Friday, September 11, 2009

The Beatles (45 years ago) Sept 8th Montreal

45 years ago since the Beatles made there one & only Montreal appearance :

 Some of our members were at that show.......................(you know who you are)

MONTREAL – While 09/09/09 has become entrenched this week as the newest monumental date in the history of the Beatles, this week holds another date of more local importance as far as the Fab Four are concerned.

09/08/64.

Sept. 8, 1964.

Forty-five years ago this week was the one and only day the Beatles came to Montreal.

I was there as a 7-year-old.

They played two concerts at the old Forum, one at 4 p.m. and the other at 8 p.m. They were in Montreal for only eight hours, before flying out at night to Jacksonville, Fla.

I went to the afternoon concert with my 17-year-old cousin, recently immigrated from Northern Ireland. Mostly, I remember the pretty blonde English-speaking girl beside me, dressed in a pale blue jacket and matching skirt. She was maybe 17. She was crying and jumping up and down on her seat, just like the girls I’d seen that February on the Ed Sullivan Show.

But the Montreal date had much wider social and political significance than the fond individual recollections of those who were there. As Ringo Starr later revealed in the Beatles DVD Anthology series, he beat his drums during the two Montreal concerts with a plainclothes police officer sitting on stage as his bodyguard.

Police had received what they took as a credible death threat against Starr’s life. A little known group called the Front de libération du Québec had started a bombing campaign in Montreal in March 1963. Although Starr never revealed the source of the threat against him, he said he had been told he was being targeted because of his nationality and religion.

“Some people decided to make an example of me as an English Jew,’ ” recalled Starr, who was born Richard Starkey. “The one major fault is I’m not Jewish.”

Through both concerts, Ringo set his drums higher than usual and crouched in his seat – in order to prevent a potential sniper in the crowd from getting a good angle on him. “No one was seeing much of me that day, “ Starr said.

And he wasn’t impressed with the plainclothes officer.

“I thought, ‘If someone in the audience has a pop at me, what is this guy going to do? Is he going to catch a bullet?’ ”

For police, the threat against Starr was an early sign that budding terrorist elements in Quebec might one day carry out a provocative action against a high-profile British public figure. Such an action did take place in October 1970, when the FLQ kidnapped British trade commissioner James Cross from his Westmount home on Redpath Crescent.

Looking back at old newspaper clippings, I see The Gazette assigned Al Palmer and Terry Haig to cover the Beatles’ two Montreal concerts. Palmer was one of the city’s top reporters in the 1940s and ’50s, a Walter Winchell figure whom famed stripper Lily St. Cyr once called “a real man.” Baseball fans will remember Haig as the colour man on Expos radio broadcasts in the franchise’s last few years in Montreal.

Neither of the Forum concerts lasted more than 30 minutes. Personally, the only song I remember was She Loves You – I also remember shaking my head to the song, like the pretty girl beside me, and my cousin looking down and laughing at me. We were all standing.

According to the website www.beatlesmontreal.com, this is what the band played that day: 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, I Want to Hold Your Hand, and Long Tall Sally.

According to police, the toll from the concerts was: 12 teenage girls treated for hysteria and minor cuts and bruises, and a police officer with a nasty thumb bite.

I was at Paul McCartney’s concert at the Forum in 1989, too. I remember talking about it with Mark Lepage, who covered it for The Gazette. Lepage said it was amazing to sit there and hear all those iconic songs, one after another, and to think, two guys penned all of those songs.

McCartney was back in Quebec last summer for a concert in Quebec City to fête the city’s 400th anniversary. All these years after 1964, there were grumblings about the appropriateness of an Englishman, McCartney, playing on the Plains of Abraham.

McCartney responded by saying that by this very same rear-view-mirror thinking, he should never – and no Englishman should ever – talk to a German.

“You’ve got to bury the hatchet,” he told the LCN news network.

I wonder if he ever thought back to Ringo, and 1964.

