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The 1986 World Exposition on Transportation and Communication, commonly known as Expo 86, was held in Vancouver from May 2 to Oct. 13, 1986. The fair’s theme of “World in motion. World in touch” drew more than 22 million visitors.

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They came to be entertained. And they most certainly were.

Expo 86 brought a world of entertainment to Vancouver. Here are 10 of the most memorable performances Back to video

Folks at the fairgrounds were treated to an eclectic, global smorgasbord of talent performing at venues such as the Labatt Expo Theatre, Kodak Pacific Bowl, Xerox International Theatre, and others. Forty years later, looking over the artist lineup reads like the history of contemporary music.

Some of the acts are even still touring.

From rock ‘n’ roll and soul originators like Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles to blues rocker Stevie Ray Vaughan, jazz legend Miles Davis and electropop royalty Depeche Mode, the six-month run of concert bookings kept music fans smiling over that spring, summer and fall.

With so many performers and stages, trying to craft a look-back-in-time review of the musical legacy of Expo 86 is no easy task. The range of genres represented a multi-generational gathering of stars the likes of which had never been seen before, or since, in the region. Many of the most memorable shows were by artists who never played in Vancouver again.

Here are 10 highlights from across the Vancouver Sun and Province coverage of Expo 86:

A Gala Evening at Expo 86

May 3, 1986, Expo Theatre

With then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana in the audience, the events kicked off with a show hosted by Howie Mandel featuring Sheena Easton, Idle Eyes, Veronique Beliveau, Loverboy, Bryan Adams, and headliner Kenny Rogers. Diana was a hit backstage, meeting with Adams and Loverboy. Wonder if those autographs are in the archives at Buckingham Palace?

Roy Orbison

May 28, Expo Theatre

Only a year away from the creation of the Traveling Wilburys supergroup with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and Tom Petty, Orbison was on the comeback trail when he played Expo 86. His voice was flawless as he gave a master class in growling to the audience during Pretty Woman.

Urban Sax

June 8, False Creek and Plaza of Nations

Probably the single most avant-garde event of the entire exposition, French saxophone ensemble Urban Sax dropped its distinctive, minimalist spectacle on the city and left jaws on the ground. As The Vancouver Sun noted in its review: “A crowd estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000 jammed the high-tech Plaza Of Nations as the lights in the area went out and a rocket, exploding over the waters of False Creek, cued the launch of a barge, billowing, smoke and backlit by hot-white search lights.”

Rita MacNeil

July-August, Canada Pavilion/Xerox International Theatre/Folklife for Cape Breton 

Maritime music hero Rita MacNeil was one of the musicians whose careers received a massive push from appearances at Expo 86. As a reviewer noted in The Vancouver Sun of one of the singer’s many concerts at the fair: “Two years ago, MacNeil had trouble filling large halls. Today, you have to line up to see the lady dynamo from Big Pond, N.S.” She would go on to become an international ambassador of Eastern Canadian folk.

Miles Davis

June 27, Expo Theatre

Jazz history happened at trumpeter Davis’ Vancouver International Jazz Festival performance at Expo Theatre when rising star trumpeter Wynton Marsalis made an unannounced appearance on the stage hoping to join in. Davis, in no uncertain terms, told Marsalis to leave and the event went down as one of the genre’s great showdowns. It matters enough to Marsalis that he still has a page on his personal website explaining his part of “a much bigger deal than it was or than any of us thought it would be.”

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble

Aug. 11, Expo Theatre

Only a month after his seminal Live Alive concert album was released, the late Texas blues rocker brought his brand of high amplification guitar slinging to town. The show was not great, with all the members showing signs of being burnt out. Vaughan would check into rehab only a few months later, and would go on to start performing sober for the first time in his career to rave reviews. Sadlly, he would die in a helicopter crash only four years later.

A-ha, Aug. 15, Expo Theatre

The Norwegian band almost didn’t perform due to a medical emergency. Province critic Tom Harrison did a lovely job describing what went down.

Ray Charles

Aug. 24, Expo Theatre

The legendary soul singer had played his share of global expo shows before turning up in Vancouver with his crack orchestra and his ace backup singers, The Raelettes. Among the classics dropped into his Vancouver International Jazz Festival appearance were Georgia On My Mind, What’d I Say, and Paul Simon’s Still Crazy After All These Years.

Liberace

Sept. 9, Expo Theatre

It seemed fitting that one of history’s more audacious acts would bring his distinct brand of ivory tinkling and tin-pan-alley-meets-Vegas-strip sounds to town. With a long history of touring to the city, he was able to reconnect with old friends like impresario Hugh Pickett and B.C. politician Grace McCarthy, among others. An interesting fact is that the Baldwin Grand Piano he performed on at Expo 86 is now housed at The Cultch. Naturally, there is a flamboyant autograph on the inside of the instrument.

Dollie de Luxe

Oct. 6 – 12, Xerox Theatre

Of all the acts to breakout due to appearing at Expo 86, none was more surprising than the “rock-pera” duo of Dollie de Luxe. What was so appealing about the group? Vancouver Sun writer John Mackie pegged it in his review titled Dollies are Expo dazzlers: “They’re blonde and they’re beautiful, but just as importantly, they’ve got a schtick — mix and matching opera with rock ‘n’ roll. Dollie de Luxe is their name, two 22-year-old Norwegians who are taking Expo by storm as it winds into its final days.” The group played out the fair to packed performances, even adding in extra shows at Expo Theatre. While they were in-demand darlings at the exposition, they never did breakout in North America after that.

sderdeyn@postmedia.com

—With files from Carolyn Soltau (csoltau@postmedia.com)