The Altamont Free Concert | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

[@danem2215]

Who could've imagined a free-for-all concert at a racetrack, policed by armed and drunk gang members would not go well?

[@markshaw270]

🏍🤟🤟🎸

[@christopherweise438]

Dane M - The Hell's Angels were the problem. Woodstock was free, full of drugs, and had too few supplies and food.....and it worked.

[@119Agent]

@@christopherweise438 the venue and poor planning was the problem. The Hell’s Angels had been used many times before and since with no issues.

[@chrisramsey6725]

The answer: naive leftist hippies in the 1960s

[@redeye4516]

+LostDutchman That's actually a valid point if what you say about the Angels being used for successful security details before and after this is true. I work in security, and I can tell you that no security at all is possible without a plan. Where the guards will be, where are the entry and exit points, what will each guard be doing at his post or where will he be on his patrol, etc. These plans take time and often some money to even begin to put into motion. The basically unplanned nature of the event makes me believe that rather than even a rudimentary security plan for the venue, they simply told the bikers "just do your thing man, and fuck up anyone who gives you a hard time" Having guards who are drunk and/or drugged is also not a good sign, even with a plan no guard on duty should be doing drugs or alcohol. Incidents like these are why there's a basic state licensing program for security guards these days. Rather than handing random guys off the street a weapon and telling them they have power over other people now, it now takes a permit for each of these (there's an unarmed permit that lasts 2 years and an armed permit that lasts for 1 year, each needs to be renewed after expiration for the guard to continue operating), and most guards will be working as part of a security company as contractors rather than being directly hired by the venues and businesses they guard. These companies tend to take over the planning and such for operations on their end involving their people. At the very least, security services seem to have adapted quite well and learned from these disasters and others. Personally I think the only other addendum I might make is one I'd advise for many police departments: to very thoroughly screen out anyone who has a bully or mafia mentality where they enjoy abusing or extorting other people. Thankfully I haven't seen that sort of thing on my outfit, better a lazy guard than an abusive one I say, so long as they'll do what they need to do when the time comes.

[@Treblaine]

Grateful Dead: "I recommend the Hell's Angels" Also, Grateful Dead: "I recommend we leave, these Hell's Angels are out of control!"

[@darganx]

I guess the dead weren't so grateful.

[@kenkaniff8428]

It's California and the GD knew the H.A. very well. They have a history together. They knew them tge best out of all the bands there and that is why they left. They saw how it was going and said "SEE YA!!".

[@renerpho]

Also, don't forget that the Rolling Stones had hired the Hells Angels for their July 1969 concert at Hyde Park. That had worked surprisingly well.

[@P_RO_]

The organizers had no idea who they were 'hiring'. Same as now they are not really in touch with the general public and the world most of us live in. It's what you get when you allow those who have money lead the way...

[@Treblaine]

@@renerpho Hyde Park in the UK? I don't think it's really the same group even if they have the same name.

[@tuderich]

I'm honestly surprised that there weren't more fatalities - it was bound to be a disaster from the beginning

[@markshaw270]

There probably was more.

[@kd67876]

Technically the death count was zero, as 4 babies were born during the event.

[@gustavedelior3683]

Other events have used the hell's angels before, it usually ended with several injuries or even death. On paper it looks like a good idea and the whole premise behind using them is hoping their reputations precedes them. but yes hippies and hells angels don't mix well.

[@kittenmatchvids6440]

honestly knowing this channel I was expecting a human crush

[@FlowersInHisHair]

@@kd67876 That's not how this works. That's not how any of this works

[@vspurlin2]

I was at the Altamont concert, and that is what happened. My girl and I left during the Stones' first song, Jumping Jack Flash, because it got too weird and scary. Well done!

[@joaquinvaleri7022]

That is a great story of you and you girl who were at altamont and later left because of those violence ocurred at altamont

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

This pairing of communication efforts made my brow furrow. It was odd, and I enjoyed it. :)

[@joaquinvaleri7022]

@@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid what?

[@joaquinvaleri7022]

@@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid i don't get it 😒

[@kphaxx]

You and your girl went, but left because it got too weird and crazy. Thanks for the story!

[@FixedGearFox]

My dad was there. Everything was so slapdash and shoddy. The fact that they had the Hells Angels as security is still mindbogglingly crazy as well. When Woodstock 2000 happened, Pops likened it to the travesty at Altamont, minus the biker gangs.

[@FixedGearFox]

Also new outro music whaaaat

[@ShanKatOD]

No one who was around for the original could believe Woodstock 2000…nothing but a corporate cash grab 👀

[@Unownshipper]

@@ShanKatOD Woodstock '99 (not 2000) was like the prototype for Fyre Festival, yet somehow with even worse results because 3 people died.

[@doggolovescheese1310]

@@Unownshipper and so many people were raped :(

[@agentham]

@@FixedGearFox Outro music sounds the same to me.

[@samjanssen2510]

I’m gonna be honest. When I saw there were only 4 deaths it caught me off guard. I really believed an event like this along with the circumstances and very poorly chosen security would have had quite a few more deaths than 4. Of course I’m glad the death toll isn’t higher. But of course it’s still tragic to see any loss of life at all during events like these to begin with.

[@evegreenification]

Yes it could have been even worse very easily

[@jkclassy3643]

Yeah like there could have been a major crush or even worse a fire.

[@ImperialistRunningDo]

4 dead, but a lot beaten with pool cues.

[@christosvoskresye]

There probably would have been many more deaths if this had been in an enclosed area.

[@1997thatperson]

4 deaths and 5 births lol

[@bethd.6670]

The thing people forget about Woodstock was that it was a once in a lifetime fluke. The reason there were so many people was because those who didn't have tickets just showed up anyway, trampled the temporary fencing, and joined in the festivities. It was a lighting in a bottle situation, and trying to recreate that will never work. Also less talked about is that there were injuries, it was filthy, not everyone had a good time. There is such a rose colored nostalgia to Woodstock, but it was just a music festival that did get out of hand, and miraculously didn't end in major tragedy.

[@indy_go_blue6048]

At the opening of Woodstock, the farmer who owned the property, Max Yager, got on stage, looked over the huge crowd, and said, "the only way we're going to get through this thing is if you remember that the guy next to you is your brother." Your last sentence is correct considering the number of things that did go wrong. Maybe the drugs were better in the east?

[@gggthsb]

You are so right, the fact that nothing of the like happened at Woodstock was a miracle, trying to recreate this will ultimately end in disaster. But I guess having a violent, armed motorcycle gang there as 'security' didn't do much good for this specific concert.

[@spiritmatter1553]

My oldest brother and his then wife attempted to go to Woodstock. The mud made them turn away. Just as well.

[@UNUSUALUSERNAME220]

A fact that many do not know is that the main source of power was running through a buried cable right underneath the audience and the stage. Due to the rain and the number of people, it came uncovered and was lying exposed to the masses. Someone finally pointed it out, and they were able to get it covered up again. If the sheath of the cable had been exposed, it would have electrocuted anyone around it! Good times!

[@shroomyk]

Through this whole video I was thinking "Wasn't Woodstock actually a disaster?" I don't know how such a large crowd could be a good time in any circumstance. Humans suck pretty badly when they form large groups. They have tried to recreate Woodstock many times through the years and it always ends up badly. You're right that the original one was just a fluke and it wasn't even supposed to happen that way.

[@ginnymiller2448]

I actually work with a guy that attended this concert back in the day. He said the vibes were really bad, particularly because of the behavior of the Hells Angels. He said the local chapters were really cool but they had invited all sorts of other chapters from further away because of the size of the concert, and those were the ones that were behaving badly and making it unpleasant for all the concert goers. He said they were doing mean shit like driving around on peoples blankets, walking up to them taking their drinks, taking their food without asking etc. He had nothing nice to say about his memories of that day.

[@andrewwhyte4753]

filed under stuff which didn't happen.

[@Heathcoatman]

@@andrewwhyte4753 Yeah, bud. It absolutely happened. Were you there? Your parents probably werent even born yet. Go stare at your phone.

[@andrewwhyte4753]

@@Heathcoatman very witty comeback, if words of one syllable are your fetish, at least.

[@Heathcoatman]

@@andrewwhyte4753 Did you think that was a good comeback? Sorry bro, I had no idea you were 'special'. I was raised not to pick on the 'challenged' so you have a good day little fella

[@andrewwhyte4753]

@@Heathcoatman That literally makes no sense at all. You clearly lack education, or class. Probably American or something.

[@g.sergiusfidenas6650]

Hippies, Hell's Angels, poor planning, drugs and everyone's favorite word: FREE, all mixed together, what could go wrong? I am surprised the death toll was so low.

[@M85619]

Poor planning and the angels....drugs and hippies..and free were givens

[@Amanda-C.]

Don't forget the alcohol... I mean, just Hell's Angels and lack of proper infrastructure/equipment alone caused the majority of the deaths and injuries.

[@P_RO_]

The Hippie culture eschewed violence, but you couldn't tell by looking who was truly Hippie and who wasn't, and all the young people got lumped wrongfully into that category back them. The Angels didn't do too badly considering what they could have done and that on today's money that would be around $5K worth of beer. The whole thing was a cluster-F and it's really the organizers who are to blame for almost all the problems.

[@christopherweise438]

@@P_RO_ - Woodstock had ALL the same elements working against it, but it went off fine. Having speed freaks like the Hell's Angels was literally the lynch pin.

[@tenebrousoul9368]

man, someone fell hard for Nixon's propaganda. Let me guess, you also believe in Jewish space lasers?

[@Cat-tastrophee]

The Grateful Dead recommended the Hell's Angels for security and then peaced out when things got too crazy. Classy move.

[@everlastinglife5978]

Grateful Dead sound like cowards.

