Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones 1969 US Tour - by Ethan Russell

All images Copyright © Ethan Russell

Opening to packed houses and rave reviews in the U.S., Europe, and the U.K., acclaimed author and photographer Ethan Russell's exhibition, LET IT BLEED: The Rolling Stones 1969 U.S. Tour debuts in Australia through the month of September at The Blender Gallery in Sydney. The 80 piece selection of previously unpublished photographs provide a highly personal, intimate, behind the scenes look at "the worlds greatest rock and roll band" - at the apex of the 1960's music scene, culminating at the Stones' Altamont Speedway concert in 1969. Created by the only photographer to shoot covers for the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who, the show also includes some of the last photos taken of Brian Jones before his death.
Structured in 3 acts, a prologue and Aftermath, Russell's intelligent and artfully crafted photographs capture details that tell the deeper story of the individual and personal lives within the band - from an insider's, all-access perspective rarely afforded to photographers today. LET IT BLEED transports the viewer from early preparations for the band's first U.S. tour, in and around the private homes shared with family members in California's Hollywood Hills - to life on the road with an intimate entourage, joking around backstage, resting, meeting other icons of the era such as Chuck Berry, BB King, John Lennon, stellar performances to sold out crowds - through to and beyond the tense negotiations and last minute scramble to mount the ultimately doomed free concert for 400,000 at Altamont Speedway.
Russell's documentation of the tragic events of that December day signal what many believe ushered in the end of 60's, and seeded the closely controlled, celebrity driven culture of today.

"You think you've seen all there is to see of the Rolling Stones. You haven't. Ethan Russell's photographs reveal a completely different side to the band - relaxed, unguarded and light years away from any rock-star posturing. The only way you'd get closer would be to join them on tour."