10 Most Heartbreaking Tragedies In Rock Music
9. Altamont Free Festival
As the '60s started to draw to a close, rock fans still held a firm grip on the hippy ideals. Given the amazing success of love and peace at Woodstock, it seemed that this music could have the potential to lead a full-on cultural revolution. However, if you want to see the actual death of the psychedelic movement, it all came to a head at Altamont.
Looking to be the Woodstock of the West Coast, the draw of Altamont was the Rolling Stones, who were set to deliver a rip-roaring performance even without the help of legendary guitarist Brian Jones. While everything seemed fine at first, things started to turn a corner once the Hell's Angels were hired as security. Just as the Stones started to perform their hedonistic freakout Sympathy for the Devil, violence erupted in front of the stage when Meredith Hunter brandished what looked like a weapon.
Despite Mick Jagger desperately trying to control the situation, the incited violence between the Hell's Angels and the audience led to an all out brawl in the crowd, leaving Hunter dead after being stabbed by one of the Angels. Even though it felt like the legendary hippy mentality could go on forever, this is the one moment where everything got brought back down to Earth way too fast.