My beautiful young wife and I saw them in October, 1976, exactly 1 year to the day before the plane crash. Today I sit across from that still beautiful young wife who just got the wonderful word yesterday that she has beat cancer and is now cancer free. What glorious times in which I have been so privileged to live. Peace and love to all!
long live to you and your wife! That the ghosts of the past times you had recently struggling against this desease be forggoten and you both have marvelous years ahead, with ease, peace and joy!
October 20, 1977. I was at Parris Island. It was dead silent in the squad bay while my recruit platoon was cleaning weapons. Suddenly a drill instructor walks - ok, stalks - into the bay, with a radio no less, puts it on a foot locker & turns it on. He tells us we'll remember this day for the rest of our lives. We listen to news about the crash and then a retrospective of their greatest hits. It was the only time we listened to the radio. A memory seared into my heart.
This is the best version (IMHO), not just because it's Ronnie but also because it shows off Billy Powell's classical piano training and how the "three guitar army" of Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, and Steve Gaines play together. This is true Americana music. They were / are truly legendary even before the plane crash. FLY ON FREEBIRDS.
One More from The Road version at the Fox in Atlanta... it isn't cut down like this one is & you can hear Steve's complimentary solo much better in the mix. To my knowledge there's no video of it, however.
This is the GREATEST LIVE PERFORMANCE in the history of live concerts! Period!!! If this don't give you goosebumps every time you hear it...... well, you ain't a Southern Man! RIP Ronnie
The little bird thing at the beginning was for Duane Allman who died young. Skynyrd often dedicated this song to Duane "Skydog" Allman, one of the best guitarists ever.
DA gave Gary that slide..a corceden med bottle...Gary raises hit top strings w a pipe cleaner for more effect on bird tweeting magic and glass on strings is killer done right!!! Live it's 100x better..still have my 96 crew roadie shirt...had some crazy night esp w Leon the cat in the top hat
@@NJDEVILz86 I recall reading that DA went to a pharmacy once, and bought all their Corceden. Then took them outside, and was dumping them in the trash. Pharmacy staff took a dim view of a strange longhair acting that way, and called the cops.
I heard Gary Rossington interviewed once and he said they wrote the guitar part at the end with him in mind. "We wrote what we would want to hear Duane play".
One thing that made Ronnie such a great frontman was that he didn't demand the spotlight at all times. Notice that when he finished singing and the guitars started, he faded into the background and let them shine.
Can't begin to fathom how amazing it would have been to have this lineup for another decade....when it comes down to it, this is the Greatest Rock n' Roll band of all time....every single song they released was perfection.
I remember coming to school (high school) that morning in October of 1977 and hearing about the crash. It was all anyone could talk about. The veteran teachers were saying they hadn't seen students so upset since February of 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson were lost. Also: nothing like the energy of live performance, innit?
@@lynneharter5536 I was in 10th grade. Remember hearing about the crash too. It was the conversation of the week. A few years later, in Geometry class Senior year all over class, Bon Scott choked on his own vomit.
Had just gotten out of the Navy in September and already lookin forward to seeing them again they were scheduled to play Little Rock in November. Made the fact that I had met Ronnie and Gary on a plane goin back to my ship in Philadelphia the prior year all the more memorable.....
Ronnie VanZandt is one of the most underrated rock singers. His combination of complete confidence and commitment to every note and relaxed zero fucks given affect is unique. In this way, call me crazy, but he reminds me of Frank Sinatra.
He's not underrated by the folks who really know about Rock-n-Roll. A songwriter that never "wrote" down a single lyric. Like he said "If it ain't worth remembering it ain't worth singing"
Lynard Skynard defined Southern Rock. Freebird is one of the best songs ever written (imo). I was in high school when this song came out. Rocked it back then and still crank this one up today. Great reaction. ❤️🤘🤘
I have a bunch of kids who don't like loud music. First my parents told me to turn it down, now my kids. They're adults so I tell them to deal with it.
@@mcullennz I grew up in Jacksonville, FL (where they're from). In the 80's, we had a rock station that would do a top 100 every year on New Year's Eve. Every single year, this was #1! We love our hometown boys here!
As a American and a proud southern man from Alabama, lynyrd skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr.,The Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughn speak my language. Freebird is our anthem just as Queen bohemian rhapsody is your's ,who I also love to hear .
@@gwaptiva sorry ,I didn't mean to offend you ,my family came from Scotland to America in the mid to late 1700s I wish I was better versed on Scotland than I am .
Great Job, Beth, really illustrating American Culture, in your analysis!! Lynyrd Skynyrd DID represent the culture in the late seventies, VERY WELL, you point that out well! It was a feeling that could only be experienced, in America just as other Bands play MUCH better, on their HOME turf. I was in sixth grade and though later than I might have liked, this was the start of an amazing Rock and Roll journey which keeps on rolling, through the years! Thanks Beth! You do this job WELL!
Charlie Daniels said it in a song. In my mind Skynyrd is the best that’s ever been. I grew up with Skynyrd. I was inspired to Learn guitar and their songs. They are well versed and each musician can make the cut. I can play it and each time I hear Freebird it makes me happy
The song "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynard Skynard is an absolutely beautiful ballad. You can hear Ronnie's voice and his emotions in that song. The song has that bluesy guitar with the southern rock feel but also incorporates an orchestra and of course Billy Powell's dreamy piano.
@@PSA78 Simple Man is the best ballad ever, IMO, not just their best ballad. It may not fit some people's definition of a ballad but it does mine. Their next best song overall, IMO, is The Ballad of Curtis Loew, also a ballad, I mean it is in the title, afterall . 😀
Beth the piano player was actually a roadie for them UNTIL they heard him playing , I guess during a break..They then found out that he was a classically trained piano player , made him a band member..And the rest they say is history!!!
Welcome to the music young lady, and I for one am proud to have lived in the time of true southern rock. For those of your generation they'll never hear music like this again....the musicians of today can't play like this. Glad you enjoyed it...be sure to share it.
An acquaintance of mine once drove way past the turn-off for a friend's house because this was on the radio, and he just didn't want it to stop. And the crowd seem to be having the time of their lives. Classic. Love it.
As legendary as this performance is it literally gives me chills on just how haunting it was, most people don't realize the aftermath of the plane crash was just as brutal as the crash itself its literally almost like every band member was marked for death from a string of bad luck, such legendary artists gone too soon really makes you wonder how things would have been had it not been for that plane crash, RIP (also yes this song is strong with a sense of freedom so your not the only one who feels that way beth lol)
The erieness of the fact that the original album cover for the upcoming album was covered in flames. They would have become southern rock legends alongside Alabama.
As a devoted Southern Rock listener I'm glad you did this one. FYI Ronnie's daughter recorded a song called "Freebird Child" in honor of her father, well worth a look. And encourages everyone to have a listen to some of the other pure iconic music Steve Gaines recorded, that man had talent.
Steve Gaines is definitely one of the greatest losses in rock history. very under appreciated....can't even imagine how incredible just having 5-10 more years of these guys would have been.
