Video: 'The Beatles Live At Vancouver, Canada (22th August 1964)'
(Saturday, August 22, 1964, 9:23 p.m. PDT; during The Beatles’ 1964 North American tour) — The Beatles performed tonight for 20,261 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, marking the fifth show in the fourth city of their 25-city, 32-show North American tour.
The concert descended into chaos as local police struggled to manage the crush of 20,000 fervent fans desperate to reach the stage.
More than a hundred attendees required medical attention, with several sustaining injuries serious enough to warrant hospitalization.
CKNW’s live radio coverage of the event, broadcast on the show On the Town, highlighted the potential for disaster.
Video: 'The Beatles Live At The Empire Stadium, Vancouver, Canada (Saturday 22nd August 1964)'
Reports from both the press booth and the field included alarming commentary such as, “It’s an absolute damn disgrace,” and “I don’t think you’ve got five seconds from the time they leave that stage till the time that all those hurdles are down, and that there are sixteen people dead!”
Despite the turmoil, an in-line recording of the concert reveals no apparent concern from the Beatles.
John Lennon can be heard chuckling during “Twist and Shout,” while Paul McCartney similarly laughs during “Things We Said Today,” even altering the line “these days such a kind, girl/seems so hard to find” to “be my one and only/yes, you say you’re mine.” During “If I Fell,”
Paul appears to deliberately sing poorly to amuse John. He also plays around with the backing vocals in “Boys,” adding some “be-bop-a-lula’s” for good measure.
