The Story Behind The Rolling Stones’ Dramatic Performance Of “Sympathy For The Devil” At Altamont.

December 2, 2024

The Story Behind The Rolling Stones’ Dramatic Performance Of “Sympathy For The Devil” At Altamont

On December 6, 1969, the Rolling Stones ascended the stage at Altamont Speedway, their mission ostensibly one of joy and rock ‘n’ roll liberation. They were set to perform for an audience of approximately 300,000, drawing a crowd that swelled with the optimism that had characterized the counterculture movement of the 1960s. However, in a moment that would come to define both a generation and a pivotal moment in music history, their rendition of “Sympathy for the Devil” morphed into a nightmarish tableau of chaos, violence, and disillusionment. This performance encapsulated the collision between the festive spirit of the era and the harsh realities lurking beneath its surface.

“Sympathy for the Devil,” a track from the Stones’ 1968 album *Beggars Banquet*, is a song imbued with a sardonic charm, one that invites listeners to reconcile the duality of human nature. With its Afro-Brazilian rhythms and playful yet sinister lyrics, the song calls forth the darker aspects of existence, deftly navigating themes of sin and redemption. At Altamont, however, these themes were no longer abstract; they materialized into a strikingly visceral reality. The band’s performance of the track became an unintentional lens through which the tumult of the times was magnifiedan ironic soundtrack to the unraveling of the counterculture’s idealism.

As the Stones took the stage, they were unwittingly enmeshed in a maelstrom of violence that was spiraling out of control in the crowd. The Altamont festival, conceived as a West Coast repudiation of Woodstock’s peace and love ethos, was plagued by multiple instances of brutality, fueled in part by the presence of the Hells Angels, who were hired as security. The scene quickly devolved, with the Angels engaging in violent confrontations with the audience. This backdrop set the stage for a performance that would prove distressingly prophetic; rather than a celebration, it unfolded as a tragic epitome of the times, rife with tension and fear.

The moment that crystallized this disillusionment occurred during the performance of “Sympathy for the Devil.” The juxtaposition of Mick Jagger’s charismatic, almost playful delivery against the backdrop of violence was a study in dissonance. As he moved through the audience, urging them to join in the fervor of the song, the atmosphere grew increasingly fraught. The juxtaposition of the joyous refrain and the surrounding chaos reinforced the song’s central theme: the ever-present nature of malevolence in humanity. When Jagger urged the crowd to “let me introduce myself,” his words hung in the air with a chilling resonance, as if the very embodiment of evil were momentarily stepping onto the stage.

The performance was punctuated by a moment that would forever haunt the annals of rock history. As Jagger sang the line I’m a man of wealth and taste,” a fatal incident unfolded in the crowd, wherein Meredith Hunter, a Black teenager, was brutally killed by the Hells Angels. This horrifying violence served as a grim punctuation mark to the Stones’ performance, crystallizing the events of that night into a stark symbol of the fading innocence of the ‘60s. The anguished cries of the audience intermingled with the echo of the music, creating a jarring contrast that was impossible to ignore.

In retrospect, Altamont represents more than a concert gone wrong; it serves as a critical turning point in the narrative of rock music and the counterculture. The festival marked the death of the ’60s idealistic fervor, as it exposed the fissures within a movement that had long sought to redefine freedom and community. The Rolling Stones, in their dramatic performance of “Sympathy for the Devil,” found themselves not merely as performers, but as unwitting participants in a broader societal reckoning. As the band retreated from the stage, the echoes of their performance lingered, underscoring a reality that resonated far beyond the confines of a single nighta haunting reminder of the complexity of human nature and the darkness that can lie in its depths. The performance at Altamont remains not only a stark chronicle of the era but a poignant reflection on the capacity for joy and tragedy to coexist in the tapestry of life.