I still can't believe how freaking good Rossington is on the slide. I've been digging this song for 45 years and I'm blown away by his touch every single time I hear it. And you know what? He's still just as good! I saw Skynyrd last summer in TX and we was just as smooth as ever. Rock on, Gary!
I've heard Free Bird 3.2 billion times. And hope I hear it another 10 billion times. How someone might have never heard this before is a bit strange. But I'll never get tired of it. Fly on proud bird, you're free at last.
She's heard the song before. This is just her first time hearing it from this concert. Btw, if you listened to the song on repeat non-stop from when it was released, you would have heard it about 2.9 million times. It'd take you just under 55,000 years to listen to it 3.2 billion times :D
I was born and raised about an hour from Green Cove Springs where the band is from in the 70s. While growing up on this it was just our music. Today when I listen to it it brings out so much emotion of a time and place that for me is gone and will never come back except for in this music. It defined a generation.
These guys were amazing, they were turned down by every label, they wrote these songs when they were teenagers I'm grateful to have seen them a couple times before the crash, Al kooper from Blood Sweat and Tears seen them playing and a bar and started a music label called song of the south and signed them the technology wasn't like today
Your reaction to this song is amazing. This song means so much to me and you seem to feel it like I do. My soul flies when I play this song. Thank you for your appreciation. You are a true lover of music.
Saw them at the end of August 1977 down in Anaheim CA. Those stadium concerts were a crazy 22 hour event, but such fun. Arrive at midnight, hang in parking lot all night with thousands of kids, the concert would start at noon and went on until 9 or 10 at night with 4 or 5 bands. So blessed to have seen this line up.
You’re absolutely correct!! Free Bird is a big part of US culture! I do hear landscapes with music! I’d say I try and imagine all senses! Cheers from Ohio Beth! 😁
We love this song not because of the vocals, Which are good, But because it is an American guitar rock anthem! It has never been duplicated since, And many people have tried!🇺🇸🎸🎵
Very insightful comments being made here. I grew up with this music in the 1970s and went to quite a few stadium concerts back then. Her point about the music evoking big landscapes and the vastness of the USA is right on and incredibly enough I never realized it until she made the comments, but as an American who has travelled extensively in Europe, her point definitely made a lot of sense and gave me new insight into why I like Freebird so much even though I am a Yankee who grew up in New England and not the south. Thanks Beth!
I can't believe this 😂 I just subbed to your channel not knowing you had reacted to this song and this is my all time favorite band ever and always will be . I remember hearing the morning that it was announced they had the plane crash and it devastated everyone that knew anything about Skynyrd. This song is one of the best songs ever and if you pay attention to any of there songs they always have a very good meaning and never support drugs or drinking alcohol . Even though back then most of them did but they didn't let that kinda sneak into there lyrics .For instance....Mr Saturday night special referring to a pistol...got a barrel that's blue and cold ..... ain't good for nothing but put a man six feet in a whole . That smell was written about Gary Rossington and a vehicle accident he'd had and him under the influence . And on the lyrics goes. They'll never be this kinda talent grace the stage anywhere else in this world . Not saying other people aren't talented... simply saying this can't be imitated or copied because it's original what you see is what you get .
I'm a proud Englishman who is atheist, fairly centre left and very secular but DAMNIT I love Lynard Skynard god and guns (album). I just adore how it's a love letter to everything they treasure in their culture.
I'm a proud Englishman who is a Believer, fairly right of Genghis Khan, and but DAMNIT I love Lynard Skynard's god and guns (album). I just adore how it's a love letter to everything they treasure in their culture.😀
Ronnie, believe it or not, was a high school dropout, without any formal training in poetry or music, yet, he created so many wonderful songs we still are listening to, and with an entirely new generation, like yourself, discovering them
Thank you so much for this reaction. Ever since I started to be interested in music Skynyrd were a big part of it. Simple man , Sweet Home Alabama and free bird are among my all time favourites for more than four decades.
I was fortunate to see them in 1977, 3 months before the plane crash. Ronnie was a perfectionist, he wanted the live music to sound like the album. Best concert I ever saw, and I've seen about everybody.
I love this song! It's the best driving song ever especially if you are in the desert...just put it on loud and drive. I grew up with Lynyrd Skyntrd...yes you can feel the music in the freedom to go many places in nature.
It's a bitter-sweet love song, one of a deliberate separation after a period of good times together. The second half of the song, however, flies away at rocket speed, not looking back, having no regrets in the least. From what I've heard about this "Day on the Green," Skynyrd was the last show of the day and this was the last song of their set, so Ronnie's voice may have been petering out after a job well-done. Besides the ear-blasting, pulse-pounding 4-guitar solo, my two favorite parts are (1) Billy Powell's piano, which can be heard 'til the very end even through the cacophony of the guitars and (2) Leon Wilkeson's center-stage bass run of about 30 seconds near the end -- he just about breaks his fingers plucking those huge strings (cables?) on his axe. What a performance. Thanks, BR, for a new reaction to this timeless CLASSIC SOUTHERN ROCK SONG.
Skynyrd rule! Can't remember how I first came across them but I remember Sweet Home Alabama was the first song I heard by them. Two of my favorites are Gimme Three Steps or Tuesday's Gone. Such a beautiful experiance live. Never seen them in person but love them! Its a shame what happened man. Still, they shall live on. RIP 🙏
I'm so glad you reacted to this video. I've watched it many times and every time it gets me hyped and makes me tear up a bit. Watching such a great performance of a legendary song, but also watching so many beautiful young people having the times of their lives. All those people are much older, like myself (56), or gone, and it's a time-capsule of their youth, and a time and place of unbridled joy. You have now added to the experience through your young and talented eyes and ears. Thank you.
I was fortunate enough to have seen them live several times, before and after the tragic plane crash. I even seen the Rossington - Collins band. Great Southern Rock, great music and a great band. One of my favorite Skynyrd tracks is "Tuesdays Gone".....
One of the main beauties of Skynyrd is what you see is truly what you got. A lot of bands try to play that card, but these southern boys (southern United States) were literally what you see is what you got. No fancy dress clothes, no fake image they tried to sell themselves off with, etc...they just made solid southern rock and the rest followed. Amazingly talented band, each and every one of them!
I was at this show. It was just an incredible performance. It was also their last Bay Area show before the tragic plane crash that took so many of the band. Probably the best guitar “solo” EVER!!
Back when a live performance could exceed the studio recording! Love it! I love playing live and yes, I've played this song many times in several bands. Always fun to play.
To me personally, this is THE BEST SONG EVER!!!! It came out when I was 7 and I’m 55 now and this song still gives me the chills every single time and the triple guitar attacking the solo of the last half of the song never fails to turning me into a air guitaring goober. It’s stoodnthe test of time and blows away lots of bands. Great job Beth. Love your channel
A fenzied crowd but not violent, that's how it was back in the 70's and while I never got to see the original LS, I went to many concerts like this and it sure was a blast......such great times and memories..........
