The Rolling Stones at Altamont: the day the music died
by Ethan A Russell
The Rolling Stones’ 1969 US Tour was a remarkable tour at a remarkable time. Some say Altamont – the free concert tacked on to the end – ended the Sixties. Since I was the photographer for the tour I had an inside view of the sometimes ecstatic experiences of the 16 shows and the nightmare that was Altamont.
The idea for a so-called Concert in the Park (San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park) was first broached in 1968. But Golden Gate Park wasn’t available. San Francisco wouldn’t issue permits. No problem.
Marvin Belli, a flamboyant San Francisco lawyer, produced a last-minute saviour: Dick Carter, owner of something called the Altamont Speedway. 'Altamont was going to be Woodstock West,’ said Michael Lydon, a writer who covered the tour. 'Everybody was talking about it.’
But it was a dull, lifeless landscape. There was no hint of green, not a tree, not a blade of grass. When we arrived there was no palpable feeling of joy or even happiness. It slowly dawned on me that this concert might not turn out to be what I expected.
Mick Jagger had no such luck. His realisation came instantly. Stanley Booth, another writer, saw it happen: 'Mick got off the first helicopter with Ronnie [Schneider, the tour manager] when a kid comes running up to Mick and says: “I hate you,” or something, and punches Mick right in the mouth.’
Ronnie recalls: 'I remember Mick screaming: “Don’t hurt him, don’t hurt him!” Me, I wanted to kill the guy right away. That set the tone.’
Jo Bergman, the Stones’ office manager, saw it too: 'On the day of the show there were these ugly people all around. Then I went into the tent with the Hells Angels. These people were very spooky.’ Hells Angels always scared me. I knew, of course, about their new peaceful reputation in the San Francisco scene. I’d read how Ken Kesey invited them to participate and how they would stand next to the stage at concerts in San Francisco, a kind of unofficial security presence.
'Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas came,’ says Booth, 'bearing tales of how the Angels were fighting with civilians, women, and each other, bouncing full cans of beer off people’s heads.’
During the Jefferson Airplane set, a Hells Angel had beaten Marty Balin, the lead singer, unconscious. Charlie Watts, the Stones’ drummer: 'I was talking to a couple of the Angels when the tent flap wobbled and one of them whacked it with a billiard cue – there was probably some kid’s head behind it. When it came time for us to go on, the Angels made a line for us to pass through. I felt very worried as we walked to the stage.’
Bill Wyman, bassist: 'We could be halfway through a song and suddenly there was some commotion, and the Angels were just beating the s--- out of some guy. The crowd would open and you would see six Angels just whacking them with pool cues, and you thought: “What’s going on?”’
I expected Mick to stop it. I naively believed he had the power, and was disappointed he seemed so timid. Keith Richards, much bolder, tried to put a stop to it – and then was told someone in the audience had a gun and was shooting at the stage. That someone was Meredith Hunter.
Wave after wave of violence swept through the crowd, causing people to be jammed up against each other. There were swarms of people on the stage, including many Hells Angels. Sam Cutler announced that the Rolling Stones would not perform until the stage had cleared.
Hunter got involved in trying to get people off the speaker boxes in front of the stage. The next thing Hunter was arguing with six or seven Hells Angels. He tried to get away to the right of the stage but was hemmed in by the crowd. He turned and pulled his gun. Alan Pasarro, a Hells Angel standing near the stage, saw the gun. He pulled a five-inch knife and stabbed it deep into Hunter’s back.
Bill Wyman: 'Mick Taylor and I were the ones nearest to it. We saw the crowd open up and the guy chase the other guy right in front of us. We both saw the commotion when the guy got stabbed. We saw the whole thing, and my heart skipped a beat.’
Mick finally spoke up: 'You know, this could be the most beautiful evening we’ve had this winter if we are all one, let’s show we’re all one!’
After his plea Mick continued, 'Now there’s one thing we need, Sam. We need an ambulance.’ But it was too late.
Bergman: 'We were taken to the helicopter and I had this feeling that it was like you were the last person on the last chopper out of ’Nam.’
Astrid Lundstrom, Bill’s girlfriend, escaped on the helicopter: 'I don’t remember anyone talking about it. I remember them being more like in shock. There was none of that usual bravado.’
Bill: 'It must seem strange that no one has talked about it.The chaos of the earlier tours was fun. But no one really talked about Altamont because there was nothing to laugh about. No good memories.’
In an interview shortly afterwards Mick remarked: 'I thought the scene in San Francisco was supposed to be so groovy. It was terrible. If Jesus had been there he would have been crucified.’
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