40 Years Ago In Rock

It was 40 years ago yesterday, Dec. 6, 1969, that the "Summer of Love" was officially laid to rest at the Altamont Speedway outside of Livermore, Ca. where the Rolling Stones held their ill-fated free concert. If you've never seen the film Gimme Shelter get a copy and see for yourself just how ugly rock n roll could be. Many factors contributed to this fiasco. The gig was originally supposed to be in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but the city asked the Stones not to say anything until 24 hrs. prior to keep the crowd to a minimum, but when Jagger spilled the news to the press the city yanked the permit and the scramble was on to find a suitable venue. It's no wonder Bill Graham wanted nothing to do with this operation, even speaking to the media saying what a bad idea it was. The biggest mistake was the Grateful Dead bringing in their usual security, the Hell's Angels, which resulted in many beatings and one stabbing death. There were 4 deaths total 2 hit and runs and 1 from drowning in an irrigation ditch. Fortunately I let my Dad talk me out of quitting my job to attend this mess. Not one of my friends that made it the show had anything positive to say about it. Indeed a dark day in music history. "Paint it black you devil."

                                                                                         Have A Cool Yule,

                                                                                         J Dawg