[@constanttraveler]

This comment triggered me to laugh

[@r.w.b.7683]

The Airplane recommended the Angels. Jack Cassidy was really tight with the San Francisco branch of Angels since Rio Honda

[@robertpiekosz7470]

Not True. It Was Jerry Garcia

[@SlickArmor]

@@robertpiekosz7470 you should properly annotate your answer so this Ball character sees it. He probably still thinks he's right. Notice how I did it and you got a heads up?

[@rengarcia5189]

My sister, who was all about the Summer of Love, attended the show with her friends driving cross-country to see it. When she returned she was visibly shaken. She said she had never been so frightened in all her life.

[@jo-eo9ld]

so scary poor thing ! I’m glad she made it out mostly okay

[@kathleenking47]

They probably needed the NATIONAL GUARD watching the concert..not THUGS

[@phillipkalaveras1725]

Maybe she should attend a Rap concert like the one last weekend in Sacramento that left 6 dead and 12 in the hospital... Or did you not know? The media has been leaving the Rap Concert out of the story when reporting on the mass shooting like it had nothing to do with it.

[@h_llama]

@@phillipkalaveras1725 What rap concert? At least be specific

[@Karlalovescandy18]

@@phillipkalaveras1725 whatchu talking about everyone jumped on Astroworld

[@fredaaron762]

The Flying Burrito Brothers actually performed between Jefferson Airplane and CSNY, and were the only band to play a set without any issues, violence or drama. Not only that, but Gram Parsons got to hook up with Michelle Phillips after the show, making him arguably the only person who was there who had a good day.

[@powertrip6426]

It's rare I come across a Gram Parsons story I don't enjoy. Sure wish we coulda seen him grow old and keep singing tunes. He's one of my favorite artists of all time. My dad showed him to me and said he made it possible for the beer drinkers and the stoners to meld together lol.

[@marvistawoodworks7624]

I remember that performance as well. They were like a breath of fresh air.

[@christophermerlot3366]

Maybe Michelle Phillips also had a good day.

[@joaquinvaleri7022]

​@@powertrip6426really?

[@geomodelrailroader]

correct here the timeline of how things went from bad to worse. Santana opens the concert with the final song being "Smoove" but they had to stop when the crowd rushed the stage. The Hells Angels then sent Denise Kaufman out there she went on and sang her song "Love" the crowd rushed the stage and someone threw a beer bottle at Denise and she got beaned and hit the stage she was taken out on a stretcher to the hospital for stitches and to deliver her baby. Next Starship took the stage and sang "The Other Side of This Life" they had to stop the concert again when the crowd rushed the stage. Marty from Starship picked a fight with Animal thats what started it. Marty dropped 4 F-Bombs and when the 4th F- Bomb left his lips Animal slugged him and the crowd rushed the stage. Grace Slick went out there and said that Animal punched Marty and Starship refused to go on and left the concert . Next the Burritos went out there was no problem but when CSNY went out Santana told them to leave and they left the concert with Starship. Then Graceful Dead went on Santana told them to leave also. Then the Stones went on thats when things went from bad to worse. Jagger exited his chopper someone punched him and when Jagger sang "Under my Thumb" they rushed the stage again thats when Hunter showed up and tried to assassinate Jagger. Al went out there and stabbed him later it was ruled as self defense. Jagger did not pay up until a month later for what happened at Altamont.

[@gleewhoseline198]

As someone with a dislike of crowds (partly due to this channel), when the manager described the approaching concert goers as an 'invading army', I just thought.... 'Well, here it comes...'

[@WobblesandBean]

Ugh, same. I get claustrophobic just thinking about it.

[@ckilbarger01]

Yes! Large, uncontrolled crowds are now a very rational fear I have.

[@ImperialistRunningDo]

Here it comes, here it comes Here comes your nineteenth nervous breakdown.

[@FluffyFerretFarm]

You have a dislike for crowds because of words? 😂😂

[@knightofthelivingdrones2646]

I’ve always think of crowds like a heard of cattle that are easily spooked.

[@Cheskaz]

I was going to say "whenever I see 'Concert' in the title, I know I'm in for a dark time". Then I realised it's more that "whenever I see '* | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror' I'm in for a dark time." That said, as always, I appreciate your respectfulness and lack of sensationalism.

[@Anonymous38572]

"Then I realized it's more that whenever I go on KZbin I'm in for a dark time".

[@CactussJackk]

Soon as I saw concert auto click

[@indy_go_blue6048]

On 1/1/70 Stevie Miller's band and 2 or 3 good local bands played at a free concert in the Crater in Honolulu. The US Army provided security. About 75,000 people attended. No one was hurt, AFAIK everybody had a great time. That just doesn't make a good story for Fascinating Horror, lol.

[@denisejackson4819]

Which is exactly what the is is. Total sensationalism. I was there.

[@Hypagon]

The last sentence "An example of how, simply through poor planning, the attempt to create something unique and amazing ends up in a desaster" describes every project I'm working on.

[@gordonaliasme1104]

Sorry to hear that. Stay safe at home and chill!

[@Cramblit]

That line pretty much sums up most peoples lives in general including my own XD

[@bluecollie55_movies25]

Sorry about your problems. What do you work on?

[@Hypagon]

@@bluecollie55_movies25 It's anything creative really. Such as music or video projects. At the end I do something spontaneous and it ends up in desaster, because there is no plan or structure. But at least there aren't any casualties, except for my wasted time.

[@bluecollie55_movies25]

@@Hypagon I have about the same problem. Only in my case I want to do cartoons and maybe some 2D animation (mostly in the form of flipbooks so far.) I'm doing them as hobbies. But so far things range from OK to half finished to not fully developed yet.

[@FloozieOne]

I had been at Woodstock and it had been such an amazing experience that I was super-eager to go to Altamont when it was announced. Some friends were not so sure. Word had gotten out about the Angels being in charge of security and pretty much everyone (except the organizers) knew this was a very bad idea. At the last minute about half our group or 8 people including myself decided not to go. None of the ones that went came back unscathed. 2 were beaten, 3 crushed to the ground in the crowd and trampled on, one suffered such severe dehydration and sunstroke he was hospitalized for over a week and the last fell off one of the speakers and broke both his legs.

[@kvernon1]

Wow! Going with such optimism, returning never forgetting the nightmare.

[@johnnoone2052]

Good times

[@whyyeseyec]

Sunstroke in December? I think not. The sun is very low in the sky in he Bay Area that time of year. It's not warm enough for sunstroke. Dehydration maybe but that can happen any time of year.

[@kamikazetsunami9137]

Damn dirty hippies

[@broderickwallis25]

WOW.... fun fun fun !!!!?

[@racingfan372]

There's another great documentary that covers this concert. It's called Gimme Shelter (after the Stones song). It was meant to be an account of that US tour, which ended up including Altamont. They caught Mr. Hunter's stabbing on film and didn't even realize it until they viewed the footage back later.

[@totallylooney8292]

I watched that a few years ago... it's a hell of a film. :(

[@kenkaniff8428]

My dad was there as a club member. I've actually got private 8mm footage from that concert that one of my dad's "brothers" filmed. It's footage only about 30 people have seen and is probably something that belongs in a collection somewhere but I will NEVER get rid of it. It's only been seen by some club members (from 50 years ago), my mother and myself. NOBODY ELSE has seen it!! I'm sure someone here will try to piss on my opportunity to share my story. That's expected but I will respond to everyone respectfully if I'm addressed respectfully.

[@Ace_of_Horns]

@@kenkaniff8428 no need to give away the film, but perhaps you could take a video of the film and post it online.

[@mattskustomkreations]

Parts of the film were used as evidence in the court case. May have been used in civil cases too, but I’m not sure about that part.

[@Jaydogg222]

@@kenkaniff8428 Wow Ken, what an honor! I have a secret film of JFK getting shot cuz my dad shot some secret 8mm film from the grassy knoll that only 5 people have seen. I guess we're both special...

[@OrchestrationOnline]

There are quite a few things left out of this analysis, though in other ways it's quite good. One is that the Altamont concert was more about ego than generosity. The Stones wanted to mastermind a competitor festival to Woodstock, and release their film of it before the Woodstock film. Another important detail was that December in the Bay Area can really be quite cold, and the audience was simply freezing as the night came on and the temperature dropped. Finally, the Stones had become notorious on tour for making the audience wait for hours past the scheduled time, because the longer they waited, the bigger the reaction when they finally took the stage. But in this case, that simply made the audience angrier and the Hells Angels more desperate and violent. The whole thing was just a huge ego trip from beginning to end. The dumbest thing was hiring the Angels as security and paying them in beer. Absolutely idiotic.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

The Angels were also gonna be paid with a "good show", don't forget that! 😆 But yeah, I get a feeling that trying to be better than Woodstock attracts bad luck to concerts/festivals in general.

[@waynecameron4579]

Free beer

[@davechae5890]

@@waynecameron4579 lsdddddddddd

[@Kazmahu]

Another aspect: the bands mentioned had previously worked with the San Francisco branch of Hell's Angels, who had less of a violent reputation and, when paid cash, had staffed multiple Grateful Dead concerts without incident. The Stones, lacking time, context, and brains, impulsively hired the notoriously violent Oakland branch instead.

[@carlost856]

This is what Billy McFarland Fyre Fest aimed to be and fell short even of that.

[@PaKalsha]

"With the concert only days away, work began on the construction of the infrastructure" Oh, boy, that is not a good sentence, and yet it got so much worse.

