Video: 'The Beatles perfoms in Forum, Montreal, Canada'
(Tuesday, September 8, 1964, approximately 9:50 p.m. EDT; during The Beatles’ 1964 North American tour) — The Beatles performed the second of two shows tonight at the Forum in Montreal on the 16th stop of their first full North American tour, drawing a combined total of 21,000 fans for both shows.
The iconic band delivered a 12-song set, featuring hits like “Twist and Shout,” “All My Loving,” and “A Hard Day’s Night.”
During their stay in Montreal, the band received death threats from French-Canadian separatists, prompting authorities to station police sharpshooters at the venue. Despite the tense atmosphere, the concerts proceeded without incident.
Ringo Starr later reflected on the experience, saying, “Some people decided to make an example of me, as an English Jew. The one major fault is I’m not Jewish. We took threats in our stride… But this was one of the few times I was really worried.”
Video: 'The Beatles - Live In Quebec's Montreal 1964 [remix]'
Starr humorously described how he adjusted his cymbals and had a plainclothes policeman on stage with him for protection, though he questioned the officer’s ability to intervene in an actual attack.
George Harrison also commented on the situation, noting the odd nature of the threats against Starr: “A Montreal newspaper reported that somebody was going to kill Ringo. Because they didn’t like his nose or something? Because he was probably the most British of The Beatles? I don’t know. Anyway, we decided, ‘F**k this, let’s get out of town,’ and we flew a day early, instead of staying the night in Montreal.”
Following the second show, the group was scheduled to fly to Jacksonville, Florida. However, due to Hurricane Dora, their Lockheed Electra was diverted to Key West.
Harrison described the tense landing: “We got on the plane to Jacksonville, but a hurricane was hitting, so they diverted us to Key West, announcing, ‘Fasten your seat belts. The runway isn’t big enough for this plane. We’re going to have to go in with full reverse thrust.’ This was on an Electra, a plane we later discovered had a high accident record. But we landed at Key West all right and had our day off there.”
Despite the unannounced arrival, hundreds of fans greeted The Beatles when they landed in Key West at 3:30 a.m. EDT on September 9, 1964.
