The Altamont Stones Concert and Murder
The Altamont Stones Concert was a free concert hosted on Altamont Speedway, California, on December 6th, 1969. Several bands were scheduled to perform, such as Ike and Tina Turner, The Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead, Santana, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash, with The Rolling Stones closing up the show. In response to complaints that their tickets prices were too high, The Rolling Stones were motivated to throw a free concert for their fans at the end of their tour. The Hells Angels Motorcycle Gang were hired as “security” for the event, and were paid in $500 worth of beer to keep fans away from the low-platform stage. As the day went on, however, the huge crowd of fans and the Hells Angels became rowdy and intoxicated, and many people at the concert were high on drugs. The lead singer from Jefferson Airplane was punched at during his set list, and after hearing this news, the Grateful Dead backed out from playing the show. When the Rolling Stones finally took the stage at the end of the day, the lead singer, Mick Jagger, had to keep reprimanding the crowd to calm down. During the song “Under My Thumb,” an 18 year old fan named Meredith Hunter tried to make it onto the stage along with many other fans. A member of Hells Angels punched Meredith and pushed him back into the crowd. Meredith grew so angry that he pulled out a revolver. Alan Passaro, a member of the Hells Angels, knocked Meredith’s gun out of his hands and stabbed him twice, killing him. This was all caught on video footage of the concert, and The Rolling Stones, not noticing what had happened, continued with their set list. Passaro was put on trial for murder in 1971 but was acquitted under self-defense.
The Altamont Stones Concert had major significance as an icon during the late 60s and early 70s. “It symbolized the death of the hippie ideal that people could come together through peace and love through music (http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-altamont/).” There are many songs and articles written about this event, as it was “such a complex metaphor for the way an era ended (Robert Christgau, http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rolling-stones-altamont/).” In comparison to Woodstock, an event that took place only a few months earlier and was filled with love and unity, the Altamont Stones Concert was the death of that stage of harmony through music.
