The sixth date of The Beatles’ final tour took place at the Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto. It was their only Canadian stop on the tour.
Two concerts took place. The first took place at 4pm and was seen by 15,000 people, and the second began at 8pm and was attended by 17,000. The Beatles had played at Maple Leaf Gardens on two prior occasions, on 7 September 1964 and 17 August 1965.
Support acts for the tour were The Remains, Bobby Hebb, The Cyrkle, and The Ronettes. The Beatles’ standard set throughout the tour consisted of 11 songs: ‘Rock And Roll Music’, ‘She’s A Woman’, ‘If I Needed Someone’, ‘Day Tripper’, ‘Baby’s In Black’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘Yesterday’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Nowhere Man’, ‘Paperback Writer’, and ‘I’m Down’. During the tour they occasionally substituted the final song with ‘Long Tall Sally’.
After the show The Beatles spent the night in Toronto before flying to Boston on 18 August 1966.
Also on this day...
- 2019: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Long Island Community Hospital Amphitheater, Farmingville
- 2016: Paul McCartney signs to Capitol Records
- 2016: Paul McCartney live: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
- 2009: Paul McCartney live: BOK Center, Tulsa
- 2003: Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band live: Mizner Amphitheater, Boca Raton
- 1973: Recording: Mind Games by John Lennon
- 1972: Wings live: De Doelen, Rotterdam
- 1969: Paul McCartney produces Mary Hopkin’s Que Sera, Sera
- 1968: George and Pattie Harrison fly to Greece
- 1965: The Beatles live: Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada
- 1963: The Beatles live: Odeon Cinema, Llandudno
- 1962: The Beatles live: Tower Ballroom, New Brighton, Wallasey
- 1962: The Beatles live: Majestic Ballroom, Birkenhead
- 1961: The Beatles live: St John’s Hall, Liverpool
- 1960: The Beatles’ first performance in Hamburg
Want more? Visit the Beatles history section.
I was at the CONCERT and I will never forget it. the excitement and screaming. it is too much to put into
words..
I was there…with my best friend, Mary…but sitting in our seats on August 17 1966 was just not enough…we found a huge sliding door at Maple Leaf Gardens and when we opened it, we saw goalie nets backstage in storage…so we hid in the goalie nets and listened…and could hear The Beatles…we finally got up and stood at the curtain opening right behind Ringo’s drums and watched from there…we got kicked out twice as we could not tell security who we were with…the only regret is that we didn’t stay hidden in the goalie nets until their performance had ended so we could have met them…although, really, they were great performers…but George was my one and only heart-throb! I still have my ticket stub!!!
I to went to see the beatles in concert in Toronto Canada (which my older sister and I won at a store promotion in buffalo n.y.) We’re we are from. I remember spending that day getting ready wearing a granny mini dress and my first pair of fishnet stockings I even got to shave my legs with my older sisters electric shaver, just trying to look older then a mere 13 now when I think of it my sister was all behind this so I would look older so she could say to her friends she wasn’t taking her little sister. During the concert I remember the screams and after every song the beatles preformed the would bow down cool. After the concert on every corner there were crying girls and ambulances all around never seen anything like it.
Hi Mary, I’m doing a 50th anniversary story about the Buffalonians that saw the Beatles in Toronto in 1966. I’d love to talk to you.
I was there with my friend Steve Wagman … my ‘future sister-in-law’ had 2 tickets to the show but was unavailable so … I somehow got the nod. I remember the show as my first concert … sitting in the Reds closest to Paul and George … the starting acts were great and then the Beatles came on and the ‘Kodak Instamatic Camera Flashes’ started and never stopped along with all the girls screaming …
I was there on August 17, 1966. I was 12 and went with my best friend, Dick Wright. His uncle got us tickets, they were $4.00 each. We sat in the greens, and the stage looked so far away. We couldn’t hear a word they were singing because of all the screaming. I took a small reel to reel tape recorder. But all you could hear was Paul’s bass. The most exciting thing that happened was a girl fainting in our row and being taken away by St. John’s ambulance. But I was there and will never forget it. I’m going back to Maple Lesf gardens this Wednesday, August 17, 2017 to relive that magical day by hearing classic albums live. I can’t wait
My sister and I were there. We’re from Niagara Falls, NY and we were at all three of the Toronto concerts in 1964, 1965 and 1966. We waited out behind Maple Leaf Gardens to see them arrive but they were in a police wagon and we couldn’t see them. But we arrived in the Gardens when the show of supporting acts had already started and we spotted two seats right up front in about the 6th or 7th row. We sat in them expecting to be kicked out but the people never arrived so we had great up front seats for that show.
My sister, her friend and I took a bus from Sudbury for the 1966 concert. We were lucky enough to get a room at the Royal York.. the concert was the most amazing experience of my life until we went back to our room. My sister’s friend Francis and I went on a tour of the hotel. When the door to the elevator opened out came George, Paul and John. RIngo was not with them at that time. We stood there with our mouths opened I am sure..they nodded and smiled. To this day it is like a dream that I will have for the rest of my life.
Martha
I though that The Beatles stayed at the King Edward Hotel. That’s where I saw them…..all 4 of them.
