Opinion: The Beatles rocked Montreal 60 years ago, and we loved them, yeah, yeah, yeah
I was there for the band's only appearance in this city, hired as an usher for the occasion. I can remember the scene — and the screams.
The Beatles performed two shows at the Forum on Sept. 8, 1964. Tickets were $4.50 and $5.50. Only the night performance was sold out.
The Beatles pose at the Forum for their one and only appearance in Montreal, on Sept. 8, 1964. They performed two shows, at 4 and 8:30 p.m. Tickets: $4.50 and $5.50.
In early September 1964, I noticed an ad in The Gazette seeking ushers to work a rock concert I wanted to see at the Montreal Forum. The ticket price was outrageous ($5.50!), so the opportunity to work the afternoon and evening shows and get paid sounded great. Applicants were asked to go downtown to the Forum four days before the show. On the appointed day, I took the Sherbrooke 105 bus from Montreal West to the arena. I was 20 years old.
More than 100 of us were crammed into a huge room. An official-looking man announced enough ushers had already been hired and thanked everyone for showing up. My heart sank. But as the crowd shuffled toward the door, the guy suddenly yelled: “Wait! We need the six tallest. If you are over six-foot-two, stick around!” I stood six- foot-three. I was hired on the spot and told to show up at noon the day of the concerts wearing grey flannels, black shoes and a white shirt. This is how I came to be an usher at the only shows the Beatles ever performed in Montreal, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 1964.
On the day of the concerts, I had to wear a ridiculous usher’s cap. Of course, this cap was available only in sizes too small for me, so I picked the largest and balanced it on the back of my head. We six were taken to our workstations in front of a curtain that blocked a corridor, where we were to stand, arms folded, to deny passage to anyone trying to enter. Behind the curtain was a door to a dressing room. The Beatles would be in this dressing room just before going on stage.
A poster announcing the Beatles' only Montreal show, at the Forum, Sept. 8, 1964. Among the opening acts were the Righteous Brothers and the Exciters.
Source: montrealgazette.com
