Knebworth 5 : Saturday June 20 1980 Promoted by Andy Hudson for Capital Radio and Allied Breweries On the bill in alphabetical order: THE BEACH BOYS THE BLUES BAND ELKIE BROOKS LINDISFARNE MIKE OLDFIELD SANTANA "We thought our chances of getting another licence were fairly slim, but when Capital Radio and J. Lyons, a subsidiary of Allied Breweries, approached us with an offer we thought it worth a try. We obtained a licence for 100,000 but only after assurances to the Council that the consortium running the event, Capital Radio, Allied Breweries and Andy Hudson Promotions, would pay all the bills and stop the music on time. A bond of £25,000 was held by the Council which would go to a charity if the concert ran over. The people of Knebworth and Stevenage had long since lost their fears of looting, raping and pillage during the festivals and few residents actually wanted the concerts stopped. Publicans and shopkeepers certainly didn't. We were warned by the Council that this was our last chance: any problems and we'd certainly never get another licence. The line-up for 'Knebworth '80' was The Beach Boys, Mike Oldfield, Elkie Brooks, Lindisfarne, The Blues Band, and special guest Santana. The date was June 21. Promoter Andy Hudson ran the Festival for Capital Radio and Allied Breweries. He already had a sound reputation for efficient change-overs and timing from last year's Alexandra Palace Jazz Festival, and he promised there would be none of the bum-punishing delays which plagued previous Knebworth shows. For Capital Radio it was the biggest event they'd ever planned. Their Jazz Festival the year before attracted 45,000 over six days. Because the concert was so early in the summer local farmers hadn't harvested their crops, and there was concern about fans trampling through fields and ruining them. The organisers were obliged to buy up one field of unripe wheat in order to enlarge the camping area. We were so fed up with Mr Rourke bringing out injunctions to stop the concerts each year because of his deer, that we asked him to move them elsewhere. Which he did. We then bought about 20 of our own, a more manageable number to herd up during the festival period than the 300 there were before. Everyone agreed that the middle of the road groups this year were likely to attract an over-25 age group; 67% of Capital Radio listeners are over 25 as well. It cost £500,000 to stage the festival. A week before the event only 25,000 tickets had been sold and the organisers wished they had made the tickets cheaper to buy before the day. Sales were slower than expected, but the sun was shining and they still hoped 100,000 would turn up. 'Knebworth '80' boasted improved facilities. The loos were made from wood, ten seaters which sat over huge pits. They were made by local carpenters in a building at the bottom of our drive and, as we watched with interest, we made friends with them and they would swim in our pool at the end of the day. After they had completed the loos they made a wonderful wooden boat to go on the pool with Christina written on the side. Many people rang up Capital Radio to inquire where they could stay the night before the concert. When they were told there was a large camp site they said they were actually thinking more in terms of a hotel! This said a lot about the fans this concert attracted. The campsite was ready well in advance but by Friday not more than 1000 people were there with tents. In the end about 43,000 fans turned up for the Festival. Capital were not too worried. It was good experience for them and they were broadcasting the event anyway. One reason for the relatively low attendance was the fact that The Beach Boys, Santana and Mike Oldfield all played at Wembley a few weeks earlier." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold.

Artists in order of appearance:

The Blues Band "Compere Richard Digance opened the concert and introduced The Blues Band. Paul Jones (formerly of Manfred Mann) had stayed with us at the house a few times with a mutual friend, and he spent the night before the festival with us, so it was fun hearing his band. Paul formed it on a whim to revive some of the gritty high spirits of the '60's. They played with bags of style and panache, then came back to the house for food and drink." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold. Refer to: Top of Page Return to Home Page

Lindisfarne "Folk pop group Lindisfarne followed with singer Ray Jackson leading the singing" from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold. Refer to: Lindisfarne and Alan Hull LindisfarNET All Music Guide profile Top of Page Return to Home Page

Santana "Carlos Santana came up to the House before the concert. I took him around the house, and he was very enthusiastic about everything. We were in the Picture Gallery when he spied my guitar (£19, from Boots the Chemist) and he sat on the sofa with Rosina, my eight year old daughter, and played for her. It was a wonderful moment and I have treasured the guitar ever since. I sat on the stage while they played and Carlos dedicated a song to me. He tried to get me to go to the front of the stage with him, but I was much too shy. While they were playing, a couple were married in the church in the park 200 yards away from the arena. They said the background music didn't upset the service at all. The thing I noticed most about Santana was how happy they all were, laughing and enjoying the music they created." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold. Refer to: Official Santana Homepage Santana CAFE Santanamigos All Music Guide profile Top of Page Return to Home Page

"As a gimmick and to keep the crowds happy, 5,000 ping-pong balls were dropped from a B17 Flying Fortress bomber plane. Unfortunately a breeze swept the balls away from the crowd into a nearby field so no one saw them. It must have puzzled the farmer when he found them! There was also a dog fight between two World War II planes and parachutists did a fall into the park: somehow they didn't get blown away." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold.

Elkie Brooks "Elkie Brooks came on to a storm of applause, looked like a million dollars and sang superbly, but couldn't lift the fans off the grass. After forty minutes she left the stage and never came back." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold. Refer to: All Music Guide profile Top of Page Return to Home Page

"It then began raining and umbrellas went up." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold.

Mike Oldfield "Mike Oldfield, in a green track suit and white plimsolls, was on next with an eleven piece band to help him recreate some of his best recorded music, pieces from Tubular Bells plus many from his later albuns, Hergest Ridge, Ommadawn and Incantations." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold. Refer to: Tubular Web All Music Guide profile Top of Page Return to Home Page

"With the light fading and the drizzle creeping down, Richard Digance had a tough task keeping the fans entertained while the Beach Boys prepared for their set." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold.

