Kris Kristofferson - Isle of Wight Festival 1970 - Me and Bobby McGee

[@barbprosst6066]

I've been listening to Kris Kristofferson since I was 15 years old, still do and he is my favourite country singer. I had the pleasure of attending one of his concerts in Vancouver BC several years ago

[@Caperhere]

The last time I saw Kris was in Halifax. I just adored that man, listened to his music from the first album.RIP.

[@doraperatikou-papadamou6230]

I'm a long time fan of Kris, have been listening to his songs for over 40 years, love them now even more than I did back then but even if I weren't, my heart would still go out to him that night during that miserable concert. I can just imagine how he must have felt, drunk or sober, such a discouraging experience with that kind of audience behavior. Have a lot of respect for his honesty and genuineness, so obviously clear in his interview, one of the most talented, authentic artists I know...

[@Cool427]

Love Kris he is so honest I love that.

[@AdicKHead4U]

I saw an interview with KK where he said that every time he played or heard this song he thought of Janis and how much better she performed the song. Well Kris, every time I hear her sing it I think of you and how much more I love YOUR song! Janis is a legend but you have a mountain of character KK.

[@JenniB123]

This comment deserves a few million likes! It is exactly how I feel too.

[@robg71]

One of the greatest song writers of all time.

[@jolijr]

Absolutely, I couldn't agree more.

[@tony-iv7lf]

@@jolijr together with John Prine

[@americanlawdawg3609]

You may have been uncomfortable up on stage, but I guarantee not a soul could tell. You did fantastic on stage sir, thank you for your performance 🇺🇸

[@johnknottenbelt2727]

Say goodbye to the man with that twinkle in his eyes, the smile, that voice that gave Janis her Bobby McGee, the one who sang 'Help me make it Through the Night & Sunday morning coming Down'. Admired by Cash & Dylan, stalked by Janis & Babs, but never snared. The Highwaymen drop another Golden leaf from their tree. 🍂 Farewell Kris, we'll still hear your voice, long after your sun went down. 🌅🕊️🌞

[@just4music687]

what a gift to see Kris deal with the event in 1970 and then reflect upon it years later. I love it when he says "I think they're gonna shoot us." thanks for uploading this xoxo his songs are so timeless; it's not something "cool" or a fad; not everyone can appreciate it.

[@tommygunner8680]

I met kris in Fresno Cal and it might sound cliche but he really was one of the nicest dudes ever met.

[@ComradeMarx1017]

Rest in peace to this legend.

[@jimjames3951]

kris..the coolest guy in music ever

[@Ronin4614]

I love Kris. Chopper driver and Rhodes Scholar; and vocals were not his strong suit. He is right about standing up in front of people, every time is like a college course final exam. Thanks, Kris!!

[@_clauscarstensen]

Gosh, this reminds me of "Blues Brothers", playing in the Country place :)

[@Daffyd23]

Kris Kristofferson and Bob Dylan the 2 greatest lyricist of all time I think!

[@nadiascroce1189]

I would imagine that getting booed here made Kris feel for Sinead O'Connor when she got booed at the Bob Dylan tribute concert in 1992, and that's why he said "Don't let the bastards get you down" and hugged her after her performance.

[@mysteryjesus]

I wish the soundboard of this show would turn up already. I want this concert on cd. The performance was great. I can't find it anywhere and I've been looking for 7 years now! Anyone???

[@tony-iv7lf]

and to think people booed but he had last laugh been at the top of his game for more than fifty years,just retired sir you have earned it

[@melodyfisher1512]

I would’ve gladly cheered you on, Kris!

[@utawkinterme9428]

I love Kris Kristofferson. I have just watched this clip. What a thoroughly decent human being and multi-talented man. Pearls before swine though in this case. The highs and lows of his life, however undeserved are what has made Mr Kris Kristofferson the great story-telling song-writer he became. The humiliation of facing that kind of onslaught during a performance? Unbelievable. I found it upsetting to watch. I am so glad I wasn't actually there. Bad stuff happens to good people. It was the audiences loss. I am trying not to resort to bad language. They are not worth it. I found the whole situation quite shocking. I feel sorry for genuine fans who had to be part of that. You feel hurt for him and those also on stage with him....Pearls before swine.

