The Concert
The Altamont Free Concert was held on December 6, 1969 as the west coast's response to Woodstock which was held several months earlier. The free concert was headlined and organized by The Rolling Stones and featured Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The Grateful Dead were also originally scheduled to play however due to violence during the concert chose not to take the stage. However, the concert is infamous for its violence including one homicide and three accidental deaths. Many concert goers were injured, cars were stolen, and extensive property damage ensued due to the concert.
Violence
Allegedly, the management of the Rolling Stones hired the Hell's Angels for security during the concert with $500 worth of beer as payment. From the beginning of the concert, Hell's Angels used pool cues to control the crowd. Violence increased and eventually led the Jefferson Airplane's singer, Marty Balin, being knocked unconscious by a member of the Hell's Angels who jumped onto stage in an attempt to break up a fight. Also, Mick Jagger was attacked and punched immediately after exiting the helicopter on arrival at the concert grounds. With a mixture of anxiety towards the Hell's Angels and large amounts of drugs, fights broke out throughout the day.
Finally, after several delays the Rolling Stones took the stage in the evening. During the set, several small skirmishes erupted in front of the stage causing the Stones to stop playing and further delay the concert. Nervous and shaken, Mick Jagger pleads with the crowd by saying, "Just be cool down in front there, don't push around." These interactions between band and crowd happened several more times. Then during the bands performance of 'Under My Thumb' 18 year old Meredith Hunter tried to climb onto the stage with other fans. He was then punched and thrown back by Hell's Angels to which he reacted with violence. High on Methamphetamine Hunter pulled a revolver from his jacket. Hell's Angels member Alan Passaro quickly grabbed Hunter, threw him to the ground, and stabbed him repeatedly. The band continued on with the concert believing the homicide was only another skirmish.
Finally, after several delays the Rolling Stones took the stage in the evening. During the set, several small skirmishes erupted in front of the stage causing the Stones to stop playing and further delay the concert. Nervous and shaken, Mick Jagger pleads with the crowd by saying, "Just be cool down in front there, don't push around." These interactions between band and crowd happened several more times. Then during the bands performance of 'Under My Thumb' 18 year old Meredith Hunter tried to climb onto the stage with other fans. He was then punched and thrown back by Hell's Angels to which he reacted with violence. High on Methamphetamine Hunter pulled a revolver from his jacket. Hell's Angels member Alan Passaro quickly grabbed Hunter, threw him to the ground, and stabbed him repeatedly. The band continued on with the concert believing the homicide was only another skirmish.
AfterMath
The incident was captured by a photographer as well as camera man filming for the movie 'Gimme Shelter' revealing the events that unfolded. Passaro was tried for murder in court; however, was acquitted after the jury saw the evidence of Meredith Hunter draw a gun from his jacket pocket.
The Altamont Free Concert demonstrated that free love and drugs have consequences. Also, the concert wrapped up a decade of social, musical, and sexual revolutions. Many writers have coined this event as the end of the hippie era due to the outcome of the concert and the negative attention given to the hippie movement by the media. However, Mick Jagger rejected this idea saying, "Of course some people wanted to say Altamont was the end of an era. People like that are fashion writers. Perhaps it was the end of their era, the end of their naivete. I would have thought it ended long before Altamont." Robert Christgau wrote in 1972 that "Writers focus on Altamont not because it brought on the end of an era but because it provided such a complex metaphor for the way the era ended." The era ended just how the 60's had been: violent.
The Altamont Free Concert demonstrated that free love and drugs have consequences. Also, the concert wrapped up a decade of social, musical, and sexual revolutions. Many writers have coined this event as the end of the hippie era due to the outcome of the concert and the negative attention given to the hippie movement by the media. However, Mick Jagger rejected this idea saying, "Of course some people wanted to say Altamont was the end of an era. People like that are fashion writers. Perhaps it was the end of their era, the end of their naivete. I would have thought it ended long before Altamont." Robert Christgau wrote in 1972 that "Writers focus on Altamont not because it brought on the end of an era but because it provided such a complex metaphor for the way the era ended." The era ended just how the 60's had been: violent.