Exhibition Stadium

[Will]

http://ballparks.phanfare.com/2414389

For those interested this is a slideshow that somebody put together of images of Exhibition Stadium. The first little bit is taken in May, 1987 at a Blue Jays game, the second part shows images from an Argo practice in October, 1987 followed by some images that the individual took in 1995-1996 after the stadium had been abandoned. I will warn those anti-Rush folks (although I don't know how anyone can possibly hate them) that the slideshow is to the song Between the Wheels off of their 1984 release Grace Under Pressure​.

[1argoholic]

Have to admit once I heard The Ramones for the first time back in the late 70's the classic rock deal was done for me. My rock needs roll and punk. Thus I'm not into Rush. Never liked Geddy Lee's voice. Nails on a chalkboard. Give me celtic punk, any of the billies as in rocka and psycho and even some country like Cash. Used to listen to rock but then I saw the light. I really don't listen to anything mainstream anyhow. Must head out, we friggin have sun.

[Will]

I'm only 25 myself and was a classic rock fan (and still am), but I started getting more into bands like The Clash, Echo & The Bunnymen, Simple Minds, Bauhaus, etc., if you were a fan of CFNY 102 in the 1980's you'll know what I'm talking about, basically whatever they played when David Marsden was the program director. Rush started out with a pure classic rock sound in the 70's, but adapted it to the synthesizer-heavy style that was prevalent in the early 80's. I know that Geddy Lee's voice irritates many, but I like them for the fact that each of them individually is highly regarded in whichever instrument they play. Well, Lifeson probably isn't talked about among the greatest guitarists, but Lee is considered one of the top bassists and Peart is regarded by some to be the greatest drummer ever.

Anyways, were too off-topic! It amazes me somewhat that Exhibition Stadium sat just as much (or more) for football than Skydome does. It was neat to see photos of the concourse and dressing rooms as that is something I'd never seen before. The Argonauts were given much more prominence at CNE Stadium, which makes sense. If I'm not mistaken, the Argos may have even maintained the offices at CNE for a little while after the team moved to Skydome in 1989.

[ArgoRavi]

Exhibition Stadium, for all of its faults, felt like home for the Argos. SkyDome never really has.

[1argoholic]

Yah I was a CFNY listener from pretty much day one. Still a pretty solid station as we listened to it while putting on thousands of miles in The Kawarthas and GTA in our rental car last summer.

Those pictures show a pretty hokie looking stadium by todays standards but I sure had tons of fun there.

[shayman]

Exhibition Stadium, for all of its faults, felt like home for the Argos. SkyDome never really has.

Skydome felt a lot more like home with the giant player banners in the 500 level. Wish we could get those back.

[DanTheFan]

Great slideshow. I always enjoy looking at old footage/photos of old stadiums and arenas. I remember going past the Exhibition Stadium when it was no longer in use, and thought it was such a waste just rotting away. I've never been inside, but my parents always mention that they watched the Blue Jays play there in their first season, as it was also the year they were married.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I didn't even know BMO Field was built in that location (I've never been there). I was always wondering what was going on with that property, but never researched it. Now I can really understand the frustration as to how that venue was designed. I was before, but the fact it's where the Argos once called home is an even bigger kick in the groin.

[Will]

Great slideshow. I always enjoy looking at old footage/photos of old stadiums and arenas. I remember going past the Exhibition Stadium when it was no longer in use, and thought it was such a waste just rotting away. I've never been inside, but my parents always mention that they watched the Blue Jays play there in their first season, as it was also the year they were married.

It's a bit embarrassing to admit, but I didn't even know BMO Field was built in that location (I've never been there). I was always wondering what was going on with that property, but never researched it. Now I can really understand the frustration as to how that venue was designed. I was before, but the fact it's where the Argos once called home is an even bigger kick in the groin.

BMO Field was built slightly N of the original Exhibition Stadium I think, well at least it is N of the "L" shaped grandstand built in the mid 1970's. That extended pretty much all the way down to Lakeshore Boulevard. In certain aerial photos you can still see a discoloration in the pavement in an "L" shape, presumably marking where those stands once stood.

