The Altamont concert became a symbol of the collapse of 1960s counterculture idealism, marked by fatal violence during the Rolling Stones' headline set.
Key Facts
- Date
- December 6, 1969
- Attendance
- Approximately 300,000 people
- Deaths
- 4 total (1 murder, 3 accidental)
- Security provided by
- Hells Angels
- Headlining act
- The Rolling Stones
- Documentary film
- Gimme Shelter (1970)
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Organized hastily in late 1969 as a free concert intended to echo the success of Woodstock, the festival engaged Hells Angels as security personnel. Poor planning, an inadequate venue, and the use of an aggressive security force created dangerous conditions as hundreds of thousands of attendees gathered at Altamont Speedway near Tracy, California.
On December 6, 1969, approximately 300,000 people attended a free rock concert headlined by the Rolling Stones. Widespread violence erupted throughout the day, culminating in the fatal stabbing of spectator Meredith Hunter near the stage during the Stones' set. Three others died in separate accidental incidents. The Grateful Dead, co-organizers, declined to perform due to the deteriorating conditions.
The disaster was captured on film by Albert and David Maysles and released in the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter, cementing Altamont's reputation as a tragic end to the 1960s counterculture era. Rolling Stone magazine called it 'rock and roll's all-time worst day,' and the event became a cautionary reference point for large-scale concert organization and the limits of counterculture utopianism.
Work
Altamont Speedway Free Festival
Altamont marked a grim end to the idealism of the 1960s counterculture and influenced how large rock concerts are organized and secured ever since.