The riot that led to a rock concert ban at Ontario Place in Toronto

They were on the cusp of great things, so when they were scheduled to perform at the Ontario Place Forum, promoters expected a large crowd.

What they got was something even bigger.

Forty-five years ago tonight, on June 2, 1980, Teenage Head, a rag-tag band of friends who met at a Hamilton high school, were riding high in the charts with their latest record, Frantic City. The show at the Forum was expected to take them from the college and pub circuit in Ontario to the next level as they were about to embark on a New York City showcase and an eventual tour of the U.S.

The riot that erupted because of the show made Teenage Head a household name in this country, if not for a short time, but one that has earned the band legendary status whenever the history of rock music in Canada is told.

The Ontario Place Forum only had room for about 8,000 people; many estimate there were 12,000 there, maybe more. But hundreds of others wanted to see Teenage Head that night.

With crowds already overflowing, the decision was made to close off the park before showtime, which left almost 1,500 people on the outside, all of whom were still determined to see the show.

Some started to climb over the fence, while others jumped into the waters of Lake Ontario to swim over to the man-made island where the concert was taking place. The rest of the unlucky were left to mull over their predicament and decided to do something about it. So, not long after the shouting and pushing, rocks, bottles, and garbage cans started to get tossed. When police arrived, the crowd then had a target and officers from the OPP, Toronto Police and Harbour Police were pelted with the debris.

“It was wild. It was exciting but scary at the same time,” said Jenn Teofilo, who was in the crowd on the outside wanting to get in. “Me and my friends were kind of stuck in the middle of it all and got tossed around quite a bit, but we managed to get out of there.”

For the next several hours, police — some on horseback and with clubs out and swinging — battled 500 rioters in the Ontario Place Parking lot and on the bridge that crossed over Lakeshore Boulevard from the CNE grounds.

Police and the rioters both suffered injuries, mostly caused by broken glass and being knocked to the ground. About 60 arrests were made.

The immediate fallout was that rock concerts were banned at Ontario Place for a few years.

For Teenage Head, the circumstances were their manager’s dream come true. The news of the riot made national headlines and the notoriety along with the music made the erstwhile punk rockers the most popular band in the country.

But the fame was somewhat fleeting. While the band has had a lengthy career, a back injury sustained by guitar player Gord Lewis disrupted the plans for the U.S. invasion. By 1986, lead singer Frankie Venom left for a solo career. Both are gone now.

Still, backed by the infamous June 2 riot, Teenage Head is remembered by fans who are in their 60s now but have rock ‘n roll stories to share with their grandchildren.

Ironically, although the Ontario Place rock concert ban was in effect, just two months later, across the street at Exhibition Stadium, the legendary Alice Cooper caused a riot of his own when he didn’t show up for his concert. Fans weren’t too happy about that one as well.