To see film footage of the Beatles’ visit to Montreal 45 years ago this week, click here.

djohnston@thegazette.canwest.com

16 comments:

Sandy Walsh said...

I'm one of those who was there - and I was also 17 - my friend and I were at the 8 o'clock show - I remember exactly where we sat. It was pouring rain that night and I had an umbrella which I put on the floor under my seat. When the show was over, I picked up the umbrella and it was coated with slimy sludge or something - it was dripping and absolutely black - so I just left it there and we ran outside to the exit doors to try to catch a glimpse of them leaving - no such luck - they were probably long gone. Paul is hanging in my hood a lot these days - which is just fine with me because I am still obsessed with him. I didn't realize that the FLQ even tried to ruin a night like that - like they ruined so many other things

Les F said...

I didn't realize that the FLQ even tried to ruin a night like that - like they ruined so many other things
Yes unfortunately the FLQ assholes ,who I'm sure still linger around & probably at this age surely enjoy the BENEFITS of HEALTH CARE Courtesy of the Government of Canada,......those pathetic f&*^()ntg weasils are nothing more than GUTLESS PUKES ,who made noises ,but really didn't have the guts to back up anything they said ,........but as I mentioned ,they sure enjoy the Free Medical & probably don't mind cashing in their OAP cheques either............two faced pieces of crap I would call them ,but far be it from me to refer to this pile of scum as just that a PILE of SCUM......and I sincerely hope that if you are of that ilk,...then I'm happy you read this ....................oooooooppppppps did I say that? Have Fun & Remember the Country You Came From........the 1 that 1...........

David Flood said...

Hey Les

Why don't you tell us how you really feel about the FLQ. :>)

Les F said...

I was trying to sugar coat it................hahaha HF&RV

Sandy Walsh said...

nothing like a good rant to make you feel better :)

Les F said...

Si hf&rv

David Flood said...

We had our own translation for FLQ..... but this is a family thread.

Steve Gladwish said...

I just watched the video of the news conference....couple of things..I was outside the Queen E that day but they went to the Forum.So the closest I got was the 2 men on the 107 who moved the equipment into the Forum and told all on the bus about Ringo's drums..they were not sure who these guys were but figured they were famous.....

Lastly apart from the FLQ enuff said for now...it struck me how much of a simplier time it was..
I mean who knew that we were on the dawn of something back then.
I saw Dave Clark Five for five bucks when they played the Forum the following year.
My first show of many....

Steve Gladwish said...

Les when u can could u look up the date of that Dave Clark concert...

Thanks

Les F said...

Sure .....you are referring to the Forum Book aren't you ?

Steve Gladwish said...

Hi Sorry about that chief you are correct sir!!

Les F said...

October 29th 1964 ,a month after the Beatles show........
Steve I just emailed you a copy of the scan from the book.........to your old xqbc address ,from one of my old hotmail address's ......

Steve Gladwish said...

Hi Les

Thanks I will go and look at it..thats sounds great.. that day I took the 36 down Center to where my mom worked at Daily Freight Forwarders across from the park on Wellington..got the five bucks and went to buy the ticket..just like yesterday....u remember Daily Freight??

Les how do I post my i.d. picture on here like u guys have?

Les F said...

Steve go onto your own site that we all have here,.and at the very top right hand side of the page ,click on 'my account' then there will be a bunch of options you can use to customize your page,..one says customize 'head shot' or something like that,.then you choose a photo from wherever on your computer ...and that's it........... Good Luck with that.........HF&RV

Steve Gladwish said...

Les

Thanks going to give it a shot.... Les what is the name of the book....The Forum ??

Les F said...

Steve I sent you an email with a scan of the front & rear covers
the book is called "The Montreal Forum"
-------------------------------------(Forever Proud)..........................
ISBN 2-9804942-1-6 Now they did also come out with the book in a French version,I saw one in a Costco store for less than I paid for it,but that was a few years back now.( Montreal Costco ,Bridge street)???