Stones rock out at Toronto's 'biggest party'
Last Updated Thu, 31 Jul 2003 1:08:37
TORONTO - Close to 450,000 people spent the day at a Toronto airfield as the Rolling Stones headlined the country's largest-ever rock concert, all to help the city shake off the effects of the SARS outbreak.
The crowd roared in delight as the Rolling Stones took to the stage. Wearing a hot pink coat, frontman Mick Jagger energetically bounded across the stage as the band launched into Start Me Up, followed by Brown Sugar.
Mick Jagger
"This is the biggest party in Toronto's history, right?" Jagger shouted to the crowd. "You're here. We're here. Toronto is back and it's booming."
The Stones' 90-minute set also included Ruby Tuesday, Honkey Tonk Woman and Satisfaction.
Before the Rolling Stones, Australian rock band AC/DC whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
The crowd grew louder with each tune in the band's set, which wrapped up with Let There Be Rock and Highway to Hell Lead guitarist Angus Young dropped his pants during the band's performance of The Jack and revealed a pair of Maple Leaf boxer shorts.
The Stones' Mick Jagger and Ron Wood
Canadian prog rockers Rush topped the native talent at the 15-act, 11-hour SARS benefit concert. Winnipeg rock legends The Guess Who took the stage before them as the concert went into its seventh hour.
Angus Young of AC/DC
The band played some of its classic songs such as No Sugar Tonight and American Woman, and borrowed Taking Care of Business from Randy Bachman's other band, Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
Pop star Justin Timberlake got a few boos, but also a lot of cheers from the crowd as the evening program of the concert started.
Geddy Lee of Rush
Timberlake, of the boy band *NSYNC, was something of an odd man out in the lineup dominated by hard rock acts.
He donned a trucker hat and used some blue language to try to ingratiate himself to the rock audience, but some in the crowd still threw water bottles and other debris onto the stage.
FROM CBC ARTS CANADA: Toronto concert crowd cool to Timberlake
Later, Timberlake said the crowd's reaction was understandable.
Randy Bachman of The Guess Who
Blue Rodeo and the Isley Brothers brought the concert into its fifth hour Wednesday as temperatures soared above 30 degrees and Toronto health officials handed out free bottles of water to keep people hydrated.
Montreal's Sass Jordan and guitarist Jeff Healey had the challenge of following the giant balloons and animal dancers of Oklahoma's The Flaming Lips