[@technodroog]

he came back for another set the following day and was warmly received by the crowd.

[@donnachatterton6298]

He was so darn cute. Wish we could start all over again with him. He had more talent than twenty men together. May God bless and comfort his family and friends.

[@neoheart1219]

well what ever he is or ever was im realy glad he did it made the world a better place

[@jackshannonmusic7564]

The great Norman Blake on guitar

[@occasionsphoto]

yes, that is Norman around the time he was working on The Johnny Cash Show

[@simontravelstheworld]

I have an Isle of Wight Festival T-shirt from this year, 1970 the year I was born!

[@Sargebri]

Zal also jammed with his old buddy John Sebastian that weekend. Unfortunately, I don't think that part of Sebastian's set was filmed.

[@fiorellafenati5395]

the song has remained in history. Leonard Cohen stayed and sang the whole song (diamond in the mine) and the audience was silent to listen to him.

[@wakeupuk3860]

'I was there' .. could only find six others on this list of comments most of you reading or commenting were not and those of us who booed Kris and Ricki Farr I expect wish we could apologize. Now 67 and become the total opposite of that young kid then it is with many mixed feelsing I have about that time. It played a very impotant part in my life, my little town of Wantage in Berkshire and only 16 I set off alone hitch hiking with no tent and helped put up the fences and gave out the paper bags at the end to clear the rubbish up and on coming back I became a sort of celebrity, cool and popular with the girls and allowed me to become far more confident which led to more success in my life than if I had not gone. The music lives with me . the regular playing of 'All Right Now" by Free and watching and being part of us all singing, clapping, smiling and being so happy as 500,000 of us all sang it at the same time. Unfortunately it also showed me the complete naiety, falsehood and absolute sham of the hippy utopian dream I believed in so much when young. The expectation and selfish expectation that every thing should be for free, the smashing down of the fences and our rudeness and arrogance to Kris Kristofferson who bravely carried on in a way was symbolic of what was to come over the years as the youth movement has turned the world upside down which I am ashamed of was part of as well. There was so much hope back then, we really believed we would make the world a better place, but throwing out all the established codes and norms of bahaviour built up over thousands of years we now have the cess-pit of the world now. Thanks to the kick back to authority that the Nazis caused by their evil legacy the 'baby was thrown out with the bath water' by getting rid of common sense, decency, respect for authority and others, now most of the world is youth obsessed, with their childish me me me demands catered for. My generation which was brought up by 30s and 40s generation who we fought against as I did with father and school, did though, leave in us with a vestige of decency and mature thinking , which kicked in when we got old but I doubt that is going happen with the generations of most of you reading this. That booeing that Kris got, the near riot and fighting, which we saw with the Stones concert in Hyde Park (that I was as well) which many years later has mutated into the 'raves' we now see with a total disregard that the Covid-19 virus could kill you or give to an old person like me.

[@grahamstretch6863]

Thank you for your sincere comment. It sounds like you may have been “caught in the moment” for a little while but you grew out of it, are there any here who didn’t make mistakes in their youth! My mum and dad were working on the local bus service ferrying all types of people that didn’t walk or have their own transport. Mum was a conductress and dad a driver, neither had a bad word to say about the people who used their bus. RIP Mr Kristofferson.

[@dollyprice5272]

What an amazing man Kris is.

[@senorblues76]

3:37 Could Zal Yanovsky have been at least part of the visual inspiration for Derek Smalls of Spinal Tap?

[@bapples]

RIP sir. 🙏

[@hodrien1]

I was there. The crowd behaviour was disgraceful. What did they want? There was talk about French anarchists who's only mission was to wreck the festival. Dunno. I was 17 and had a great time. Kris - you were great then and still are

[@kamster518]

Did you see The Who perform and if so, how was the audience reaction and yours to them?

[@hodrien1]

@@kamster518 I did mate but to be honest I've never been a massive fan. They were on late as I recall so audience reaction was a bit limp!

[@kamster518]

Danny Hodrien thanks for getting back to me lad. Who would you say was your favourite performance there?

