This concert was just three months before the plane crash that took the lives of Ronnie Van Want, Steve Gaines & back-up singer Cassie GaInes. In retrospect this performance is heart wrenching. Those summer concerts were a blast! Didn't cost too much, and the crowd just fed off the music. And there was always a joint being passed around. It was like a giant party.

All those young women in the audience are in their 70s now. It would be so cool to be to be able to say, “That’s my Grandma right there, in the yellow bikini top!”

This was Southern rock at it's finest and I'm from the South. I saw them do this at Memorial Stadium in Charlotte, NC on July 13, 1974. It was Under the Stars festival. It featured a lineup of ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rare Earth, Leon Russell, Elvin Bishop, and Billy Preston. That was about 12 hours of my life I would not trade for anything! Things were different then and this was the way we did concerts. They were a lot more fun.

You can always count on Lynerd Skynerd for a kick ass guitar jam session!🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸🎸

This is when concerts were fun to go to. Tickets were reasonable and everyone seem to get along. Security was not all that. Today not, you can't even sneeze the wrong way! First concert Grand Funk Railroad five dollar show 1973

A couple of 'em did leave tomorrow...and yes, we still remember you. And the ones who went later...we'll never forget y'all.

Proudly flyin' the rebel flag - surprised this video hasn't been cancelled.

This was the go to party song at the time. People would play it over & over, and nobody would complain. One of the greatest jams in Rock. Studio or live? I love both.✌️❤️🎶

The greatest live performance in all of history.

The total amount of joy when those guitars broke into that outro should have caused instant world peace.

One of the comments on the original video was from a gentleman who said his mother had told him to watch this video, and at the 505 marker there is a girl on the left with a black tank top on, and he said mom that looks like you she said no that is your grandmother. He says " hello Janet." I thought that was so cool.😃

There's NOTHING like a stadium concert. Everyone should experience it at least once,,,💥💥💥👍😎

Gary Rossington on the slide guitar making the bird sounds, Leon Wilkeson with the hat on playing the bass, Allen Collins in all white shredding in the solo, as well as Steve Gaines with red pants and white shirt. Billy Powell on the piano, Artemus Pyle on drums, and Ronnie Van Zant on lead vocals. 3 and 1/2 months later Steve Gaines and Ronnie Van Zant would die in a plane crash as the band was flying from Greenville, South Carolina to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. October 20th 1977. Sad sad day. Skynyrd Forever 🎸 🎸 🎸

You can tell how tight of a real band they were when Ronnie comes in with a hand gesture to transition.

That’s the Three Guitar Army, along with Leon in the hat on bass.

I'm glad you got talked into doing the live version of this.

Such a shame there isn’t more live footage. Phenomenal talent.

Was lucky enough to catch that tour. As a young guitarist it was life changing

You really need to listen to simple man by them. Beautiful song and very touching lyrics 💙

Never get tired of watching this concert video. Freebird was the anthem of my youth.

I got to experience this live right before the awful crash. Amazing musicians absolutely and Ronnie's voice! The 70's we're fantastic! I paid $7.00 to see them, the Outlaws and Johnny and Edgar Winter. Birmingham, Alabama at Rockwood Field. So loud that you couldn't hear the person next to you scream in your ear.

Excellent reaction Syed. 👍 This concert was 10 days before my 18th birthday. My band members chipped in and bought me a ticket and all 5 of us were there in the middle of that mass of humanity. I had a GREAT time and got a helluva sunburn. It was well worth it!! The one thing this video doesn't quite convey is how incredibly LOUD the concert was. The other bands on the bill that day were The Outlaws, Santana and the headliner was Peter Frampton. Great day of music indeed!! Cheers, RNB

I saw them live. My first concert before the crash. Philadelphia spectrum/Steve Marriott from humble pie and the outlaws. My ears are still ringing😃🎵🎸

In 1976 they opened up for the rolling stones, in Europe. There is a video of that show live as well. The same song.

These guys would practice 10 hrs or more everyday until Ronnie felt it was right. Absolutely Incredible

During your reaction here, you mentioned that it would have been great to be there. Well...... This was my first concert. I was in the Oakland Colosseum when they played their set. I still vividly remember Lunged Sky nurses performance was absolutely fantastic. The amazing thing, they weren't the headliner. The bands were: The Outlaws, Santana, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Peter Frampton. I only really remember Lunged Skynyrd, for obvious reasons.

