Pacific Coliseum Gate-Crashing Riot
Incident Overview · Gate-Crashing Riot

Pacific Coliseum
Gate-Crashing Riot

On 3 June 1972, disorder broke out outside the Rolling Stones concert at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver. Sources describe large numbers of people outside the venue, many without tickets or holding counterfeit tickets, clashing with police around the PNE grounds and nearby streets.

Date
3 June 1972
Venue
Pacific Coliseum
Reported Injuries
31 police
Fatalities
Not verified
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Core Details

What Happened

Date
3 June 1972
Location
Pacific Coliseum, PNE / Hastings Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Incident Name
Pacific Coliseum Gate-Crashing Riot / Rolling Stones concert riot
Address Reference
100 North Renfrew Street; PNE / Hastings Park site

Summary

Gate Pressure Outside the Show

The incident occurred during the Rolling Stones concert at Pacific Coliseum. Contemporary and later sources agree that a large crowd remained outside the venue, with many people described as having no tickets or counterfeit tickets.

Police and the crowd clashed around the Coliseum, the PNE grounds, and nearby streets. Sources report projectiles being thrown; later accounts also mention Molotov cocktails, though that detail is not equally present across all sources.

The most repeated injury figure is 31 injured police officers. Some sources add that 13 were taken to hospital, while civilian injuries are acknowledged but not counted precisely.

Review Conflicts →

Quick View

Incident Highlights

1972
Year
The riot took place during the Rolling Stones concert on 3 June 1972.
2,000–2,500
Outside Crowd
Sources vary between about 2,000 and 2,500 people outside the Coliseum.
31
Police Injured
The most repeated figure across the reviewed sources.
22
Arrests / Charges
Reported as either 22 total or 13 that night plus 9 later.

Operational Picture

Known Sequence

Concert underway inside Pacific Coliseum
The Rolling Stones performed to a large indoor crowd, while a significant number of people remained outside the venue.
Ticket problems outside
Sources describe many outside as lacking tickets or holding counterfeit tickets, with fake tickets repeatedly cited as a trigger.
Crowd and police clash
The crowd outside clashed with police around the Coliseum, PNE grounds, Renfrew Street, and nearby residential areas.
Projectiles and vehicle threat reports
Objects were reportedly thrown at police and the building. Some later sources also report Molotov cocktails near an RCMP cruiser.
Injuries and arrests recorded
The most repeated casualty figure is 31 police injured. Arrest reporting totals 22, though sources differ on whether that means the night itself or later follow-up arrests included.
📍
Venue Strong
Official PNE sources verify Pacific Coliseum within the Hastings Park / PNE site in Vancouver.
🎟️
Ticket Issue Repeats
Multiple sources identify no tickets or counterfeit tickets as key drivers of the outside crowd problem.
🚑
Police Injuries Stronger
The 31-police-injured figure is repeated across several reviewed sources; civilian injury count remains weak.
⚖️
Arrest Total Needs Context
The total of 22 is compatible across sources, but one source separates 13 immediate arrests from 9 later arrests.
⚠️ Reporting CautionThe strong core is the date, venue, outside crowd, police injuries, and arrest total. The weaker areas are exact civilian injuries, first breach location, and whether suspected Clark Park gang involvement was proven rather than alleged.

Conflicting Information

What Does Not Fully Line Up

Disputed Detail
Number Arrested

Sources can be read as giving the same total, but they frame it differently.

Vancouver Is Awesome

Reports 22 people were arrested.

Past Tense Vancouver

Reports 13 arrested that night and another 9 identified and arrested in following days.

Editorial note: the total of 22 appears compatible, but the timing of those arrests is not described the same way.
Disputed Detail
Outside Crowd Size

Sources agree there was a large crowd outside but differ on the estimate.

Vancouver Is Awesome

Describes about 2,500 fans left outside.

Daily Colonist

Contemporary text says about 2,000 people were outside by 11 p.m.

Editorial note: the difference may reflect timing, viewpoint, or estimate method. It should not be flattened into one exact figure.
Disputed Detail
Cause Wording

The ticket problem is consistent, but the wording varies between general lack of tickets, counterfeit tickets, and fake tickets sold by scalpers.

Daily Colonist

Says many outside lacked tickets or held counterfeit ones.

