The 1969 Altamont Free Concert: The End of the Hippie CounterCulture

December 6, 1969 three hundred thousand people gathered in the Altamont Speedway, anticipating a day of free-spirited fun where they could listen to The Flying Burrito Brothers, Crosby, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Nash and Young, and the headliners, the legendary Rolling Stones, who at the time were the epitome of rock and roll music. The Altamont Free Concert was expected to be the Woodstock of the West, promoted as "three days of peace and music", but instead became an infamous event plagued with violence that included four people dying and the death of the hippie counterculture of the 1960s.

It seemed doomed from the start, organizers raced to find a venue after being denied access to Golden Gate Park. Echos.com claims merely 20 hours before the concert was scheduled it was finally decided that it would be held at the Altamont Speedway a thirty minute drive from downtown San Francisco. The sudden decision left little time to perfect venue, leaving it without the appropriate amount of restrooms, parking for only ¼ of those who attended, and no medical tent.

With a four feet stage and an overly excited crowd The Rolling Stones, who were responsible for the organization of the event hired the Hell's Angels biker gang to act as bouncers in exchange for beer for the entire night. Keith Richards told interviewers that he didn't think hiring the Hell's Angels was a good idea, but Grateful Dead recommended them.

Albert & David Maysles were there at the concert and the entirety of The Rolling Stones' American tour, filming their documentary, but the happenings at Altamont created the center focus of GimmeShelter. The film shows musical performances by The Rolling Stones and the other bands, people of all ages dancing in the crowd, and then the documentary begins its climax at Altamont with scenes of the Hell's Angel's in their leather decorum swinging pool cues at fans as they ride their motorcycles through the massive crowd.

As the night preceded and more and more drugs into everyone's system, tensions grew high between security and the crowd. The first outbreak of violence was a small scuffle during Santana's performance. Trying to calm the bikers down, The Rolling Stones road manager moved their beer to the front of the crowd to the base of the four-foot stage, thinking that would help them control the crowd and protect the stage if necessary.

Instead of keeping the peace, The Hell's Angels agitated and under the influence became more and more violent. The cameras filming Gimme Shelter show the bikers attacking the lead singer of Jefferson Airplane, Marty Balin, hitting him until he passed outand his band mates and others desperately trying to stop the attack. Balin was carted off to the hospital via helicopter with his friends waving good-bye. Grateful Dead was scheduled to perform after Jefferson Airplane, but refused, leaving the rowdy audience to wait for the Rolling Stones to take the stage.

By the time the Rolling Stones were introduced the violence between the biker gang and the audience had peaked. Part of the footage for Gimme Shelter is showing Mick Jagger, watching film captured at the concert in a chair, showing his reaction. The camera zooms in on the pain in his face, seeing himself singing and dancing on the Altamont stage as the crowd erupts in violence.

It can be seen on the documentary footage, Jagger stopping over and over during the band's performance, screaming over the microphone for the crowd and the Angels to calm down. While the band played their song Under My Thumb another altercation broke out right in front of the stage and ended with the Hell's Angels, stabbing an18 year old young black man named Meredith Hunter to death.

In footage captured by Maysles crew, Hunter can be clearly seen among a group of about eight Angels, according to Rolling Stone Magazine. With the Hell's Angels crowding around him, Hunter can be seen reaching into his coat and pulling out a gun. He waves a gun at the members of the Angel's biker gang and also the cameras. The Angels are seen pouncing on the young man, perhaps to wrestle the gun away, but then another Hell's Angel member is seen with a knife, lurching towards Hunter.

Maysles shows Jagger the footage captured of the stabbing in the editing room. Jagger watches his face turning white as a ghost as editors run the the scene of the men attacking and stabbing Hunter in slow motion. The footage of Hunter's attack with his killer in plain sight was an expensive piece of tape in 1970 when Rolling Stone Magazine's John Burks reported Universal Studios willingness to pay more than a million dollars for it. Burks' article "Rock & Roll's Worst Day" also tells about the fear of the Maysles brothers and their producer fearing to show the footage suspecting retaliation from members of the Hell's Angels.

Though they saw the fighting in front of the stage, the band lead by Mick Jagger continued their performance, unaware of the fatal stabbing and trying to prevent the crowd from igniting into a riot. However, it is rumored that the Hell's Angel leader Sonny Barger, who is seen onstage with several other gang member, threatened members of The Rolling Stones with a gun to continue their set.

A member of the Hell's Angels was charged with the murder of Meredith Hunter, but was later acquitted. Three other people died at Altamont. Two people were run over as they slept in their sleeping bags and another accidentally drowned in a nearby irrigation ditch.

The events in Altamont changed not only the way The Rolling Stones made music, but also changed the perspective of an entire culture. The peace and love that they had innocently created, tragically ended and the disaster marked the end of the 60s and the end of the hippie era.

Burks, John. Rock & Roll's Worst Day In Rolling Stone Magazine, Feb. 7, 1970