The grounds of Knebworth House near the village of Knebworth has become a major venue for open air rock and pop concerts since 1974 when The Allman Brothers Band attracted 60,000 at the first large concert held at the venue. Since then, it has been the scene of outdoor extravaganzas featuring Pink Floyd (1975, 1990), The Rolling Stones (1976), Lynyrd Skynyrd (1976), Genesis (1978, 1990, 1992), Frank Zappa (1978), Led Zeppelin (1979), Mike Oldfield (1980), The Beach Boys (1980), Cliff Richard (1983, 1990), Deep Purple (1985), Queen (1986), Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Genesis and Dire Straits (1990), Oasis (1996), Robbie Williams (2003), Metallica (2009) and Linkin Park (2009).
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Major concerts
- In 1979, Led Zeppelin performed at Knebworth for two gigs, their first concerts in the United Kingdom since 1975. The band played to record crowds in excess of 200,000 people.
- The 1985 event was the first UK gig by the re-formed Deep Purple.
- On August 9, 1986, Queen performed their last show with their classic line-up; the band did not perform live again until the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury and his tribute concert.
- On June 30, 1990, the park was the location for The Silver Clef Award Winners Concert which was recorded and released on DVD. It included the performance of artists including Pink Floyd (with Candy Dulfer), Cliff Richard & The Shadows, Tears for Fears, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Ray Cooper, Robert Plant (with guest Jimmy Page), Status Quo and Phil Collins with Genesis.
- In 1996, Oasis, who were supported by The Charlatans, Kula Shaker, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene and The Prodigy, played at two shows with a combined audience of over 330,000. Over 2.6 million people applied for tickets for the shows, making it the biggest demand for concert tickets in British history.
- In 2003, Robbie Williams performed at Knebworth over a three day period, drawing crowds of over 300,000, and a further 3.5 million who watched live on television and online. This was reputedly the biggest UK pop concert ever and caused a huge traffic jam on the A1(M) as an estimated 130,000 cars[1] tried to reach the venue. A subsequent album, entitled "Robbie Williams – Live At Knebworth", was released, and reached number two in the UK charts. A DVD release followed.
- In 2009, Metallica and Linkin Park headlined the first ever Sonisphere Festival. Other bands included Nine Inch Nails and Heaven & Hell.
Concert history
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Knebworth House Rock Concerts: The Seventies". http://www.knebworthhouse.com/rock/the70s.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ "1974 Knebworth Festival, The Bucolic Frolic @ www.ukrockfestivals.com". http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/kneb74menu.html. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ "The 1975 Knebworth Concert @ www.ukrockfestivals.com". http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/75-Knebworth-festival.html. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ "The 1976 Knebworth Concert @ www.ukrockfestivals.com". http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/76-Knebworth-festival.html. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ "The 1978 Knebworth Concert @ www.ukrockfestivals.com". http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/knebworth-festival1978.html. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ a b "The 1979 Knebworth Concerts @ www.ukrockfestivals.com". http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/79-Knebworth-festival.html. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Knebworth House Rock Concerts: The Eighties". http://www.knebworthhouse.com/rock/the80s.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ "www.deep-purple.net". http://www.deep-purple.net/gallery/knebworth/knebworth-1985.htm.
- ^ "www.geocities.com". http://www.geocities.com/ledzeppeliner2003/k86.html.
- ^ a b c d "Knebworth House Rock Concerts: The Nineties". http://www.knebworthhouse.com/rock/the90s.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ "Genesis". http://www.genesis-music.com/. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ "Virtual Festivals: Ministry @ Knebworth 2001". http://www.virtual-festivals.com/festivals/festival.cfm?eventid=138&dbtable=eventgroup§ion=eventhome. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ "eFestivals: Knebworth '01". http://www.efestivals.co.uk/festivals/ministry/2001/. Retrieved 2006-05-29.
- ^ a b c "Knebworth House Rock Concerts: Robbie Williams Live at Knebworth". http://www.knebworthhouse.com/rock/robbiewilliams/page1.htm. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ a b c "Virtual Festivals: Robbie Williams @ Knebworth 2003". http://www.virtual-festivals.com/festivals/festival.cfm?eventid=505&dbtable=eventgroup§ion=lineup&day=0. Retrieved 2006-05-28.
- ^ a b "Sonisphere Festival". http://uk.sonispherefestival.net/line-up/.
External links
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