[@gringopaul3423]

I was there. Getting there early, I spread a blanket 50 yards from the stage. There were two experiences. The rude crazies forced their way through the crowd and packed the stage area like human sardines. Late arrivals picked their way through the crowd to force themselves near the stage. No one was in charge. Everyone was uncomfortable. The music was great, the sound pretty good for a last minute setup. I could see waves and waves of people moving, like currents in heavy surf. I did not realize I was witnessing the violence. I only learned thescope of the disaster when I got home and watched the news. One thing you don't mention is that the Rolling Stones had used the Hells Angels as security in England. They behaved different in Britain. The backlash against the Angels changed their public image. At that time, they were respected parts of the counter culture. This was a public relations nightmare they never recovered from. Before, stories of violence were mixed with them stopping along the highway to assist motorists with car and motorcycle trouble. After, they were see as violent drunks and criminal dope fiends best avoided. Altamont marked the end of peace and love bul*sh*t. Whatever the hippie movement was, it died that day. My generation moved on to reluctant adulthood as a result.

[@Heathcoatman]

Or to Vietnam. Perhaps it felt like they were part of the culture to some, but they have always been a gang, they have always been junkies and/or drug dealers, they have always been violent. They didnt change, people just finally realized it.

[@truthseeker2321]

@@Heathcoatman Their violent ways were well documented in the 50's.

[@dsrtflwr6093]

I was 8 years old in 1969. Even then I didn't like hippies. Then and now, I have always thought they were stupid.

[@Heathcoatman]

@@dsrtflwr6093 Uh. ok. You hate hippies.

[@truthseeker2321]

@@dsrtflwr6093 You weren't wrong about that.

[@Kousaburo]

A free concert? Superb, it's not like everyone in the world will show up. And we'll get Hell's Angels to do the security, because it sounds cool. What could possibly go wrong!?

[@teamjono69]

I mean its not as if the Hells Angels have ever been involved in violence, drug trafficking, kidnap, murder, rapes, theft and shootings... oh... hang on wait a minute....

[@lorrainemarshall9476]

People, no other reason. It's people that make everything go wrong.

[@pretzelhunt]

Not because it sounds cool; because they were cheap, had done other smaller-scale security jobs fairly successfully, and moving the event venue 3x zaps all your scant resources anyway. There was 0$ in revenue for this show, you understand? It's not the clout of a Mx gang doing security on the flyer, like Phoebe Bridges

[@chadcuckproducer1037]

Hells Angel's weren't the problem. People who couldn't understand that clashing with them could lead to spontaneous bleeding and death were the problem.

[@pretzelhunt]

@@chadcuckproducer1037 That's not concert security; that's a prison gang, Mr. Cuck. The HAMC were trash humans.

[@kittikat4124]

My mom (who was 7 at the time) had a friend whose brother (i think she said he was 19) went with a few other people. One of his friends ended up with some lsd in his drink and was having a really bad trip, so they left shortly after the first concert started. They went to a hospital and called the tripping friend’s parents and then called his parents. They all swore they were only drinking alcohol and that their friend had to have been spiked. Makes you wonder how many people weren’t intentionally tripping and had instead been slipped something.

[@mattwilkinson5858]

Uh uh of course he was spiked….

[@kittikat4124]

@@mattwilkinson5858 I'm just saying what my mom told me. it is entirely possible he was spiked, but it's also possible he took it intentionally and ended up with a bad trip. I tend to lean towards him genuinely being spiked since they did go to the hospital and told their parents what had happened.

[@wilkaii]

Knowing the Grateful Dead were playing I'm not surprised people were spiking drinks with LSD...

[@desratlinda8639]

@@wilkaii lol

[@wuggawugga82]

beware the evil hippy, they are nefarious

[@thehangmansdaughter1120]

At the last free concert I went to in New Zealand the security was provided by the Maori Wardens, middle aged Maori women. There was just one disturbance, which resulted in a dressing down and a spanking with a flip flop. No-one argues with the Wardens.

[@Prismatic_Truth]

😂 As an ex-pat Kiwi, I love this!

[@jaex9617]

With good reason!

[@booth2710]

There is nothing like a jandal for keeping order

[@eddabbs8690]

There are people who'd pay for that treatment 😂

[@jongilbertson2106]

LOL! I don’t know how much of this is real.

[@He-be-GG]

I was there. I was 16. Seeing all the planes and helicopters flying overhead, I thought “They’ve gathered everyone together here to kill us.” Paranoia from too much sunshine, I guess. I went and got my 52 caddie and came back for the two girls I came with. People piled on my car and I was driving looking out the windshield between the legs of people sitting on the car. Elaine and her friend emerged from the crowd, and we somehow drove home over the Hayward Bridge. PS We got to hear Santana.

[@aisle_of_view]

I was never fond of the "Who cut the cheese?" faces that Santana made on stage.

[@jeffreyriley8742]

Crazy time, huh?

[@AnUndeadMonkey]

I like that the Grateful Dead showed up, did a vibe check, and then left when it came up as "atrocious"

[@kenkaniff8428]

Even crazier that The GD were the MAIN reason that H.A. got the security gig!! They were quite friendly with the H.A in those days and recommended them.

[@chrisramsey6725]

@@kenkaniff8428 much of the GD family did not like the Angels but Garcia was for them. I know John Perry Barlow did not like the bad energy they brought backstage. It was a different time and place. The Angels were not the murderous criminal gang they eventually got known as back then. Many hippies enjoyed their company. Even Ken Kesey and Hunter Thompson hung out with them in La Honda. They all did LSD together with nary a problem

[@tonyfourpaws4511]

Edit*** I had bad info. I see that they were there. Thnx guys no they didn't. that story is complete nonsense. they weren't even there yet.

[@AnUndeadMonkey]

Their arrival is shown in the documentary "Gimme Shelter," they arrived via helicopter, got reports of what had been happening and saw some of the crowd, and then got right back on the helicopter and left. Clip: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y4KooGmLo65paq8

[@kenkaniff8428]

@@tonyfourpaws4511 my father was there doing security with H. A. (his hadle was Bucksot aka Bucky) and he never actually saw them but from what has been told they were there. I have some old 8mm footage filmed at the event from one of ny dads "brothers" which is very cool. I had it digitized several years ago to keep it safe but yes that topic has been debated for decades and as i said my father never actually saw them and he had access to everything behind the scenes. My father did say they were there tho if i remember correctly

[@kevinbergin9971]

There was also a local group that performed-in between some of these major acts. The female lead singer was hit in the head by a full beer bottle that someone in the audience had thrown at her. It fractured her skull. Additionally, she was six months pregnant. Luckily, both mother and baby survived.

[@julosx]

@Cassandra It happened to the Stray Cats as well back in the early 80s. Someone once threw a grenade to Aerosmith before that…

[@lamper2]

ACE OF CUPS SINGER

[@rydz656]

Hilarious.

[@captivecat5858]

@@rydz656 injuring a pregnant lady is not funny

[@Barnabas45]

Complete opposite of Woodstock!

[@kevinr.3542]

The Rolling Stone documentary on this, Gimme Shelter, is a hell of an experience. It totally transports you back in time, right in the middle of all the chaos. And it really was insane. Talk about a bummer trip...people in the crowd look shell shocked, its a warzone. So many people were having bad trips, the place was flooded with crude, home-made LSD, Speed, STP and all sorts of other "bad drugs". This one guy somehow makes it onstage, directly next to Mick Jagger, and he's so f-d up, he's rubbing himself all over while clenching/mashing his teeth. He's up there for like 2 minutes before a Hells Angel throws him in the crowd. By the time the stones hit the stage, the place was a hot, sweaty, angry mess. The entire crowd was undulating and moving like a single organism, just thrashing around. Mick sounds panicked, he's pleading (rather urgently) "everyone just COOL OUT!". Then he tries to dance around to the music, but every time the band gets into a song they would have to stop due to a fight, or the crowd pushing. The whole thing was a sh#t show and its surprising only 4 people died.

[@kenkaniff8428]

My dad was a club member and he was at the concert. One of his "brothers" filmed some 8mm footage of the event and I still have it in my possession to this day. It's only been seen by about 30 people, my mother and myself!! It probably belongs in a collection somewhere but I will NEVER get rid of it. NEVER!!!! It's RAW AND UNFILTERED!!! ITS TRULY AMAZING FOTAGE!!! My dad can actually be seen in that footage that you are talking about in the documentary also on one occasion (if you look really really closely lol) This concert is part of my personal family history!!

[@kenkaniff8428]

It's funny you called it a "shit show" cuz in my comment I left in the thread I mention thst y father told me "it was COMPLETE bedlam and a TOTAL SHIT SHOW"!! His exact words!

[@fritzfxx]

"Home made LSD" is like saying "a home made Toyota" -it ain't happening. Just setting up the lab itself is a massive financial investment that takes tons of technical experience. Not even mentioning sourcing precursors, and actual synth

[@mushroomanjcc1954]

Surprised this doesn't have more likes

[@Bubble170]

@@fritzfxx no it’s not lol. LSD is extremely easy to synthesise. This is a known fact. You don’t know what you’re talking about. And there’s a reason people were having bad trips. It’s because it wasn’t done properly. Because it was homemade. Fucking obviously.

[@susanmadden1309]

I was there, 18 at the time. Hindsight says our good fortune forced us to park so far away, felt like days walking in, but that put us a long way back. At some point we knew things were going very wrong up front. They implored us to move back, and thankfully we did, seemingly a rolling wave of humanity complying with an urgent command from very, very far away. Somehow we got out, and I remember being so glad I’d worn my 2nd hand raccoon coat which I was cursing earlier in the mid-morning sun. While I disagree that this brought an end to the era of “peace, love & good vibes”, no doubt all of us left changed. I carry everything good about the 60s with me today and wish any 20-something currently self-identifying as a hippie could truly understand the ethos birthed at that very special time. What a long, strange trip.....susan madden.

[@bassiejazz]

Naaah … the whole ‘peace and love’ and hippie movement was little more than a bunch of dropout kids on drugs.

