AudPod

Show notes for The AudPod, podcast Mondays from WCSL Northern California

Show Title: A look back at Altamont
Podcast Date: 5/26/08
Show Host: Paul Doty
Show Guest: Tony Bianchi
Topic: Paul chats with Tony who attended the fateful Stones concert at Altamont Speedway in 1969
Notes: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: The Altamont Speedway Free Festival was an infamous rock concert held on December 6, 1969, at the then-disused Altamont Speedway in Northern California, between Tracy and Livermore. Headlined and organized by the The Rolling Stones, it also featured, in order of performance: Santana, Jefferson Airplane, The Flying Burrito Brothers, and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, with the Stones taking the stage as the final act. The Grateful Dead were also scheduled to perform between CSNY and the Stones, but canceled at the last minute owing to the increasingly disorganized developments at the venue. Approximately 300,000 people attended the concert, and some speculated it would be "Woodstock West." Filmmakers Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin shot footage of the concert and incorporated it into a subsequent documentary film entitled Gimme Shelter. The event is best known for having been marred by violence, including one killing and three accidental deaths (two caused by a hit-and-run car accident and one by drowning in an "Irrigation Canal").

The concert originally was scheduled to be held at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. However, a previously-scheduled San Francisco 49ers football game the weekend of December 6-7 made that venue impractical, and the permits were never issued for the concert or were revoked after the fact. This was a result of Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones announcing in a press conference that they would be performing at the event; they were to be a surprise appearance. (Their American Tour of 1969 had recently concluded.)

With the public revelation that the Stones would be performing, San Francisco city officials feared a repeat of the crowd control problems that occurred at Woodstock. Accusations have arisen that Jagger made this announcement to ensure a large crowd for a planned concert movie. The venue was then changed to the Sears Point Raceway, but after a dispute with the owner of Sears Point, Filmways, Inc., over film distribution rights, the festival was moved to the Altamont Raceway at the suggestion of its then-owner, local businessman Dick Carter. The concert was to take place on Saturday, Dec. 6; the location was switched on the night of Thursday, Dec. 4. This resulted in numerous logistical problems. Most importantly, facilities such as portable toilets and medical tents were lacking in number. The stage, which was only four feet high, was surrounded by members of the Hells Angels.

Credits: Music on the AudPod is used in compliance with fair use laws and links are supplied for listeners to purchase the music whenever possible. AudPod Name Concept; Tim Nesbitt. Opening Theme; Gaslighting Abbie, From the 2000 album by Steely Dan "Two Against Nature". This album may be purchased on iTunes by clicking here and comes highly recommended by the staff at WCSL. Outro music; The Higher You Rise (c) 1983 Sheffield Labs. AudPod Announcer; Gary Shriver,
MIP Advertising and Productions. This weeks bed music by The Rolling Stones. satisfaction appears on the 1965 album "Out Of Our Heads". Jumpin' Jack Flash was released as a Stones single in 1968. It's Only Rock N Roll appears from the album of it's same name released in 1974. The music of The Rolling Stones is available on iTunes.

Photos: Click on an image to enlarge.

Altamont Speedway

L-R: WCSL's Leslie Doty,
Tony's wife Dorothy,
Tony Bianchi

Paul running festival sound
at Altamont in 1998

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