In 1969 the Rolling Stones paid tribute to the fallen Brian Jones in a free concert at Hyde Park
An estimated crowd between 250,000 and 500,000 fans attended the event to pay tribute to the charismatic founder of the Stones who had died two days earlier at age 27
In 1969 the Rolling Stones paid tribute to the fallen Brian Jones in a free concert at Hyde Park
The Rolling Stone Brian Jones, who was the earliest founding member of the band and the most charismatic, died at age 27 on July 3, 1969, soon after being dismissed by the band due to be unable to tour and record. Two days later, on July 5th, the Rolling Stones paid tribute to the fallen Jones, founding member of the band on a free concert at Hyde Park in London, one of Rock’s most seminal moments. An estimated crowd between 250,000 and 500,000 fans attended the event that also featured Third Ear Band, King Crimson, Screw, Alexis Korner’s New Church, Family and The Battered Ornaments. Fans started to arrive at the park with candles on 4 July in tribute to Jones, and by the morning of 5 July, 7,000 people had already gathered. Mick Jagger read a short eulogy on stage before the Stones’ set began, reading two stanzas of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s poem on John Keats’s death, Adonaïs, from a calf-bound book. After this recital, several hundred cabbage white butterflies were released. The concert, served also to introduce the band’s new guitarist Mick Taylor, who now had the tough task to replace Brian Jones. The setlist for the Stones performance, which allowed them to showcase some of their new songs to be featured on the upcoming album “Let It Bleed” was “I’m Yours & I’m Hers”, “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. “Mercy Mercy”, “Down Home Girl”, “Stray Cat Blues”, “No Expectations”, “I’m Free”, “Loving Cup”, “Love in Vain”, “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”, “Honky Tonk Women”, “Midnight Rambler”, “Street Fighting Man” and “Sympathy for the Devil”. At the time, the band not performed a public concert since their 1967 European Tour, and in 1968 had only performed at the NME Poll Winners Concert and at their television project “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus”, this was mainly due to the gradual estrangement of Brian Jones and his decreasing musical contributions. The Hyde Park concert was filmed and recorded. It’s first broadcast was on TV, September 25, 1969. Over the years has known several released on video, most recently in 2015 as “From the Vault – Hyde Park – Live in 1969”. Despite the success of the album “Let It Bleed”, 1969 was a tragic year for the Stones, after losing Brian Jones and going through his untimely death, the band end up their North America tour with the infamous Altamont Festival where several people were injured, and a fan murdered on the audience, caught on film.
Watch the full Granada TV film of the Rolling Stones live at Hyde Park, 1969
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