On July 5, 1969, a free concert held in Hyde Park headlined by the Rolling Stones was supposed to be an introduction for their new guitarist, Mick Taylor. Tragically, it turned out to be a way to mourn their founder, Brian Jones.
In early June of 1969 the Stones officially fired Jones for many reasons, mostly stemming from the multi-instrumentalist drug use and unreliability.
The 1968 recording sessions of Beggars Banquet saw Keith Richards handling both the lead and rhythm guitar parts because Jones would miss sessions or show up to the studio with the wrong instruments. Mick Jagger said the only tune on the album Jones truly put his heart into was his slide guitar work on “No Expectations.”
Jones’ last live performance with the group was in December of ’68 for the Rock & Roll Circus special. He was not all there and it was quite apparent to the star-studded co-stars.
“That was the period when Brian Jones took six hours to tune up and they were really having trouble getting kick-started,” Who bassist John Entwistle recalled.
“You could see he wasn’t in very good shape,” Jethro Tull flutist Ian Anderson said. “He was the Stone From Planet X. That’s how it appeared to me.”
read more at: Setlist.fm