[@Caperhere]

I heard in one documentary that the crowd became angry and tried to tear down the fence because they didn’t want to pay the small admission price.

[@simoncossor4758]

How many songs did Kris sing

[@richardwilson1234]

Yep, beleive it or not it only cost three quid to see a bunch of legends.

[@garymarquett7989]

And they protested that it should be free admission

[@petersramek7995]

I was there and it was just like he describes. But then, he came back on stage the next day and the crowd had an entirely different response. I remember him coming on that time and introducing the band, saying this is so and so, he's just out of prison ..etc.. That seemed to hit the crowd and it went far better. It's true it was a rock crowd. The last comment in this video about people paying was for a group (apparently French and anarchists is my recollection) who did not believe there should be an entrance charge and they were trying to break down the metal fence (which just happened to also carry the electrical services around the site). In the end the organizers opened the gate to avoid a total, violent disaster.

[@rogermichou8654]

why was he booed during the first set ?

[@petersramek7995]

@@rogermichou8654 It really was because the mood was wrong at that particular moment for that bluesy/folky style of music I think. I loved it, but with the slow pace of the set changes, the huge crowd and the mix of bands there were some difficult dynamics. There already was tension because after the first evening everyone was asked to leave the paid area to come back with their second day tickets the next morning and most refused (I dutifully went to sleep out on the grass by the gate only to kick myself later because I didn't get that close to the stage again). Then the anarchists were making a racket on the metal fencing about having to pay at all. In what I thought was an oddball contrast, the crowd went wild when Tiny Tim came on stage. Then when the fireworks went off over the stage during Joni Mitchell's set in the middle of the night, I thought there actually was a fire. Mindblowing was sleeping between sets and waking to hear the Moody Blues or Hendrix or Jethro Tull - this list was epic.

[@rogermichou8654]

@@petersramek7995 thank you very much for very precise answer. And how do you like the Hendrix set ? He was tired and bad shape, but did epic version of Red House and In from the storm

[@robertcarrico8953]

R.I.P K.K ....Great actor/singer songwriter

[@crlaw75]

Rest in peace, Kris.

[@JHollowayNetwork]

0:56 - So former Lovin' Spoonful Zal Yanovsky did back for Kris Kristofferson in one of his shows in 1970?

[@biggestkkfan1506]

yes, he did in several shows

[@TheReubenKincaid]

I knew it was Zal just from hearing his playing...

[@GirlGeorgeTVshow]

RIP Kris.9.28.24 `,.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

I'm just watching another interview with Kris again, where he and Donnie also talk about this performance, mentioning it had been their fourth gig together and about the band they had then, and they mention Norman Blake... so you may be right about him. They say Dennis Linde, Billy Swan, Norman and Zal were playing with them back then...

[@andrewwalworth2215]

I was there. Always loved Kris Kristofferson, bad his overview of ‘festival’ toward him made him think like that. Thought behaviour of some people plain rude on low end of scale and fucked up on the other. Shocked by whole thing Joni Mitchell had to put up with. I got pissed off and confused by things and i was just there hanging out Xx

[@RoyPage1970]

They need to make a film about this man

[@don62snodgrass]

What a shame that a great talent like Kris Kristofferson had to perform in front of those idiots. He stayed on stage longer than I would have. Good job Kris!

[@charleslynching]

Typical of those people I use to live in the midlands THEY ARE THE WORST !

[@pgroove163]

unhip crowd with too much liquor

[@youshapedmylife]

Well he's been my hero since 14. 65 now

[@1978garfield]

I love Kris and I love Zal Yanovsky. Great to see them together. What the Hell was wrong with that crowd? Who hates Jimi Hendrix?

[@suzannegreenfield9586]

Love it!!!!

[@factenter6787]

Reminds me of the Rock & Roll Song story by Valdy.

[@alanlurie2895]

Zal Zanovsky of the Lovin spoonful on Guitar!

[@randalclarke5487]

Hell yeah...that's what brought me here 😊😁

[@TheBombo777]

You are 100% correct.

[@jeshappysmiles9364]

@ 1:19 "I think they are gunna shoot us"...

