The Rolling Stones are one of the most iconic and influential rock bands of all time. Formed in London in 1962, the band rose to fame in the 1960s and established themselves as one of the greatest live acts in rock history with their high-energy performances and raw, blues-infused sound. The original lineup consisted of Mick Jagger (lead vocals), Keith Richards (guitar), Brian Jones (guitar), Bill Wyman (bass), and Charlie Watts (drums). Over their six-decade career, the Stones have released 30 studio albums, performed over 2,000 concerts, and sold more than 200 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the Stones’ career has been their ability to attract massive crowds to their live shows. The band has a reputation for putting on spectacular, electrifying concerts that attract tens of thousands of fans. When it comes to the biggest Rolling Stones concert of all time, most people point to their 1972 show at Villa Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which had an attendance estimated between 300,000 to 500,000 people. However, some estimates put their 1969 concert at the Altamont Speedway in California as their largest show, with between 300,000 to 400,000 in the audience. Determining which concert was truly the biggest requires looking at the available evidence and estimates around these two historic shows.
The Altamont Speedway Concert – December 1969
The free concert held by the Stones at Altamont Speedway in Livermore, California on December 6, 1969 was intended to be a West Coast counterpart to Woodstock from earlier that summer. Originally planned for Golden Gate Park, it was moved to the speedway due to permitting issues. It was scheduled to feature the Stones and other top acts like Santana, Jefferson Airplane, and Crosby Stills Nash & Young. While the exact number of attendees is unknown, estimates put the crowd at between 300,000 to 400,000 people, making it one of the largest concerts of the 1960s.
The event became notorious for the hostile atmosphere and violence, including several deaths and injuries that occurred. The Hells Angels motorcycle club was used as informal security, and they resorted to violence against concertgoers. During the Stones’ set, a spectator named Meredith Hunter was stabbed and killed by a Hells Angels member, just feet from the stage. This tragedy was captured on film and highlighted the dark side of the counterculture movement. The negative and chaotic events at Altamont marked the end of the 1960s era of love and peace.
Despite the bedlam, the Stones played a full set at Altamont. Some sources claim they stopped playing “Sympathy for the Devil” midsong due to the escalating violence, but recordings prove they played the song in its entirety. Overall, the concert featured the band performing 18 songs, including classics like “Satisfaction,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and “Honky Tonk Woman.” While the exact setlist and order is unknown, the Stones’ performance formed a centerpiece to the legendary show that became symbolic of the dark flipside of the hippie movement.
Altamont Crowd Estimates
In 1969, estimating crowd sizes for outdoor concerts was an inexact science. News reports from the time cited numbers ranging from 200,000 to 500,000 attendees at Altamont.
Source | Estimated Attendance |
---|---|
Oakland Tribune | 300,000 to 400,000 |
New York Times | 300,000 |
Associated Press | 200,000 to 300,000 |
San Francisco Examiner | 250,000 |
These estimates likely come from differing methodologies, visual assessments, and potential hyperbole from some reporters covering the event. From witness accounts and photographic evidence, a reasonable estimate is that between 300,000 to 400,000 people attended the Altamont Speedway concert.
Villa Rosa Concert – February 1972
On February 27, 1972, The Rolling Stones performed a free outdoor concert for hundreds of thousands of fans at the Villa Rosa racetrack in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The band was nearing the end of their “Stones Touring Party” tour of Australia and Asia and decided to add their first-ever South American show. As their popularity grew tremendously in the late 1960s, a visit to Brazil was long overdue.
Promoters expected big crowds in soccer-crazed Brazil, but were shocked when over half a million people packed into the venue. In raw attendance numbers, Villa Rosa surpassed Altamont as the Stones’ biggest concert based on the estimates. However, the show only lasted 65 minutes as opposed to the full set at Altamont, an important distinction when measuring the scale of a concert.
Villa Rosa Crowd Estimates
As with Altamont, precise crowd sizes are difficult to pinpoint. News reports from the time mention varying estimates:
Source | Estimated Attendance |
---|---|
Folha de S.Paulo newspaper | 500,000 |
Jornal do Brasil newspaper | 400,000 |
Bill Wyman memoir | 350,000 |
Considering these reports, estimates between 300,000 to 500,000 people likely attended the Villa Rosa show. For the time, an audience in Brazil of half a million people was astonishing and unprecedented.
While shorter than their normal set, the Stones packed their brief performance with high-energy renditions of songs like “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Street Fighting Man.” However, the massive crowds soon overwhelmed the site, knocking down barriers and prompting the band to cut the set short due to safety concerns. They were unable to fully capitalize on the enormous audience. Nonetheless, in terms of pure attendance alone, Villa Rosa stands as the Stones’ biggest concert.
Comparing the Two Concerts
When comparing the historical impact and scale of these two landmark shows, there are several factors to weigh:
Set Length
– Altamont: Full 18-song set lasting around 80-90 minutes
– Villa Rosa: Abbreviated 11-song set lasting only 65 minutes
Recording and Films
– Altamont: Parts of the performance were featured in the 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter. Bootleg audio recordings exist.
– Villa Rosa: No known film footage or audio recordings of the full show exist. Only shorter clips have surfaced over the years.
Logistical Challenges
– Altamont: Last-minute relocation led to issues with security, medical services, facilities, etc.
– Villa Rosa: Massive unexpected crowds overwhelmed venue infrastructure and cut the show short.
Crowd Experience
– Altamont: Infamous for violence, chaos, and four deaths in crowd.
– Villa Rosa: No major incidents occurred, but very overcrowded.
Cultural Impact
– Altamont: Considered end of the 1960s era of peace and love. Epitomized the dark descent of the hippie movement.
– Villa Rosa: Demonstrated the Stones’ growing popularity outside Europe/North America. Massive event for Brazil but not culture defining.
While Villa Rosa had the larger attendance numbers, Altamont featured a full headlining set and had far greater historical impact as a cultural touchstone event of the 1960s. Most critics and fans look at Altamont as the definitive Stones mega-concert due to its scale, setlist, filming, and symbolic resonance as a counterculture milestone.
Conclusion
Determining the biggest concert by an act as legendary as The Rolling Stones is an inexact science due to the lack of precise attendee counts and differing criteria. However, the 1969 Altamont Speedway concert is most frequently cited as their largest and most iconic gig based on its cultural legacy, filming, setlength, and massive estimated attendance of 300,000 to 400,000 people. The notorious violence and chaos unfortunately overshadowed the music, but Altamont represented the Stones and the spirit of rock n’ roll at a pinnacle moment. Villa Rosa boasted attendance numbers exceeding half a million but suffered from inadequate infrastructure that shortened the show. For impact, notoriety, and scale, Altamont emerges as the Rolling Stones’ biggest concert act, at least until they can top it with a new mega-event five decades later.