I won 1 pairs of tikets from a radio contest cfcf Montréal and 1 tiket from a french station CJMS I gived my pair of tikets to my 2 sisters and kept the other one it whas pure magic
i was there for the 65 and 66 shows and looking at the set lists triggers so many memories for some reason… its the only way i know it was def those two years… and the opening acts, remember them too.i would have been 13 and 14 the next month in sept. Consider myself very lucky a classmate Eddie Talij got the tickets somehow,somewhere and asked me to go.Not sure if someone else was with us. The king edward hotel and royal york have been mentioned but wasnt the hotel behind the gardens where they stayed one year, the Sutton Place ?
My cousin and I were there in the blues. Tickets were $5.50. Bobby Hebb sang “Sunny”, Cyrkle sang “Red Rubber Ball”. I don’t remember the others. When the Fab Four came on stage, the place went wild. You could only hear the opening notes. As soon as everyone could identify the song, the screaming drowned out the rest. You only knew the song ended when they bowed. Repeat 10 times. That afternoon they finished with Long Tall Sally. Maybe half
an hour later it was over. My ears were ringing for about three days after.
I was there at the hotel in Toronto then went to the 4pm show as a guest of Johns behind stage my parents had not long migrated to Canada. I had previously met John and the rest of them at the Roman Camp hotel Perthshire on 29.4.1964. My father got in touch with his family contact in order for me to meet up with john one more time. I was to meet him later in life In NY as part of my engagement but we all know what happened 8.12.80
I was at the 1966 show. I was 14. I took my 9 yr old brother with me. My dad had gotten me a pair of tickets just above and to the left of stage in one of the corners. I remember “the Circle” played. When the Beatles started the crowd around me went crazy. Must’ve been 80% girls. Girls fainting everywhere. As we walked out… we saw fainted girls being attended to by St Johns Ambulance people everywhere along the hallways. This was my first ever concert. It’s why I started playing guitar!!
I remember going to see the Beatles on Aug 17/1966 at the afternoon show.I was 11 yrs old at the time.I was sitting in the Greys at Maple Leaf Gardens.I decided to take a walk down to the front of the stage while the Beatles were performing.I must have been no more then about 20 ft from them as there were police standing in front of the stage.I don’t know what I found more fascinating standing there, looking up at the Fab Four or the girls screaming and crying.I never seen this before but all in fun.Yrs later I went to a Beatles Convention here in Toronto (1990’s) and there I met Beatles original drummer Pete Best.I got my pic taken with him as well he gave me a pair of autographed drum sticks.I also got to listen to Cynthia Lennon’s story about what it was like in the early days of the Beatles and being married to John.
My family had just returned from Germany, that very day, August 17, 1966 so I was unable to attended this Toronto concert (sob!), I was aware of the concert taking place but being only 14 at the time, it was a non starter for me to go. Hard to believe that in 2024 it will be 58 years ago this August. Where did the time go? Still a big Beatles fan though.
I was outside Maple Leaf Gardens, the afternoon of August 17, 1966. I was 13 years old and had tickets to the evening show. I was standing on a raised area of grass across the street from the Gardens on Wood St. A man, perhaps in his twenties, was taking Polaroid pictures. I tried to peak at the pics as he took them. Eventually the man noticed what I was doing and showed me his pics as he took them. The focus seemed to be on what looked like a tall garage door at the side of the building. Eventually a Canada Post truck arrived, the garage door opened, at which time there was a screaming reaction from the crowd. The perception was, that the Beatles were in the back of the truck. This was probably the case, since the Gardens was surrounded by fans. I was hoping to get a closer look at my childhood idols, since I was seated in the upper seats at the 1965 concert. When I arrived at my seat at this concert, at first I was disappointed, since I was behind the stage. Then, realizing my proximity to the stage, I was excited that I would see my idols close up. Somehow, inspite of my young age, I knew I was witnessing an historic event. I was seeing what I thought would be the most famous band of all time. It was as if I was reliving my life, and I knew from a previous life how famous the Beatles would become. For many years, I would walk or drive by Maple Leaf Gardens on August 17th, to commemorate the anniversary of the Beatles last Toronto concert. In 2010, a very dear friend of mine passed away on August 17. It was as if he died on a date I would always remember. I’m 71 years old now, but each year on August 17, I reminisce about that day in 1966. I remember paying for the tickets myself. I delivered groceries for a corner grocery store. I was making .50 cents an hour. As I recall, I paid $4.50 for my ticket in 1965, and $5.50 in 1966. When I paid a dollar more the next year, I thought to myself, what is this world coming to. I didn’t mind spending another two hours pay to see history in the making. The Beatles were my favourite band, are my favourite band, and will always be my favourite band. Thank you John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
I was at the concert that day for the 4pm show. The Beatles, as i remember stayed at the Royal York Hotel – not the Kind Edward as someone on here thought. My 2 friends and i went to the hotel where hundreds of screaming girls were singing – We love you Beatles, oh yes we do, we don’t………you can finish the rest of the song. I don’t remember them singing anything thing else, they may have. It was magical – only regret, not taking camera.
I STAND CORRECTED If, THE INTERNET IS RIGHT – I should have looked up 1st what hotel the Beatles stayed at on their last concert in Toronto. I always thought it was ‘THE ROYAL YORK HOTEL’. Someone on he said it was ‘THE KIND EDWARD HOTEL’ – according to the internet – it was the King Edward. When in Toronto, I would pass by The Royal York, and think of that day – that was ‘THE HOTEL’ at that time. Now I have to change that memory – i don’t even remember, what the King Edward Hotel looked like, or where it was until i looked it up today. lol