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Last update July 2008>knebworth festiva
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Hi
My name is Mickey O'Connor and I am 50 years old....hard to believe all
that water has flowed under the bridge ...but there ya go.
In 1974 I was 18 and lovin it !
I was living in a small Scottish coastal town called Helensburgh, about 30 miles
north of Glasgow. We were having the time of our lives. I was part of the happenin
crowd (thats what I thought anyhow) .Hair down our backs,loon pants and desert
boots were the order of the day.
I can't remember who first suggested going to Knebworth but believe me I didn't
have to be asked twice.Giles, one of the crowd had often talked about seeing
Hendrix at the Isle of Wight (he was a couple of years older than most of us)...I
was green with envy I can tell you. The chance of seeing the Allman Brothers
live was not to be missed.
A few of years earlier some local hipdoos had organised the Peaton Hill free
festival in an old army barracks a few miles from Helensburgh. A clutch of bands
from Glasgow and the local area played....it was my first open air gig and my
first spliff...what a combination...I was blown away :)
From memory 14 of us set off for Knebworth the day before the gig. Our transportation
was one hired transit van...yup thats right ONE van....no seats other than those
at the front. We chucked a couple of old matteresses in the back and piled in.
We set off at about 9.30pm ...totally wired with exitement we stopped off in
Glasgow to pick up Graham and his girl friend Valery. When I think about it
now, that many bodies in one van was madness...if we had had an accident it
would have been bloody carnage.
We arrived at the site
the following morning in plenty of time to get what we thought was a good spot...we
were actually a fair distance from the stage but no one seemed to care...we
were just overjoyed to be there. A few of our gang decided to take a trip....Edith,
my girl friend at the time and myself decided to remain on planet earth.
I vividly remember John Peel chucking frisbees into the crowd before introducing
Tim Buckley who gave a fantastic performance....the sun was beating down by
now...it was going to be a hot day in more ways than one. The atmosphere was
wonderful and people were there to simply enjoy the music...there was a lot
of peace and love around.
Like another festival goer who has submitted his memories of the gig I slept
through most of John McLaughlin but have great memories of all the other performances
culminating in the appearance late in the day of the Allman Brothers...who were
simply amazing..the sound was fantastic I remember...after the show we all piled
back to the van in the car park/camping area and attempted to get some sleep...
which proved fairly difficult....three or four of the original 14 did not make
the return trip but headed off to Cornwall for a holiday so there was a bit
more room in the van of the return journey to Scotland.
At the border we pulled into a service area to get something to eat. We opened
the back doors of the van and started to fall out.
Un- beknown to me we had parked up right next to my parents car (they had been
house searching in Wiltshire prior to moving back down south)....My mum said
we looked like a bunch of dirty hippys as we piled out of the van...which of
course we were- not having washed for nearly three days.My folks offered me
and Edith a lift in their car for the remainder of the journey which we gratefully
accepted.
Great memories....love to do it all again :)
I was there to see the
Allmans and like many others partied too much the night before. The Allmans
were ok but I missed Duane.
It was never the same without him. I had tickets for the Rainbow in London and
he never made it there - just too late.
My worst recollection
of the festival is that me and my mate left our bags in the care of some 'trustfull'
older hippies, while
we went off in desperate search of a loo. Lo and behold on our return they'd
stolen the bags, our money, our tent and our dope.
I hope one of them reads this sometime - hey, you guys gave hippies a bad name
and tarnished a whole ideal for us.
There ya' go - that was then etc.......
Terence Disley
Knebworth-1974
I was still at school with one more term to go and was down at Bisley for the
schools rifle competition (Eton Rifles!). I'd borrowed my parent's Cortina estate
and two of us decided to drive up to Knebworth. I don't recall much from this
beyond hours of excellent country rock from the Doobies and the Allmans. The
traffic trying to leave was really, really bad and we finally got back to our
tents at Bisley at about 3am.
Julian Bond
The
Allman Brothers, well what can you say.
The only thing that sticks out in my mind about the Allmans is that they played
the gig like a bar gig, and after about an hour they walked off and people thought
that was the end and some were not too happy after waiting around all day. One
of the crew came out and told us they were just having a break and would be
back on. Amid all the bands/drugs/people and booze I met a friend from Canberra
as I was on the way to the toilets ... It is a small world.
Thanks again
Bazza
Hi
I was searching the web for a bass tab of "Stormy Monday" by the
Allmans, when I came across your site, which brought back a few memories.
The previous night to the festival, Friday, four of us were sitting in the Woodcutter
pub in Hartlepool (NE England) bored. Around 10-30pm, and after several beers,
Charlie H said the Allmans were playing Knebworth tomorrow.
At the age of 19, and all being AB fans, this was too much to miss, so we got
straight in the car, pissed, and headed the 250 miles south, arriving at @4.30
am.
First stop was the supermarket for several packets of Marlboros and a slab of
beers each, but no food.
Getting tickets was easy enough, and we camped next to couple who had their
son and daughter with them who fed us plums all day. (Mother in big floppy hat,
teenage son on acid and daughter in sleeping bag with boyfriend!)
Weather was excellent, as was the music. Only a few songs we didn't know.
Sadly I slept thro' most of the Mavishnu Orch set, having had no sleep the
night before.
After the AB played, we drove back north, exhilarated, arriving midday Sunday.
The exhaust fell off the car two miles before home.
If any of your photos show four guys, dressed in black, hair half-way down their
backs and wearing fedoras, that was us.
Regards
Paul Lincoln
I live near Knebworth and remember the freedom of being able to bring alcohol, crates of wine and jugs of Abbot Ale, into the gig and going back out to the nearby pub, The Lytton Arms, to re-fill the beer jugs when we ran out - those were the days !
My then business partner went home early - I can't remember why -and literally took an early bath at his home in nearby Welwyn village. He recalls lying in his bath with the window open listening to The Allmans 60,000 Watt PA (slightly more powerful than Windsor !) as the wind was blowing his way.
At the time this was the biggest PA ever seen (heard) in England . Sound has since been tempered at Knebworth by the local authorities.
Neil Rice
Regards,
Chris Quayle
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Knebworth Concerts 1974-86
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