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It was organized in about a month, upon the suggestion of headliners The Rolling Stones, who wanted to help revive Toronto's economy after the SARS outbreaks earlier in the year. When The Rolling Stones announced the concert, Toronto was still under a SARS warning from the World Health Organization.
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 actor/singer Dan Aykroyd, and vendors also sold Alberta beef in support of the Canadian beef industry, which had recently suffered because of a single case of mad cow disease. North York General Hospital, which had been hit the hardest by the SARS outbreak in previous months, provided emergency on-site 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; instead, almost 1 million bottles of free water were handed out to the crowd. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and cable music station MuchMoreMusicMuchMoreMusic is a 24-hour Canadian music cable channel, owned by CHUM Limited. It operates out of Toronto, Ontario, and focuses more on adult contemporary, classic rock, and lighter music than its sister station, MuchMusic. Past and present hosts associa 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 , Sam RobertsSam Roberts (born in Montreal, Quebec) is a rock musician, whose 2001 debut release, The Inhuman Condition became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history. Roberts formed the band William in 1993. The band's name wa, Kathleen EdwardsKathleen Edwards (born January 2, 1979 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her blend of country, folk and pop music has made her a favourite of music critics, and a rising star on radio in 2003 with her debut album, Failer''. Edwards, Kat, La Chicane , The Tea PartyThe Tea Party is a Canadian rock band. The trio formed in 1990 in Windsor, Ontario, but later relocated to Montreal. The band's sound is heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin and The Doors with eclectic elements of Middle Eastern progressions. Co-incidential, The Flaming LipsThe Flaming Lips is an American rock band with psychedelic influences, formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma by Mark Coyne, Wayne Coyne and Michael Ivins. Over time the line-up has changed constantly, with Wayne Coyne and Michael Ivins providing a sta, Sass JordanSass Jordan (born 1962) is a Canadian rock singer/songwriter. Her debut album Tell Somebody was released in 1988. In 1992 she sang a duet with Joe Cocker, "Trust In Me", for the movie The Bodyguard''. She is currently a judge on Canadian Idol''. Discograp, The Isley BrothersThe Isley Brothers were American pop and soul singers, originally beginning their musical career in Cincinnati in the early 1950s. Brothers Ronald, O'Kelly, Rudolph and Vernon began recording in 1957, with a series of doo wop singles that failed to attrac, and Blue RodeoBlue Rodeo is a six-man Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto. The band consists of orginial members Jim Cuddy (guitar/vocals), Greg Keelor (guitar/vocals) and Bazil Donovan (bass) plus newer additions James Gray (keyboards), Glenn Milchem. Each band had 15-20 minutes to perform.
The second part of the concert began later in the afternoon and lasted into the night and included Justin Timberlake, The Guess Who, Rush, AC/DC, and The Rolling Stones. The Stones performed a much longer 90-minute set to end the concert.