The altamont free concert drew about 300,000 people to a racetrack about an hour east of san francisco on dec. Altamont free concert and hells angels botched security. Several rolling stone staff writers witnessed the mayhem, much of which was attributed to hells angels. After this look at the altamont speedway free concert, check out these images that capture the hells angels motorcycle gang. The free outdoor concert at altamont motor speedway in california, an unincorporated area of alameda county between livermore and tracy, has been regarded as the dystopian counterpoint to woodstocks feelgood image of love, music and drugs in the rain. Dec 08, 2011 originally published in the guardian on 8 december 1969. Joel selvin probes every aspect of the showfrom the stones hastily planned tour preceding the concert to the bad acid that swept through the audience to other deaths that also. The altamont speedway in eastern alameda county lacked the facilities for a successful event, but after the owner offered to host the concert, an agreement was struck only 36 hours before a. The violence during altamont destroyed the counterculture image. He also provided me with a copy of an interview, conducted by tony dsouza in april 2019, covering his altamont experience and other questions regarding his career. While the rolling stones were performing the finale, meredith hunter approached the stage with a drawn revolver.
If jesus had been there, he would have been crucified. The rolling stones once hired the gang to work at one of their free shows, the altamont free concert in california. On december 6, 1969, an estimated three hundred thousand people converged on the altamont motor speedway in northern california for a massive free concert headlined by the rolling stones and featuring some of the eras other great rock acts. The altamont speedway free festival was an infamous rock concert held on saturday, december at the altamont speedway in northern california, between. Altamont, a new music festival in northern california, was the brainchild of the rolling stones, who hoped to cap off their u. That december, the rolling stones and the grateful dead organized an impromptu concert at altamont speedway, in the golden hills of northern californias east bay, that drew an. Remembering meredith hunter, the fan killed at altamont an excerpt from the upcoming book just a shot away tells the chilling story of a black teenagers death at the infamous fest and. Today marks the 50th anniversary of the illfated free concert held at californias altamont speedway and headlined by the rolling stones. Hells angels also available in format docx and mobi. Killing at altamont speedwayjagger was fiercely criticized for organizing and continuing with the free concert at the altamont speedway in northern california on dec.
Buy tickets for lords of altamont concerts near you. The red cross, however, reported four births at the raceway. The altamont speedway free festival was a counterculture rock concert held on saturday, december 6, 1969 at the altamont speedway, northern california, united states. Altamont was a seminal event in the history of the 20th century. Also, the concert wrapped up a decade of social, musical, and sexual revolutions. During the stones set, an 18yearold man named meredith hunter who was brandishing a revolver near the stage was stabbed to death by a member of the hells angels motorcycle club, which had been hire.
The detroit riots exemplify the series of race riots that spread across the. Murder at the altamont festival brings the 1960s to. The rolling stones free concert at altamont speedway on december 6, 1969, captured in the documentary gimme shelter, has long been seen as the distorted twin of woodstockthe day that shattered the sixties promise of peace and love when concertgoer meredith hunter was killed by a member of the hells angels biker club working as security. The film was released in 1970 and can be seen above in its entirety. On that gloomy day in december 1969, besides meredith hunter, three more persons lost their lives in other accidents at the altamont free concert. Apr, 2017 how altamont cursed the rolling stones lethal the free concert festival put on by the stones outside san francisco was poorly planned, hastily thrown together, and heedlessly run. Not barely four months after woodstock, altamont would prove to be worlds apart from its predecessor. In 1983, barger was diagnosed with throat cancer, after years of heavy smoking. Hells angels download pdfepub ebook gets free book. The film is from altamont free concert, december 6, 1969 when the guy meredith hunter got killed after pulling a shotgun from his inner jacket, with 2 stab wounds to the back, and 1 above the ear, inflicted by a hells angels blade, as depicted in the 1970 gimme shelter film, below. The free event was intended as a thankyou gesture by the band to their fans and was to feature santana. A fan was stabbed to death by a member of the hells angels motorcycle club, who were hired as bouncers to control the crowd. Alan passaro ebooks read ebooks online free ebooks. The australian band black cab band, released an album in 2004 entitled altamont diary.
