By the time Lynyrd Skynyrd took the stage at Oakland Coliseum in 1977, they were already one of the most famous rock bands in the world. They’d had four albums to their name and two career-defining hits, “Sweet Home Alabama” and “Free Bird.”
Videos by American Songwriter
The latter song turned into something rock and roll folklore. During one of their shows at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta in 1976, an audience member called out “Free Bird” when lead singer Ronnie Van Zant asked what song they wanted to hear. The moment started the tradition of concert-goers spontaneously yelling “Free Bird.”
[RELATED: 5 Lynyrd Skynyrd Essentials That Defined Southern Rock]
Lynyrd Skynyrd’s nearly 12-minute performance of “Free Bird” at the Fourth of July concert in Oakland, California, in 1977 was roughly two minutes shy of the 14-minute rendition they did from that famous Atlanta show that ended up on their debut live album in 1976, One More from the Road. The crowd goes wild the moment the band starts playing the opening notes. It’s easy to see why, as Gary Rossington demonstrates his brilliance as a musician by literally making his guitar sing, using the instrument to imitate the sound of birds chirping.
The crowd of young people can be seen with their hands in the air, swaying along under the summer sun throughout the entirety of the performance. About halfway through, the band really proves their legend status with an impressive five-minute guitar solo by Allen Collins that has the fans who are packed together like sardines jumping up and down, completely entranced by the music. The song comes to an epic finish as fellow guitarists Steve Gaines and Collins go head-to-head in a guitar battle, the electric energy from the stage pouring into the audience. The band members take a quick bow as they exit the stage to the sound of thunderous applause.
“The show is closed with ‘Free Bird,’ which by many fans’ estimations is only rivaled by Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ as the most epic closing song in rock history,” the video is described as on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s YouTube channel.
The Oakland set came three months before the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of Van Zant, Gaines and his sister and backup singer Cassie Gaines and severely injured the other members of the band.
Photo by Richard McCaffrey/ Michael Ochs Archive/ Getty Images
