12. Pre-curser to Summer Jam
A 1969 event in California, the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, more closely resembled the Summer Jam event, but for a few details. Organizers hosted the event at a speedway. Those were the biggest venues at the time, but the Altamont event was half the size, and twice as violent. That show, a counterculture event, featured Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and the Rolling Stones, but the violence eclipsed the event. Four people died. Someone stabbed another person during the Stones’ set. It was a mess. The Grateful Dead didn’t even get to play. Summer Jam promised to be a better time.