Stones rock Canadian concert to help beat SARS stigma

Hundreds of thousands of revellers gathered for an outdoor concert by the Rolling Stones as others intended to show the world that Canada’s largest city was free of SARS and ready to rock.

Organisers, who estimated yesterday’s crowd at approximately half a million people, hope the concert will help revive tourism in Canada, particularly in Toronto, where two spring outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome devastated the crucial industry.

“I think it is the biggest crowd we have ever played for,” said Mick Jagger, as bandmates Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood clowned at his side.

More than 400,000 tickets at €15 each were sold for the 11-hour show billed as one of North America’s largest ticketed events.

Hundreds spent the night outside Downsview Park, the former military airfield north of downtown Toronto, and rushed in when gates opened to be near a huge stage surrounded by video screens.

Answering why the rock’n’roll veterans had flown to Toronto to help its SARS-struck image, Richards grinned and growled: “Because we love you.”

Before the Stones took the stage, Canada’s The Guess Who played Bachman Turner Overdrive’s Takin’ Care of Business for the first intense crowd roars of the virtually cloudless sun-baked day.

Teen heart-throb Justin Timberlake, formerly of ’N Sync, said he felt “like a fish out of water” in the line-up also featuring AC/DC, but was honoured to take part in the good cause.

“We’re bringing this city back,” said actor Jim Belushi, who joined master of ceremonies Dan Aykroyd for a set by their Have Love Will Travel Revue blues band. “We’re celebrating with music and it’s one of the most joyous and communal experiences.”

Estimates put tourism losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars since the first SARS outbreak in March, along with health care costs of about €662m. SARS hit almost 250 people, killing 42 of them, in Canada’s largest city – the biggest outbreak outside of Asia.

The World Health Organisation removed Toronto from a list of places affected by SARS on July 2, but 10 cases remain active, including six people in a critical condition.

Rush lead singer Geddy Lee told reporters that the wrong image of Toronto had been “fabricated”.

“I hope this concert brings a tremendous amount of awareness to the fact that this city is a very cool place to visit,” Lee said. “Don’t not come here because you think you are going to get some dreaded disease.”

During The Flaming Lips’ three-song set, which included performers dressed as animals, members tore off surgical masks symbolic of the SARS crisis.

Aykroyd, who was born in Canada, waved a Canadian flag on stage and encouraged Canadians and Americans to love, and visit, each other.

Rolling Stones tour promoter Michael Cohl said the gig would cost €6.4m. Canada’s government put up €2m and the Ontario provincial government gave €1.4m. Canadian brewery Molson, the chief sponsor, is contributing €4.2m.

Any profits, plus 64 cent per ticket, will be split between two funds helping health care and tourism workers affected by SARS and the ensuing economic downturn.

SARS emerged in November in Guangdong province in southern China. It killed more than 800 people worldwide, most of them in Asia, before subsiding last month.