Frankie Venom of Teenage Head at Ontario Place on June 2, 1980 Photo by Doug Griffin / Toronto Star
“Because you walked down this tunnel way to Ontario Place to get to the stage, we had no idea how many people were out there. We were backstage for like five hours previous and when I walked out there it was like an unbelievable feeling. Young kids screaming, grabbing at our clothes – for about a minute I couldn’t even speak. Just the rush. It was like, ‘Holy shit.’ Better than any drug, any alcohol I’ve ever done. It was amazing to have 15,000 screaming kids just wanting a piece of you. We never had that again, but I’ll never forget it. It was fantastic.”
– Frankie Venom
Excerpted from Gods of the Hammer: The Teenage Head Story, by Geoff Pevere
Photo by Barrie Davis / The Globe and Mail Originally published June 3, 1980
The following song by The Items called “Ontario Place Riot” was recorded and released just days after the riot took place.
