Answer:
05/30/1976....RFK Stadium....103,000 people.....Ted Nugent came out dressed in fur and bone and teeth and the volume was so low we did not know he was on stage until he left and Nazereth came on. "Hair of the Dog". Then Skynyrd, then Aerosmith. Amazing concert. Skynyrd stole the show....the clouds lifted when they began "Sweet Home Alabama" and did not come back until Aerosmith came on so loud they blew your underwear into a wedgy.--F. Harris
Comments / corrections:
I was there and you have the wrong date it was May 5th, 1976 and 103K people is highly unlikely even with the field full with general admission. RFK seating capacity is 56K; the stage area was massive taking up a quarter of the field and the area behind the stage box seats /bleachers was empty. I would guess maybe 75,000 maximum were in attendance.
Lynyrd Skynyrd was good, but Aerosmith was better. The promoter placed the best band last and it was definitely Aerosmith. The sun did finally come out when Lynyrnd Skynyrd was playing, but the song was Free Bird (not Sweet Home Alabama). After that song someone threw an M-80 at Lynyrd Skynyrd and it landed on the white canvass tarp above the stage. It blew a whole with a loud bang and that freaked Lynyrd Skynyrd out for the rest of their set. They were hurried to get their set done and it showed. Ronnie Van Zant (uncharacteristically) did not converse with the crowd and moved the band quickly through their song list.
Aerosmith performed like a well oiled machine and was the superior band of that day. If you need convincing listen to Aerosmith's Get Your Wings or Rocks CDs. Compare those to any Lynyrd Skynyrd CDs.
Aerosmith. com lists the answer of 05/30/76 as correct
An argument is when two people repeat the same thing to each other with the intention of proving the other wrong. I have listened to Aerosmith's "Get Your Wings" and my recollection and opinion of the May 30th, 1976 RFK concert has not changed. ---F. Harris
I was there - it was indeed 5/30 - Memorial Day weekend 76. Aerosmith was NOT a well-oiled machine, unless you consider the fact of Steven Tyler being so 'oiled' up. I had a great view of him hitting the whiskey bottle before, during, and after their set. He was staggering up and down the stage ramp, almost falling into the crowd at one point - for a second, I thought he was going in. Better yet, I saw him falling down the stairs from the stage after the set and being 'helped' (carried) to the limo backstage.
- SteveT