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| Lazy Bones |
We rocked ... gently
Massive concert and crowd 'remarkable'
By SARAH GREEN
Toronto Sun
TORONTO -- There were four million empty water bottles to pick up and likely a few hangovers and sunburns to nurse yesterday.
But the massive cleanup and the repercussions of a day spent in the hot sun at an 11-hour show could not dim the afterglow of Wednesday's Rolling Stones concert, which drew a record-setting 450,000 music fans to Downsview Park without hitting a sour note.
There were just 21 arrests, no fatalities or serious injuries, and the massive crowd cleared the 320-hectare concert site within an hour and neighbouring streets by 2:30 a.m. -- long before organizers predicted.
'TYPICALLY CANADIAN'
"It's so typically Canadian. I love it," Jo-Ann McArthur, president of Molson Sports and Entertainment, said. "When you think of a half-million people on any given day, we certainly beat the odds."
By midafternoon yesterday, the empty water bottles were shovelled into tidier piles and crews had begun to dismantle the giant stage and tents.
McArthur said the runway will be returned to Bombardier by 8 a.m. Sunday in pristine condition, as scheduled.
More than 430,000 concert tickets were sold, but the attendance swelled with contest winners and other guests.
It will take a couple of weeks to calculate the profits earmarked for SARS-affected hospital and health-care workers. Already, $1 from every ticket is pledged.
Most of the 3,000 fans treated by paramedics, nurses and doctors at Downsview suffered weather-related injuries, from sunstroke to dehydration.
BROKEN LEG
Toronto EMS said 28 fans were taken to hospital for more serious conditions.
Oshawa's Nicky Williams broke her leg while exiting the show.
"There was so much garbage. I stepped on a full water bottle and it rolled and I went down," Williams said. It was no one's fault and what I'll remember is what a great time we had."
Police laid no drug-related charges but did charge people for other offences that included intoxication, assault, impaired driving and theft of a golf cart.
"The people that came to the event, by and large, were remarkable," Police Chief Julian Fantino said. "They were good tempered revellers and it showed Toronto in the best-possible light."
The TTC closed by 3 a.m. as buses and subway cars were half-full by 1:30 a.m.
"The weather was great and a lot of people walked," he said.
TTC general manager Rick Ducharme said worries about rowdy concert-goers did not materialize.
"That was not the thing we were accurate on," he said. "People went with an attitude to have fun."
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| nankerphelge |
Hi kiddies!
Fortunately, I was spared the pain of Miss You as some really drunk Canadian redneck decided to talk to me as it was playing -- I thought he was going to throw up on me! I told him the beer tent was giving away beers and he left!
Tom and I got to the show by cab -- came in through the Stage end entrance and made our way to a good spot for our viewing pleasure. All-in-all, it was a great day -- weather was picture perfect -- low humidity, about 80 degrees and a nice cool breeze. Bottled water was so easy to get -- they were just driving around and handing it out. Johns were also plentiful and clean!! Very little wait. All services seemed very well run. Cops were visible, but not aggressive -- and for good reason, the crowd was very well behaved despite the long hot day. Chiba was not a problem at all!!
The sound and screens were very well done -- I was worried about the sound too, but it was really good -- although I echo JW's observation that the you couldn't hear Keith until Don't Stop. Ronnie was also hard to hear, but I think it is because he is turned down. Too bad because from what I could hear of him, he was having a great night. They all seemed very excited and into the show. Keith was hysterical -- he says "drinks for everyone" as he finished up!!
AC/DC was super -- I've seen them a number of times and they can run hot & cold -- they were fucking on! They played some great stuff -- off the beaten path AC/DC -- I was very happy. Sound was incredible and they just really got the crowd going. Perfect 1-2 with the STones! Just wish the Stones sound had been up to snuff!
Rush, although not a personal favorite, played very well -- again the sound was good and Geddy's voice was not as bad as I had heard. I enjoyed them and they are still quite the hometown favs.
