It was 43 years ago today…

…(December 6th, 1969) that the Rolling Stones held their ill-fated free concert at the Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California.

The bill, which also included Santana, the Jefferson Airplane, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, is mainly remembered for the violence instigated by the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang, whom the Stones had hired as security — and the murder of concert-goer Meredith Hunter by Hell’s Angel Alan Passaro. Passaro was later acquitted of the stabbing after claiming he acted in self-defense.

Portions of the Stones’ 1969 tour and the Altamont concert were filmed by filmmakers Albert Maysles, David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, assisted by George Lucas. The film, featuring portions of both the Stones’ November Madison Square Garden concerts and the Altamont concert, was released in 1970 as Gimme Shelter.