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REMEMBER WHEN?
BEATLEMANIA!
IN ITS HEYDAY, MAPLE LEAF GARDENS WAS THE SITE OF THREE HISTORIC CONCERTS BY POP’S MOST ICONIC BAND
BY ANTOINETTE MERCURIO
Long before the Mattamy Athletic Centre became home to the Ryerson Rams, it hosted one of the most popular rock bands during its heyday as Toronto’s premier concert and sports venue, Maple Leaf Gardens. Just over 50 years ago, on August 17, 1966, the Beatles made their third and final appearance in Toronto.
Scores of young girls passed out at the concert, and police built a barricade holding back fans who had lined up around the block both at Maple Leaf Gardens and the King Edward Hotel in hopes of seeing the band.
Kevin Courrier, an instructor at The Chang School’s Life Institute, attended all three Beatles concerts at the Gardens and wrote a piece for Critics At Large, an online arts publication, about his up close and personal brush with the Fab Four at that final event.
After the show Courrier and a friend got swept up in a stampede of fans. While the crowd cleared, Courrier sat on the stairs. He heard footsteps behind him and was surprised to see the Beatles stepping around him, over him – Lennon turning to smirk at Courrier as he headed towards the band’s final Toronto press conference.
Talk about a front-row seat. 
48 Ryerson University Magazine • WINTER 2017
