Sept. 7, 1964 - After a wild welcome at Toronto’s Malton Airport, there was chaos outside Maple Leaf Gardens after the Beatles’ afternoon performance as a crowd of 2,000 stampeded from entrance to entrance to catch a glimpse of their singing idols.
But the harassed Toronto police fooled them all. They staged a departure from the arena with a fleet of Beatle-less limousines while the boys sped safely out of the back entrance in a police van.
Outside their downtown hotel, it was worse — 5,000 youngsters were there to see their mop-haired heroes.
Two hours before the Beatles left the hotel, Ringo Starr caused a near riot by appearing at a window. Thousands of fans screamed, crashed through a heavy police line, and streaked for the hotel entrance.
A second line of policemen, using horses and motorcycles, headed them off but not before the vanguard got to the steps. They were pushed back, kicking and screaming.
Several youngsters were injured, either crushed in the crowds or suffering fainting spells. At the hotel, they were taken inside and treated by the St. John Ambulance as police watched closely to guard against fakers.
At the concert, crowds of kids, stamping their feet and screaming their lungs out, tried to hear the Beatles over their own noise.
With the appearance of the group, the sound built to a crescendo of noise that left the Beatles with their mouths flapping. Not a word could be heard through their entire first number.
Between shows, the Merseyside four held a press conference in their own fast-paced style — a kind of show in itself.
To the suggestion that their smoking in public set a bad example to teenagers, John Lennon said: “We don’t set examples.”
What did they think of Queen Elizabeth? Answered Paul McCartney: “She’s all right. She’s doing a good job.”
As for Senator Barry Goldwater, Republican presidential candidate, Ringo Starr commented: “Not much fun, is he?”
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