When The Beatles came to Vancouver, Canada, to play at The Empire Stadium in August 1964, little did they realise how their day would pan out.

Arriving earlier than expected, they spent the day being driven around the city until it was time for the press conference, where a massive 89 media people crammed themselves into a room designed for half that amount.

The show itself featured several opening acts, including Jackie DeShannon, and The Righteous Brothers. Despite the show starting at 8:15pm, and lasting until 10:00pm, the press still thought the show was too short.

“Seldom in Vancouver’s entertainment history have so many (20,261) paid so much ($5.25 top price) for so little (27 minutes) as did the audience which screamed at The Beatles in Empire Stadium Saturday night.”
William Littler, of the Vancouver Sun.

George enters as Red Robinson introduces the band

The anticipation amongst the crowd, was such that after just a few moments of The Beatles coming on stage, the ten foot high stadium gates were finally breached. Thousand of screaming teenagers ran from their seats and rushed the stage, crushing hundreds against the fence. About 20 screaming fans pushed through before police managed to regain control, close the gates, and hold them back with their bodies.

About 18 minutes into the show The Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, concerned for the safety of not only the group, but also the crowd, instructed compare for the night - Red Robinson to interupt the show and plead for calm. They then managed to perform one more song before Brian Epstein himself had to take the stage to plead to the crowd to settle down. Finally Paul McCartney attempted a little crowd control of his own, whereupon they were able to play one more song before quickly exiting the stage.

They were out of the stadium and in their limo’s 30 seconds after playing their last note, driving straight to the airport instead of staying overnight at their hotel.

Many young girls were treated for broken ribs, and literally hundreds for hysteria. Such was a Beatles concert performance in 1964. And still, they’d only played for 29 minutes!

The concert itself was broadcast on Radio CKNW in Vancouver, and you can hear the concern for the crowds safety from the DJ’s as they commentate on the show. The recorded show, including the radio broadcast, and press conference can be found on a bootleg called ‘Northwest Nights’, which can be downloaded from my sister blog ‘Six Plus Three’