altamont speedway free festival

On Saturday, December 6, 1969, the Altamont Speedway Free Festival was held at this location. Viewed by the concert-promoters as a type of "Woodstock West", it was held four months after Woodstock. With an attendance around 300,000 people, Altamont was quickly put-together and poorly planned.

The planned line-up was Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the Grateful Dead, with the Rolling Stones headlining. Violence began erupting in the crowd throughout the day, at least partly due to heavy methamphetamine use by the crowd.

The Hells Angels were hired to provide security for the Rolling Stones for $500 worth of beer.

Long story short, a guy named Meredith Hunter leaned on a biker's ride. On thing led to another, and Hunter pulled a gun on some of the Angels. His death at the hand of the hands of a Hells Angels member was captured on film by the Maysles crew for "Gimmee Shelter."