Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto

Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto was a benefit rock concert that was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on July 30, 2003. It was also known as Toronto Rocks, StarsSARS, SARSStock, SARSfest, SARSapalooza, the SARS concert, or, more descriptively, The Rolling Stones SARS Benefit Concert. Estimated to have between 450,000 and 500,000 people attending the concert, it is the largest outdoor ticketed event in Canadian history, and one of the largest in North American history.

The concert was held at Downsview Park in northern Toronto, a former military base which also accommodated 800,000 people when Pope John Paul II visited the city in 2002. The concert was hosted by actorsinger Dan Aykroyd, and vendors sold Alberta beef in support of the Canadian beef industry, which had recently suffered because of a case of mad cow disease. North York General Hospital, which had been hit the hardest by the SARS outbreak in previous months, provided emergency onsite hospital services. The Toronto water department was initially supposed to provide free water by tapping the groundwater at the site, but were unable to do so due to health concerns. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC and cable music station MuchMoreMusic provided coverage of parts of the concert throughout the day, including the end of The Rolling Stones set.The concert opened in the afternoon with the Have Love Will Travel Revue Aykroyd and James Belushi, Sam Roberts, Kathleen Edwards, La Chicane, The Tea Party, The Flaming Lips who invited artists from backstage to dance on stage with them dressed in fuzzy animal costumes, Sass Jordan, The Isley Brothers, and Blue Rodeo. Each band performed for 1520 minutes. The second part of the concert began later in the afternoon and lasted into the night and included Justin Timberlake, The Guess Who, Rush, ACDC, and The Rolling Stones, who performed a 90minute set to end the concert. ........

Source: Wikipedia