I hadn't been to Toronto in 20 years and I really was amazed at how great a city it is. Everyone was so friendly and so appreciative that people were there. I did my part to boost the economy by drinking a ton of Molson!! All-in-all a fantastic trip -- great day -- and some outstanding memories!
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| Factory Girl |
What are your thoughts on the Stones set? |
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| nankerphelge |
I thought it was pretty good -- the bad sound at the outset kind of soured the crowd, but they were very into the show -- very heartfelt. At the end of Happy, I thought Ronnie and Keith were gonna jam some blues -- Ronnie did a little improv (he really was playing well) and Keith kind of looked over wondering what he was doing and then did his own little blues lick and for a second I thought they were gonna move into something like Lil Red Rooster or Love in Vain or something. But they didn't -- too bad, would have been nice with Ronnie hitting!
Liked Rock Me Baby with the Brothers Young. Thought YCAGWYW was very well done -- they've slowed it a bit and Ronnie is playing this very bluesy stuff that I think works very well with it. Nearness of You was very nice -- different, but once again shows the ability of this band to do most anything. Ruby Tuesday was great -- they really played it well. |
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| Boomy |
Nanky, wouldn't it have been awesome if AC/DC played Sink the Pink?
Oh yeah!! |
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| nankerphelge |
Yes, always liked Fly on the Wall!
But when they went off the greatest hits, they stuck to Bon Scott Tunes. I always liked Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be, but as an opener it completely kicks ass -- those opening chords play right into old Angus' strong suit -- a chance to really fire up a crowd!
Plus they played If You Want Blood and Whole Lotta Rosie and Let There Be Rock -- all of which were just awesome! They also played The Jack, Dirty Deeds, TNT and Highway To Hell -- all of which are Bon Scott tunes and Brian handles them better than the later stuff!
AC/DC played like a band that was honored to open for the Stones and rock a half-million people at once -- they were fantastic!
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| winter |
Nanky -
How the hell are ya? I've been laying off the board for a little while.
You is an AC/DC fan as well? Me too bro - Fly on the Wall is my favorite non-Bon Scott album of theirs. Just picked up the remaster a couple of weeks ago.
cheers amigo,
wintahhhhhhhhhhhh |
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| nankerphelge |
Rock & roll is just rock & roll!
I hear the remasters are pretty nice!
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| LadyJane |
Man am I one lucky lady!
I came home by train this afternoon and we were delayed 2 hours at the Border. U.S.Customs were pulling people off the train and doing lots of random searches. Me, just sat there...handed them my Birth Cert. and Driver's Licence. Totally calm. All my chiba has been smoked. WRONG!! A certain little "package" I thought I either lost or was stolen by the maid WAS IN THE ENVELOPE WITH ALL OF MY DOCUMENTS!!! It was inside a CD sleeve!! I just found it! OMG!! 
One more little Toronto story......I got totally fucking lost leaving Downsview. I got separated from the group I was with and ended up walking down some God forsaken street. Myself and another female friend. We were getting desperate. No cabs. Buses full. Feet and legs too sore to walk any further. Finally a light goes off....CALL THE HOTEL AND DEMAND THEY GET YOU BACK. Easier said than done. On a payphone for 40 minutes being transferred back and forth. "Sorry, ma'am, we have nothing available." I refused to give up. FINALLY get transferred to a great guy who told me not to worry...he'll send a cab. His name.....GERARDO!! Thanks Toronto Gerardo for saving my ass!! And yes, I thought of "our" Voodoo and how maybe, just maybe, the good thoughts of RO were with me when I was very scared, panicked and seriously close to passing out!!
That said...I had a great time in Toronto. No regrets about going to the show. I swear they pump something in the air. Everybody was so friendly!! It was a nice change 
LadyJ.
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| gypsy |
Whew! Close call with the chiba there. They'd have traced it straight to poor Joey. Then we'd all be screwed.
