On This Day, Dec. 6, 1969: The Rolling Stones headlined the Altamont Speedway Free Festival

On This Day, Dec. 6, 1969 …

The Altamont Speedway Free Festival kicked off in the Bay Area of California, headlined by The Rolling Stones and featuring a lineup that included Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Crosby, Stills & Nash.

The counterculture concert, attended by nearly 300,000 people, was marred by the presence of the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club, which had been hired as security for the day. The group clashed with concertgoers, which led to the stabbing death of one of the attendees, 18-year-old Meredith Hunter, and three accidental deaths, as well as numerous injuries and property damage.

Footage from the concert was featured in the 1970 Rolling Stones documentary Gimme Shelter.

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