The chilling story behind the altamont concert that murdered. 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. Due to the lack of any official release for the 50 th anniversary of the famous concert, fans continuously put together compilations trying to offer the best possible version of this famous concert. Jefferson airplane begins performing the other side of this life during their set at the infamous 1969 altamont speedway free music festival. I was traveling with the stones, writing a book about them the true adventures of the rolling stones, and tony funches was in charge of our security. Oct 12, 2012 this video gives a background of what happened at the famous altamont rock concert in december, 1969. Theres only been a few books that have this kind of effect on me. Murder at the altamont festival brings the 1960s to a violent end. Courses northern ireland in landscape architecture graphic standards pdf. Gimme shelter contains elements of a typical rock and roll documentary, with footage of the stones on the road and playing a concert at madison square garden in new york.
If the name woodstock has come to denote the flowering of one phase of the youth culture, altamont has come to mean the end of it. Altamont free concert wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. Originally published in the guardian on 8 december 1969. A lot has been written about the notorious rolling stones concert at altamont. The chaos of altamont and the murder of meredith hunter. Remembering meredith hunter, the fan killed at altamont. The altamont festival american music festival britannica. Jul 31, 2018 just a shot away redefines the 1969 altamont tragedy as a racial crime writer saul austerlitz revisits the fatal stabbing at a disastrous late 60s rock concert to focus on the nearly forgotten. The altamont free concert, a deadly end to the hippie era. Loosely based on the altamont free concert, it features a cover of the grateful dead song new speedway boogie. Feature stories include extensive coverage of the disaster at altamont, plus hendrix on trial for dope he was acquitted.
That ethos died later that year, at the disastrous altamont free concert, which ended when a hells angel security guard killed an african american concertgoer who was brandishing a gun. While reading joel selvins new book altamont, the rolling stones, the hells angels, and the inside story of rocks darkest day, i was so deeply disturbed by memories of that day that i had to repeatedly put it down and regain my emotional balance. Hearing about the widespread violence, alcohol consumption and drug use, the band refused to perform and chose to. Just a shot away redefines the 1969 altamont tragedy as a. During this concert, things got a little bit out of hand, and one misbehaving concert goer ended up dead. In fact, selvin said, it was the stones who persisted until a new location for the free concert altamont speedway was found just two days before the. The altamont speedway free festival was a countercultureera rock concert in 1969 in the united. The altamont concert presented by the rolling stones and several other bands was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
The chaos of altamont and the murder of meredith hunter the. A reluctant rock concert attendee, bill owens nevertheless photographed the disastrous 1969 music festival altamont and the close of an era. Just a shot away, a history of altamont by saul austerlitz. For a while, a thin rope separated crowds from the stage. The altamont speedway free festival was a countercultureera rock concert held on saturday, december 6, 1969, at the altamont speedway in northern california, between tracy and livermore. The altamont free concert in northern california on 6 december 1969, was promoted as the woodstock west, after the vastly popular festival four months earlier. There was little infrastructure to handle a crowd that size, and fans parked. The underground journalists grooved on the fear and helped create the infamy of altamont. Vic fifty years, ago, today, a free rock concert was held at the altamont speedway in tracy, california. Airplane and the grateful dead were planning a free concert in san.
The venue for the california concert changed several times for various reasons, until the altamont site was secured less than 48 hours before the event. Members of the hells angels motorcycle club, hired as security, killed concert goer meredith hunter as the rolling stones played their set. When alan passaro, the 22yearold hells angel who stabbed hunter to death, went to trial for. Alan david passaro august 23, 1948 march 29, 1985 was a hells angels member known for the december 6, 1969, stabbing of meredith hunter to death at the altamont free concert during the rolling stones set, as seen in the 1970 documentary film gimme shelter. Instead of paying them in cash, they were paid in beer and treated to a live rolling stones concert. Download hells angels ebook for free in pdf and epub format.
Four young men had died violently by the time the concert ended last night. Because of the lastminute frenzy, the altamont free concert was hardly in a state to host hundreds of thousands of fans. The altamont speedway free festival was an infamous rock concert held on saturday, december 6, 1969, at the altamont speedway in northern california, between tracy and livermore. A lot has been written about the notorious concert at altamont, where dozens of people were beaten and a black teen was killed, but so much of the language around it. I was at the altamont concert in 1969 and have followed its legend since the original long article in. Reflecting on a grim anniversary the new york times. Other articles where the altamont festival is discussed. Altamont free concertmembers of the hells angels, hired as security at the altamont free concert, use pool cues to control the crowd at the. The free concert at the altamont speedway certainly proved to be the end of the hippie era, however not in the manner anyone had anticipated it would be. A lot has been written about the notorious concert at altamont, where dozens of people were beaten and a black teen was killed, but so much of the language around it has been passive, exonerating. Altamont explores rocks darkest day, a fiasco that began well before the climactic death of meredith hunter and continued beyond that infamous december night. As the final show of their american tour, the rolling stones held a oneday rock festival at altamont speedway in livermore, california, on december 6, 1969. The rolling stones concert that went awry on this day back in 1969, the rolling stones held a free concert in altamont, calif.
