History

Hyde Park, in central London, held a series of free concerts from 1968 organised largely by Blackhill Enterprises — Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Blind Faith, and on July 5, 1969, the Rolling Stones. That last one is the famous one: announced before Brian Jones died on July 3 and turned into a memorial for him, with Mick Jagger reading from Shelley's 'Adonais' and releasing white butterflies over a crowd estimated between a quarter and half a million. It was also the live debut of Mick Taylor. The Hyde Park shows were London's equivalent of the Golden Gate Park free concerts — no tickets, an enormous crowd, and a stage in a public park — and they demonstrated that the model was not a San Francisco peculiarity.

Its Place in the Scene

London's free-concert park, and the site of the Rolling Stones' 1969 memorial show for Brian Jones.

The Facts

Shows at this Venue