Altamont's Negative impact
Hell's Angels
As unorganized as the event was, the security of the event was questionable on an entirely different level. The "Hell's Angels", a son to be international biker gang, was hired as security for the event. Many reports say that the Stones hired them for 500 dollars worth of beer, although that fact is heavily denied. The actual security measures provided by the gang were not at all helpful really, and many of the Hell's Angels members admitted to simply attending a concert and only enforcing their duty if they really needed to. The inclusion of a makeshift security force that consisted of these bikers left the Rolling Stones and the concert itself a very bad reputation of danger and recklessness, a reputation that was unfortunately lived up to.
As unorganized as the event was, the security of the event was questionable on an entirely different level. The "Hell's Angels", a son to be international biker gang, was hired as security for the event. Many reports say that the Stones hired them for 500 dollars worth of beer, although that fact is heavily denied. The actual security measures provided by the gang were not at all helpful really, and many of the Hell's Angels members admitted to simply attending a concert and only enforcing their duty if they really needed to. The inclusion of a makeshift security force that consisted of these bikers left the Rolling Stones and the concert itself a very bad reputation of danger and recklessness, a reputation that was unfortunately lived up to.
Meredith Hunter
The most well known death that stemmed from the destruction at the Altamont Free Concert was the death of Meredith Hunter, an 18 year old African-American boy. The death occurred during the Rolling Stones performance of "Under My Thumb", when a Hell's Angels guards stabbed Hunter to death in the crowd, very close to the stage. Hunter had previously been struck and pushed back into the crowd after attempting to climb on the stage. After he was pushed back in, he was reported to have drawn a pistol and was headed toward the stage with a murderous intent. The Hell's Angels guard who confronted Hunter, Alan Passaro, proceeded to stab him and stop him from shooting as he wrestled him to the ground. He stabbed him a few more times, and Meredith Hunter was dead. His autopsy showed large amounts of methamphetamine in his blood stream, certainly an important factor in his death.
The most well known death that stemmed from the destruction at the Altamont Free Concert was the death of Meredith Hunter, an 18 year old African-American boy. The death occurred during the Rolling Stones performance of "Under My Thumb", when a Hell's Angels guards stabbed Hunter to death in the crowd, very close to the stage. Hunter had previously been struck and pushed back into the crowd after attempting to climb on the stage. After he was pushed back in, he was reported to have drawn a pistol and was headed toward the stage with a murderous intent. The Hell's Angels guard who confronted Hunter, Alan Passaro, proceeded to stab him and stop him from shooting as he wrestled him to the ground. He stabbed him a few more times, and Meredith Hunter was dead. His autopsy showed large amounts of methamphetamine in his blood stream, certainly an important factor in his death.
Impact on Music
The hype and expectations surrounding Altamont after the success of Woodstock were extremely high, and many thought that the success of the massive New York concert would help promote and improve the upcoming Altamont concert. However, the end result of these two events occurring when they did was a drastically different view of Rock and Roll. Many wondered how such an event could occur when Woodstock had just painted the genre, and those who associate themselves with the genre, in such a positive light. The scenes witnessed or heard of from Altamont were enough for many, many people to hold a negative view of rock and roll from the 70's and onward, and it is always used as a prime example of the negatives of Rock and Roll. The sinister mood of the concert and the crowds actions also greatly hurt the image of the baby boomer generation, who were then seen as reckless hooligans obsessed with drugs, beer, and killing. Overall, the entirety of music suffered an unforgettable blow on that fateful day of December 6, 1969, and a seemingly beneficial and positive way for fans to enjoy music turned sour, tarnishing a genre for decades to come.
The hype and expectations surrounding Altamont after the success of Woodstock were extremely high, and many thought that the success of the massive New York concert would help promote and improve the upcoming Altamont concert. However, the end result of these two events occurring when they did was a drastically different view of Rock and Roll. Many wondered how such an event could occur when Woodstock had just painted the genre, and those who associate themselves with the genre, in such a positive light. The scenes witnessed or heard of from Altamont were enough for many, many people to hold a negative view of rock and roll from the 70's and onward, and it is always used as a prime example of the negatives of Rock and Roll. The sinister mood of the concert and the crowds actions also greatly hurt the image of the baby boomer generation, who were then seen as reckless hooligans obsessed with drugs, beer, and killing. Overall, the entirety of music suffered an unforgettable blow on that fateful day of December 6, 1969, and a seemingly beneficial and positive way for fans to enjoy music turned sour, tarnishing a genre for decades to come.