Check Out the Trailer

This now classic rock documentary set out to record The Rolling Stones during their 1969 American tour and ended up capturing a killing during the free concert at Altamont.

The film foreshadows the tragedy at Altamont at the start with members of the band including Mick Jagger watching the footage from the concert. Then we move into performances from the road of some of the Stones’ classic songs, including at the time rough versions of new songs, “Brown Sugar” and “Wild Horses.” As part of the tour, we also get a sexually charged performance from the opening act, Tina and Ike Turner.

As the tour rolls along, directors Albert and David Maysles intercut footage of the organizers trying to work out the details of the free concert. It becomes quickly apparent than with the hundreds of thousands of people expected to come to the event that the organizers have gotten themselves in over their heads. Hiring the Hell’s Angel motorcycle club as security probably wasn’t a good idea too.

The most remarkable thing about the film is its editing. The Maysles Brothers don’t ever spell out their point, but just present their footage in a way that builds an ominous feeling as we move closer and closer to the free concert. The film just observes as the fans arrive for a carefree day, which descends into a stupor of drinking and drugs. The violence that occurred during the Stones performance seems inevitable when during Jefferson Airplane’s performance members of the band even have an altercation with the Hell’s Angels on stage.

As they are presented in the film on the day of the concert, the organizers first seem disorganized (which was mainly due to having to change venues within 24 hours) and then clueless. During the Stones’ performance, Jagger stops singing to try and stop the fights that are breaking out during every song. The film also makes it seem that The Stones have little to do with organizing their massive events, but when something goes wrong they take the brunt of the criticism.

When the filmmakers play the actual footage of Meredith Hunter getting stabbed in the back by a member of the Hell’s Angels, Jagger looks ill. His idealistic statement that people are just coming to the concert to have a good time and make love seems ironic in hindsight. It seems The Grateful Dead made the right decision, backing out of the event after hearing tales of the mayhem that was going on during the day. Some say that Woodstock was the pinnacle of the hippie movement and by December of 1969 and Altamont the movement had quickly burnt out. This movie makes a strong case for that claim.