[@sleethmitchell]

it was a shitshow. i was a UCSC student, hitchhiked out there with a girl friend. it's when i fell out of love with people. but it would be wrong to reject the values of the love generation. great ideas, but over optimistic about huge groups of people.

[@DrFaust-pr8vw]

​@@bassiejazz most of the "drop outs" were in vietnam or in prison for draft dodging.

[@Matt-xv2cp]

@@DrFaust-pr8vw uh, no.

[@DrFaust-pr8vw]

@@Matt-xv2cp and how old are you? You just gotta love when people who weren't even born yet will tell people who lived through it "akchtually that didn't happen."

[@rinoz47]

I always knew the Hell's Angels were a punchline for bad security, but i never knew the story behind it

[@kenkaniff8428]

My dad was a patched member of the H.A (called him "Buckshot") and he was at the concert. One of his "brothers" filmed some 8mm footage of the event and I still have it in my possession to this day. It's only been seen by about 50 patched members, my mother and myself!! It probably belongs in a museum collection somewhere but I will NEVER get rid of it. NEVER!!!! It's RAW AND UNFILTERED!!! ITS TRULY AMAZING FOTAGE!!! My dad can actually be seen in that footage that you are talking about in the documentary also. This concert is part of my personal family history!!

[@_ee75]

@@kenkaniff8428 you need to get this footage out there man, it's absolutely unique! This can't get lost to history

[@Donde_Lieta]

@@kenkaniff8428 if you don’t distribute the footage (which I think you should, cause it sounds cool af- and I’m all for the preservation of old media) make sure to take care of the film- film is super fragile and prone to deterioration if it’s not kept in the right environment. 💜 Also, this event happened in the window of time where a lot of unreleased news footage of national and international events were destroyed in the “National Archives Film Vault Fire of 1978”, so I’m sure any footage of this event is welcomed with open arms haha.

[@ichwill7536]

@@Donde_Lieta its a copy paste. This persons replying it to multiple threads. The odds of them actually possessing ghe described 8mm film is so low

[@kenkaniff8428]

@Higgs Bonbon my father talked to a curator about 35 years ago and he was educated on how and where to store it so it has been kept in very good condition but we DID have it transferred onto a better format about 15 years ago so I still have the ORIGINAL 8mm footage and also have it on a better longer lasting format just for preservation sake. It's now on DVD so its,safe

[@CLove511]

I'm so glad you decided to stick with Glass Pond as your theme. It's so haunting and perfect for horrifying stories, it sets me on edge before the story even starts.

[@justpaddingtonbear]

Agreed!

[@Krystalmyth]

Meh. His original theme was more terrifying.

[@AnishMurthy1297]

@@Krystalmyth what was it

[@c88898]

@@Krystalmyth I agree! I miss that one. Sometimes I watch his old videos just to listen to it again.

[@TMCremixes]

This story reminded me of the tragic Loveparade incident in Germany in 2010, where 21 people were killed and over 600 people were injured. Lots of footage available. Would be great if you covered it in one of your episodes. Love what you do.

[@chgr4674]

I just thought about this one too. The planning really wasn’t properly thought through. So many mistakes. I was at a birthday party, camping in my best friends garden. We spent most of the evening watching the news on TV. So horrible. Her cousin had actually planned on going there with a friend. But the friend got sick so the cousin stayed home. So my best friends family was super emotional, thinking about all the what ifs, if the cousin had gone.

[@JustHereForTheTea]

I just looked this up - it looks nuts. I'd love for FH to explain what the heck happened.

[@chgr4674]

@@JustHereForTheTea it comes down to: never have only one emergency exit, especially if it’s a tunnel where you can’t control the masses and people can be crushed to death. But there was also miscommunication between organisers, security and police which made it even worse. The video would really good and I think it will be interesting for many people because it’s probably only Germans who know about this event

[@Z0RDR4CK]

@@chgr4674 believe it or not, but since we live in the _social media age_ this is a well known event - not only for germans and it already had its effect to other festivals around the world.

[@chgr4674]

@@Z0RDR4CK oh, thank you. I don’t really know much about festivals, since I don’t like camping and big masses (not only but also because of possible mass panics). I prefer to go see musicals or the opera 😊

[@EagleFang74]

I’ve known about this story since I was a kid but for some reason hearing it as an adult leaves me even more astounded. I just can’t believe adults would plan something like this. Perhaps the most shocking thing is that only four people died amidst all of that chaos.

[@janeclarkson8471]

I agree! I imagined many more injuries and death. I do believe ALL that a concert involves, those organisers were beyond incompetent!

[@wwbuirkle]

Did you see the film?

[@kgoulding1237]

With how this was organized, I'm surprised there was only 4 deaths.

[@jenniferlonnes7420]

Were*

[@SeamusMcGillicuddy0]

The concert was actually opened by the Archie’s and the Cowsill’s.

[@raymondmeyers8983]

Someone actually said, “Lets’s hire the Hells Angels for security. What could possibly go wrong?” Wild.

[@dancingtrout6719]

i read a book about the Angels and it said Angels had been hired in england and were very nice .. But there was a difference of the States Angels.

[@arricammarques1955]

@@dancingtrout6719 Were the angels entitled for this gig?

[@dancingtrout6719]

@@arricammarques1955 in south africas kruger park animal reservation there are Lions, and i refer too the as Krugers Angels..lol how cool is that .. (LIONS) (ANGELS)

[@dancingtrout6719]

@dirtbag daryal chuckle...

[@RubyBlueUwU]

I go to a yearly festival that’s completely organised and policed by a biker gang (not the angels but similar) and even back when it had huge names playing there’s never been an issue. I’d say the issue was the combination of hiring people you couldn’t really hold accountable or have authority over and then plying them with alcohol at an already dodgy and poorly planned event. I find the comment about the English and US angels being different interesting though, since I’m in England - there could just be a difference in the way they’re run and the culture of bikers in the countries

[@Jimmie2429]

Biker gang handling security, no toilets, no medical tent, no traffic control, improper stage location, 100,00 drunk/high patrons….what can go wrong?

[@julibugable]

I’m glad for these videos. They teach us what not to do in future and remind us that improvements are (emphasis) being made.

[@elliottprice6084]

From the second I started watching, there was a sense of dread about this event. How could the organisers put together such a huge event, cut so many corners and not expect anything less than a tragedy? Especially when the concert goers were described as an "Invading army?" The saddest thing is, no one seems to have been held accountable.

[@CieraMychele]

For real. It was bad from the beginning but as soon as I heard they didn't have enough toilets or a medical tent i was like "oh no"

[@WobblesandBean]

If there's one thing I've learned from this channel, it's that the bad guys are _never_ held accountable.

[@christopherweise438]

@@CieraMychele - It worked at Woodstock. The real problem here was to have speed freaks like the Hell's Angels as security.

[@shaylalewis6560]

Travis Scott Concert killed more people.

[@NannupTiger]

I believe more folks died at Woodstock! I'm very surprised that the death toll wasn't a lot higher at this concert!

[@christopherweise438]

As a lifelong musician i appreciate you picking this event. It basically ended the festival era in the states until the 80's. You did the most thorough job (as usual) i've seen.

[@phillipkalaveras1725]

Never heard of "Day on the Green" The Day on the Green gigs were legendary. They took place in Oakland Coliseum across from San Francisco and were put on by Bill Graham from 1973 - to 1992. You must have been hiding under a rock Day On The Green # 1 & 2: Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, Gary Wright, Status Quo (4/25 only), UFO (5/1 only) (April 25, 1976 / May 1, 1976) Day On The Green #3: Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power, Santana, Jeff Beck, Journey, Nils Lofgren (June 5, 1976) Day On The Green #4: The J. Geils Band, Jeff Beck, Blue Öyster Cult, Mahogany Rush, Sammy Hagar (June 6, 1976) Day On The Green #5: The Beach Boys, America, Elvin Bishop, John Sebastian. (July 2, 1976) Day On The Green #6: Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Loggins and Messina, Renaissance (August 3, 1976) Day on the Green #7 & 8 (proper): The Who, Grateful Dead (October 9 & 10, 1976) Day On The Green #1: The Beach Boys, Linda Ronstadt, Elvin Bishop, Dolly Parton, Norton Buffalo (May 28, 1978) Day On The Green #2: Steve Miller, Bob Seger, Outlaws, Ronnie Montrose, Toby Beau Band (June 17, 1978) Day On The Green #3: Aerosmith, Foreigner, Pat Travers, Van Halen, AC/DC (July 23, 1978) Day On The Green #4: The Rolling Stones, Santana, Eddie Money, Peter Tosh, Toots and the Maytals (July 26, 1978) Day On The Green #5: Ted Nugent, Blue Öyster Cult, Journey, AC/DC, Cheap Trick (September 2, 1978)

[@christopherweise438]

@@phillipkalaveras1725 - Yea... this was Bill Graham putting on the same show, on the same site, for 1 day other than one occasion. Name all the other massive multi day festivals taking place in the U.S. during the 70's. Nothing happened until the US Festival in 1983. And NO.....i had never heard of "Day On The Green" before, and i guarantee you not many people in the Midwest have.

[@ArtCurator2020]

I was 19 in 1969, and IMO Woodstock was the worst thing to happen to the music scene. Before Woodstock, rock music was played in small intimate venues. Fillmore West was the size of a HS Gym. Winterland was a small arena. Fillmore West in NYC was like a theater. Most of the venues before Woodstock were small enough so that you felt as an audience member that you were somehow a part of what was happening on stage. The promoters had no idea that so many people would show up at Woodstock, and when they did it apparently showed the promoters what saps they were to lose money on small venues. Here in the SF Bay area, Bill Graham's "Day On The Green" productions at the outdoor Oakland Coliseum were a big turn off for me. I went to a couple and the party scene was great but you could hardly see the band and the sound was lousy. Overall, ALL the pop music concerts in the SF Bay area after Woodstock were at much larger venues, and the intimacy was gone. Those early small venues really spoiled me because afterwards there was was NO Way that I was going to go to a concert where I needed to look at a giant TV screen to see what was happening on stage. Rather than going to such HUGE Concert Venues, I thought that I was better off just spending my money on the band's CD's and listen to them at home.

