20,000 fans were there for The Beatles’ first appearance in Canada at the open-air Empire Stadium, Vancouver.The boys’ set lasted just under half an hour, and they forgot to play I Want To Hold Your Hand.The show was broadcast live by local radio station CKWX, and the engineer only got the balance right on the fourth song — the vocals on the previous songs had too much distortion.It almost didn’t happen, as the airline pilot didn’t have the correct paperwork for entering Canada, and the group only got to the venue at 9:15 p.m.The fans loved it, but the critics were less impressed.“Seldom in Vancouver’s entertainment history have so many paid so much for so little,” said Jack Wasserman, covering for the Owl Prowl radio show.
