During July and August we celebrate 40 Years of Knebworth Park Concerts with an exhibition in the Banqueting Hall of Knebworth House of images and mementos dating back to the first concert in 1974 (illustrated on this month’s cover). In my January piece I told how the concerts started – below is a roll call of headliners and audiences (approximate attendance numbers) that have made the name “Knebworth” internationally recognised as home to Britain’s biggest and best concert venue:
1974 – The Allman Brothers – 60,000
1975 – Pink Floyd – 80,000
1976 – The Rolling Stones – 120,000
1978 (June) – Genesis – 70,000
1978 (Sept) – Frank Zappa – 40,000
1979 – Led Zeppelin – 200,000 (last UK show with original band members)
1980 – The Beach Boys – 40,000 (last UK show with original band members)
1981/2 – Ella Fitzgerald, BB King etc. – 30,000
1983 – Cliff Richard – 25,000
1985 – Deep Purple – 75,000
1986 – Queen – 120,000 (last show with original band members)
1990 – Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd etc. – 120,000 (broadcast worldwide on MTV)
1992 – Genesis – 90,000
1996 – Oasis – 250,000 (at the time fastest selling show in UK history)
2001 – Jamiroquai, etc. – 35,000
2003 – Robbie Williams – 375,000 (biggest music event in UK history)
2006 – The Who – 5,000
2009 – Metallica – 50,000
2010 – Iron Maiden – 50,000
2011 – Metallica – 50,000
2012 – Red Hot Chili Peppers – 50,000
2014 – Metallica & Iron Maiden – 50,000
I’ve totted that up – and that is two million people with magical memories of the place where we live.
Henry Lytton Cobbold
www.knebworthhouse.com