[@216Numbskull]

@@christopherweise438 Those "Day On The Green" concerts he's talking about were AKA "The World Series of Rock!" in Cleveland,OH. Held at Cleveland Stadium in the 70's sponsored by Belkin Productions & WMMS 101-FM. In the Midwest they also had the same type of concert series you may know as "The Monsters Of Rock." Still, you're correct those were just 1 day rock concerts, not 3 or 4 day festivals, however those shows were kickazz! Good times ++++++Peace & Rock n' Roll 4 Your Soul++++++

[@christopherweise438]

@@216Numbskull - Interesting. I was born in '68.....so my concert going days weren't until the 80's. However, as a musician and rock history nerd i appreciate the info you gave me. Rock on man.

[@Jared_Wignall]

I’ve not heard of this event until now. I love this channel for exposing me to events and stories I’ve not heard before. I love the amount of work you put into making these videos, keep up the great work!

[@davidburke2697]

you can see Mick pleading with the crowd on KZbin....

[@kenkaniff8428]

You should really check out some footage of it on YT. It's CRAZY!!

[@christopherweise438]

@@davidburke2697 - "Cool out. Everybody just COOL OUT!!!"

[@indy_go_blue6048]

It was front page of Rolling Stone magazine (which was actually a good read in 1969.) I think it was the next issue when that infamous stony-eyed picture of Charles Manson appears.

[@kenkaniff8428]

My dad was a patched member of the H.A (called him "Buckshot") and he was at the concert. One of his "brothers" filmed some 8mm footage of the event and I still have it in my possession to this day. It's only been seen by about 50 patched members, my mother and myself!! It probably belongs in a museum collection somewhere but I will NEVER get rid of it. NEVER!!!! It's RAW AND UNFILTERED!!! ITS TRULY AMAZING FOTAGE!!! This concert is part of my personal family history!!

[@marstondavis]

I was there. My girlfriend and I left once the assholes on motorcycles started racing them up and down through the crowd. That was during the long delay, and we could feel the audience growing restless. Fights started breaking out and we got the hell out of there. The ride back was a real eye opener. We got there the night before and slept in my VW bus. When we left the freeway going to the concert was completely blocked. Cars were just abandoned, and people were walking in the roadway. They had no idea it would be another 5-8 miles to get to the site. When we got to her house her folks were watching the news account and were very surprised and happy to see us. It was a nightmare that we viewed from afar. It wasn't cool at all! As far as I'm concerned, then as well as now, the Stones have blood on their hands. Screw them!!!

[@noleadmons]

Jagger especially was on some sort of satanic trip at the time, and Altamont showed him who is really in charge when chaos ensues. Silly man was out of his depth and he turned his back on the darkside after that.

[@yesthateric]

Being from this area, this tale is still alive today. Everyone knows the story and the horrific fallout from it. It was indeed, an end of an era

[@rickmortyson4861]

Who the fucked decided to call the hells pussys?

[@4PawSquad]

Really? I live here and this is the first I’ve heard of this concert. I was shocked.

[@sleethmitchell]

yes. it really was the end, figuratively and literally, of the sixties. that was the last time i dropped acid.

[@whatsactuallygoingonhere7230]

Rolling Stone Magazine: "Altamont was the product of diabolical egotism, hype, ineptitude, money manipulation, and, at base, a fundamental lack of concern for humanity." Sums it up nicely.

[@phillipkalaveras1725]

How would you describe today's Rap concerts? We had 18 people shot and 6 dead at ours last weekend... Choose your words carefully, if you use any of the adjectives you used to describe Altamont you will be branded a bigot and a racist.

[@LadyViscera]

You’d think that events like this, so long ago, would teach people to plan big events months or years in advance. Yet it seems like every couple of years has a terrible failed convention.

[@esteemedmortal5917]

And still, not as poorly planned and executed as the Fyre festival (though to be fair, that really was more of a scam than anything)

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

Money talks, unfortunately. Or in this case, the desire to save money wherever possible and regardless of the cost in safety or quality of event experience.

[@caitchri2426]

@@JCBro-yg8vd There is a convention held near me in Atlanta. It’s called Dragon Con. They used to see crowds of 30-50k people. A great size for a multiple hotel and venue convention. Great walking distances and just enough people to feel like a city of nerds. A great time. However closer to 2018 and pre-pandemic there were upwards of 80-100k people. The convention board I supposed thought “more people more money!” But failed to raise security, failed to raise event capacity, failed to provide bigger events…. So there would be impossibly long lines, sold out events, no food, no resting areas… no hand sanitizing, no proper forms of mass communication… no ANYTHING to help with the DOUBLING of crowds. So I completely understand what you’re getting at. Companies want to sell more tickets. At the cost of your individual experience and safety.

[@jlynn2724]

Just for that comment you get an extra hour in the ball pit

[@amtraklover]

@@caitchri2426 I live in Atlanta and yeah DragonCon is a lot of fun but man did it really get too big for its britches

[@LeskoBrandon2x]

My friend Ignacio Gutierrez lost his life there. He wasn’t a US citizen and was in the states alone so no one knew him. We met that day in the long line of cars to get in. We saw him walking alone wearing blue jean shorts, flip flops, no shirt, and a red bandana. He had a disheveled beard and was smoking Winston 100s. We asked him if he wanted to ride with us and he said yes. He ended up overdosing on a mixture of LSD, PCP, alcohol and cocaine. He brought them up with him from Mexico. Word had it that the hells angels buried his body on the grounds that next morning, other rumors say that his body was transported back to Mexico. No one really knows. I only knew him for a short time but “Iggy” was a young, fun loving soul. RIP friend.

[@katemaloney4296]

The saying: "You get what you pay for" more than applies here in every single way possible. And guys, when your woman says "I got a bad feeling about this; let's just get out of here..." Don't argue or drag your feet, pack your stuff and go! That said, I hope Meredith Hunter rests in peace.

[@DebTheDevastator]

Vegas has free concerts all the time on Fremont. In this case I think it's more "you get what other's planned for". Free or paid, case in point this whole channel, anything is only as safe as the people planning it make it.

[@coopsawright7225]

him climbing onto the speaker box after being asked to leave by gf wasnt smart either

[@lenhudson8194]

@@DebTheDevastator pretty much true, but, the reason why this is true is because the average person is an idiot and cannot be trusted to not do something stupid.

[@stephenjones101]

Not to mention waving a gun and threatening people. Read about the criminal case. This documentary sugar coats his actions. There's a reason why a Hells Angel was acquitted. Keep in mind that, other than some foolish hippie groups like Grateful Dead, living in their own LSD fantasies, virtually no one of any age believed this violent biker gang would be a good pick for "security". And the jury at the criminal trial would have been more predisposed to condemning a Hells Angel than to acquit. Yet they did acquit. One other factor that may have played into thus choice was that the branch of Angels in UK had a less violent reputation and were friends with the Stones. They may not have realized the huge differences with the US biker gang.

[@coopsawright7225]

@@stephenjones101 Thank you for sparking my memory that he was brandishing a gun. I forgot about that i was told long time ago.

[@arandompasserby7940]

There is no denying that what happened there was a tragedy. However, I don't think it's trivializing the events that transpired to note that, at the very least, when taking account of the cartoonishly massive powderkeg of bad circumstances surrounding the whole thing, it's a legitimate miracle that this didn't erupt into a much greater disaster with far more innocent human lives lost. This is one of the few disasters covered by this channel (except maybe the Tacoma Narrows Bridge or Flight 1549) where I didn't go "Oh jeez, that was just about the *absolute worst possible outcome* that could have happened." (i.e. Beverly Hills Supper Club & Cocoanut Grove fires, Gothenburg Disco Fire, Los Alfaques, Bradford Sweets Poisoning, etc., etc., etc.) Also: That comment from the Grateful Dead is the most stoner-hippie way of saying "we didn't want to go up on stage and get stabbed with a spoke".

[@stellviahohenheim]

Shut up

[@speedking7224]

They just peaced out. I don't blame them

[@troodon1096]

It's kind of a miracle that things didn't go much worse than they easily could have.

[@Paul-ew5st]

@@troodon1096 Same applies to Woodstock

[@russell7489]

True It should have been far worse Surging crowds crushing hundreds It was a tribute to the times that it didn't. Impossible to imagine now. Interesting how the heated action was mostly around the stage. So that left like 290,000 actual peaceful concert goers.

[@josemarcalo6442]

When you pay someone in alcohol to make decisions about a crowd you can't expect anything less than chaos.

[@truthseeker2321]

Especially if it's a violent motorcycle gang.

[@flynnlivescmd]

They have been used before many times for similar situations without issues. It was mainly the poor planning and bad venue setup.

[@ashura9706]

Been listening to a lot of Stones recently, and I just saw the Gimme Shelter documentary before this. It’s a solid document, even if it’s padded with a generic Stones concert for half the movie (apparently it was to fill the gap caused by Santana and CSN&Y not allowing the doc to use their footage). The gloomiest part is when Mick Jagger makes eye contact with the audience and everybody looks so damn miserable. He’s singing “Under My Thumb”, but the situation is anything but that and they know it. It’s easy to blame the Angels (apparently Meredith was easily disarmed before being stabbed, and then kicked when he was down) but the technical problems show this was bound. Even without his death it was a terrible show. The doc shows people comforting his gf saying he’s not dead just as they zip the bag with his body. Mick’s reaction in the end is haunting too. Along with the deaths of Tate and Hendrix, this is the end of the 60s.

