The Rolling Stones were a major deal when they came to Montreal in 1972 and locals responded to the Street Fighting Man anthemic crew with corresponding vigor.
These photos were grabbed from the must-watch and must rewatch 1972 NFB Station 10 documentary.
The guy on the right in the first photo is seen brazenly offering hashish, or trying to swap hashish for tickets in Pigeon Park, or Cabot Park as it's officially known, across from the old Forum.
A police officer tells the filmmakers that there's no point in arresting the drug dealers because there were too many of them and it would just cause further trouble.
Many of the tickets for the show turned out to be counterfeit and those who purchased them were refused entry, causing much of the ruckus.
Some of the hashish being sold might have been fake too. So much for scruples in the hippie world.
Someone tried placing a bomb in the place to raise their chances of getting in for free. Yes, that's the kind of time it was folks.
As the Rolling Stones rocked the Forum, many young people were rumbling around outside, cursing at police in frustration.The young woman with the white undershirt does heroic work trying to keep her male friends, including "Stewie" from fighting with the cops.
At the end she is found lying on the ground at Pigeon Park crying with one of her male friends in her arm.
High drama but for what reason?
There is so much history in this documentary. We see that some things have and have not changed in the downtown area. For any history, local crime, downtown buffs, this movie is a must!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I missed this particular Stones concert as I was working the night shift at the job I had back then. However, I did see their 1989 Steel Wheels show at the Big O and, years earlier, the Beatles at their September 8, 1964, 8:30 p.m. concert :-)
ReplyDeleteEveryone remembers that the sound quality at the old Montreal Forum was atrocious as it was built for hockey, not music, and unfortunately very few rock bands were allowed into Place des Arts with its superior acoustics, where, fortunately, I saw a great blues show featuring many of the old greats, most of whom are now sadly deceased.
Ticket prices in that era were reasonable as well, unlike today with greedy Ticketron and their counterparts worldwide who continue to brazenly rip people off. Nothing seems to deter these crooks! Furthermore, in my opinion, anyone who is willing to pay thousands of dollars for a ticket to ANYTHING needs their head examined! They are part of the problem and not the solution.
Why are scalpers permitted to somehow purchase tickets in bulk and then openly lurk around like drug dealers? The term "career criminal" fits them perfectly. Why don't the police crack down more firmly on these scofflaws?
A maximum of only two tickets per person should be sold and only at the box office. This has been done before. What happened to that rule? Online sales have only contributed to the existing racket, thus making it much worse. Counterfeit tickets continue as well. Why haven't more effective measures been put in place to prevent all of this abuse?
Despite public protests--including infrequent complaints by too few bands and allegedly "concerned" pop stars about overpriced tickets--nevertheless this situation continues unabated.
When will it end?
But you forgot, someone did blow up their equipment truck, before the concert. So they had to scramble to get replacements.
ReplyDeleteI gather the culprit was never found.
I'm surprised the Rolling Stones came back, but I recall there was a gap that seemed lengthy at the time.
And then over Labor Day weekend, there was tat robbery at the Museum of Fine Arts, paintings stolen, and never recovered.
It was a very exciting summer.
Michael
I was there when these much older guys in leather jackets put that dynamite under equipment truck in the morning and saw them again placing huge rockets on stair casing in the red section and lighting those 4 rockets that exploded on ceiling of forum!! If you want my opinion they looked like cops looking for
Deletean extension of their " terorist bonus"!!😁
My mom bought me scalper tickets at the outrageous price of $50.
ReplyDeleteThe story was that the 'mafia' or bikers blew up their equipment truck for blackmail or a payback. Stevie Wonder opened the show, and he was great. The Stones were a wee paranoid, and when some firecrackers went off, Jagger bent down and looked - unsure if they were gunshots.
The Forum was a great venue for rock concerts and hockey games, and will be missed.
In 1968 I saw The Who at the Forum. My seat was centrally-located about two thirds of the way back. The sound was relatively tolerable but later on in the '70s when sitting up in the rafters of the old Forum to see Rod Stewart, the sound was awful, giving me a headache afterwards which continued on into the next day.
ReplyDeleteHow many remember the long-since-demolished Paul Sauve Arena at 4000 Beaubien E., at the SW corner of Pie-IX? Back in the day, many big name bands played there too, including Jimi Hendrix, The Cream, Eric Burdon and the Animals, The Soft Machine, etc., all of whom I saw. Seems to me the sound quality was somewhat better than the Forum but there again, I suppose it did matter where you sat. In that era, tickets were relatively cheap and always easy to get. I don't remember even seeing a scalper but I imagine there were a few lurking about.
Then there was the Show-Mart on Berri near de Maisonneuve, a smaller, cozier venue which has also vanished.
I used to hate it, though, when fans in front of you invariably stood up from their seats, thereby forcing you to rise up as well and crane your neck until a large majority in the audience was obliged to do likewise. Essentially we had paid for a seat we couldn't use for long! On a few occasions, those brazen enough to rush the stage and squat in the aisles in order to obtain a better view were wisely ordered by security to return to their seats, under threat of having the concert stopped. How many fans understood that fire emergency bylaws required such crowd control?
Bands didn't play as loudly back then, either, unlike today where sound systems ramp up to a million watts in an attempt to blow out your eardrums--an irresponsible tactic, needless to say. Earplugs don't help much, either. Such overwhelming volume is hardly necessary, particularly where additional speakers have been installed further afield.
I can definitely sympathize with south shore residents who unfortunately have become a captive audience for those summertime concerts at Parc Jean Drapeau!
Fake ticket scalper taken down. About time!
ReplyDeleteSee: https://ca.yahoo.com/sports/news/alabama-fans-take-revenge-on-scalper-who-sold-them-counterfeit-title-tickets-174032990.html
It was a very hot night and it was steamy inside from the body heat created by the electrified audience. The 72 tour is regarded to be the all time best and the last portion, the creme de la creme, which included Montreal.
ReplyDeleteThe bomb was a message from the Union as they were in a contract dispute. Jagger was going to call off the show, but the police chief feared riots.
Stevie Wonder's encore was a ten minute drum solo.
The Stones played Sticky Fingers, Exile, and oldies but goodies.
Camped overnight on the sidewalk, from about 10pm to 9am, to get tickets.
The chief of police was right we would have went wild.The Stones pulled it off borrowing equipment from Steve s I think it was.
DeleteWas at this show amazing I was thinking how could I lie to my father so I could go stand in line all night and he phoned me at noon that day and said your not standing in line for the Rolling Stones I was like what your letting me go.Got tickets in red section right up close.Lol we partied all night and than smiled sweetly at some guys at the front of the line gave them our money and they got our tickets.
ReplyDeletethe police chief was right We waited all summer for that show
ReplyDeleteI was at this Montreal Stones show, July 17, 1972. I am looking for an un-torn, complete original ticket from this concert. If anyone here has a ticket that they would like to sell please email me at kvnrowe@comcast.net Also interested in any original poster or flier/handbill for this concert. Thank you...
ReplyDeletehttps://www.filefactory.com/file/60bjd52xjdpp/RS%20-%201972-07-17%20S-Hole%20Prod%20Montreal%20flac.rar
ReplyDelete