I tell my kids I wish I could bring them back to the 70's til this day a show them how to really have fun Great concerts every weekend

Best live version. Live At The Knebworth Festival, England.

How can we not smile at this?!

Yup. How cool to be there with all of those beautiful young grandmothers.

Three guitarists and one bass player. The lineup of this show was Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocals), Billy Powell (piano), Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Steve Gaines (all guitar), Leon Wilkinson (bass), Artimus Pyle (drums), Cassie Gaines, Jojo Billingsly, and Leslie Hawkins (all backing vocals). Within a few weeks of this performance, Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines and Cassie Gaines all died in a plane crash and the rest of the band were seriously injured.

I don’t know if anyone has mentioned this but the piano player, classically trained, was a roady when they realized he could play!

Not to belabour the "you gotta watch this/that version" requests you always get, but one other live version of Free Bird definitely worth checking out is from Knebworth in 1976. The guitar solos on the Oakland version were actually cut off at the end (the edit is a bit sloppy), while the Knebworth clip shows the full length of the guitar jam. Also, and especially important, they were opening for The Rolling Stones on a stage that was built to look like the Stones' famous tongue logo. Skynyrd was told, in no uncertain terms, that they were NOT to venture onto the front "tongue" part of the stage, which was reserved exclusively for the Stones. So what did Skynyrd do during the Free Bird jam? They went straight out onto the tongue - in fact, Ronnie Van Zant pretty much pushed the guitar players out there. They blew the Stones off of their own stage, and "trespassed" in the process.

Such a well-constructed piece of music. And every time the camera pans the crowd, I fall in love like 1000 times! 😎👍❤

You checked out (eyed) those grandma's & great grandma's We knew how to rock in our day and still do👊🎼❤🎤🇺🇸🕇🕇🕇

I was there and these concerts at Oakland are called ‘Day On the Green.’ Starts at 10 am, 4-5 bands. Soooo much fun. Glad you enjoyed!

I was 16 turning 17 the summer of 77 and I enjoyed many concerts at JFK in Philadelphia and it was exactly like that! Opening smoking weed and drinking beer if we could sneak it by security in our socks! Just good times!

This song came on the radio back when I was 14 and my best friend was over I told him listen to this! This is awesome! The AM radio station played a short version without the guitar solo's... my bud said if you like that you should put it on the FM station he said they play the whole song there. I switched stations and darn if the song was playing as soon as I switched over, He said now listen...which I did and my mind was blown at the Solo.....After the song ended he said, you know, most of those guys are from right here in our neighborhood don't you? Mind blown ....again, LOL

I would time travel to this moment & watch this concert with this awesome crowd.

I saw them in Oakland back in 1975. They came on after Edgar Winter and opened for Johnny Winter. Great concert.

Bottle-neck or slide guitar at the start with the bird songs. Check Gary Rosington's (black and white shirt, red guitar) finger on the neck of his guitar; you may see glimpses of a shiny cylinder (could be glass or hard plastic) to get the tweet tweet sounds. ENERGY is the key word as you so immediately pointed out. SEEING the energy in the video is vastly different than only hearing it on the studio version. The crowd knows what's coming once the band switches from the tender, slow first-half "AND THE CROWD GOES CRAZY!" I like to concentrate on the bass player as the ending is approached; he's playing those bass cables like they're normal guitar strings; practically breaks his finger keeping up with the tempo! But he -- Leon Wilkeson -- does an admirable job. And the piano! Helped by the sound engineers, remaining audible through the loudest portions of the last movement. Love it!

"Play it pretty for Anaheim" Ronny Van Zant at Angels Stadium 1977...

Yeah we still remember you Ronnie

I was there on the main level where there was shade, it was a warm day. "Day on the Green" is what it was called back then.

Goosebumps brother. And I’ll admit to a tear or two. Thanks.

A moment in time. And thankfully, I was in that time.

One of the characteristics of this band was that they never deviated from their recorded script. They always sang and played their songs exactly as they are on the albums.

A masterpiece. Ronnie Van Zant lead singer Gary Rossington slide guitarist Allen Collins guitarist Steve Gaines guitarist Leon Wilkeson bassist Artimus Pyle drummer Billy Powell keyboardist

these guys are from my home city. Jacksonville, FL

Whisky rocker roller live! Won't disappoint!

