Turn it up! It's not just the opening salvo to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," it's also what you'll want to do when you hear the band's new archival release, Live At Knebworth. Arriving on April 9 from Eagle Rock in CD/Blu-ray, CD/DVD, and 2LP/DVD configurations, Live At Knebworth '76 presents Lynyrd Skynyrd's landmark performance at the 1976 festival, fully restored for the first time.
The concert film and album document Skynyrd's classic lineup as they rose to international prominence. Singer Ronnie Van Zant and the "three guitar army" of Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, and Steve Gaines joined keyboardist Billy Powell, bassist Leon Wilkeson, drummer Artemis Pyle, and backup group The Honkettes before the enthusiastic Knebworth crowd of 150,000-250,000 audience members on August 21, 1976. The show has since gone on to be considered a watershed moment in the band's live history; sadly, Van Zant, Gaines, and Honkette Cassie Gaines (Steve's older sister) were among those who perished in a plane crash the very next year. Wilkeson was left in critical condition while others including Collins, Powell, and Pyle also suffered injuries. Following the tragedy, the group disbanded for a decade. But for an all-too-brief, blazing moment, Lynyrd Skynrd was supreme.
As Knebworth Festival organizer Freddy Banister recalled, "Skynyrd caused a real buzz backstage. We all wondered how anyone could follow them." With stellar renditions of classics like "Workin' For MCA," "Gimme Three Steps," "Saturday Night Special," "Sweet Home Alabama," and the inevitable "Free Bird," you can now witness what all the buzz was about, re-edited and presented in its entirety for the first time ever. (The 1996 concert film Freebird: The Movie presents highlights and a different edit of the film). If that weren't enough, the Blu-ray disc features the 2018 documentary If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, an in-depth look at the band's tragic story and the music that lives on.
Live At Knebworth '76 will be released on April 9. Secure your copy with the links below!
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Live At Knebworth '76 (Eagle Rock, 2021)
CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
2-LP/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
- Workin' For MCA
- I Ain't The One
- Saturday Night Special
- Searching
- Whiskey Rock-A-Roller
- Travelin' Man
- Gimme Three Steps
- Call Me The Breeze
- T For Texas
- Sweet Home Alabama
- Free Bird
Blu-ray Bonus Feature: If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd
George Michael Lewis says
Awesome, I'm so excited, glad & happy that you have created this. Lynyrd skynyrd was the best of the best.dont believe there will ever be another group to be as great as they were and still are.
Bless those boys
And thank you Sam.
Michelle says
Absolutely it don't get any better they don't make music like this anymore