August 22, 1964. Photo of Owen Coppin. (Private Collection of the Dead Red Robinson
August 22, 1964 –60 years ago the day the Beatles shook Vancouver.
The first appearance of Fab Four in Canada 60 years ago was reduced due to a nearby disturbance
While February 7, 1964 was the day The Beatles He crossed the great pond to conquer America, was on August 22, 1964, the day before the legendary Hollywood Bowl concert, which the Beatles made their first appearance north of the 49th parallel. That concert was held outdoors in the open air in the Empire Stadium in Vancouver, BC
The late legendary lemiovial and the Jockey Disc Red Robinson who died a year ago in 2023 was included in the Rock and Roll Fame Hall In 1994, characters such as Elvis Presley, Bill Haley and Buddy Holly had previously introduced the general public. But it was that night in Vancouver that Red issued the show that would be an unforgettable date in Beatle’s history.
I had the unique opportunity to interview Red 20 years ago in 2004 when he gently agreed to present a show in the PNE with Rubber Soul, the Canadian tribute to Band that was managing at that time.
Robinson, only 27 years old, was at that time the director of the program and DJ in Cfun Radio in Vancouver. “It was a great day,” says Robinson. The concert was held in a football field at the site of the National Pacific Exhibition (PNE), built in 1954 for the British Empire Games and Commonwealth. It was during those games that Roger Bannister and John Landy broke the four -minute mile.
Robinson’s Network presents the rubber soul: A Canadian Beatles in 2004
The performance area was an improvised stage at the north end of the field. There were no seats in the grass covered area, which Robinson describes as “not really ideal” since fans and artists should be very close to each other. However, the concept of using concert stadiums was new at that time and attributes bad conditions to lack of experience with this type of places.
Tickets are sold between C $ 3.25 and $ 5.50. That night, 20,261 fans paid to witness the Fab Four, while thousands more who could not obtain tickets were outside the perimeter of the stadium. As expected, the crowd was noisy and noisy.
The fans were, “mostly ‘Teeny Boppers'”, Robinson remembers, and added that the multitude of the university had not yet discovered the Beatles. “I felt sorry for the Beatles. They had those funny amps. . . And the speakers were in front of the band and they really couldn’t hear anything. “
All hell unleashed
In the middle of the program “All Hell broke,” Robinson said. “Things went out of control and the children were out of control.” (Larry Kane described the scene in his book A driving ticket (Running Press, 2003) As, “Blood lips and noses, bruises, hroks, abrasions and bruises”).
Robinson recalled that both the Vancouver police chief and the Beatles manager Brian Epstein, ordered him Calmara or that the Beatles stop playing.
Robinson, who had been in the business since the age of 16 and by then a veteran in his trade, took everything calmly.
“I have experienced this (Rowdiness) before. My car took me during a Ritchie Valens concert. “He said.
While Robinson was extremely reluctant to interrupt the performance, he knew that if he did not, the police took the children from the stage. Then he made an attempt.
John Lennon He saw Robinson get on stage and shout instantly, “Get the F#$ out of our stage; No one interrupts the Beatles!
“The noise and screams were so loud that you had to shout to be heard,” Robinson said.
He went to talk to Lennon, pointing to the side of the stage where Epstein and the boss were standing. Epstein was frantic, stirring his arms, giving him the high signals, shouting: “Let him go! Let me speak! “
Lennon realized what was happening and said calmly to Robinson, in his Lennonesque form: “Oh, okay, he continues, friend!”
Fearing for their safety, the Beatles only interpreted 11 songs ((See concert set list below) and then they were taken directly to Vancouver airport. They went directly to Los Angeles, where they had to play the next day in the famous Hollywood Bowl.
“It was an interesting night and the show lasted only 27 minutes,” Robinson said.
Courtesy Robinson’s
Robinson is proud to have two rare photographs of the Beatles that night on stage. “A friend officer friend had a color camera in 1964.. . People had them, but the color photos were very expensive to process. “
Robinson died on April 1, 2023 at the age of 86.
60 years ago since the Beatles first invaded in Canada, but for some of us channeling Paul McCartney, it seems yesterday.
See my second interview below with Red in 2014 as commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles of your first Canadian show.
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Beatles concert set list
Twist And Shout You Can’t Do That All My Loving She Loves You Things We Said Today Roll Over Beethoven Can’t Buy Me Love If I Fell Boys A Hard Day’s Night Long Tall Sally
The original article of the interview appeared in Beatlology magazine, July 2004.
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