@@warrenhughes911 I saw them 6 times. The first time was at JFK Stadium in Phila, Pa. This was when Ronnie was with them. The next 5 times was with Johnny. I don't know many people know there is a third brother Donnie who is with 38 Special.
Voices and bands back then were so pure They didn’t have machines to help them out and they were authentic! When you sound the same on a studio record as you do live, you got it going on!!
In the first part they give you strong hints about whats to come. The guotar solos.with 3 fuotars...is not just shredding. They maintain the lyricality and melody. It's why the were considered the best composers in rock.
#7:45 No, it is not just you. I grew up there, I live there, and they are from my area. This music always brings me back home no matter where I am in the wall. I am also a musician, so music always takes me to wherever it is that it was formed in, and the style that it was done in. Thank you for showing love for our music, and thank you for carrying on with your site #BethRoars
Your comment about such writing and the end solo is pretty awesome. Ronnie VanZant was a genius at writing songs, and never once wrote them down. They were all in his head, and as far as Allen Collins solo at the end, is absolutely gold. If you look back on where they would practice, and see what they called it the Hell House, you definitely would understand why they were so good. They often went on a feeling, on who would play what part. Now' as far as the lyrics goes, and how it became that, Allen' who was dating some girl, and as she was leaving, said to him, ( if I leave here tomorrow, would you remember me) is how it get started. Yes' she actually said that to him, before she drove away, and the rest is history.
Love it love it love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And never mind that this song is soooo damn epic, the guitar solo holds the No8 spot in Guitar World's 100 greatest guitar solos!
Allen and Ronnie wrote THE Southern ballad of all times. I hope Ronnie knew that. I've been around for 70 years, a Marine back when this song was written, and in my opinion, there is not a finer Southern rock song in existence. It was in my hometown in 1975, on my birthday, no less, my wife and I saw them in concert. Outstanding! Try to find a pair of tickets to see anybody for $12 today! RIP: Ronnie, Steve, Cassie, Dean and the plane crew. Side note - good review, Beth. Love to see you dancing and happy!
Appreciate your sharing your extensive musical knowledge and expertise. I guess that song has become a bit of an American Anthem. It's been playing for 50 years! That's some remarkable staying power.
When you listen to this, then compare with what passes for 'music' these days, it makes me appreciate what I grew up with. 70 yo and loving music as much as ever. Love on you all
"One More from the Road" was one of the first five albums I bought, 40 years ago. I highly recommend the documentary Muscle Shoals about the studio(s) in Alabama where a ton of the greatest music of the 60s and 70s was made because artists loved recording there.
smart girl. i grew up in texas. saw the entire country. traveled. she is right on in her breakdown of this song. america has an abundance of wonder in its vast beauty. the very idea you could fly free and change. it is possible in america. smart lady.
You mention how songs show a sense of place. Southern Rock has a lot of references to their home states, showing the strong southern heritage. Check out Sweet Home Alabama & Molly Hatchet Gator Country for great examples. I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd live but saw a note for note Free Bird cover at an outdoor concert, several thousand people in the pouring rain. No one cared and got into the music as much as this crowd. The band under a stage cover played on to a rousing ovation at the finale.
I am from America and didn't hear this song until I was in my mid-20s. I had heard a few pop culture references about it but never the song. I was floored by it and immediately asked everyone else in the car what this song was. What an incredible work of art. Every one of those musicians were spot on
Ronnie and other members of the band died on October 20th 1977. Good choice of songs since we just passed the 45 year anniversary of the plane crash. There will never be another Lynyrd Skynyrd, they were an absolutely magnificent band.
I still cant believe its been that long. Im only 23 but man due to my dad my music is stuck between 1970 and 1990 for the most part. These guys were southern rock royalty its a shame it ended too soon.
Do you realize that you were watching your parents and how they were experiencing the music of their generation? I believe you are absolutely correct about how the landscape affects music. I think you were witnessing what I did at Georgia Jam 1974 which was put on at the old Fulton County Stadium that year by this band. It was a showcase of the best Southern bands in rock at that time. I was 18 at the time and I was there, and it was a truly great experience! Beth, I want to thank you for spelling out what time has done to enhance and improve music technology and just how a song carries with it the flavor of its birthplace. This is how it was in analog. Later on, digital media took over allowing for a clearer denser sound. But in this case, you are listing to southern US rock n' roll as it was in the 1970's. :)Lastly, I want to thank you for doing a very professional job. It's one thing to present a piece of old rock and roll. It's a far different thing to present a picture of what it took to make it happen.
I grew up listening to this and their other great songs and literally cried when they were lost in the tragic plane crash. I saw them live the night before the tragic accident. You talked about landscape in your reaction and it made me think of a song you should really react to if you have a chance. I would love to hear your reaction to the Home Free cover of the Dire Straights' song "Brothers In Arms". It will blow you away! All the best!!!
Beth, i think your reaction was spot on...they were my first concert to see live in 1975...totally awesome show. And Freebird does bring you to a quite beautiful place a beautiful song. But now knowing that he and others in the band died a right after this few months later....read the lyrics again....its almost like he knew he was going to die soon....when you listen to the song and lyrics again in that context...its very eerie...
The song is a masterpiece. I heard it for the first time when it was beautifully used by Rob Zombie in the movie The Devil's Rejects, giving us a sublime ending... Since then I started to listen more and more albums by the band. And what a band...
Yeah Rob zombie has some great soundtrack to his films I forget witch film but it ends with seeds of memory by Terry Reid 'first time hearing' was the best movie ending I've seen eve. Edit the film devil's rejects
I like how you mentioned the band laying back during the more "intimate" part of the song. That's the difference between "a band', and "six guys playing the same song"-the sense to know when it's time for someone else to shine. RvZ returns the favor in the guitar solos at the end-he's so far back on the stage that he's not in shot at some points. Also, on the mics-studio condensers back in the day were amazing. There's a reason that Neumann still makes the U87 55 years after its release. I've got one that my dad bought in about 1970. I'm afraid to use it most of the time because if I break it, it's about $3800 to replace. The conventional "on-stage" dynamic mics could be pretty sketchy back then, though. Especially ones that got chucked in a case at the end of a gig and then tossed on the bus for the next stop.
The band rented an old shack down by a lake where they practiced for 10 hrs. a day. The shack had no windows and no air conditioning, ( Florida is Hot & Humid ) and they called it, " Hell House ". Ronnie instilled in the band to practice constantly saying, " We have to sound like the records because that is what the people are coming to hear ". The practice paid off ------
Culture defines a place. Old cultures instruments come from what can be built. Jembe drums from stone trees in Africa, bagpipes from 😖, etc. This has a lot of old rhythms country and soul mixed.
You can hear the landscape in alot of music what a kool thing to think of and soo true i also feel it with skynard anyway in my soul ty for sharing very well done
Ronnie knew exactly what he was doing, he knew that he orchestrated the greatest band to ever exist. U can always see it on his face when all four guitarists line up in front of the stage, u can see the smile on his face.