[@joaquinvaleri7022]

Jimi Hendrix died the next year 1970

[@anacsadder]

This is probably the third time I've heard about an attempt to recreate Woodstock ending in disaster. The Woodstock '99 documentary is something people who like this sort of content might want to watch.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

What were..the other two times????

[@RoccosVideos]

Even if things went as planned I don’t think I’d want to be in a crowd that big. RIP to those who died.

[@daffers2345]

I've been to some political rallies that felt a bit overwhelming due to the sheer size. The ones I've been to have been generally orderly; not much you can do at a rally except talk to each other or listen to speeches. I can't imagine going to a music fest or concert with this many people, along with drugs, booze, angry fans, and so on.

[@coloradostrong8285]

Yea, everyone that dies just "rest in peace". 🙄

[@quisnessness]

The moment he said "hired the hell's angels" I was like ohhhhh it's this one, I remember seeing a documentary about this once. Completely insane, hiring a motorcycle gang to keep the peace

[@andyjay729]

Was that documentary 1970's "Gimme Shelter", by chance (which actually had a few shots by a young George Lucas)? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimme_Shelter_(1970_film)

[@RubyBlueUwU]

I regularly go to a festival run completely by a biker gang and it’s extremely well run and put together, but they’re not hired near last minute by people who don’t know what they’re doing and given alcohol as payment to control a ridiculously huge crowd lmao.

[@tracyjacoby2382]

Especially a violent outlaw biker gang, I would be terrified too!

[@lucasoheyze4597]

They had used Hell's Angels as security at their free concert in Hyde Park, but British Hell's Angels were very different from the American ones 😉

[@sleethmitchell]

maybe the hells angels were not the best choice, BUT the guy who was killed had brought a pistol, so it wasn't all daffodils and lilacs without them...

[@levcath13]

Thank you for covering this! I always check out stuff on that particular event. Some of the discussions in the comment section were extremely interesting!!!

[@jenh3486]

I had surgery (nothing serious) and I literally binged your channel for almost a week straight since I could hardly get up. It helped so much to get me through the recovery. I watched every single video and am now a loyal subscriber. Honestly no idea how you don’t have millions of subs yet. I love how you tell it respectfully, detailed but not confusing, and cover so many interesting events I’ve never heard of without all extras drama. Also your voice is incredibly soothing. The nutty putty one still freaks me out. I heard that not long before the nutty putty accident there was a group of 4 who died when spelunking in a water cave right by near nutty putty. It was called the Y caves or something. Anyways love your channel and can’t wait for more vids 😁

[@shelby8101]

The Nutty Putty one freaked me out too! I have watched almost all of his videos and of course they are saddening/disturbing on some level but that one really gave me nightmares!

[@Cat-tastrophee]

That one haunts me to this day.

[@thepinkyprincesspoetc.a.5767]

I’m going in for surgery soon too sweetie and gonna do the same thing...This is my Favorite Channel and his voice makes his videos!!! Hope you feel better soon!♥️💚❤️♥️💚❤️♥️💚❤️🌼🌼🌼🌼🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🙏🙏🙏🙏🌈🌈🌈🌈

[@daffers2345]

I've watched (or listened to) almost all of Fascinating Horror's videos multiple times, but I don't have the guts to re-watch the Nutty Putty one. I think it's one of the most disturbing ones he's covered. I do love his presentation, his respect for the subject matter, the lack of speculation, and so on; his videos are stellar. I always look forward - with some trepidation - to the latest Tuesday offering. I'm glad you have chosen to subscribe as well. Maybe we can get this guy on the board!

[@bluecollie55_movies25]

The Nutty Putty Cave one was one of those disasters that had me chilled up scared, too. Along with the Travis the Chimp one. :-(

[@AstralDragoon]

I love the reasoning of the people attending this concert. "Tickets are too expensive, but the cost of traveling across the country is fine."

[@thebruckners]

They hitchhiked.

[@mugsymegaton3769]

And gasoline was about 28 cents a gallon.

[@lonelybro77]

Yah, plus they had nothing better to do

[@RubyBlueUwU]

@@thebruckners you can’t honestly be saying that hundreds of thousands of people were able to get there from all over the country simply by hitchhiking

[@LittleLulubee]

@@RubyBlueUwU They shared rides

[@ShanKatOD]

My mom was pregnant with me in Southern California when Altamont happened…people talked about it my whole life growing up in the San Fernando Valley. What a tragedy. Fantastic film as always!

[@HandmadeDarcy]

It may have been planned for seven months, but Woodstock wasn't the rainbows and flowers most think it was.

[@Redboots]

I was always led to believe that it was the stones' idea to hire the hell's angels, because the uk branch was a lot more peaceful when providing security for the stones' hyde park concert on july 5th of that year. of course I may be wrong or misremembering

[@Keeleysound]

You're spot-on.

[@brettanthony3127]

There's a good reason the Angels wanted to take Jagger out

[@TesterAnimal1]

@@brettanthony3127 what’s that?

[@jennifersman7990]

@@TesterAnimal1 The Angels felt they’d been made scapegoats and blamed for everything that went wrong that day. There was plenty of blame to go around

[@mikerochat8091]

Thanks to your channel I never want to go to a concert anymore. And in a cave. And in a train. And in a plane. And in a shopping mall. And in a rollcoaster. Actually I should stay home, but I wonder if it is safe enough ???

[@kentmorris1831]

According to the NSC 53.6 percent of accidents occur in the home, so I think you are out of luck.

[@reachandler3655]

I understand completely! So many places described as 'fireproof', 'unsinkable' etc. proved to be deadly, so I call my home 'deathtrap', it has, so far, proved me wrong 🙃

[@2760ade]

And me! And I haven't slept at night since subscribing to this channel. Did I turn the gas off? What about that dodgy looking wiring in the loft? Are the foundations of my house slowly sinking? Is my roof going to collapse? Is my next door neighbour a psychotic murderer? Aaaargh.😮🤣

[@reachandler3655]

@@2760ade I didn't sleep well anyway, that's how I found this channel 🤪

[@TheZackofSpades]

I’m technically a millennial and it’s hard for me to conceive how they got the word out in such short time with no Internet, social media, etc. I mean it obviously happened it just surprises me.

[@reachandler3655]

Most people back then listened to the radio.

[@Not1Edit]

Radio!

[@fulalbatross]

Radio, TV, flyers, billboards, phone, and not to mention talking to people you met; ask for news and updates, share what you've heard that might be of interest, and such. Owners and clerks of lifestyle businesses were usually the local go-to news hub for that lifestyle.

[@TheZackofSpades]

@@fulalbatross yeah I get that it worked that just sounds so…slow. And with that game of (almost literal) telephone and the shifting details, how did people not get the wrong venue??

[@DrawciaGleam02]

@@TheZackofSpades Fair point, especially since the concerts kept changing venues!

[@minimalbstolerance8113]

Interesting fact about the Altamont concert: it inspired the lyrics to part of Verse 5 of "American Pie" by Don Maclean. "And as I watched him on the stage/my hands were clenched in fists of rage/No angel born in Hell/could break that Satan's spell/And as the flames climbed high into the night /to light the sacrificial rite/I saw Satan laughing in delight /the day the music died. "

[@dixierebelchic6423]

Great catch. Hans Utter discusses how this was actually human sacrifice with the first snuff film documentary succeeding. George Lucas shares the credit for that. The ritual symbolism on the stage was edited out of the film & the playing "Sympathy for the Devil" was swapped out with a different song.

[@captivecat5858]

@@dixierebelchic6423 it was a poorly planned accident, not a conspiracy.

[@dixierebelchic6423]

@@captivecat5858 Hahaha! Ok the Hell's Angel Security Guard accidentally drew his knife while accidentally thrusting it forward into a man merely dancing in the crowd. I'm sure the crossroads is just a fantasy drawn up by fiction folklore in your perceptions as well.

[@rossdawgsbrokenspirit9038]

@@dixierebelchic6423 Hunter was brandishing a gun and fighting not 'dancing in the crowd' don't be obtuse

[@dixierebelchic6423]

@@rossdawgsbrokenspirit9038 kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJDckK2bptFqpsU this is a really good documentary off topic but about the music industry. I will be sending you another video in the future about this concert when I have the time to find it. It really opened my eyes.

[@randomvrperson4967]

Hey, this is the first time I’ve been up early enough to catch these when they first come out. Nice.

[@dancallahan4183]

A final note on Alan Passaro: He was found drowned in "suspicious circumstances" in 1985 in Anderson Reservoir south of San Jose with $10,000 in his pocket. No arrests were ever made....

[@cee8737]

Ah makes me happy to know he didn’t live much longer after stabbing a man to death

[@Drforrester31]

Damn, I've driven past that reservoir countless times and had never heard of that. Good bit of trivia

[@jaex9617]

That's about par.

[@happyfacefries]

Karma's a bitch

[@sumame47]

Have you seen the video with hin knifing Meredith Hunter? It shows him trying to run while this pos is straddling his back. It is trul y chilling.

[@Unownshipper]

How many deadly disasters all boil down to a breakneck rush to keep to a timetable? I'm gonna argue it's at least more than half.

[@gNome_5]

...And due to GREED!!

[@gNome_5]

@crassgop ya I understand.... but the promoters got paid, and they'r the ones who didn't wanna pay for a better venue and better security!?

[@debbieanne7962]

I've never heard of this free concert. What an utter shambles! Firstly no toilets or medical centres, no professional security, terrible stage setup and the venue had only been chosen 2 days before. I mean what could go wrong? Everything!! Whoever planned this awful event should be ashamed

[@katmd03]

I’d be interested to hear you cover the Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival, another ill-fated rock festival from the 60s-70s. It was billed as being “bigger than Woodstock” yet like many of its contemporaries was plagued by problems including (but not limited to) overcrowding, bad weather, violence, and an abundance of illicit substances

[@daffers2345]

He has an email in the description where you can send suggestions. Try telling him that way! :)

[@brianmurphy250]

The Internet Historian channel also covers failed concerts/ect. Watch his videos and suggest your ideas too!