[@axleroy]

That is fucking awesome especially the rifle fire part!

[@barefootlifestyle7774]

The Isle Of Wight festival is one of my favorite performances of Kris along with the early Johnny Cash Show appearances. If this was his forth gig, what were his first three? I'd like to know.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

Well, Kris should be the one to answer this ;-) But what I can tell is that Johnny Cash made it happen for Kris to perform at the Newport Folk Festival on July 18 1969 - his debut as a performer ... then there was Kris' performance at the Troubadour, wasn't it? And his appearance at the Johnny Cash show with Loving her was easier... Just my guess...

[@barefootlifestyle7774]

Thanks for replying. :-) My all time favorite albums of his are his first four between 1970 and 1972...Kristofferson, The Silver Tongued Devil And I, Border Lord and Jesus Was A Capricorn. In my opinion, those albums just couldn't go wrong. My favorite films of his are between 1972 and 1973...Cisco Pike and Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid...I'm just mentioning my top favorites of his discography and filmography. I could add more of either but we'd be here all day (or night). lol

[@chadpittman3025]

@@biggestkkfan1506 hello kris

[@biggestkkfan1506]

I can't thumb up your comment, probably because I'm the uploader, but I definately so agree with you!!!

[@semmcstevenson]

Classic!

[@franksnyder1357]

So I'me not the only one who ever felt like this.

[@JerryFla2000]

Is that Norman Blake sitting down behind Kris playing 12 string guitar?

[@NickRatnieks]

Yes, it is and he was probably thinking that this was not like playing on the Johnny Cash Show.

[@alexcamichel7771]

i have to say this because its been bugging me for some time that must of hurt big time for kriss it wasnt the right venue for him but the audiencewere pricks and ive seen it and been told that was the end of a free loving era so kriss if you see this pal all you wanted to do was put your heart and soul out there

[@orianagrimod1366]

❤️

[@1jostaclo]

Could it be the mostly British audience had been expressing an anti-Vietnam war message to American performers, especially in that Kris had been a U.S. Army captain and his father, a major general?

[@ff441980fredcrowe]

They didn’t hate everybody just Kristofferson.

[@jeffkahl]

is that Norman Blake on the 12 string?

[@patrickhenrypdx5355]

Yes, Norman Blake. :-)

[@biggestkkfan1506]

@chrismonkeybus the interview scenes are from the special features to the dvd The life and hard times of Guy Terrifico...it's an 18 minutes interview with Kris.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

@chrismonkeybus the performance is from "Message to love - the Isle of Wight Festival"

[@biggestkkfan1506]

So, Zal is the one at 3:36? I wasn't sure about Terry... Anyway, I only have seen Terry in a few old pics...

[@johnholland723]

Is thst Norman Blake on guitar?

[@nikkijo9999]

Why did boo them? Why did they hate Jimmy Hendrix?

[@biglith1]

I believe that Kris is playing an all mahogany Martin D15.

[@ronaldcoleman4700]

Donnie Fritz...Good to see you!

[@biggestkkfan1506]

@GirlGeorgeTVshow Yeah, he talked about him also in the interview to the Guy Terrifico movie...

[@dollyprice1915]

I don't think Kris was drunk and what was the problem with the audience? Rude and ignorant people. There was nothing wrong with his performance of Me and Bobby McGee at all.

[@markusr7421]

Should have been Janis, of course! Kris ain't no singer, he's a gifted writer.

[@richardupton6266]

Dolly you should watch a film called message to love, it is the film of the 1970 isle of Wight festival. Basically people wanted a free concert but the organisers dug their feet in and said no you have to pay to get in. The crowd burned down and destroyed fences to get in.

[@ShiftingDrifter]

@@richardupton6266 Wasn't it also that those who paid complained the sound was terrible and they couldn't hear the vocals (organizers had trouble getting a location approved by the locals and had to adhere to sound level limits)? Several performers announced cutting their playlist short due being pummeled with objects as well.