Seriously, I am so glad you had a good time...couldn't happen to a nicer person. I am so happy that you got to go to Toronto. You have become a really great friend to me. |
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| LadyJane |
Thank you for the kind words gypsy, my pal!!  I'm getting all weepy.
And yes, it WAS a close call!!! Hubby has taken said package to work today to show the guys. He just kept shaking his head last night and saying "Do you know how lucky you are?"
LadyJ. |
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| luxury1 |
Good to see you are back in one piece Lady Jane!! I will await an email with some nitty gritty smutty tales!! (jes kiddin, folks).
I have been reading some rather disturbing reviews on the boards. I am now wondering if the fucked up sound at the outset of each show is due to the fact that Keith and Ronnie cant seem to shake the rust off till the middle of the set?! People are continuing to say ROnnie is not playing too much/often, and Keith, well, is minimal until the songs he really digs--I think we should be worried about our guitar players and not Justin singing Miss You. Have Ronnie and Keith always been like this on the other tours?? I know Mick has improved greatly from past tours, and Charlie is Charlie, but the guitars, hmmmmmmmm. |
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| LadyJane |
Luxy...I lost your e-mail address. So if you want all the nitty gritty details (of me and Mick) you'll have to contact me.
LadyJ. |
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| Miss U. |
It was nice to meet you Lady Jane, and Nanker.
I thought you were leaving on the 31st. |
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| LadyJane |
Great meeting you as well Brenda!!!
My ride home fell through, therefore, I was stuck on the damn train. Good thing though...so tired and sore...I needed the extra day to sleep!!!
LadyJ.
[Edited by LadyJane] |
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| nankerphelge |
Yes it was nice meeting you too Brenda.
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| LadyJane |
Here is a review from the Buffalo News. Jeff Miers is a great guy and I respect his opinion.
LadyJ.
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The Stones, AC/DC rock Toronto at a benefit it won't forget
By JEFF MIERS
News Pop Music Critic
8/1/2003
TORONTO - The Rolling Stones gave a beleaguered, SARS-stricken Toronto a shot in the arm Wednesday and proved to an estimated crowd of more than 450,000 people in Downsview Park that the band is at the top of its game.
As Stones shows go, this one was all about Keith Richards, who turned in a riveting, torrid performance that showed he is, beyond any doubt, the king of rock 'n' roll rhythm guitar. Fans of "Keef" will doubtlessly remember this as one of Richards' finest hours.
Oh, and that Mick Jagger guy wasn't too shabby, either.
Engine trouble on the bus that took a bunch of Buffalo concertgoers to the Molson Canadian Rocks Toronto show - the largest concert event in Canada's history - meant arriving more than halfway into the program. The Guess Who was concluding a set of its biggest hits, "American Woman" and the classic Bachman Turner Overdrive nugget "Takin' Care of Business" among them. That band, too, was in fine form.
One of the many incredibly cool aspects of this mega-event - a benefit for workers hurt by Toronto's decline in tourism - was the placing of diverse acts in quick succession. Mixed company indeed, but the program - which included performances by the Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan, Blue Rodeo, Justin Timberlake, Kathleen Edwards and others - was a study in the broad, often eclectic range of styles that, with one exception, falls beneath the "rock music" umbrella.
The evening's coda - back-to-back sets from Rush, AC/DC and the Stones - was simply crushing. Call it a classic rock Lollapalooza.
Canadian favorites Rush - bassist-vocalist-keyboardist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart - turned in an incendiary set, punctuated, as always, by the trio's agile, often virtuosic interplay and its ability to flex its considerable musical muscle.
Rush shows are legendary for their scripted tightness, and this one was no exception. A joyful instrumental take on the Stones' "Paint It Black" proved that the band felt that this hometown show was a special one. Lee, Lifeson and Peart seemed to be having a great time as they ran through a set comprised mostly of hits, including set opener "Tom Sawyer," progressive tour de force "YYZ" and an intense, high-powered take on "Free Will," punctuated by a brilliant guitar solo from Lifeson. The response was rabid and robust.
