Altamont
The Altamont Free Concert was planned and put together by a loose amalgamation of West Coast American bands which included the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby Stills and Nash, Santana, and others.
The Hells Angels were hired as security by The Rolling Stones, on the recommendation of the Grateful Dead, for $500 worth of beer — a story that has been denied by parties who were directly involved. According to Cutler, "the only agreement there ever was ... the Angels would make sure nobody fucked with the generators, but that was the extent of it. But there was no 'They're going to be the police force' or anything like that. That's all bollocks." Hells Angels member Sweet William recalled this exchange between Cutler and himself at a meeting prior to the concert, where Cutler had asked them to do security:
- "We don't police things. We're not a security force. We go to concerts to enjoy ourselves and have fun."
- "Well, what about helping people out - you know, giving directions and things?"
- "Sure, we can do that."
When Cutler asked how they would like to be paid, William replied, "we like beer". In the documentary Gimme Shelter Hells Angels Oakland chapter head Ralph 'Sonny' Barger states that the Hells Angels were not interested in policing the event, and that organizers had told him that he and his fellow Angels would be required to do little more than sit on the edge of the stage and drink beer. Other accounts also state that the initial arrangement was for the Hells Angels to watch over the equipment, but that Cutler later moved them, and their beer, near the stage to placate them or to protect the stage.
Fights broke out during performances by Jefferson Airplane (at one point lead singer Marty Balin was knocked out by a Hells Angel) and The Flying Burrito Brothers. The Grateful Dead opted not to play after learning of the incident with Balin. By the time the Stones hit the stage, the crowd was especially restless.
While The Rolling Stones were performing "Under My Thumb", a young black man named Meredith Hunter became involved in an altercation with some Hells Angels and drew a long-barreled revolver. He was stabbed five times and kicked to death during The Rolling Stones' performance; the incident, which took place near the stage, was captured on film, where Cutler can be seen whispering to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards onstage, rushing towards the mortally wounded Meredith Hunter and returning to the stage to convince the band to retreat.
The subsequent mess was blamed on The Rolling Stones—although nobody employed by The Rolling Stones was directly involved in organizing the Altamont gig until shortly before it was meant to happen. Sam Cutler arrived on the West Coast to help co-ordinate the event less than a week before it was staged.
Following the concert, The Rolling Stones left for England, leaving Cutler behind to deal with the aftermath. While his friends, the Stones, promised to "take care of him", Sam never spoke to the Stones again until many years later. He had been left practically penniless and left to deal with the mess on his own.
Cutler was eventually called to testify in court proceedings relating to the matter some time later.
Since that time, Cutler has been somewhat vindicated as various authors have recognized the role of some particularly strong, or possibly tainted LSD circulating at the event, a bad choice of venue, bad staging area design, and the role of Hells Angels "prospects", non-patch wearing Hells Angels "wannabes", rather than bona-fide, full-patch wearing Angels themselves, as contributory factors in the bad vibes and violence that consumed the day.
Read more about this topic: Sam Cutler