[@MrGiorgioud]

The episode needs to be put into a historical perspectives: it was 2 years after “les evenements”, the student protests that happened all throughout Europe which closed down and even subverted the University system. The same movement was the starting point for the birth of terrorist groups like The Red Brigades, The Baader-Meinhof gang, The Provisional IRA, ETA, etc. The vast majority of members of these organisations were middle class University students who came from relatively affluent families. One of the main tenets was that music had to be free. Hence all the disturbances at various gigs during those years. Led Zeppelin in Milan ended up in a riot and a police charge with tear gas. Lou Reed refused to perform in certain countries for 15 years because of incidents stemming from that environment. Kris Kristofferson had the added disadvantage of being American and playing (with an enormous deal of disinformation) what was seen as “redneck” music. It really had to do with ideology, almost Maoist in outlook. Different times...

[@lesterpaul9657]

Nobody in those years had any experiences to organize big open air festivals Woodstock, Altamont, Isle of Wight, Fehmarn all disasters..

[@hamishleys6743]

Rikki Farr at the End - Legend

[@biggestkkfan1506]

...probably it was. Is it correct that there was another performance a few days later which was different?

[@jeffkahl]

Biggestkkfan: Zal is to Kris' right (on the left in the shot) on the electric.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

... that's interesting... I think, Kris only said what he was feeling. He was scared and he got the feeling as no-one in the audience was interested in the musicians on the stage - and for me -hearing them booing and screaming and not at all listening- he seemed to be right. That might have been one of the worst experiences for him and his band...

[@jamesgaffney3345]

It happens now and again .Hit the crowd at the wrong time and it's like trying to climb Mount Everest in roller skates with a heavy backpack on . Like the Mafia say : Its nothing personal .

[@kitakim9653]

There is never a good reason/excuse for rude behavior/words. No offense intended.

[@DW-gc2dc]

Well, I was there. He played a set on the Wednesday night and got booed. To be honest, in my opinion he was poor, we got bored and we booed him. The organisers kindly gave him another slot on Sunday afternoon, which was indicative of the organisation overall, because the show over-ran badly and didn't finish till after dawn on the Monday! His comments about the festival in general don't match my experience. We loved almost all of the acts. Hendrix was applauded wildly by those who were still awake after midnight on Monday morning. Love Kris now, he helped to bring John Prine to us, thankfully, but IOW 1970 was not his finest hour.

[@thomaspick4123]

Why was the festival so hostile? We know about the Doors performing under one red light bulb. Kris wrote many great songs. My favorite was the Ronnie Milsap hit, Please Don’t Tell Me, How the Story Ends. The Isle- more Zal Yanovsky needed. Zal was such a great guitar player.

[@5hr00mtea]

it was the end of the greatest decade of all time man! They were selling hippie wigs in Woolworths!

[@musiclover9361]

Fuck me! Three pounds to see the Isle of Wight Festival! Where do I sign to give up my first-born??

[@sagadegemeos3223]

3:19 não canto mais nessa porra 😅😂

[@GirlGeorgeTVshow]

THAT'S.. ZALLY FROM "THE LOVIN SPOONFULL" PLAYING GUITAR WITH KRIS

[@zaneturnerplanezane5535]

And Norman Blake too!

[@nadiascroce1189]

0:44 He said he gave half a million people the finger, but it just looked like some kind of dismissive hand gesture.

[@biggestkkfan1506]

Zal Yanowsky played with Kris at that concert, but I don't know what he looked like. It's Donny Fritts on the keyboard, Billy Swan on the right with the guitar and the cowboy hat, I think Terry Paul on the left with the mustache and the beard and long hair- I mean to recognize him with this scene at about 3:36- but I'm not sure about this 12-string guitar player...

[@marguskiis7711]

3:37 Zal

[@stevenburton6785]

I remember \kris played Blame it on the Stones and was roundly booed most of the Isle of Wight crowd failed to get the irony of the song,which was aimed at a Mr Marvin middle class,not at the Stones,many of the 600.000 crowd came from mainland Europe and did not get irony and were resentful that the European Woodstock came here.

[@WW-lz1rk]

i dont understand what he is saying. can somebody explain why Kris left the stage?

[@biggestkkfan1506]

+Wim W The audience didn't listen... they acted respectlessly and they were booing really loud. They were angry because they had to pay for the entrance. It didn't has to do with Kris and his band, but they had to take the rap... it was not fair towards the performers. Kris was just pissed off by them all.