The event is best known for considerable violence, including the death of meredith hunter and three accidental deaths. The rolling stones held altamont, billed the west coast. The rolling stones perform at the infamous gimme shelter rock concert at the altamont race track in california on december 8, 1969. The rolling stones free concert at altamont raceway in california, dec. How altamont cursed the rolling stones lethal the free concert festival put on by the stones outside san francisco was poorly planned, hastily thrown together, and heedlessly run. The music magazine rolling stone, in a 14page 11author article on the event entitled the. In 1978, he published a manual about how to become a documentary. The culmination of the stones tour was the free concert at altamont speedway, which was one of the largest rock disasters ever. The rolling stones bootlegs database with thousands of titles reference. Let it bleed with four dead and a mess at altamont, rolling stone tries to get to the bottom of what really happened at the festival. In december of that year, the notorious altamont free concert devolved into lethal chaos. What jagger didnt fully realize is that by the time he arrived, the altamont free concert wasnt just underway, it was already out of control. Dec 04, 2009 the free outdoor concert at altamont motor speedway, an unincorporated area of alameda county between livermore and tracy, has been regarded as the dystopian counterpoint to woodstocks feelgood image of love, music and drugs in the rain.
Altamont free concert wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. It was only on thursday, december 4, 1969, that organizers settled on the altamont speedway location for a free concert that was by then scheduled to include. Dec 02, 2014 george harrison on drug use and the rock star lifestyle the dick cavett show duration. The free outdoor concert at altamont motor speedway, an unincorporated area of alameda county between livermore and tracy, has been regarded as the dystopian counterpoint to woodstocks feelgood image of love, music and drugs in the rain. If youve seen the maysles brothers concert documentary gimme shelter. Diane awad sanjit bhalru stacie hammer leon isaac and michelle lund by the time the grateful dead were supposed to perform, the violence had escalated.
Dec 04, 2009 this sunday, another famous concert turns 40 but will do so without much fanfare. It was indeed the worst way to end such a delightful decade in music. Other articles cover the beatles splitting up, james brown, laura nyro, and more. Approximately 300,000 attended the concert, and some anticipated that it would be a woodstock west. That time when paul kantner stood up to the hells angels. This is rolling stone magazine issue number 50 from january 2 1, 19 70. The altamont speedway free festival was an infamous rock concert held on saturday, december 6, 1969, at the altamont speedway in northern california, between. Everybody had heard of the rolling stones, but until the day they played a free concert at the drag strip, nobody but hardcore autoracing fans in northern california had ever heard of altamont.
Altamont, the rolling stones, the hells angels, and the. The altamont speedway free festival was a counterculture rock concert held on saturday. Please enter the code that you see below in the input field. Aug 12, 2016 the grateful dead may be icons of the peace and love generation, but a new book reveals the bands key role in the illfated altamont free music festival, an infamous 1969 concert stained by. The hells angels had been used by the grateful dead and other bands to provide security in the past, but at altamont we begin to wonder if they were actually sent there to disrupt the concert. Read hells angels online, read in mobile or kindle. Indeed, woodstock, altamont, the isle of wight festival and the hyde park. The hells angels and the altamont concert northwest research.
Most people wouldnt advise hiring bikers as security for a huge event, and this situation. Headlined and organized by the rolling stones, it also featured, in order of appearance. Members of the hells angels motorcycle club, hired as security, killed concertgoer meredith hunter as the rolling stones played their set. The altamont free concert demonstrated that free love and drugs have consequences. The seth putnam led grindcore band insult wrote a song titled altamont was cool which was released on their split cd with ruido in 1998. I will post an excerpt and attach the full interview, below. Mar 11, 2015 what died at altamont was the notion of spontaneity, of the sense that things could happen on their own and that benevolent spirits would prevail.