Here's a brief description (courtesy of wikipedia) of the result of this bad judgement:Īlthough peaceful at first, over the course of the day, the mood of both the crowd and the Angels became progressively agitated, intoxicated and violent. The Hells Angel's were allegedly hired by the Rolling Stones on the recommendation of the Grateful Dead, for $500 worth of beer. Much of the problems with this concert, as compared to Woodstock, was the choice of security hired to add muscle and order. Approximately 300,000 people attended the event that ended in mayhem and much controversy. An excellent document of the event is available in the film, Gimme Shelter, a documentary that followed the Rolling Stones on their 1969 American tour and the lead-up to the free Altamont concert. This infamous concert was best remembered for the considerable violence including one homicide and three accidental deaths. The Altamont free concert was held on December 6th, 1969 at Altamont Speedway and was headlined by the Rolling Stones. While Woodstock defined what was right about the sixties, Altamont demonstrated what was wrong and it led to the death of the Woodstock nation. Woodstock symbolized the peace, love and understanding era (or at least 1969) and it became iconic of the end of the sixties. When asked the question, what was the definitive music event of the sixties? Most people will answer, Woodstock.