I don’t listen to enough music these days. There never seems to be the time. But I used to.
It’s a bit of a blur which is a pity as there was a lot of good stuff, Zeppelin at Ally Pally, Deep Purple at the Finsbury Park Rainbow, Jethro Tull in Hammersmith.
Then there was Knebworth, Pink Floyd, Zep again, The Stones, Genesis, the Allman Brothers, Van Morrison, Alex Harvey, Roy Harper, 10cc, Captain Beefheart, Tom Petty, The Beach Boys, Santana, Elkie Brooks, Lindisfarne.
One day I nodded off in the sunshine and woke, looking up at a clear blue sky, to the opening chords of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Freebird. No chemicals could match a natural buzz like that.
Official figures say the biggest show attracted an audience of 109,000 although some say it was 200,000.
The toilets were disgusting but it had a happy, chilled atmosphere. No fences and not much security so it was ok to walk in staggering under the weight of cardboard boxes full of beers and cider.
Great atmosphere, dozing on a groundsheet in the summer sunshine as the music rolled over you. There was one guy who always peeled off his kaftan and danced, kit-off in a swaying Haight-Ashbury Summer Of Love sort of way, pale willy flapping, which seemed a little shocking at the time.
We slept in the car and drove home next morning because bands always ran over their time.
One night a girl lost her keys so I drove my MkI Ford Cortina, known as “Shadowfax”, up and down the car park, headlights on and my friend Chris perched on the bonnet scouring the grass. No luck but we did our best. Then we cooked sausages on a camping stove.
After dark was the best. In the natural bowl that was the Knebworth arena people lit campfires that illuminated the banners streaming above them. It looked like an encamped army from Game Of Thrones.
There was no commercialism, nothing much to buy, just tens of thousands gathered to listen to good music.
It’s all a bit hazy now but I still remember the lyrics, the riffs, the vibe.
Good times.
They won’t come again
Apologies for the plug but my daughter Zoe is starting to attract some interest as an artist. Check out her work at:
www.facebook.com/pages/Zoe-Todd-Martell-Art/179216808941749
or
And another plug… I was delighted to receive a new 5* review for ROCK HARD:
“A very good book, have read all the series and would recommend. Excellent.”
Short but sweet.
www.facebook.com/DannyLancasterInvestigates
@williamjtodd
Remembering Barbara – www.barbaragubbins.co.uk