippi.
I noticed that, wish I could fucking hear him, I'm gonna have to play this on like a really good speaker one day, see if I can hear it because he was doing a lot more work than the guitarist for a little bit there
I met Leon many years ago at Jax Beach in Jacksonville flat. He was at a beach bar playing with a local band for fun and we had drinks together. He was the nicest guy and so down to earth. If you didn't know who he was you would never guess he was a member of one of the most famous rock bands in history. What a fantastic guy!!!!
@@danecummins2092totally agreed. My dad used to run with the drummer from Molly Hatchet, and he met a few of these guys as well. We actually live down the street from RVZ’s widow, and his daughter, and my brother is friends with RVZ’s granddaughter. They truly were/are Jacksonville’s pride and joy.
Part of the reason why the solo kills is because the drummer and the bassist are driving it along underneath. They are laying down this amazing foundation for the guitarists to build on. Absolute magicians and artists.
These guys are without a doubt some of the most talented and skilled professional musicians of the 70's they put all they had into their music and it showed. Just a fantastic band!
Trips me out to think everyone at this concert are all senior Citizens now😮. I was born in '78 & this was a year before my birth. Pretty cool to think. Grandparents now listen to hard rock & some future grandparents will be listening to hardcore rap 😜🤣🤣🤣🤣
Thank you to whoever filmed this in 1977. Including so many clips of the crowd makes this a vital piece of social history. And makes me yearn to be 17 again as I was then. It is exactly how I remember that time. The people are exactly as I remember them. Apart from which of course, this is one of the best, if not THE best ever live performances of any band, ever!
Pretty sure it may very well, even though it could be a couple thousand years, so we just have to be grateful that we got to witness one of the best periods that time had to offer, praise the Lord! God Bless the country that allowed time to show us and let us hear the human spirit, freedom and liberty for all!
I'm 70 and still diggin' this massive song! Saw them in concert in Miami, FL, when I was 25 or 26. Unfortunately, we lost 😢 three great ones a year later........
Getting old makes me sad at times. Especially watching videos like this. But being young and at the right place at the right time is priceless. All those young people (the ones that are still alive at least) are all old and grey now, but had the time of their lives that day. That part makes me happy.
You're absolutely right growing up at the right time in the right place it is absolutely priceless. We didn't realize how lucky we were at the time, growing up in that generation. Truly priceless, no other generation can or will ever be the same.
This has to be the greatest live performance EVER...oh to have been there! What joy, energy, talent, emotion. How tragic they left us so soon. Fly high freebirds!
I was 17 in 1977 and I have so many memories tied to this song. I was fortunate enough to see this band before their airplane crashed. I was 14. The only reason my parents let me go was because I was with a very nice boy, Rob Link, and his dad or step-dad drove us. I'll never forget the limousine with the band drove in front of us crossing a street, they had to stop at the light. I walked up, they rolled the window down and gave me their bottle of Mateus (wine, I think, I was too young to drink but kept that bottle). What a great memory. I love this song!
This is the first song I learned to play on guitar. I was 12 years old and I learned it by ear. It took me about 18 months. I found out years later that there was 3 guitar players lol! Anyway, I love these people and this entire band and this song is responsible for launching what turned into a 32 year songwriting and recording career. Unfortunately, people died young and it changes things but i am grateful to this band for the incredible music. Some of it is really difficult to play. These guys were all above and beyond top shelf talent and ability. When you play a bunch of a bands songs for over 3 decades you learn a lot about them and their music but what i really struggle with is the profound sadness I feel today. I really liked Gary and every one of them almost like family or something. I could not hold back the tears when I heard Gary passed away and I will never forget the music they wrote and shared with us. I never would have spent over 3 decades writing, recording and playing in a rock band had I not overheard the love in that Atlanta crowd when Ronnie asked that now iconic question: WHAT SONG IS IT YOU WANNA HEAR? The rest is history for me as they say. I know we could all probably go on forever here so I will try not to. I feel such a closeness to this band that just grew over the decades and I am profoundly sad to hear that Gary Passed away. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the slide guitar in Freebird. Thank you for making your guitar chirp like a bird. And thank you for playing the songs correctly ALL the time. The talent, ability and professionalism Gary consistently brought to the table rivals anyone and I will never forget him ever. Rest in peace Gary, I wish I could have told you how much you mattered to me and countless others. Well done my good man, I am forever grateful!
To me, this is the definitive "Freebird" video. These guys were giving it all they had! And they were all very talented musicians and entertainers. The southern rock anthem of the 70s!
with stevie on guitar - forgetr about it- ther whole sound is stringer, cleaner, stevie was a master- very very humble, reaspectful - but im telling you - ghe changes everything- witjh stevie - (and ronnie, of course) LS would have elevated to the stratosphere -
the concert was in 1977, today it's 2023, so it's been 46 years, most people there were in their mid 20's so they are at least 65 years of age nowadays. Mind blowing.
I'm 71. Flew to Little Rock to start work with a new company the same weekend of their crash. I was nervous on that plane out of Memphis that weekend. What a band it was and the best live album of all time. Thanks guys peace to you the band is together again, play it pretty Gary
Even more amazing this took place in California and flying a flag that makes modern liberals cry foul about racism and supremacy. The 1970's were truly something, a totally different world and time.
@@mr.sinjin-smyth "liberals"... nothing liberal about those creeps(except the degree of stupidity and ignorance they regularly exhibit) lol leftist lunatics is more like it
The whole song, the whole video, is epic, is even kind of spooky. Nothing else compares to it. It transcends time and events, it forecasted things to come, but froze time in that perfect moment.
@@missrayelyn3045 Music has a way of doing that. Not to wax philosophical, but I wonder how many world leaders would work through their problems if they would sit and enjoy some nice music together for a while.
When 7 top musicians stand on stage and understand each other blindly, a masterpiece like Freebird is created. I am now almost 72 years old and still love this song as much as I did in 1977 when I was 25. I am very grateful to the musicians for giving me so many wonderful hours with their music🎸🎸🎸🎸✌✌❤
So true. Certain bands do it beautifully. These guys are like the E Street band, all so talented individually, but together just off the charts as a group
My parents loved this song and they played a lot of classic rock on our radios, especially the car. We all loved this and even had it play at the end of my wedding. My parents introduced me to some great music (born in the 80s and raised in the 90s). My parents were teens when this was released. Still a favorite of my mom and I (my dad passed away in Nov. 2022). It hits hard, sometimes, this song. I did get to see them in concert somewhere between 10 and 12 years ago, outside, right after an evening thunderstorm. The wind was blowing during this song and there was lightning in the distance--the perfect combo. We had so much fun that evening.
Me too. In 1977, I was in my last year in the United States Marine Corps. The 70s were GREAT. I'd go back and stay, even repeat my 4 years in the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi from an old Marine Sergeant.
18 yrs old. What I wouldn’t give to be born back then. The future is so damn fucked and everything is in a decline, you guys at least got a taste of something good.
@@noahlinden9641 the 70s were a great time to be a teenager and young adult... I loved it, and I dated a lot of ladies, I mean a lot. I enjoyed my 4 years in the United States Marine Corps 1973 to 1977. Semper Fi from an old Marine Sergeant.
I'm only 38 but my favorite album when I was around 10 was "Second Helping" my brother always played it when he'd take me snowboarding. I love snowboarding but listening to that album in his Dodge Conquest? (I might not remember the vehicle) with chains on while driving up 410 on our way to Crystal Mountain in Washington state will always be a cherished memory.