I was there … so much fun !!! I believe there was 55,000 people that day .

geez, this all transports me back to the 70's. Still love the long hair, clean and blowing in the wind. No hair products back then for the youth....lol.

One bass and three electric guitars, The Guitar Army. The three could seamlessly hand the lead to each other. I can't think of another band that did or does that.

I went to their concert here in Vegas about 7 years ago and they still rocked it. Of course FREEBIRD was their finally and the whole audience was singing along. It was fantastic!

Happy that you reacted to this iconic live concert video!

Festival Rock ! Some Bands would build up a jam and everyone would be swept up in it and carried away. Grateful Dead most famously and Allman brothers, Grand Funk Railroad, The Band, etc were a able to really play to a festival crowd which is a different skill than recording albums. Great reaction, those were the days although it’s a bit hazy.

Three months after this Ronnie Van Zant, lead vocalist, Steve Gaines guitarist and vocalist and Cassie Gaines backup vocalist were killed in the plane crash 💔💔💔 What’s eerie is that Ronnie Van Zant began calling himself “The Mississippi Kid” in the months before the plane crash though he was born in Florida. The only connection he would end up having with Mississippi was that it was where he died 💔

I’m so glad you watched this. Can’t express it enough.

Greatly enjoyed these two reviews - especially in proper order: studio, then, Live. Thanks!!

Live versions rock! Saw Lynyrd Skynyrd back in 1974 in Louisiana! They were awesome! ✌

Hey Sy... if you haven't already done it, I highly recommend they're version of ...... Call Me the Breeze... it's a really fun song, good instrumentals also, love what you're doing friend

What an amazing performance by an amazing group. It’s interesting to see the best southern rock band (in my opinion) performing live right there in the San Francisco area (Oakland), which was known for psychedelic rock. Outstanding performance by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Just subbed Love your choices

On the original studio recording Billy Powell, the piano player, was still just a roadie, helping to set up and tear down the sets. Soon after Ronnie heard him noodling around on a piano with one of their songs and found out he was a classically trained pianist. He showed him a few variation that a piano could add to their songs and Ronnie added him to the band on the spot.

I was lucky enough to see the band, at the "Empire", in Liverpool,1976! Only a few hundred at the gig, but the reaction was so good, we broke through the newly erected safety barrier, at the front of the stage, and had a great night, even though the band seemed quite taken aback, by the reaction!😄✌

A truly legendary Rock band!!

I was 12 when this concert was played. Seeing all the girls in the crowd reminds me of all the teenage girls in our town that looked just like that.

The guy in the bear hat that you liked is Leon Wilkeson, their phenomenal bass player. Not only is he really good, his endurance is remarkable. It happens in the studio recording as well but did you notice in the final huge climax how he and the drummer Artemis Pyle were just going off playing 32nd notes? Just a machine gun blast and this is after an entire long concert. The audio to this is from the same tour but it's at the Fox Theater in Atlanta Georgia which I think there is a video of that as well, but that's the one that is on their double album that is live performances from that final tour before the plane crash, and it's called One More from the Road. Everything on it is gold but one of my favorites is their cover of the super old classic Jimmy Rogers tune called T for Texas. You can just search for the audio live at the Fox Theater, and listen to the bass on that. Not only does the whole song just cook like crazy, that's one of those repetitive bass lines where Leon is playing incredibly hard and he never lets up except for a few breakdowns through this whole song. And again, this is in the middle of a big long concert. And they did it over and over again. The man is a machine. They all are. Billy Powell played that huge concert white grand piano and they flew it from gig to Gig and they had to tune it before every single show, laugh. he is an amazing piano player, some of their studio cuts really feature it. I wish they would have showed more of Artemis Pyle in this; he's a fantastic drummer and finally you got to see how those slide guitar sounds in the beginning are produced. Both Steven Gaines and Gary Rossington were playing them, while Allen Collins was on that white Explorer or whatever it is.

The most important and entertaining music video on YT.

Legendary!!!!

They feed off the energy of the crowd. I think it's one of the top all time live performances.

