Eric Burdon & The Animals Ottawa Coliseum Riot
On 1 March 1967, Eric Burdon and the Animals arrived for a show at the Lansdowne Park Coliseum in Ottawa but did not perform after a dispute over payment and performance terms. After the cancellation was announced, part of the crowd damaged the stage, chairs, fixtures and other property.
Core Record
What Happened
Summary
No-Show, Delay, Riot
Eric Burdon and The Animals arrived for their Ottawa show on 1 March 1967, but the performance did not go ahead after a dispute with promoter Peter Charrier over the agreed show length and payment terms.
The crowd waited through a long delay before being told the act would not appear. After that announcement, part of the audience damaged the stage area, chairs, fixtures and other venue property inside the Coliseum at Lansdowne Park.
The most consistent source-backed points are the date, venue, no-show, contract dispute, crowd disorder and property damage. The less settled points are the exact arrest total, damage cost and payment sequence.
The reviewed sources report arrests, damage estimates and later court outcomes, but they do not give a verified injury count. No reviewed source reported any fatalities connected to the incident.
Quick View
Incident Highlights
Chronology
Known Sequence
Crowd gathers
The concert drew around or more than 2,500 attendees to the Coliseum at Lansdowne Park.
Performance dispute
Sources report a dispute between Eric Burdon and promoter Peter Charrier over payment and set length.
Show does not proceed
The Animals left without performing after the contractual dispute was not resolved.
Crowd damage follows
Part of the crowd damaged stage equipment, chairs, fixtures and other venue property.
Arrests and costs reported
Later accounts give different arrest and damage totals, ranging from early estimates to later clean-up figures.
Operational Picture
Evidence Strength
Contemporary and Ottawa-history sources support 1 March 1967.
The incident is tied to the Coliseum at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa.
Multiple sources report crowd damage after the no-show.
Arrest, damage and payment figures vary across sources.
Conflicting Information
What Does Not Fully Line Up
Incident Date
Contemporary and Ottawa-history sources place the incident on 1 March 1967, while some later music-history summary pages incorrectly list 3 March 1967.
1 March 1967
Supported by RPM Weekly and the Ottawa retrospective based on March 1967 reporting.
3 March 1967
Appears in some later summary pages and is weaker against the contemporary record.
Editorial note: use 1 March 1967 as the supported date.
Crowd, Arrests and Damage
Sources agree there was damage after the cancelled show, but differ on totals.
Ultimate Classic Rock
Reports 2,500 in attendance, 12 arrested and $3,500 damage.
RPM / Ottawa History
RPM gives about $5,000 damage; Today in Ottawa’s History gives 25 arrests and $7,917 damage and clean-up costs.
Editorial note: differences may reflect early estimates versus later cost totals.
Payment Dispute Terms
The existence of a payment dispute is consistent, but the exact amounts and sequence vary.
Ultimate Classic Rock
Frames the issue around two 40-minute sets versus one 50-minute set and an attempted fee reduction.
RPM / Ottawa History
Reports differing amounts offered before the group left, including $300, $500 and a lower limit of $1,000.
Editorial note: keep the dispute general unless quoting a specific source.
Unverified Details
No verified injury count was found in the reviewed sources.
No reviewed source reported deaths, but no separate official casualty record was found.
Some cited Ottawa Journal, Globe and Mail, and Disc and Music Echo material was referenced but not fully accessible.
References
Source Cards
55 Years Ago: Eric Burdon No-Show Starts Riot in Canada
Retrospective account of the Ottawa no-show, dispute, venue damage, arrests and later court outcomes.
Visit Source →We Want The Animals!
Detailed Ottawa retrospective covering venue, crowd size, dispute, arrests, court action and damage costs.
Visit Source →Animals Cause a Stampede
Contemporary Canadian music-trade report on the riot, crowd size, damage estimate and payment dispute.
Visit Source →Riot after Animals refuse to appear
Contemporary UK music-paper reference to the Ottawa Coliseum incident; link verified but full text access was limited.
Visit Source →1 March | Today in Ottawa’s History
Archive page surfacing the incident article and supporting source references for the Ottawa history site.
Visit Source →The Eyes of Dawn - Time to Be Going / Ignorance and Hardship - 7"
Background source on Ottawa support act The Eyes of Dawn and the infamous Eric Burdon and the Animals Coliseum gig.
Visit Source →Source Links