The Beach Boys "Earlier they came up to the House and we set out a cold buffet and drinks for them. Brian Wilson looked sadly at the laden table and asked "Have you any cake?" I fetched a newly baked chocolate cake I had made for the children, which he greeted with a huge grin. He lay on the sofa, ate the whole cake, and then went to sleep with a cushion over his head. The other members of the group had a hard time waking him up to go down to the stage. They arrived on stage half an hour early, hitherto unheard of at Knebworth concerts! Their new album Keeping The Summer Alive somehow seemed very appropriate in the damp weather conditions. Brian Wilson sat at the piano still half asleep and the group tried to rally him by suggesting it was his birthday and shouting "Happy Birthday" to him. (It had been his birthday the day before). Creator of all of the Beach Boys classics, Brian was now a sad and tragic piece of sixties wreckage. They are a great dance band and we were all on our feet dancing throughout. It was only through seeing them live that one realises how many marvellous songs they have produced." from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold. Recordings: CD: Knebworth 1980 - The Beach Boys Mistral Music MM 9104 ("unofficial") 1. California Girls 2. Sloop John B 3. Darlin' 4. Schooldays 5. God Only Knows 6. Do It Again 7. Little Deuce Coupe 8. Rock And Roll Music 9. I Get Around 10. Surfin' USA 11. Keepin' The Summer Alive 12. Lady Lynda 13. I Write The Songs (Bruce solo) 14. Good Vibrations Personal Reminiscence from John Manning: "Yes there were more songs (than on the CD) at the Knebworth gig. The set started with California Girls (which saw the sun break through the rain clouds at last) and Good Vibes/Barbara Ann and Fun Fun Fun were the encores. Santa Ana Winds was played there for the first time live (they said) and Cottonfields and Heroes and Villains was, if memory serves, played as a medley. I know the event was sponsored by Capital Radio and probably broadcast live or at least recorded for later, which I guess might be the source. I'd LOVE a copy of this boot - it was my first BB gig, when I was 16 yrs old, and my first festival. Other acts on the bill were the Blues Band, Elkie Brookes, Santana, Mike Oldfield and Lindisfarne. I can remember the crowd singing Happy Birthday to Brian Wilson (they were only a few days out), and Dennis singing You Are So Beautiful - magnificent. Strangely the song that came across strongest was Some of Your Love (from Keeping The Summer Alive), which really rocked. And while Mike was trying to announce to the crowd that the band was going to play the song everyone had been waiting for - Good Vibes - the crowd made it clear that they'd been waiting for Barbara Ann! I also remember Brian getting a ticking off - while the band was cueing up for one song he was miles away, either playing something completely different, or composing... and Dennis frequently left the stage. Otherwise the band was tight, played superbly well, and were in good form - as various video extracts of the filmed performance have already hinted. The other acts? Well, the Blues Band opened in fine form, Lindisfarne's harmonies threatened to eclipse the Beach Boys, Elkie Brooks I can't remember, Sanatana and Mike Oldfield were technically brilliant but lost me completely with long, drawn out songs that I only got into in later life. Other memorable bits? The field mouse that lived under our tent for the duration; the bikers smoking pot - my first taste of That Smell - on the train coming home, and getting lost and found again in a crowd of thousands. Oh, and at 16 it was the first time I bought lager (Kestrel lager), which tasted bloody awful and ended up in one of the huge bonfires that was lit on the campsite." JohnM (aka The Great Outdoors) Refer to: Hollywood And Vine : official Capitol Records site Beach Boys Fanclub BeachBoys.com Imagination : Brian Wilson website Cabinessence : Brian Wilson website Artist Information : Beach Boys All Music Guide profile Top of Page Return to Home Page

Compere: Richard Digance

"From every point of view - except financial - the 1980 Festival had been a big success. One criticism I heard was that "The trouble was the bill seemed to have been put together by somebody who appeared to have been anaesthatised around seven years ago!"" from Knebworth Rock Festivals by Chryssie Lytton Cobold. "GENERAL INFORMATION By Rail The nearest station to Knebworth Park is Stevenage and a coach shuttle service will be provided between the station and the Park, price 30p. By Car Knebworth Park is off the A1(M) at the A602 intersection, follow the concert signs. Free parking will be available. On Foot Pedestrians should go to Stevenage and then follow the concert signs. Keep off the A1(M) which passes Knebworth Park as it is both dangerous and illegal. Camping The camp site will be open from Tuesday afternoon, June 17. Do NOT camp in unauthorised places as you will be moved on. There will be plenty of space on the site close to the arena. Be Tidy If you are bringing your own liquid refreshments, please help us to keep the site in good order by bringing them in unbreakable containers. We regret that there will be no licensed bar. For further information, listen to Capital Radio on 194m Medium Wave (1548kHz) or 95.8MHz VHF Stereo." from Promotional Flyer

Top of Page Return to Home Page LINKS to other sites on the Web: Knebworth House - Rock Concert Pages There Must Be A Better Way - Forthcoming Memorabilia Package from Freddie Bannister Posters - direct from Knebworth House Posters - from Freddie Bannister

last updated June 2 2002 with copious thanks to: Chryssie Lytton Cobbold and Henry Cobbold of Knebworth House for their help and encouragement, and for granting permission to quote freely from Knebworth Rock Festivals which now appears to be out of print.