[argonaut11xx]

wow...thanks for posting..that was awesome...i really had alot of fun at the Ex.

Seeing the mobile stage where i saw Queen in 1977, on the "News of the World" tour, and later Alice Cooper(kinda, it turned into a roit)

Those end zone dugouts, where me and my buddy Larry would climb onto, and try to get the crowd going.."Gimme an A, gimme an R....etc" then being nicely asked to get down,...sometimes we listened, sometimes we got "escorted" out of the stadium by Toronto's finest.

There was a massive, wrestling event there...pre-wrestlemania days...

The Ex was fun....Oh the guy who made the slideshow wondered why there was a big budweiser logo on the field...well after the Argo's and Jay left for Skydome, the stadium was home to stock cars for a while, and if you look closely you can see a "track" painted on the concrete.

[Will]

I always wondered what that building was (the stage), you always see it during old highlights from the CNE, but it is always beyond the endzone. I know that there were still a number of concerts held at the Ex after 1989. Remember that the Molson Amphitheatre hadn't been built yet.The wrestling event you refer to was The Big Event which drew 64,000 to the Ex. Hulk Hogan faced off against Paul Orndorff in the main event. It took place in August 1986 so Wrestlemania had already started.

[argonaut11xx]

The wrestling event you refer to was The Big Event which drew 64,000 to the Ex. Hulk Hogan faced off against Paul Orndorff in the main event. It took place in August 1986 so Wrestlemania had already started.

i was there...drunk as a skunk with booze on the brain...it was alot of fun, the CNE was in full swing...

[1argoholic]

Oh yah the old stage. I saw Super Tramp there and I think everyone in the stadium was high. Few other concerts and many years of the Metro Toronto Police Games as my uncle was a Deputy Chief. Many many memories.

[Midnight Blue]

Oh yeah, Exhibition Stadium was a blast ! There used to be a Police Constable at every game who patrolled back and forth along the walkway at the top of the south bleachers ... depending on the wind direction, when the Constable passed us one way, we would walk up to this top walkway, and walk in the other direction, and have a "wee puff" of the good stuff. And the beer stays colder in November ... not that it would last that long, but I think we were allowed to buy more than just two at a time, if I recall....

Wind, rain, sleet, cold ... it was no problem. Football should always be played outdoors !

Cheers !

[AngeloV]

I always wondered what that building was (the stage), you always see it during old highlights from the CNE, but it is always beyond the endzone. I know that there were still a number of concerts held at the Ex after 1989. Remember that the Molson Amphitheatre hadn't been built yet.The wrestling event you refer to was The Big Event which drew 64,000 to the Ex. Hulk Hogan faced off against Paul Orndorff in the main event. It took place in August 1986 so Wrestlemania had already started.

I may be wrong, but one of the last events at the EX was a WWF show, I believe in '96. I remember, because the Argos were home to Ottawa that afternoon, and my buddies and me walked to the Ex to watch the wrestling show afterwards.

[Will]

I may be wrong, but one of the last events at the EX was a WWF show, I believe in '96. I remember, because the Argos were home to Ottawa that afternoon, and my buddies and me walked to the Ex to watch the wrestling show afterwards.

No you are right that there was a card at Exhibition Stadium in the summer of 1996. They called it The Big Event II, but business wasn't great for the WWF in the mid 1990's and I don't think that particular card drew well. You are probably correct that it was one of the last events held at Exhibition Stadium. It's interesting that I remember reading a newspaper article in 1998 where the Blue Jays were threatening to return to Exhibition Stadium over some sort of lease dispute with Skydome. That would've been interesting to be sure, but I'm not sure the stadium was in great condition by the time they moved to demolish it in 1998-1999.

We've probably said this before, but it's somewhat unfortunate that the stadium didn't last a few more years because it would've given the Argos some more time. What I mean by that is the Als were successful at Molson Stadium, and Toronto could've tried to emulate that by moving back to the outdoor stadium. But, the Als moving back to Molson Stadium (1998-1999) coincide with when the CNE Stadium was being demolished. You would've probably ended up with a bigger stadium though and there would have to have been significant renovations to the grandstand I suspect, which I would've kept. The stand that was built for baseball would've had to been demolished IMO because that really doesn't look like it was particularly great for football.