The buzz among the crowd, though, suggested that many felt AC/DC stole the show.
Word has it that Richards in particular is a huge fan and asked that AC/DC perform with the Stones, which it did later in the evening.
Opening with the simple brilliance of "Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be," culled from the flawless "Powerage" album, AC/DC simply burned the early evening crowd down. Playing in the peak performance slot, as the sun set and two video screens on either side of the stage burst to life, the band proved it has lost none of its luster. In fact, tonsil-shredding vocalist Brian Johnson has become an even greater singer since debuting with the band 23 years ago. He can't hit the highest notes as easily, but what he lacks in range he more than makes up for in bluesy soulfulness. Hits came hard and fast in the form of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap," "Back in Black," "You Shook Me All Night Long," "Hell's Bells" and "Thunderstruck." Toting his trademark Gibson SG, Angus Young thrilled the crowd with vibrato-laden, visceral blues-based guitar solos as he banged his head in time with drummer Phil Rudd's clocklike beat, his knobby knees shaking as he strutted about the stage in his schoolboy outfit.
Angus Young performed his familiar striptease during "The Jack," dropping his drawers to reveal boxer shorts emblazoned with the Canadian maple leaf, which brought an appreciative response.
The Rolling Stones is likely the only band that could follow an AC/DC performance. The group hit the ground running, blasting through an agile "Start Me Up," as Jagger worked the stage with a vigor that belies his 60 years.
This was essentially a greatest-hits set for the Stones, which has been delving deeper into the nooks and crannies of its canon of late. Not many surprises in this 90-minute set - "Brown Sugar," a gorgeous "Ruby Tuesday" with sweet vocal harmonies from Richards, "Tumblin' Dice," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "Sympathy for the Devil," "Honky Tonk Woman," "Satisfaction" - but then, like AC/DC, you know what you want from the Stones, and the band always delivers.
There were some subtle differences between this performance and the two Toronto shows the Stones performed last year. Richards' guitar was much louder in the mix Wednesday night, and he seemed particularly inspired throughout, stalking the stage, bouncing shards of rhythmic glass off cohort Ron Wood, going deep into the groove with bassist Darryl Jones, locking into drummer Charlie Watts' stately swing and splattering cross-rhythms against it. Richards played like a man possessed, a player with something to prove.
Richards performed a heartrending take on the Hoagy Carmichael gem "The Nearness of You," played beautifully by the band and sung with tear-jerking emotional investment by Richards. It was simply "fantastic," to borrow a word from Jagger, whose on-stage commentary employed that term heavily throughout the evening.
In a moment of hilarity, Justin Timberlake bounded on stage with the Stones for a version of "Miss You." Timberlake was in way over his head. His pop-dance sing-scat made no sense with Jagger's blues-informed singing, and he had no respect for the Stones' stage, a fact made clear when Richards gave him what appeared to be an angry shove. Stones fans booed and pelted Timberlake with food and water bottles.
AC/DC's brothers Angus and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young joined the band for a smoking take on B.B. King's "Rock Me Baby," Timberlake was forgotten, the show rose to another level, and the Stones became once more that scrappy lot of London lads enamored of American electric blues. Throughout the warm day that saw some in the crowd experience heat-related illnesses, the live sound was simply impeccable. There were speakers everywhere, and wherever one wandered, the sound followed in all its crisp, clear glory.
As a celebration of music, "SARSstock" was a success. As a feast for rock lovers of every stripe, it was a once-in-a-lifetime party.
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| jb |
Nanky, did you bump into Max's dog? |
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| nankerphelge |
I saw no animals or livestock the entire time I was there!
And believe me, I was lookin'!!!! |
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