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Wise advice for concerts: Don't compare yourself to Woodstock. At least not until AFTER the concert happens!

[@tdw5933]

Southern Indiana??

[@lw7238]

Illicit substances? HA HA HA HA HA HA Every drug dealer that had any weight was at every concert.

[@gc636]

"The decision to hire the Angels as security is widely regarded as one of the biggest mistakes..." No kidding!😅

[@henrymanzano2201]

And being recommended by hippies like the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane,no less! That tripped me out more than anything else. If there's one thing bikers hate, it's hippies

[@DrawciaGleam02]

@@henrymanzano2201 Wait, why do bikers hate hippies? Hippies are too soft from the biker's perspective?

[@EssexResident2000]

This video (and any similar on the Altamont free concert) should be compulsory viewing for all event organisers, regardless of where they are in the world, in why it's so important to have a lead in period of months and not weeks or days

[@eodee8459]

Interesting that the picture of the Jefferson Airplane has Signe Toly Anderson in it, yet she was only in the band from 1965-66. Signe was only on their first album, Jefferson Airplane Taking Off. In 1966 Grace Slick joined the group after the departure of Anderson and brought the two songs White Rabbit, and Somebody to Love, which put them on the charts. So in 1969 Grace should have been in the picture.

[@johngalush8790]

Yeah.

[@marcribaudo1965]

One of the most violent shows I've been to happened at MSG during a Judas Priest concert in 1984. It was only a couple of weeks before the 4th of July which meant there were significant fireworks purchased in Chinatown and brought in. There were no pat downs or metal detectors back then. They were getting tossed into the floor section and people ripped the seat cushions out, lit them on fire and threw them up against the stage. The scene was unreal and chaotic. We had to head for the exits. It sounded like a warzone. All it takes is for a fuse to be lit, no pun intended and you have a hostile situation. Judas Priest barely finished the concert and were banned from the Garden for life.

[@phillipkalaveras1725]

How many were shot and how many died? None just ripped seat cushions We had 18 people shot and 6 dead from just one Rap concert last weekend... That's violence

[@marcribaudo1965]

@@phillipkalaveras1725 - Violence is violence. There's different ways of expressing Einstein. Your the only person I know who sounds like their bragging about murder and shootings. Spin off.

[@raregrimebeats1352]

@@phillipkalaveras1725 you dummy. Just because violence is less extreme than another example of violence doesn’t make it non-violent. I’m glad you enjoyed your experience at that rap concert tho

[@nerfer1091]

@@phillipkalaveras1725 Are you literally just going through every comment on this video for an excuse to shit out your stupid "rap music baaaaadddd" argument?!

[@v-town1980]

@@marcribaudo1965 Learn about using commas, Einstein!

[@INSERTNAMExHERE]

TGD: lets hire the Hells Angels as security. What could go wrong? Also TGD: ah shit, things are getting too crazy out there. Lets leave and say we can't perform under that type of environment.. thatwecreatedbyhiringaviolentbikegangassecurity

[@jeremiahlaurent9058]

I mean, they were 100% right to leave, to be fair.

[@deavacui2825]

And it was not the band who hired them...

[@Prismatic_Truth]

@@deavacui2825 He says right in the video that it was Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead who recommended hiring the Hell's Angels.

[@tuberhead]

"Hey, I've got a great idea! Let's get the world's most infamous outlaw biker gang to do security in exchange for free beer! C'mon what could possibly go wrong!?" "Bitchin' dude! Peace an' Love evr'buddy!"

[@frankspikes7858]

My dad went to this concert. Said it was pretty crazy. I was a kid when he told me about this. I didn't know about biker clubs then. So when I heard the hells angels, I thought somebody conjured up demons and the demons ran around stabbing folks and beating people up. Lol

[@nathanfogarty4673]

That would be an interesting premise for a movie 🤨

[@truthseeker2321]

They are demons in a way, and they were conjured up, with the promise of free beer as a sacrifice.

[@GaZonk100]

lol

[@nthgth]

Yeah it is quite an ironic name for a gang like that. Like a big fat guy nicknamed "tiny."

[@frankspikes7858]

@@nthgth I want to say Sunny Barger just past away last year. I heard he was a piece of work. If he didn't give his life to Christ he's really with the hells angels now.

[@schmxnderz5928]

I grew up taking driving lessons on the Altamont Speedway. Crazy to see the history of events that took place there 40 years prior!

[@tjroelsma]

At least part of the blame can in my opinion be laid with the Sears Point owners/managers. If they hadn't tried to put the squeeze on the Rolling Stones almost halfway during the building of the venue, then the move to Altamont Raceway would never have happened and the concert would have been way better organized. That seems to be left out or downplayed in many comments about this disaster.

[@marydaniel8147]

Legend has it the managers diabolical laughter can still be heard echoing throughout the halls of Sears Point

[@Archersrevenge]

It was scummy by Sears Point for sure and they were being incredibly greedy. But at that point as the Rolling Stones you need to cancel or postpone the concert and it was still well within their control to say we aren't ready, rather than romp ahead anyway risks be damned. I wouldn't say the action of Sears' management lead to any deaths, but the recklessness and shortsightedness of the concert committee definitely did. After all they only gave themselves a couple of weeks to prepare to begin with.

[@opwave79]

So if The Rolling Stones came to your house and offered you five bucks to bring over more than a hundred thousand people into your backyard for a free concert where kids would drink, shoot up and pee all over your yard, you wouldn’t ask for more money in return? Nice to know this is how you value yourself.

[@jacqudace]

I think Sears Point were being very smart. And there's no way highway 37 and the other nearby roads could have handled the traffic. Weird story: in 1991 I was driving from Napa to Vallejo at night in a horrible rain and wind storm. When I came to a stop at the intersection of highway 37, breathing a sigh of relief, suddenly all the lights went out in a rapid chain from the direction of Sears Point. I believe that's when Bill Graham's helicopter crashed a few miles away.

[@a_literal_brick]

Greatful Dead: Hey these Hell's Angels guys are like totally groovy! You should totally like hire them as security! Grateful Dead 5 seconds later: Oh man these Hell's Angels guys are like totally wrecking the vibe! Who's wacky idea was this? We gotta get out of here, man.

[@vivianamullin2743]

I thought the same thing, GD were assholes to just leave and not try and help out in some way.

[@Mallsio]

😂🤣

[@SoupDuckHunter]

I'm a deadhead and this is hilarious. If you're taking their advice about the hells angels that's on you hahaha

[@animalrevenge1058]

Exactly my thoughts…

[@joaquinvaleri7022]

​​@@Mallsiohey this is serious ok?

[@jc4evur661]

Never underestimate the stupidity of large crowds

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

Indeed. I've been in many large crowds, and the ONLY one I've ever seen behave completely is the 2023 Freedom Convoy in Ottawa. Shit...even 2,000 people gathered on 4/20 yields a fight here and there! In my opinion, the deaths at Altamont had almost nothing to do with the presence of the Angels. Herd mentality is always the real killer...

[@Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin]

Large crowds of stupidity? In 'murica we call that 'Congress'.

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

@@Le_Comte_de_Monte_Felin Good on you for having a sense of humor about it! 👍

[@SpookieSadie]

I’m 26, and I’ve only ever been to one concert. Weird Al, when I was 12. Watching so many videos about concert tragedies makes me too scared to attend them. I know I could be missing out, but these stories always linger in the back of my mind. As well as shootings…

[@cruisepaige]

You are smart.

[@ancientmaverick13]

Weird Al is a good choice.

[@JCBro-yg8vd]

Never heard of anything bad happening at Weird Al's concerts. And he seems like one of those musicians who doesn't let his fame go to his head.

[@nikkibest5010]

It's not all bad. Try going to smaller shows to start. You are definitely missing out. You don't need to live your life in fear. It's all ok. 😊🤗💜

[@SpookieSadie]

@@JCBro-yg8vd that concert was fine from what I remember! It was a long time ago, and we were in the very back. But I do remember having fun.

[@stimpy_thecat]

If you want to be an expert on this sad day read the authority on the concert "Altamont" by Joel Selvin. You'll get the whole scoop on how the day unfolded, and everything else. The whole history of the event. A great read and resource.

[@1337fraggzb00N]

The Stones gave a free concert in Hyde Park, London the same year under similar conditions: drugged Hippies, no real planning and the Hell's Angels as security. The worst thing that happened there were some guys who climbed trees and after Jagger told them to stop it, everything went fine. The only difference was, that there weren't nearly as much people as in Altamont.

[@Keeleysound]

True, but apparently the UK Hell's Angels were nowhere near as badass and bloodthirsty as their US counterparts. Very different mentality to the two brotherhoods so I've been told.

[@1337fraggzb00N]

@@Keeleysound I agree. In an interview one of their members told the reporter that they just like to ride motorcycles and wear specific clothing to provoke and rebel. Seems like they just were a bunch of nice guys.

[@ShroudedWolf51]

Despite the history of the nation during the imperial age, modern day UK culture is a lot less likely to be bloodthirsty or resort to violence and outright cruelty as a first response to a tense situation. Whereas in the US, that is the case not just by the people claiming to be "badass outlaws", but also by those who are supposed to be the "good guys defending the peace".