Beth, if you haven't already, check out the Muscle Shoals documentary. It covers a lot of history of Southern music, and the sessions that Lynyrd Skynyrd did there. So heart breaking that the labels wouldn't give them a chance because this song was deemed "too long". All those A&R people had to be kicking themselves over missing out when they did start getting big.
The Swampers recorded everybody. Lots of R&B, Rock, Country. Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll was not only cut there, the version you hear on the radio was a demo they cut for the songwriter. When they heard it they immediately knew it was meant for Seger. He came down with his band and tried to record it but the vibe wasn't the same. He tried with the Swampers and still it wasn't quite right. They ended up having Bob sing to the demo track and that was it. He recorded another 5 albums down there.
I remember this well. I'm a Brit, and I regret that I wasn't there (It was a Saturday, but I was 15, and would have missed some school, which my parents would have never permitted . But it was included in a BBC day of rock on TV, (I think it was 1978) and I knew that a live version of Free Bird was going to be on the bill. I loved (and still love) the song , so I waited up, with an old-fashioned cassette recorder standing by. It was the very last song they played, at 2 in the morning on Sunday. I remember hitting Record, but I don't remember being mesmerised through the song. But I definitely stayed up to the end of the song, because I turned off my tape recorder. I am immensely happy that now I can actually see and hear this classic whenever I want.
The beautiful way he phrases all his words with such amazing feeling and maturity!! He was a masterful musician as was his whole band! A perfect song if there ever was one!!!
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I was fortunate enough to see these guys, 3 months before they died. When they played this song, the whole stadium was up on their feet and rocking hard. This song is so iconic, and such an important song of my youth.
This song actually shows up on their very first album, the so-called pronounced album which says right on the album cover how you pronounce their name, laugh. They named their band after their PE teacher in their Florida high school, laugh. But it's always great to see people experiencing this stuff. At first mostly heard the studio version from the first album because it was on the radio all the time and then I bought the album and then I just started buying every album in sequence and then the album I played the most in the end was there double live album, one more from the road, and that version of Freebird live is just astounding. It's slightly longer than this one and it's better in a lot of ways and of course the overall Fidelity is better. On the other hand, when the plane crashed and they showed this 12 minute hastily put together tribute to them which replaced a lot of previews at the movie theater, which everybody went to the theater to see movies at that time, I was already a huge fan and I was so heartbroken but that was the first time I had ever seen any footage of them playing live and it just cemented everything for me. At first I thought, do I really need to watch yet another Freebird reaction? I have seen so very many. But then I remembered that I do like your reactions and sure enough you raised a whole lot of interesting points, including the microphone and mixing situation back in those days. I'm a musician and I've watched all that evolve just as you described. But anyway, sure enough, once it gets rolling I just can't help myself. I'm 60 years old and I'm sitting here stomping my right and left feet like I'm Artemis at the drum kit and just bobbing my head and feeling that adrenaline, just like every time when I played it endlessly as a kid.
Epic performance. Everything is perfect. Everyone focuses on the incredible guitars, but the drumming, piano, and bass were also beyond amazing as well.
Beth you're totally right on this song - it's absolutely, totally American, and yes land certainly shapes a culture. It's not an articulate thing but a deep soul and emotional level vibe. ACDC and Lynyrd Skynyrd we're great friends and got along famously when they toured together. Cheers!
They are genius. No other way to describe them. They worked so hard to become music professionals. The Vanzant family believed in God and supported them well as they made their way to stardom. John 3:16:o) Kent Wilbourne, Ogden, UT.
My beautiful young wife and I saw them in October, 1976, exactly 1 year to the day before the plane crash. Today I sit across from that still beautiful young wife who just got the wonderful word yesterday that she has beat cancer and is now cancer free. What glorious times in which I have been so privileged to live. Peace and love to all!
So happy for you both ❤
@@meghanmonroe Thanks Meghan. Best to you and yours.
Glad to hear that, happy for both of you!
@@necrom4454 Thanks, Nec. Very kind.
long live to you and your wife! That the ghosts of the past times you had recently struggling against this desease be forggoten and you both have marvelous years ahead, with ease, peace and joy!
October 20, 1977. I was at Parris Island. It was dead silent in the squad bay while my recruit platoon was cleaning weapons. Suddenly a drill instructor walks - ok, stalks - into the bay, with a radio no less, puts it on a foot locker & turns it on. He tells us we'll remember this day for the rest of our lives. We listen to news about the crash and then a retrospective of their greatest hits. It was the only time we listened to the radio. A memory seared into my heart.
This is the best version (IMHO), not just because it's Ronnie but also because it shows off Billy Powell's classical piano training and how the "three guitar army" of Gary Rossington, Alan Collins, and Steve Gaines play together. This is true Americana music. They were / are truly legendary even before the plane crash. FLY ON FREEBIRDS.
It’s good but it’s no Knebworth 1976, when they pissed off the Rolling Stones
@@philash824 Also an outstanding performance.
@@firedoc5 I wish I had been there, unfortunately I would of only been 10 to 12 months old at the time
One More from The Road version at the Fox in Atlanta... it isn't cut down like this one is & you can hear Steve's complimentary solo much better in the mix. To my knowledge there's no video of it, however.
@@philash824 Yeah...agreed Knebworth was the better of the two.
This version of Freebird always leaves a tear in my eye.
Same here. Every time...
This is the GREATEST LIVE PERFORMANCE in the history of live concerts!
Period!!!
If this don't give you goosebumps every time you hear it...... well, you ain't a Southern Man!
RIP Ronnie
AMEN!
I think Pink Floyd definitely have this trumped with their 1994 Pulse tour, and I can think of several others that are equally as good.
You are so so right my brother.I saw theme 5 times in the 70s.The best concerts ever .bar none.
@@SidneyAgee
👍🎸🎵🎶🎸👍
The little bird thing at the beginning was for Duane Allman who died young. Skynyrd often dedicated this song to Duane "Skydog" Allman, one of the best guitarists ever.
Did not know that, but it fits.
DA gave Gary that slide..a corceden med bottle...Gary raises hit top strings w a pipe cleaner for more effect on bird tweeting magic and glass on strings is killer done right!!!
Live it's 100x better..still have my 96 crew roadie shirt...had some crazy night esp w Leon the cat in the top hat
@@NJDEVILz86 I recall reading that DA went to a pharmacy once, and bought all their Corceden. Then took them outside, and was dumping them in the trash. Pharmacy staff took a dim view of a strange longhair acting that way, and called the cops.
Its a nod to Duane Allan who ended Layla with a bird chirp
I heard Gary Rossington interviewed once and he said they wrote the guitar part at the end with him in mind. "We wrote what we would want to hear Duane play".
The tall guitarist dressed in white was Allen Collins. He wrote the music to this classic when he was 18.
