July 5: On This Day in World History … briefly
Fans started to arrive at the park with candles on July 4 in tribute to Jones, and by the morning of July 5, 7 000 people had already gathered.
1969: ‘Stones’ roll for free
‘The Stones in the Park’ was a free outdoor festival held in Hyde Park on July 5, 1969, headlined by The Rolling Stones and featuring Third Ear Band, King Crimson, Screw, Alexis Korner’s New Church, Family and The Battered Ornaments, in front of a crowd estimated at between 250 000 and 500 000 fans.
Two days after the death of guitarist Brian Jones, the Rolling Stones gave a free concert in Hyde Park – attended by a record 250 000 people, policed by the London branch of Hell’s Angels and recorded for television – the concert was a huge success.
During the evening, Mick Jagger paid tribute to Jones by reciting Shelley, while clouds of white butterflies were released over the stage. Jones’s death had been attributed to alcohol and drug abuse.
Most notable historic snippets or facts extracted from the book ‘On This Day’ first published in 1992 by Octopus Publishing Group Ltd, London, as well as additional supplementary information extracted from Wikipedia.
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