Your spirit animal guy was playing bass. The organ sound you heard in the studio version was actually the slide guitar, the one making the bird chirps. There's one more live performance you need to watch. In 1976, LS performed at a 3 day fest in Knebworth, England. They went on before the Rolling Stones. The Stones were promoting a new album called Hot Licks and had a special tongue shaped catwalk built for themselves. All the other bands were told to stay off the catwalk; it was strictly for the Stones. Well, when the Free Bird solo came up, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant pulled his guitar army out onto the tongue catwalk. The Stones were furious and LS had the crowd in such a frenzy, the Stones refused to come out for hours! The video quality isn't as nice as Oakland's but you see less of the crowd and more of the band. Other reactors have watched all 3 versions and while they're amazed at Oakland, Knebworth usually wins as the favorite. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i617fLtjxLzNdmw.html

Thanks for being my favourite music analysis channel! Love your positivity, honesty and sharp insights into both the lyrics and the music, and always look forward to your new videos. Would love it if you could react to The Great Curve by Talking Heads :)

We had 3 guitars a bass player and drummer in our cover band so we were able to play lots of good classic rock, we even played free bird, as best as we could 😆, my hand would always cramp up during the guitar solos. It was always so fun to play especially when it speeds up for the 4 minute ending

Ready

2 Xs I saw them in Atlanta. Amazing party vibe.

"Both are great, no need to compare". This applies to so much more than I'm able to apply it too.

Thank you

Three months after this concert, the lead singer and guitarist in the red pants were killed in a plane crash along with some of the crew members. This song makes me sad!! 💜💜🎵🎼🎶🥁🎸🎧🎹🎙🤘🤘🤘

Syed you are totally correct about their musicianship. They are legendary and Allen Collins was unbelievable.

I saw them front row center!!

Notice Ronnie is wearing a Neil Young tee shirt. The media made that beef way larger than it was between the two artists.

WOW

I knew you would like this. Most of their live stuff is as good as studio or better.

I was at the same tour in Anaheim at the Angel Stadium they should’ve recorded it there instead of here. In Anaheim they came out just as the sun was going down and when the sun went down and the lights came on and Lynyrd Skynyrd was jammin it was amazing this is good very good but Anaheim was amazing

I agree the synergy with the croud was amazing. Not every band can do that. If you want to see another great example check out AC/DC live at River Plate... Maybe start with a mid set performance such as Whole Lotta Rosie.

Believe it or not the 1976 live Atlanta performance is even better. Check it out on your own and they focus more on the musicians than the crowd.

You should check out the Outlaws ( known as the 3 guitar army ) doing their song Hurry Sundown it is awesum. As well as Green Grass and High Tides.

You should also watch them do T Fo Texas Live. Incredible musicianship.

I was there

Interestingly, when talking about how the crowd made the whole thing - Skynyrd weren't even headlining this show. Peter Frampton was the headliner (which explains the percentage of females up front), Lynyrd Skynyrd, Santana, and The Outlaws was the full lineup and they did two shows at the Oakland Coliseum. Tickets cost.....wait for it..... $11.00. Headliner or not, you put a band like that playing that song that well, EVERYBODY is into it.

Check out "The Breeze "

THE SADDEST PART ABOUT ALL OF THIS SYED WAS THE PLANE CRASH THAT HAPPENED IN THE SAME YEAR WHILE TOURING! :( 77 ) :( AMAZINGGGG PERFORMANCE WHICH THEY DID AT ALLLLL THEIR SHOWS. :)

If you get a chance, watch the documentary, "Muscle Shoals". There is a part of it where they discover Lynyrd Skynrd and they are working on some recordings, then go out to eat. When they come back, there is guy sitting there, playing the piano very well. It was one of their roadies and he was classically trained pianist. They put him in the band and I am pretty sure that is the one playing here, at the beginning.

Major SUN BURNS

Would love to see you react to am i losin by lyn Skynyrd

GREAT reaction!!! The only other song filmed from this concert is "Sweet Home Alabama" and it is great as well!!! Check it out!

Best guitar solo ever. Rip.

I saw them headline an all-day show a couple weeks later at Anaheim Stadium. Freebird closed out the night and seemed to go on forever. Then two months later Ronnie, Steve, and Cassie were gone. It was so sad. As Duck Dunn would say, They were powerful enough to turn mule piss into gasoline. Long May their Freebird fly.

Died right before their best album came out. You should listen to "That Smell"