The Fab Four’s first appearance in Canada 60 years ago was cut short because of a near-riot
When The Beatles first landed in America on February 7, 1964, it was a huge moment in music history. But just a few months later, on August 22, 1964, they made their first appearance in Canada at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, B.C. That historic show took place the day before their famous Hollywood Bowl concert.
Red Robinson, the legendary broadcaster and DJ who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, hosted that Vancouver show. Red was no stranger to big names, having introduced stars like Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, and Buddy Holly to audiences before. But that night with The Beatles became another unforgettable highlight in his remarkable career.
In 2004, I had the privilege of interviewing Red when he graciously agreed to emcee a show at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) featuring Rubber Soul – The Canadian Tribute, a band I was managing at the time.
Back in 1964, Red was just 27 years old and was working as the program director and DJ at CFUN Radio in Vancouver. He fondly remembered that day with The Beatles. The concert took place on a football field built in 1954 for the British Empire and Commonwealth Games, the same event where Roger Bannister and John Landy famously broke the four-minute mile.
 The Beatles in Vancouver 1964 |
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The stage was a temporary setup at the north end of the field, and the fans were seated on the grass. Red admitted the setup wasn’t ideal – fans and performers were too far apart, and it was clear that stadium concerts were still a new concept. The inexperience in organizing these kinds of shows definitely showed.
Tickets for the concert ranged from $3.25 to $5.50, and 20,261 fans packed into the stadium, with thousands more gathered outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Fab Four. As you’d expect, the crowd was loud and full of energy.
Red remembered the audience as mostly “Teeny Boppers,” with the college crowd not quite catching on to The Beatles just yet. He felt a bit sorry for the band, especially since their small amps and front-facing speakers made it hard for them to hear anything over the noise of the crowd.
Things started to get chaotic partway through the concert. “All hell broke loose,” Red recalled. The crowd got out of control, and both Vancouver’s Chief of Police and The Beatles’ manager, Brian Epstein, told Red to go on stage and calm everyone down. If he didn’t, they might have to pull the band off the stage.
Red didn’t want to interrupt the show but knew he had to do something. When he stepped onto the stage, John Lennon was not happy. “Get the F#$ off our stage; nobody interrupts The Beatles!” John shouted. But after Red pointed to Epstein and the Chief of Police frantically gesturing from the side of the stage, John understood. “Oh, okay – carry on, mate,” he said.
Worried about safety, The Beatles played only 11 songs before being rushed to Vancouver Airport to catch a flight to Los Angeles for their next show at the Hollywood Bowl. The Vancouver concert ended after just 27 minutes.
Red, who sadly passed away in April 2023 at the age of 86, held on to two rare colour photographs of The Beatles from that night. “A police officer friend of mine had a colour camera in 1964 … people had them, but colour photos were very expensive to process,” he recalled proudly.
Sixty years have passed since that first Beatles concert in Canada, but for those who were there, it’s a memory that still feels as fresh as yesterday.
Greg Gazin, widely known as the Gadget Guy or Gadget Greg, is a syndicated columnist for Troy Media with extensive experience in the technology field. He is also a respected speaker on topics such as communication, leadership, and technology. In addition to his writing, Gazin is a skilled facilitator, blogger, podcaster, and author, making him a versatile and influential voice in the tech community.
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Part of the riot was from a large group of kids attending the adjoining PNE who, hearing all the screaming from the Beatles show, charged the not very sturdy fence separating the PNE from the stadium. They successfully pushed the fence down. I bet that the fence going down was the last straw that convinced the people in charge to end the show.