The Day I Hitchhiked To The Rolling Stones Altamont Concert In 1969 👍

The other day I was telling my business partner, Jason, about something that happened when I was 18.
It was 1969, and The Rolling Stones had just announced a free concert in Northern California. When they revealed the location, Altamont Speedway, I grabbed my stuff, stuck out my thumb, and hitchhiked my way there.

I got there a few hours early and managed to snag a spot near the front of the stage, right where everything later went off the rails.

As the day wore on, things started getting ugly. The Hells Angels, who’d been brought in as “security,” were beating people up, swinging pool cues, and chaos started to ripple through the crowd. One guy (Meredith Hunter) was even stabbed to death just a few yards from where I was sitting.

It was shocking, the moment the peace-and-love dream of the ’60s cracked wide open.
I told Jason the story and a few minutes later he says... “Dude… I think I found a clip of you at Altamont.”

Sure enough, there I was. Eighteen years old, sitting in the middle of history, completely unaware that someone captured it. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen that photo.

And here’s the wild part, decades later, I ended up performing the very same song that played when all hell broke loose: “Sympathy for the Devil." Only this time, I wasn’t a kid in the crowd. I was on stage, performing it alongside the incredible Lisa Fischer from the Stones. 

Life’s funny that way, sometimes it brings you full circle, whether you’re ready or not.

See ya down the road, 🤙🏼

Jimmy Dillon

P.S. Here's the video of The Rolling Stones playing Sympathy For The Devil at that infamous Altamont Speedway day... (You'll noticed me at 2:07 in the clip)...