Woodstock a failure? It depends upon who you ask. Ask a dedicated Boomer, Woodstock was the pinnacle of Rock and Roll, the grand finale to the 1960’s. There were no deaths or fatal overdoses at Woodstock despite the crowds, pouring rain, mud, insufficient restroom facilities, running out of food. There was even a new hippie baby born during the concert. Lots of people used LSD and had lots of wild trips. Groovy! Hip! Dig it!
It was the Altamont music festival that was the failure where the Rolling Stones hired the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang to work “security” instead money using the fuzz from LA. A number of people were killed by crushing up against the stage, getting beaten up by the Hell’s Angels, and several batches of bed heroin spread around on purpose. Despite efforts by Mick Jagger, himself, calling for calm, for the Hell’s Angels to back off, and more bad drugs, heroin this time, that the concert was shut down early. Totally gross, grotty!
Although 4 people died at Woodstock 69, a person was pretty much safe there because it was held far away from any big city and it originally cost money to buy tickets. It wasn't like it is today where almost any piece of dangerous human garbage had a car and therefore could drive from his city cesspool to the middle of the country and cause trouble.
There are quite a few reasons why Altamont failed. First, the stage was built too low (almost at ground level). Second, it was a free concert (which allowed all types of dangerous pieces of human garbage to attend the event). Third, it was a free concert right outside of a major city (so the humam garbage didn't have to travel far at all because it was right outside of San Francisco).
With that being said, however, the Hells Angels actually did a GREAT job as security. The human garbage there caused such trouble and chaos that it took a group like the Hells Angels to keep the order.
They were given negative press by the liberal media at that time because one member of the Hells Angels stabbed to death a black guy during the concert named Meredith Hunter. What the liberal press deliberately failed to mention was that Hunter pulled out a gun during the concert and the Hells Angel member saw it and quickly stabbed Hunter before Hunter could use it. If it wasn't for the Maysles Brothers who caught it on film while filming the concert (and movie "Gimme Shelter"), that Hells Angel member would've went to jail for murder but, thanks to the film footage, he was rightfully acquitted for self-defense.
So while the Hells Angels may be a dangerous criminal group, they should be commended for doing a GREAT job at Altamont.
Topic: They’re Clueless! (Read 376 times)