Altamont Free Concert: The Day the Sixties Died — How Hells Angels Security Led to Meredith Hunter's Death

The Rolling Stones wanted to cap off their 1969 US tour with a free concert on the West Coast, hoping to replicate Woodstock’s peace-and-love vibe but with their own grittier edge. Instead, Altamont Speedway became a nightmare. The Stones hired the Hells Angels as security for $500 worth of beer — a decision that seemed reasonable to a band used to the Angels working at UK shows, but California’s chapter had a much shorter fuse.

Throughout the day, the Angels beat concertgoers with pool cues and motorcycles, fueled by booze and a sense of total authority. When the Stones finally took the stage around sunset, the crowd was already tense and hostile. During “Under My Thumb,” 18-year-old Meredith Hunter, high on methamphetamine, pulled a .22-caliber revolver near the stage. An Angel named