One thing that made Ronnie such a great frontman was that he didn't demand the spotlight at all times. Notice that when he finished singing and the guitars started, he faded into the background and let them shine.
That is a leader.
True mark of a pro.
What else is supposed to do just stand in the front while they shred that would be awkward
He just knew how to be cool.
True. Freddie Mercury was like that as well.
Can't begin to fathom how amazing it would have been to have this lineup for another decade....when it comes down to it, this is the Greatest Rock n' Roll band of all time....every single song they released was perfection.
I remember coming to school (high school) that morning in October of 1977 and hearing about the crash. It was all anyone could talk about. The veteran teachers were saying they hadn't seen students so upset since February of 1959, when Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson were lost.
Also: nothing like the energy of live performance, innit?
@@lynneharter5536 I was in 10th grade. Remember hearing about the crash too. It was the conversation of the week. A few years later, in Geometry class Senior year all over class, Bon Scott choked on his own vomit.
Had just gotten out of the Navy in September and already lookin forward to seeing them again they were scheduled to play Little Rock in November. Made the fact that I had met Ronnie and Gary on a plane goin back to my ship in Philadelphia the prior year all the more memorable.....
Ronnie VanZandt is one of the most underrated rock singers. His combination of complete confidence and commitment to every note and relaxed zero fucks given affect is unique. In this way, call me crazy, but he reminds me of Frank Sinatra.
yep i get that..I saw him in 75 and that no fucks given was very apparant..
terrifically well put. That describes Ronnie to a T. Bravo, Sir.
@@BC-ui9yt thanks!
He's not underrated by the folks who really know about Rock-n-Roll. A songwriter that never "wrote" down a single lyric. Like he said "If it ain't worth remembering it ain't worth singing"
@@mr.breeze8796 you sir wrote my thoughts. Cool name BTW 😁
Now you have a glimpse into the music of the 70's. 60's and 70's were the greatest musical era ever.
Because it was a concert and not a "stage show". It was only about the music.
What. This rubbish 😂
Oh honey, you obviously weren't there.@@ciararespect4296
@@ciararespect4296It’s true. More babies were conceived during 70s era R&R than any other genre.
@@keithkruse2595 yea simple people
Thanks for the compliment Beth, America loves you 🇺🇸🤘🤘
This song still makes me cry every time and I was 17 in 1976.... Oh God how I love this band.
They were all in their late teens and early twenties when they wrote this masterpiece of musicianship. My favorite version of Freebird. Love Skynard.
Lynard Skynard defined Southern Rock. Freebird is one of the best songs ever written (imo). I was in high school when this song came out. Rocked it back then and still crank this one up today. Great reaction. ❤️🤘🤘
It was voted number 1 on the New Zealand rock 2000 countdown for 2022
This AND Sweet Home Alabama!!!
I have a bunch of kids who don't like loud music. First my parents told me to turn it down, now my kids. They're adults so I tell them to deal with it.
@@mcullennz I grew up in Jacksonville, FL (where they're from). In the 80's, we had a rock station that would do a top 100 every year on New Year's Eve. Every single year, this was #1! We love our hometown boys here!
As a American and a proud southern man from Alabama, lynyrd skynyrd, Hank Williams Jr.,The Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughn speak my language. Freebird is our anthem just as Queen bohemian rhapsody is your's ,who I also love to hear .
Amen preach on
Scotland has its own anthems, tyvm. Loch Lomond, maybe, or Caledonia, heck even 500 Miles..
As an Alabama man I concur .......👍
@@gwaptiva sorry ,I didn't mean to offend you ,my family came from Scotland to America in the mid to late 1700s I wish I was better versed on Scotland than I am .
Great Job, Beth, really illustrating American Culture, in your analysis!! Lynyrd Skynyrd DID represent the culture in the late seventies, VERY WELL, you point that out well! It was a feeling that could only be experienced, in America just as other Bands play MUCH better, on their HOME turf. I was in sixth grade and though later than I might have liked, this was the start of an amazing Rock and Roll journey which keeps on rolling, through the years! Thanks Beth! You do this job WELL!
Charlie Daniels said it in a song. In my mind Skynyrd is the best that’s ever been. I grew up with Skynyrd. I was inspired to Learn guitar and their songs. They are well versed and each musician can make the cut. I can play it and each time I hear Freebird it makes me happy
The song "Tuesday's Gone" by Lynard Skynard is an absolutely beautiful ballad. You can hear Ronnie's voice and his emotions in that song. The song has that bluesy guitar with the southern rock feel but also incorporates an orchestra and of course Billy Powell's dreamy piano.
My description doesn't do it justice. It must be heard!
Was I Wright or Wrong and Mr Banker bring more feelings I think
A song about a lady of the night.
I would say that "Four walls of Raiford" is the best ballad they made though.
@@PSA78 Simple Man is the best ballad ever, IMO, not just their best ballad. It may not fit some people's definition of a ballad but it does mine. Their next best song overall, IMO, is The Ballad of Curtis Loew, also a ballad, I mean it is in the title, afterall . 😀
@@bamachine Simple Man is a great song, Ballad of Curtis Loew is also a good song, though a bit mainstream.
Beth the piano player was actually a roadie for them UNTIL they heard him playing , I guess during a break..They then found out that he was a classically trained piano player , made him a band member..And the rest they say is history!!!
Welcome to the music young lady, and I for one am proud to have lived in the time of true southern rock. For those of your generation they'll never hear music like this again....the musicians of today can't play like this. Glad you enjoyed it...be sure to share it.
An acquaintance of mine once drove way past the turn-off for a friend's house because this was on the radio, and he just didn't want it to stop. And the crowd seem to be having the time of their lives. Classic. Love it.
I'm reading you loud and clear on that one brother!
As legendary as this performance is it literally gives me chills on just how haunting it was, most people don't realize the aftermath of the plane crash was just as brutal as the crash itself its literally almost like every band member was marked for death from a string of bad luck, such legendary artists gone too soon really makes you wonder how things would have been had it not been for that plane crash, RIP (also yes this song is strong with a sense of freedom so your not the only one who feels that way beth lol)
The erieness of the fact that the original album cover for the upcoming album was covered in flames. They would have become southern rock legends alongside Alabama.
@@Denozo88they are legends
As a devoted Southern Rock listener I'm glad you did this one.
FYI Ronnie's daughter recorded a song called "Freebird Child" in honor of her father, well worth a look.
And encourages everyone to have a listen to some of the other pure iconic music Steve Gaines recorded, that man had talent.
@Roni Yes, they both left us way too early. 😢
Steve Gaines is definitely one of the greatest losses in rock history. very under appreciated....can't even imagine how incredible just having 5-10 more years of these guys would have been.
"Hear the landscape of the music" Love it. Have to coin that statement 😊
One of the best live performances EVER!!! This band was firing on all cylinders!!!!
I always enjoy this performance, but I like the one from Knebworth better!
I still can't believe how freaking good Rossington is on the slide. I've been digging this song for 45 years and I'm blown away by his touch every single time I hear it. And you know what? He's still just as good! I saw Skynyrd last summer in TX and we was just as smooth as ever. Rock on, Gary!