Vancouver Is Awesome

More explicitly links fake tickets sold by scalpers to the outside crowd problem.

Editorial note: these accounts are broadly consistent, but the later source is more specific about scalpers.

Unverified Details

Civilian Injuries

An unknown number of civilians were reportedly hurt, but no exact verified count was found.

Fatalities

No source in this research set explicitly verified any death during the 3 June 1972 incident.

First Breach Location

The exact street, gate, or entry point where the first breach attempt began was not verified.

Clark Park Gang

Police suspicion appears in later sources, but definitive involvement was not verified from the source set.

Original Local Papers

Later sources rely on Vancouver Sun or Province coverage, but a full original article was not opened here.

Molotov Detail

Molotov cocktails appear in later retrospective material, but not every core source carries that detail.

References

Evidence Cards

01
Vancouver Is Awesome · News Archive
Archives: Cops clash with Rolling Stones fans in Vancouver
3 June 2015
Retrospective account of the 3 June 1972 Pacific Coliseum disorder. It reports about 2,500 people left outside, counterfeit tickets as a trigger, objects thrown at police and the building, 31 police injured, 13 taken to hospital, unknown civilian injuries, and 22 arrests.
Visit Source →
02
Business in Vancouver · News
Riot breaks out at PNE’s BreakOut hip-hop festival
19 September 2022
Later news article using the 1972 Rolling Stones riot as a comparison. It states 17,000 were inside Pacific Coliseum, about 2,500 were outside, 22 were charged, and 31 police officers were injured, including 13 taken to hospital.
Visit Source →
03
Global News · Video
50th anniversary of Rolling Stones concert riot in Vancouver
3 June 2022
Anniversary video page confirming the riot outside a Rolling Stones concert at Pacific Coliseum and tying the disorder to fans discovering they had bought fake tickets.
Visit Source →
04
The Georgia Straight · Music Feature
Remembering the Stones in Vancouver (with Charlie Watts)
25 August 2021
Retrospective music feature identifying the 3 June 1972 Pacific Coliseum show as the Rolling Stones’ most infamous Vancouver appearance. It states that many people, including police, were hurt.
Visit Source →
05
The Daily Colonist / Internet Archive · Contemporary Text
Full text of “The Daily Colonist (1972-06-04)”
4 June 1972
Contemporary text capture stating that troublemakers dispersed into the residential area around the PNE grounds and that by 11 p.m. about 2,000 people were outside the Coliseum, many without tickets or with counterfeit ones.
Visit Source →
06
VICE · Magazine Feature
Here’s Proof Vancouver Has Been Rioting Over Sports Games Since 1958
20 September 2017
Photo-led retrospective on Vancouver unrest. For the 1972 Rolling Stones incident it states that 285 police clashed with 2,000 would-be concertgoers at Pacific Coliseum and reports 22 arrests and 31 police injuries.
Visit Source →
07
Past Tense Vancouver · Website
Street Fighting Men
12 November 2009
Detailed retrospective placing the outside crowd at about 2,500, reporting Molotov cocktails near an RCMP cruiser on Renfrew Street, 31 police injured with 13 hospitalized, and 13 arrests that night plus 9 later arrests.
Visit Source →
08
Pacific National Exhibition · Official Venue Page
Pacific Coliseum
No page date stated
Official venue page confirming Pacific Coliseum as a major concert venue within the Hastings Park complex in Vancouver. Used for verified venue identification.
Visit Source →
09
Pacific National Exhibition · Official Location Page
Plan your visit to the PNE
No page date stated
Official PNE page giving Pacific Coliseum as 100 North Renfrew Street and the PNE administration office as 2901 East Hastings Street. Used for location extraction only.
Visit Source →
10
The Tyee · Cultural Retrospective
Vancouver in the ‘70s: Grime, Gangs, Protest — and Far Crazier
2 November 2016
Later cultural retrospective noting that after the 1972 Rolling Stones riot, which police blamed on the Clark Park Gang, the Vancouver Police Department created a secret Heavy Squad. Relevant to aftermath rather than casualty counting.
Visit Source →
11
The Canadian Encyclopedia · Timeline
Arts timeline entry for June 3, 1972
No page date stated
Timeline entry stating that during a Rolling Stones performance at Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, a riot broke out and 31 police officers were injured.
Visit Source →

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