There was a negative feeling in the air, a
surly something. This was not a huge bunch of carefree kids come to
enjoy themselves; no, there definitely was an ominous feeling in the
air, something to do with the power of so large concentration of people –
we had no previous conception of the enormous impact of 300,000 people
crammed into a single space with the menace of these Hell’s Angels
hanging over them. And add to that the reputation of the Stones, the
reason that everyone had come. Not only were they perceived as rough
anti-establishment renegades, but also because so many of their songs
(as personified in Mick) had a Satanic aura about them, they saw Mick as
Lucifer; so they were awaiting this messenger from hell with these
barbarian Hell’s Angels at this netherworld entourage.

In the quote above, David and Albert Maysles
remember The Rolling Stones Altamont concert December 6, 1969. The
concert became notorious after a member of Hell’s Angels, hired to
maintain security during the event, stabbed an audience member to her
death. The Altamont concert has since been seen as one signal of the end
of hippie-movement and beginning of the following 1970s cultural
pessimism. (See e.g. Whiteley 1992, 101–102.)

In my chapter I will cover contextual ground
around Beggars Banquet, the bluesy mythos of ‘evil’ and ‘decadence’
associated with their live stage performance. It should be a look into
their whole performing career from this perspective, including their
early beginnings in the London club circuit, and ending with their
massive stadium performances such as seen in the Bridges To Babylon and
The Bigger Bang tours. The obvious emphasis, however, will be on the
1960s and its legacy, Altamont. The chapter will also contain a closer
reading of ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ in their live sets as a case study.