YOU nailed it! This was definitely Lynyrd Skynyrd at their finest.
Great video! Hard to believe that all those beautiful young women are beautiful grandmothers now
I've heard Free Bird 3.2 billion times. And hope I hear it another 10 billion times. How someone might have never heard this before is a bit strange. But I'll never get tired of it. Fly on proud bird, you're free at last.
Ha, beat you. I've heard it 3,200,000,004 times.😁
@@Jeff_Vader
♾️
She's heard the song before. This is just her first time hearing it from this concert. Btw, if you listened to the song on repeat non-stop from when it was released, you would have heard it about 2.9 million times. It'd take you just under 55,000 years to listen to it 3.2 billion times :D
I was born and raised about an hour from Green Cove Springs where the band is from in the 70s. While growing up on this it was just our music. Today when I listen to it it brings out so much emotion of a time and place that for me is gone and will never come back except for in this music. It defined a generation.
These guys were amazing, they were turned down by every label, they wrote these songs when they were teenagers I'm grateful to have seen them a couple times before the crash, Al kooper from Blood Sweat and Tears seen them playing and a bar and started a music label called song of the south and signed them the technology wasn't like today
Your reaction to this song is amazing. This song means so much to me and you seem to feel it like I do. My soul flies when I play this song. Thank you for your appreciation. You are a true lover of music.
Saw them at the end of August 1977 down in Anaheim CA. Those stadium concerts were a crazy 22 hour event, but such fun. Arrive at midnight, hang in parking lot all night with thousands of kids, the concert would start at noon and went on until 9 or 10 at night with 4 or 5 bands. So blessed to have seen this line up.
You’re absolutely correct!! Free Bird is a big part of US culture! I do hear landscapes with music! I’d say I try and imagine all senses! Cheers from Ohio Beth! 😁
Tuesday's Gone is just as good as painting these images. They are both iconic.
@@jackarmstrong1838 and All I can do is write about it.
It strikes me whenever I watch this that the entire audience is now in its sixties and seventies.
And no tattoos or fatties - people were so more elegant then…
And a large fraction of them are, sadly, dead.
@@geoffbuck6890 before government fattened everyone up pushing sugars and limited fats as the basis for diet, instead of proteins
@@geoffbuck6890there were certainly tattoos - it’s assumedly less because they’re mostly women. Hell, even Leon had one on his arm.
We love this song not because of the vocals, Which are good, But because it is an American guitar rock anthem! It has never been duplicated since, And many people have tried!🇺🇸🎸🎵
Wow... a great memory for an old man... great energy, great passion, so many people in this concert... a nostalgia... 🤩. Thank you.
Very insightful comments being made here. I grew up with this music in the 1970s and went to quite a few stadium concerts back then. Her point about the music evoking big landscapes and the vastness of the USA is right on and incredibly enough I never realized it until she made the comments, but as an American who has travelled extensively in Europe, her point definitely made a lot of sense and gave me new insight into why I like Freebird so much even though I am a Yankee who grew up in New England and not the south. Thanks Beth!
I can't believe this 😂 I just subbed to your channel not knowing you had reacted to this song and this is my all time favorite band ever and always will be . I remember hearing the morning that it was announced they had the plane crash and it devastated everyone that knew anything about Skynyrd. This song is one of the best songs ever and if you pay attention to any of there songs they always have a very good meaning and never support drugs or drinking alcohol . Even though back then most of them did but they didn't let that kinda sneak into there lyrics .For instance....Mr Saturday night special referring to a pistol...got a barrel that's blue and cold ..... ain't good for nothing but put a man six feet in a whole . That smell was written about Gary Rossington and a vehicle accident he'd had and him under the influence . And on the lyrics goes. They'll never be this kinda talent grace the stage anywhere else in this world . Not saying other people aren't talented... simply saying this can't be imitated or copied because it's original what you see is what you get .
I'm a proud Englishman who is atheist, fairly centre left and very secular but DAMNIT I love Lynard Skynard god and guns (album). I just adore how it's a love letter to everything they treasure in their culture.
I'm a proud Englishman who is a Believer, fairly right of Genghis Khan, and but DAMNIT I love Lynard Skynard's god and guns (album). I just adore how it's a love letter to everything they treasure in their culture.😀
US.. it's not much of our culture ,more a myth.
@@robertworrell6287 Depends where you grew up and when.
@@lostinpa-dadenduro7555 Robert should move out of this country!
@@robertworrell6287 not really its virtually a religion in many southern states
Ronnie, believe it or not, was a high school dropout, without any formal training in poetry or music, yet, he created so many wonderful songs we still are listening to, and with an entirely new generation, like yourself, discovering them
The piano solo really brought the love
Thank you so much for this reaction. Ever since I started to be interested in music Skynyrd were a big part of it. Simple man , Sweet Home Alabama and free bird are among my all time favourites for more than four decades.
And just a few months later he was gone. Very unique band and sound!
GOES in my head through eyes, ears, and nose then rips past my heart and sticks inside my toes. Best guitar solo I ever heard. 👍
I was fortunate to see them in 1977, 3 months before the plane crash. Ronnie was a perfectionist, he wanted the live music to sound like the album. Best concert I ever saw, and I've seen about everybody.
I love this song! It's the best driving song ever especially if you are in the desert...just put it on loud and drive. I grew up with Lynyrd Skyntrd...yes you can feel the music in the freedom to go many places in nature.
It's a bitter-sweet love song, one of a deliberate separation after a period of good times together. The second half of the song, however, flies away at rocket speed, not looking back, having no regrets in the least. From what I've heard about this "Day on the Green," Skynyrd was the last show of the day and this was the last song of their set, so Ronnie's voice may have been petering out after a job well-done. Besides the ear-blasting, pulse-pounding 4-guitar solo, my two favorite parts are (1) Billy Powell's piano, which can be heard 'til the very end even through the cacophony of the guitars and (2) Leon Wilkeson's center-stage bass run of about 30 seconds near the end -- he just about breaks his fingers plucking those huge strings (cables?) on his axe. What a performance. Thanks, BR, for a new reaction to this timeless CLASSIC SOUTHERN ROCK SONG.
@12:56 bass player absolutely KILLIN IT!!!!
Yeah he always did.
Leon Wilkeson ❤
Yes❤ and thank you for speaking up for him, i love the bass guitar, one of my favorite music instruments
Skynyrd rule! Can't remember how I first came across them but I remember Sweet Home Alabama was the first song I heard by them. Two of my favorites are Gimme Three Steps or Tuesday's Gone. Such a beautiful experiance live. Never seen them in person but love them!
Its a shame what happened man. Still, they shall live on. RIP 🙏
I'm so glad you reacted to this video. I've watched it many times and every time it gets me hyped and makes me tear up a bit. Watching such a great performance of a legendary song, but also watching so many beautiful young people having the times of their lives. All those people are much older, like myself (56), or gone, and it's a time-capsule of their youth, and a time and place of unbridled joy. You have now added to the experience through your young and talented eyes and ears. Thank you.