Does anyone want to speculate how Argo fans would've reacted to a move back to CNE in the late 1990's? Skydome had lost a ton of its shine at that point and I think a change of scenery might've done the Argos some good. But, I guess that's all in the past now because the stadium is gone.

[argolio]

The wrestling event you refer to was The Big Event which drew 64,000 to the Ex. Hulk Hogan faced off against Paul Orndorff in the main event. It took place in August 1986 so Wrestlemania had already started.I didn't go, but as I recall the wrestlers all complained because that was a very unseasonably cool August day -- something like 6 or 7 Celsius by the time Hogan wrestled after sundown.


Oh yah the old stage. I saw Super Tramp there and I think everyone in the stadium was high.I was there, and yes they were. I think Jon-Luc Ponty, a French guy with an electric violin, opened the show.

[1argoholic]

Your right. I forgot about him. I'm not into that type of music now but back then Super Tramp was a killer show. I just remember having this group of people infront of us and they had every drug available at the time. They would ask this one guy in the group to pass the joint or the acid and his responce was always a deep stoned F You. It was so funny.
I remember heading to the famous Teenage Head show at Ontario Place where so many people showed up that they wouldn't let anyone else over. People were swimming over. My buddy and I were walking past a limo dropping off Fleetwood Mack who were playing CNE Stadium the same night and it was a fog coming out of the limo. What a crazy night in that area.

[Will]

Your right. I forgot about him. I'm not into that type of music now but back then Super Tramp was a killer show. I just remember having this group of people infront of us and they had every drug available at the time. They would ask this one guy in the group to pass the joint or the acid and his responce was always a deep stoned F You. It was so funny.
I remember heading to the famous Teenage Head show at Ontario Place where so many people showed up that they wouldn't let anyone else over. People were swimming over. My buddy and I were walking past a limo dropping off Fleetwood Mack who were playing CNE Stadium the same night and it was a fog coming out of the limo. What a crazy night in that area.

Have they grown a second head yet?

[argofandave]

I also saw Supertramp at the CNE. They were so huge in 1979, that they played in front of 40,000 people there for 3 nights in a row. I also saw them a week later at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. I was visiting my sister there and her boyfriend at the time worked for chez-fm and gave me a free ticket.

[argonaut11xx]

Teenage Head...awesome...(even though they were from Hamilton)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOFsXt2yUKw

Back in those days Toronto had "The Kings"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxkjvKBPQjo

The early 80's...wow...GREAT TIMES...1980-The TiCats LOSE the GREY CUP, 1982 the Argo's make the Grey Cup at Home, and then win it all in 1983

[argofandave]

Funny that you should mention Teenage Head and the Kings because these are the 2 bands that I've seen the most often. I saw TH 6 times in 3 years when I attended the U. of Waterloo in the early 1980's. They played both the fall and winter terms there but I've not seen them since. I've lost count of the number of times I've seen the Kings. They're from Oakville and so am I. They always play at Midnite Madness in downtown Oakville every year which is held on a Friday night in July when they close Lakeshore Road. I'm always at MM unless the Argos or Ticats have a home game that night. I'm guessing that the Kings have played there for at least 20 years in a row and I've probably seen them at least 15 times during that time. They always play 3 sets and end EVERY set with This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide. There was even 1 summer where I saw them 3 times: Oakville Waterfront Festival (which doesn't exist anymore), Oakville Midnite Madness, and Burlington Ribfest.

