A good movie

Since it kept hearing some pretty good things about this flick, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, the fact that I didn’t know much about the Rolling Stones and what happened during this infamous concert before watching this movie made it rather difficult for me to get a good grip on the damned thing. Indeed, it actually took me forever to figure out that the concert footage at the beginning had actually nothing to do with the Altamont Free Concert and was in fact taken during some previous concert in the Madison Square Garden. There was also some footage showing the Rolling Stones at work for some songs for their coming-up album ‘Sticky Fingers’ but, to be honest, it all felt rather random. However, there is no denying that the scenes involving the Altamont Concert were actually quite fascinating to behold or seriously disturbing might actually be more accurate. Indeed, back in 1969, Woodstock turned out to be arguably the best concert ever filmed, well, the very same year, the Altamont Free Concert might turn out to be the worst concert ever filmed. Should we blame the promoters who switched location just a day before the concert was planned? Should we blame the Hells Angels for poisoning the mood right from the start and creating a really antagonizing atmosphere not only with the audience but also with the bands performing? Should we blame the Stones for even considering a biker gang to provide the security for such a massive concert? Eventually, not only it was a milestone as this event was considered as the end of the Flower Power era but I think it also completely changed how concerts would be managed in the future. Indeed, can you imagine a free concert with 300 000 people with a stage only a meter high, no gates between the stage and the audience, no check at the entrance and a security composed of unprofessional goons probably all drunk? In fact, it is more surprising that something even more dramatic didn’t happen before at Woodstock or any other massive music festival. Anyway, nowadays, when you go to a concert, there is tons of security involved including a big distance between you and the performers which is not very intimate but, at least, it is much safer for everyone involved. Finally, the most stunning scene in this movie was probably when you get to see Mick Jagger actually watching the footage of a man pointing out a gun and then being savagely stabbed to death by one of the Hell Angels while Jagger himself was actually trying to perform on stage. Seriously, it was so surreal and it felt like watching a snuff movie with this Rock and Roll legend. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing turned out to be seriously dark and disturbing and if you are curious about the most messed-up concert that ever took place, you should definitely check this movie.