I was fortunate enough to have seen them live several times, before and after the tragic plane crash. I even seen the Rossington - Collins band. Great Southern Rock, great music and a great band. One of my favorite Skynyrd tracks is "Tuesdays Gone".....
One of the main beauties of Skynyrd is what you see is truly what you got. A lot of bands try to play that card, but these southern boys (southern United States) were literally what you see is what you got. No fancy dress clothes, no fake image they tried to sell themselves off with, etc...they just made solid southern rock and the rest followed. Amazingly talented band, each and every one of them!
I was at this show. It was just an incredible performance. It was also their last Bay Area show before the tragic plane crash that took so many of the band. Probably the best guitar “solo” EVER!!
Really enjoyed your reaction to this classic southern rock song. The music truly moved you. Great video.
Back when a live performance could exceed the studio recording! Love it! I love playing live and yes, I've played this song many times in several bands. Always fun to play.
To me personally, this is THE BEST SONG EVER!!!! It came out when I was 7 and I’m 55 now and this song still gives me the chills every single time and the triple guitar attacking the solo of the last half of the song never fails to turning me into a air guitaring goober. It’s stoodnthe test of time and blows away lots of bands.
Great job Beth. Love your channel
A fenzied crowd but not violent, that's how it was back in the 70's and while I never got to see the original LS, I went to many concerts like this and it sure was a blast......such great times and memories..........
Nice..I seen em 3 times.
I got to see them at the 1st show I ever went to in October of 1976. Is phenomenal concert. And yes, people back them were rowdy but not violent.
My Concert going days in London ended in the 1980's and that was a great crowd but do they,occasionally,have violent crowds these days?
@@warrenhughes911 I saw them 6 times. The first time was at JFK Stadium in Phila, Pa. This was when Ronnie was with them. The next 5 times was with Johnny. I don't know many people know there is a third brother Donnie who is with 38 Special.
Voices and bands back then were so pure
They didn’t have machines to help them out and they were authentic!
When you sound the same on a studio record as you do live, you got it going on!!
In the first part they give you strong hints about whats to come. The guotar solos.with 3 fuotars...is not just shredding. They maintain the lyricality and melody. It's why the were considered the best composers in rock.
#7:45 No, it is not just you. I grew up there, I live there, and they are from my area. This music always brings me back home no matter where I am in the wall. I am also a musician, so music always takes me to wherever it is that it was formed in, and the style that it was done in. Thank you for showing love for our music, and thank you for carrying on with your site #BethRoars
Your comment about such writing and the end solo is pretty awesome. Ronnie VanZant was a genius at writing songs, and never once wrote them down. They were all in his head, and as far as Allen Collins solo at the end, is absolutely gold. If you look back on where they would practice, and see what they called it the Hell House, you definitely would understand why they were so good. They often went on a feeling, on who would play what part. Now' as far as the lyrics goes, and how it became that, Allen' who was dating some girl, and as she was leaving, said to him, ( if I leave here tomorrow, would you remember me) is how it get started. Yes' she actually said that to him, before she drove away, and the rest is history.
Allen married the woman you write of 💖
@@MrsBillyKeys He did!! That's good to know.
Such an iconic song.
Scotland has some fantastic landscapes and this song can be related to anywhere really.
Love it love it love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And never mind that this song is soooo damn epic, the guitar solo holds the No8 spot in Guitar World's 100 greatest guitar solos!
Allen and Ronnie wrote THE Southern ballad of all times. I hope Ronnie knew that. I've been around for 70 years, a Marine back when this song was written, and in my opinion, there is not a finer Southern rock song in existence. It was in my hometown in 1975, on my birthday, no less, my wife and I saw them in concert. Outstanding! Try to find a pair of tickets to see anybody for $12 today! RIP: Ronnie, Steve, Cassie, Dean and the plane crew. Side note - good review, Beth. Love to see you dancing and happy!
Appreciate your sharing your extensive musical knowledge and expertise. I guess that song has become a bit of an American Anthem. It's been playing for 50 years! That's some remarkable staying power.
When you listen to this, then compare with what passes for 'music' these days, it makes me appreciate what I grew up with. 70 yo and loving music as much as ever. Love on you all
"One More from the Road" was one of the first five albums I bought, 40 years ago.
I highly recommend the documentary Muscle Shoals about the studio(s) in Alabama where a ton of the greatest music of the 60s and 70s was made because artists loved recording there.
smart girl. i grew up in texas. saw the entire country. traveled. she is right on in her breakdown of this song. america has an abundance of wonder in its vast beauty. the very idea you could fly free and change. it is possible in america. smart lady.
You mention how songs show a sense of place. Southern Rock has a lot of references to their home states, showing the strong southern heritage. Check out Sweet Home Alabama & Molly Hatchet Gator Country for great examples. I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd live but saw a note for note Free Bird cover at an outdoor concert, several thousand people in the pouring rain. No one cared and got into the music as much as this crowd. The band under a stage cover played on to a rousing ovation at the finale.
I am from America and didn't hear this song until I was in my mid-20s. I had heard a few pop culture references about it but never the song. I was floored by it and immediately asked everyone else in the car what this song was. What an incredible work of art. Every one of those musicians were spot on
Ronnie and other members of the band died on October 20th 1977. Good choice of songs since we just passed the 45 year anniversary of the plane crash. There will never be another Lynyrd Skynyrd, they were an absolutely magnificent band.
and this coming Saturday will be 51 years since Duane Allman Died :(
@@davidhattman7649 That was another huge loss to the music world
I still cant believe its been that long. Im only 23 but man due to my dad my music is stuck between 1970 and 1990 for the most part. These guys were southern rock royalty its a shame it ended too soon.
@Anthony betts I agree with everything you said except IMHO I they are Rock royalty, not just Southern rock royalty.
@@neillenet291 Fair enough
Do you realize that you were watching your parents and how they were experiencing the music of their generation? I believe you are absolutely correct about how the landscape affects music. I think you were witnessing what I did at Georgia Jam 1974 which was put on at the old Fulton County Stadium that year by this band. It was a showcase of the best Southern bands in rock at that time. I was 18 at the time and I was there, and it was a truly great experience!
Beth, I want to thank you for spelling out what time has done to enhance and improve music technology and just how a song carries with it the flavor of its birthplace. This is how it was in analog. Later on, digital media took over allowing for a clearer denser sound. But in this case, you are listing to southern US rock n' roll as it was in the 1970's. :)Lastly, I want to thank you for doing a very professional job. It's one thing to present a piece of old rock and roll. It's a far different thing to present a picture of what it took to make it happen.
I grew up listening to this and their other great songs and literally cried when they were lost in the tragic plane crash. I saw them live the night before the tragic accident. You talked about landscape in your reaction and it made me think of a song you should really react to if you have a chance. I would love to hear your reaction to the Home Free cover of the Dire Straights' song "Brothers In Arms". It will blow you away! All the best!!!