[1argoholic]

RIP Frankie Venom. Teenage Head is hands down the band I've seen most. Saw then at Humber Pub when I went there. The old Riverside Bar in Oakville many times. Some dive in Hamilton. Last I saw them was for a 25th aniversary gig in TO just before I moved west 10 years back. I got so hammered I did a stage dive and hit nothing but floor as I slipped on a very beer soaked mosh pit. I bruised both elbows and knees. This was weeks before my 40th. What a stupid arse! I listened to the Kings until the cows came home. My buddy Fred played the shit out of a tape he had. haha, tape.
Dave you'd know the Boathouse at The Riverside. Oh man I spent a time of weekends there. Small little unstairs bar that had bands rockin the place. I saw this band from Newf once called The Warps. The lead singer came up the stairs on a Keystone mini bike and did about five minutes of burnouts on the friggin dance floor before they played. The place was sick with the smell of exhaust and rubber. Also saw BB Garbor there a few times. I'm on a roll know.

[argofandave]

I think Frankie Venom died just a few days before they were to play at a Ticat pre-game party for their last home game in 2008. I also think that they were suppose to play at the Ticat room at the 2008 Grey Cup game in Montreal...I went to the Riverside many times during the 1980's but they changed their name to Sharkeys about 20 years ago. About 5 years ago, the bar was sold to developers and torn down to make way for condos. It was such a good location on the water. The patio was a great place to be in the summer. My favourite memory of the patio happened during the summer of 1978. I was working as a student at the Town of Oakville Parks Dept. and we were building a new park not too far from the patio. One hot and humid Friday afternoon, the boss let us students go to the patio for a half an hour lunch and we drank as much beer as we could. Needless to say, we didn't get too much work done after lunch...The only band that I can remember seeing there were the Forgotten Rebels but I'm sure there were others. I even saw the comedy team of McLean and McLean. Don't know if you remember them.

[1argoholic]

Oh the good old days. I worked as a student for the City Of Mississauga Works for a few summers and one for Parks. At the Works on Fridays our crew chief would drop us off outside Meadowvale Town Centre and we'd hit the beer store. He'd meet us behind this big dirt pile where construction was starting for homes. Then we'd go hide somewhere and drink. One day we had a call to cut some grass in a ditch off Hwy 10 that was hindering guys views as they tried to come out of a golf course. Shit we were in a panic as we had a 24 on the back seat floor of the crew cab. Mayor Hazel McCallion was to meet us there. That was in the days before all of Meadowvale was built up. That would have been 78 or 79.
I had some great memories of the outdoor patio at Sharkey's. My buddy and I did a drink and dash as they just got so busy they ignored us. Stupid stuff.
Has it been that long already since Frankie died? Yah I remember McLean and McLean. Forgotton Rebels were playing all over the area back then as well.
Drove through Oakville in July and wasn't happy to see condos there.

[Will]

Oh the good old days. I worked as a student for the City Of Mississauga Works for a few summers and one for Parks. At the Works on Fridays our crew chief would drop us off outside Meadowvale Town Centre and we'd hit the beer store. He'd meet us behind this big dirt pile where construction was starting for homes. Then we'd go hide somewhere and drink. One day we had a call to cut some grass in a ditch off Hwy 10 that was hindering guys views as they tried to come out of a golf course. Shit we were in a panic as we had a 24 on the back seat floor of the crew cab. Mayor Hazel McCallion was to meet us there. That was in the days before all of Meadowvale was built up. That would have been 78 or 79.
I had some great memories of the outdoor patio at Sharkey's. My buddy and I did a drink and dash as they just got so busy they ignored us. Stupid stuff.
Has it been that long already since Frankie died? Yah I remember McLean and McLean. Forgotton Rebels were playing all over the area back then as well.
Drove through Oakville in July and wasn't happy to see condos there.


Were you caught up in that CN derailment that caused evacuations in Mississauga?

[ArgoRavi]

Were you caught up in that CN derailment that caused evacuations in Mississauga?

That was in 1979. I remember a news bulletin came across on CBC during the East semi-final game between the Ticats and Ottawa. There are a couple of clips of that game on YouTube. The evacuation lasted a few days from what I can recall.

[Will]

That was in 1979. I remember a news bulletin came across on CBC during the East semi-final game between the Ticats and Ottawa. There are a couple of clips of that game on YouTube. The evacuation lasted a few days from what I can recall.

That's why I asked 1argoholic whether he was affected by it.