[@WW-lz1rk]

+biggestkkfan okay, thank you for the explanation. i didn't understand why they would boo kris performance, but is was just the audience which had no clue what they were doing

[@cluxseltoot]

He's saying that he has his head up his ass.

[@just4music687]

@dave d Hi, I'm a really big fan of the Who, LOVE their performance at this gig. I'm also , just fyi, a HUGE Kris fan. The song isn't "lame," (um, one of most popular songs in history) but following the Who's face-melting set was an unfortunate spot for an artist like Kris.

[@nicholasjanke3476]

that isle of Wright festival was a disaster for all the entertainers that day. (the crowd threw rotten eggs at Jimi Hendrix!). Joni MItchell also screamed at the audience when they treated her like dirt.

[@rogermichou8654]

no rotten eggs were thrown at Hendrix, i saw the whole dvd

[@paulwhitmore1474]

She was rubbish

[@paulyeats4789]

You write absolute BS.Nobody threw rotten eggs at Jimi who was warmly received by those of us who were still awake at 3am.Joni only asked the audience to be quiet and show some respect.She did not scream.

[@477bus]

People shouldn't comment unless they were there. I sat through the set and it was spoilt by French activists banging on the tin fences because they didn't want to pay to enter the arena. Kristofferson reacted to the French rather than the hundreds of thousands of us who did pay. He played to the hecklers, even thinking he'd get shot - in England? As a result he played a poor set. Other acts did fine.

[@alexcamichel7771]

why shouldnt i comment felt sorry for the guy it was the year i was born best year of music and film

[@PatriotSteve]

Peter Ferris Joni Mitchell was practically in tears and had to tell the audience to stop acting like aholes.

[@paulalim1476]

Stayed in a B&B in South Africa with an ex-pat from England. Said he would never go back. Rudest people ever. Being half-English….I can’t disagree.

[@terryprohaska]

It sure looks like Norman Blake to me!

[@PHJimY]

Definitely Norman Blake playing a 12-string Yamaha

[@musiclover9361]

Jesus H. Christ! How could the audience behave in such a manner??

[@craigusselman546]

Good for kris for playing in front of 600000 cranky spoiled hippies.

[@Caperhere]

I think this is the same concert they left Joni Mitchell to hold the fort at. Not exactly a peace, love, and groovy bunch.

[@christylewis5701]

Isle of Wight was always, and to this day, a very right wing, conservative, Tory stronghold so its no surprise they behaved like that. Its very unfortunate that the foreign acts didn't know and weren't told about the vibe there so they knew beforehand of the posible mass rejection. What a painful thing that was to watch... I can only imagine how all the acts must've felt. But as someone else said above, it was a clear case of pearls before swine.

[@Caperhere]

@@christylewis5701 Explains a lot.👍👋

[@namcat53]

He played after The Who who were brilliant; a very tough act to follow. It jus didn't fit.

[@akeagleTL]

Kris sounds like he was a little drunk during this performance.

[@theo9952]

After they had to leave the stage, this guy from the audience came up and started shouting some bullshit about ''commercial music getting to our festivals'' and shit like that. I am not really into country music myself, but that stupid booing plus that idiot talking such rubbish as if the rest of the music had never been subject to ''commercial'' exploitation, made me feel disgusted.

[@liam9307]

He kind of invented 70s male cool.

[@taffmartian]

Some of us sat on a hillside overlooking the fenced-in paying section. All I remember was that we called him Kris Pissedofferson. He sounded so miserable. Never knew that was the general feeling at the time until watching this vid. Ah well! He did alright anyway, since. Not my cup of tea though.

[@rosegosnell3774]

taffmartian He did way more than 'just alright'.

[@ridderus]

who where those neanderthals?

[@fefieschwind811]

good question

[@biggestkkfan1506]

He looks unsure and pissed off to me. He probably was... He had the feeling the audience hated him.

[@Fongolitus]

makes it 10x worse trying to perform in front of a huge unruly crowd.

[@paulcadogan7153]

What a lousy crowd.