Where was the Altamont Concert Held?
The Altamont Free Concert, famously known as the Altamont concert, was a pivotal event in rock music history. Held on December 6, 1969, in the Hacienda de los Angelos, a rural area near the town of Altamont, California, this concert was organized as a free rock festival to celebrate the Rolling Stones’ 1969 tour. However, it is more infamously remembered for the tragic events that unfolded during the concert, leading to its enduring notoriety in the annals of rock and roll history.
The Altamont concert was intended to be a celebration of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, with a lineup that included the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and many other prominent bands of the era. The venue, a former horse racing track, was chosen for its vast space, which was thought to accommodate the expected tens of thousands of attendees. However, the lack of proper security, combined with the sheer number of people, quickly led to chaos.
The most infamous incident at the Altamont concert was the stabbing death of Meredith Hunter, a young African American man. The violence was attributed to the Hells Angels motorcycle gang, who were hired as security for the event. The gang was known for their violent and aggressive behavior, and the night of the concert, they were given free rein to maintain order among the crowd.
The stage was set up on a hilltop, and the crowd was sprawling across the flatland below. The Rolling Stones took the stage around 8:00 PM, and as they performed, tensions were already high. The atmosphere turned particularly volatile when the Hells Angels clashed with the crowd, leading to a series of violent altercations. It was during this chaos that Meredith Hunter was stabbed to death by David Hill, a member of the Hells Angels.
The Altamont concert is often cited as a symbol of the decline of the 1960s counterculture movement and the excesses of the era. The tragic events that unfolded on that fateful day have left an indelible mark on rock music history, serving as a stark reminder of the dangers of unbridled excess and the potential for violence in large-scale events. Despite its dark legacy, the Altamont concert continues to be a subject of fascination for music enthusiasts and historians alike, providing a glimpse into the tumultuous era of the late 1960s.