Beth, i think your reaction was spot on...they were my first concert to see live in 1975...totally awesome show. And Freebird does bring you to a quite beautiful place a beautiful song. But now knowing that he and others in the band died a right after this few months later....read the lyrics again....its almost like he knew he was going to die soon....when you listen to the song and lyrics again in that context...its very eerie...
All be it this performance is epic, my two favorite parts is Leon's bass playing and the way Allen rips that tremolo bar at the end.
I subscribed to your channel as you are the first vocal coach that didn't stop the guitar solos to talk about something. Well done..
The song is a masterpiece. I heard it for the first time when it was beautifully used by Rob Zombie in the movie The Devil's Rejects, giving us a sublime ending... Since then I started to listen more and more albums by the band. And what a band...
Definitely one of the best
Yeah Rob zombie has some great soundtrack to his films I forget witch film but it ends with seeds of memory by Terry Reid 'first time hearing' was the best movie ending I've seen eve. Edit the film devil's rejects
The pianist is classically trained as and it clearly shows 😊
I like how you mentioned the band laying back during the more "intimate" part of the song. That's the difference between "a band', and "six guys playing the same song"-the sense to know when it's time for someone else to shine. RvZ returns the favor in the guitar solos at the end-he's so far back on the stage that he's not in shot at some points.
Also, on the mics-studio condensers back in the day were amazing. There's a reason that Neumann still makes the U87 55 years after its release. I've got one that my dad bought in about 1970. I'm afraid to use it most of the time because if I break it, it's about $3800 to replace. The conventional "on-stage" dynamic mics could be pretty sketchy back then, though. Especially ones that got chucked in a case at the end of a gig and then tossed on the bus for the next stop.
The band rented an old shack down by a lake where they practiced for 10 hrs. a day. The shack had no windows and no air conditioning, ( Florida is Hot & Humid ) and they called it, " Hell House ". Ronnie instilled in the band to practice constantly saying, " We have to sound like the records because that is what the people are coming to hear ". The practice paid off ------
Culture defines a place. Old cultures instruments come from what can be built. Jembe drums from stone trees in Africa, bagpipes from 😖, etc. This has a lot of old rhythms country and soul mixed.
Probably the greatest live guitar solo ever, plus the vocals and keyboard work simply one of the best ever
Don't forget the drummer!
Great stuff as always, Beth. I don't know why everyone picks this live performance to react to, the Knebworth one from 1976 is even better.
I think this is the last really high quality recording that was made before the accident
You can hear the landscape in alot of music what a kool thing to think of and soo true i also feel it with skynard anyway in my soul ty for sharing very well done
Something I always found fascinating was Ronnie was always barefoot on stage. He said he wanted to feel the music. Fly on freebirds.
Ronnie knew exactly what he was doing, he knew that he orchestrated the greatest band to ever exist. U can always see it on his face when all four guitarists line up in front of the stage, u can see the smile on his face.
Beth, if you haven't already, check out the Muscle Shoals documentary. It covers a lot of history of Southern music, and the sessions that Lynyrd Skynyrd did there. So heart breaking that the labels wouldn't give them a chance because this song was deemed "too long". All those A&R people had to be kicking themselves over missing out when they did start getting big.
The Swampers recorded everybody. Lots of R&B, Rock, Country. Bob Seger's Old Time Rock and Roll was not only cut there, the version you hear on the radio was a demo they cut for the songwriter. When they heard it they immediately knew it was meant for Seger. He came down with his band and tried to record it but the vibe wasn't the same. He tried with the Swampers and still it wasn't quite right. They ended up having Bob sing to the demo track and that was it. He recorded another 5 albums down there.
A great documentary!
I remember this well. I'm a Brit, and I regret that I wasn't there (It was a Saturday, but I was 15, and would have missed some school, which my parents would have never permitted . But it was included in a BBC day of rock on TV, (I think it was 1978) and I knew that a live version of Free Bird was going to be on the bill. I loved (and still love) the song , so I waited up, with an old-fashioned cassette recorder standing by. It was the very last song they played, at 2 in the morning on Sunday. I remember hitting Record, but I don't remember being mesmerised through the song. But I definitely stayed up to the end of the song, because I turned off my tape recorder. I am immensely happy that now I can actually see and hear this classic whenever I want.
This song gave an entirely new meaning to "guitar solo"
The beautiful way he phrases all his words with such amazing feeling and maturity!! He was a masterful musician as was his whole band! A perfect song if there ever was one!!!
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defo not botting no no no
You really compared Elbow to Lynyrd Skynyrd in your intro....
Time to Rumble ON Beth. Freedom is worth living 🐦.
I was fortunate enough to see these guys, 3 months before they died. When they played this song, the whole stadium was up on their feet and rocking hard. This song is so iconic, and such an important song of my youth.
This song actually shows up on their very first album, the so-called pronounced album which says right on the album cover how you pronounce their name, laugh. They named their band after their PE teacher in their Florida high school, laugh. But it's always great to see people experiencing this stuff. At first mostly heard the studio version from the first album because it was on the radio all the time and then I bought the album and then I just started buying every album in sequence and then the album I played the most in the end was there double live album, one more from the road, and that version of Freebird live is just astounding. It's slightly longer than this one and it's better in a lot of ways and of course the overall Fidelity is better. On the other hand, when the plane crashed and they showed this 12 minute hastily put together tribute to them which replaced a lot of previews at the movie theater, which everybody went to the theater to see movies at that time, I was already a huge fan and I was so heartbroken but that was the first time I had ever seen any footage of them playing live and it just cemented everything for me. At first I thought, do I really need to watch yet another Freebird reaction? I have seen so very many. But then I remembered that I do like your reactions and sure enough you raised a whole lot of interesting points, including the microphone and mixing situation back in those days. I'm a musician and I've watched all that evolve just as you described. But anyway, sure enough, once it gets rolling I just can't help myself. I'm 60 years old and I'm sitting here stomping my right and left feet like I'm Artemis at the drum kit and just bobbing my head and feeling that adrenaline, just like every time when I played it endlessly as a kid.
Epic performance. Everything is perfect. Everyone focuses on the incredible guitars, but the drumming, piano, and bass were also beyond amazing as well.
The audience looks so different to an audience we would see today!
:(
Yeah, no Smartphones 🤣
Not so many sun burnt lassies.
Beth you're totally right on this song - it's absolutely, totally American, and yes land certainly shapes a culture. It's not an articulate thing but a deep soul and emotional level vibe. ACDC and Lynyrd Skynyrd we're great friends and got along famously when they toured together. Cheers!
They are genius. No other way to describe them. They worked so hard to become music professionals. The Vanzant family believed in God and supported them well as they made their way to stardom. John 3:16:o) Kent Wilbourne, Ogden, UT.
I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd in the 70's at Knebworth open air concert. They were brilliant as were 10cc and the Rolling Stones. What a concert.