[@dancingtrout6719]

@@Keeleysound agree different Angels.. i watch a live stream from south africa kruger park ,.interactive chat with the guides in jeeps (wild earth safari live) animals elephants leopards Rhino's giraffes.. // i call the Lions = Krugers Angels::::

[@jacobpie3692]

@@dancingtrout6719 🙄

[@BlueLineGroovy]

Thank you !!!! I had heard snippet news bytes about this event…. it’s awesome to now learn of what took place.

[@JubeProductions]

This was the best quick summary of this event I have seen. Other people here have mentioned the Maysles Brothers 1970 documentary, Gimme Shelter, that involved this event at Altamont. One of the most fascinating things about the documentary, besides the actual Murder, is watching the Rolling Stones and their lawyer, try to negotiate this concert. You can actually watch the disintegration of the planning until the final decision to go ahead with the show. In hindsight you can see they should have cancelled the gig when the University backed out. Each decision became more desperate, until they thought holding a concert for close to 300,000 people in the middle of nowhere, with zero facilities and no infrastructure was a good idea. When they Hired the Hell's Angels as security, it's wasn't to ensure the safety of the concert goers, it was to protect the band members. Because Livermore was a small town in the middle of nowhere there wasn't any local law enforcement to speak of, and from the outset of this event there was an air of lawlessness. That fact that only 4 people died, out of approximately 300,000 people, in that type of atmosphere is surprising. For anyone interested in a more in depth telling of this story check out the Documentary, Gimme Shelter.

[@waynefontaine5533]

This concert took place 4 years before I was born, but I remember when Livermore was still a small town kinda in the middle of nowhere, and the Livermore Rodeo was awesome back then...you should see Livermore now, it looks like a smaller scale San Jose, it's sad really, the small town charm and appeal is gone...

[@morganrog6491]

I live like 10 minutes away from the Altamont Raceway, and a lot of people I know went to the concert back in the day. I was so happy when I got the notification for this video.

[@Scifimaster92]

Perhaps in the future you should do a video about the 2010 Love Parade disaster in Duisburg, Germany, which could be considered the electronic music festival equivalent of Altamont.

[@deathboyinc]

For anyone curious, "New Speedway Boogie" by the Grateful Dead is a song about what happened during this concert

[@larrywest42]

"One way or another, This darkness got to give"

[@tomkandy]

One thing you failed to mention - Meredith Hunter was high on methamphetamine, "so high he could barely walk" according to his girlfriend.

[@garylester8621]

We were walking out when the Stones went on stage. It was dark, and I was glad we were leaving. It was a very long walk back to the VW bus. We were so far back that we didn't see any of the fighting going on the stage. It was a very strange trip.

[@jonaswhite5842]

If you can find the footage it shows it all, Hells Angels’ losing it on LSD, lots of confused hippies, the stabbing/killing, and Mick Jagger backstage wondering how this all happened. Quite a stark glance into the crazy times…

[@Prismatic_Truth]

The Hell's Angels preferred speed to LSD.

[@nthgth]

Wow. As a rock fan (the Stones are among my favorites), I'm surprised at myself for knowing so little about this incident. Thanks for this.

[@joaquinvaleri7022]

Me too i'm also a rock fan and i like the rolling stones

[@californiahiker9616]

I’ve watched that concert footage multiple times. The entire concert was filmed by a professional. I find it strangely fascinating and horrifying at the same time. I’ve been driving over Altamont Pass countless times. And every time I’m driving over I have to think about that concert, even though I wasn’t present. It will probably always be that way for me. 😳

[@LP11294]

Where can I find the whole concert? I’ve only ever found small clips of each performance?

[@Paul-ew5st]

George Lucas was a cameraman there although his camera had problems and very little of his footage was used

[@LP11294]

@@Paul-ew5st Thanks for that. You learn something new every day!

[@anthrax2525]

Gimme Shelter is the concert film.

[@fredaaron762]

The filmmakers were famed documentarians Albert & David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin. George Lucas was operating a camera on the top of the hill & none of his footage was usable.

[@amandab8433]

My husband grew up just over the Altamont Pass in Livermore. His eldest brother, then 16, went with a group of friends to the concert. He came away with bruises and a busted nose because of being trampled on during the rush to get away. People still talk about "What were they thinking when hiring a biker gang, let alone the Hells Angels". The local faction of the gang was notorious for being beyond violent for just the most trivial "slights" they deemed were against them.

[@janeclarkson8471]

Ultimately then, I do believe the concert organisers were at fault. There was no attention paid to Health & Safety to begin with. A disaster ready to happen. It should have been cancelled and PROPERLY organised for a later date. It wasn't an event that couldn't have waited. Sorry your brother suffered injuries in the mayhem!

[@gaylenhalbert4391]

Yep. The East Bay Angels were very bad dudes.

[@Melody-td5hd]

I grew up in Livermore, and still live here. We always heard about the Altamont concert disaster growing up. It's sad because this area has some of the most beautiful hills and valleys, it probably would have been a gorgeous place to hold a concert. But with this kind of shoddy last minute planning and terrible decision-making, this was only ever going to be a disaster.

[@rustyshackleford2007]

See you at the V&E big dog!

[@Jamzocd]

I was there and got there early so I was right up front. It turned into a nightmare. The Hell’s Angels were animals. The Stones and other bands were in fear of them and couldn’t control anything.

[@scottbubb2946]

Ever since Woodstock happened, people have been trying to recreate it. What they don't seem to understand is that Woodstock didn't even go as planned. It's impossible to plan something like that. (Especially if you are trying to make money from it.) It just has to happen spontaneously.

[@happyfacefries]

That's exactly what I was thinking. A lot of bad things happened at Woodstock. I personally don't see it as a success because of what happened there.

[@davidvanbrunt4233]

The US FESTIVAL'S were awesome...

[@geraldobrien7323]

And Woodstock seems to have been a bunch of upper middle class kids. Altamont seems to have had a lot more street people there.

[@dws84]

What do you mean? There are dozens of annual festivals in Europe with well in excess of 100k people in attendance that takes place over 2 or more days that goes off without incident.

[@jaray7710]

Lang kept trying though!

[@ericalampley480]

So the Grateful Dead was instrumental in choosing the Hell's Angels as security and they pulled out at the last minute? Cause it wasn't their vibe? Wow.

[@fritzfxx]

Turns out a lot of hippies don't have the discipline to back up their supposed beliefs. Looking at you, Lenon. True then; true now.

[@Kstang09]

That's hippies for ya! But everyone blames the Stones because, ya know, the grateful dead can do no wrong 😑🤮

[@crimsonclover9871]

Just looking at the photos of that crowd makes me feel anxious. I can't imagine being in the thick of that chaos. It truly is a miracle that more people weren't killed.

[@jamesgriffin8354]

You should do a video on the 1972 Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival rock concert otherwise known as Bull Island. A crowd of nearly 300,000 converged on a farm in the Wabash River bottoms known as Bull Island to hear the likes of Amboy Dukes, Santana, the Eagles and so on. While the area was actually in Illinois due to the Wabash River changing course, the only access in was from Indiana. From all accounts, it was a true disaster as two concertgoers died across the three day event and when many of the big-name acts bailed (for their own safety) the crowd burned the stage and torched catering trucks. I lived about 20 miles from the concert site and was nine at the time.

[@UNUSUALUSERNAME220]

When you see the film the scariest part is how over loaded the helicopter is. It's amazing that all of them didn't die. They just kept putting more and more people on that thing. If I was flyin that thing I'd be tellin them we are not taking off until you throw at least 3 people off this thing. It's like The Stones had a death wish during this tour.

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

To me this concert sheds a light on the actual “hippie movement” era. It wasn’t all peace and love, it was full of violence and drug use. Drunken brawls and riots, death and carnage. No different than today really except people look at it through rose tinted glasses because of the exception being Woodstock

[@SentientDMT]

When you have drugs, alcohol, aggressive and frustrated people you have a recipe for disaster.

[@olderthandadirt]

Absolutely. George Harrison went to Ashberry/Haight during "the summer of love" and was appalled by the drugged out begging teenagers, and as someone who had travelled with Patty Boyd to india he had had experiences with beggars.

[@willandrews9741]

Then the ones that didn’t burn out or overdose joined corporate America and exploited and sold the movement for profit to younger generations and made it all sound so lovely.

[@stephenjones101]

This is pure nonsense. The "hippie" movement started in the "Summer of Love", 1967 and lasted through 1968. Anyone who was around at the time saw things changing by the fall of 1968, with the well known violence at Chicago Democratic Convention. The Hippies were treated horribly and by 1969, many had left to form isolated communes in the country and others had dropped the "peace and love" for political involvement. The Altamont concert is considered the "Beginning of the End" of the so-called positive hippie culture. But you also have to take into consideration this attitude was also coming through the violent music of tye Rolling Stones. This concert was part of their tour promoting "Let It Bleed" album. In 1968, the Stones had two blatantly violent hit singles "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Street Fighting Man". And their 1969 release of the new album contained the title cut "Let It Bleed" which is a bit obscure but clearly implies violence, and "Midnight Rambler" -- a nearly 7 minute long song glorifying a serial rapist and murderer who says he's a "hit-and-run raper" and ends by saying he'll "stick my knife down your throat". The Rolling Stones' set list included all these violent songs plus "Sympathy for the Devil", which blatantly worships evil. So there are a lot of factors that came together to turn Altamont violent, reflecting changes in mood among young people do to the Vietnam War and heavy political oppression. But the "hippies" had nothing to do with it, other than more and more young people were giving up on the sugar coated fantasies of hippiedom and were turning political.

[@loganbaileysfunwithtrains606]

@@stephenjones101 you claimed my statement as false, then proceeded to long wind explain why my statement was correct

[@arnaudt3935]

Your intro jingle is the best of all !

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

As a 6 year old boy I remember hearing about this event vividly. Both my hippie parents were talking to my older siblings about the event (we were living in Santa Barbara California) What a completely avoidable disaster.