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Toronto SARS relief concert

Broadcast Date: July 30, 2003

It's being called Toronto Rocks, SARS-stock or SARSapalooza. Whatever the name, the giant rock concert has become the largest in Canadian history. Close to 450,000 people have shown up in north Toronto to support the city's recovery from the SARS epidemic, and to see bands including headliners the Rolling Stones. The first act of the day is Montreal's Sam Roberts. In this interview after his performance, Roberts tells the CBC's Jian Ghomeshi what it's like to play in front of a sea of people.

Toronto SARS relief concert

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, is a communicable disease caused by a virus. The first case appeared in November 2002. Since then it has killed more than 800 people worldwide, including 350 in China and 44 in Toronto, the most affected city outside Asia. Health officials declared the threat over in July 2003, but several cases have been seen in China since then.

• The SARS outbreak was a huge blow to Toronto's tourism business. It was made worse when the World Health Organization released an advisory warning against non-essential travel to Toronto. Conventions were cancelled, restaurant business dropped by as much as 30 per cent and the Canadian Tourism Commission said Ontario hotels lost $60 million in April 2003 alone. The cost to Canada is estimated at over $1 billion.

• The Toronto Rocks concert was held at Downsview Park, a former airfield north of Toronto. The aim was to "put Toronto back on the map" after the SARS epidemic and to raise $1 million for healthcare and hospitality workers hurt by the outbreak.

• It was the biggest concert in Canadian history, and according to some estimates was the biggest single-day concert to ever take place in North America. Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger called it the biggest party he'd ever seen.

• Performers throughout the day included Jann Arden, Jim Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, Sam Roberts, Kathleen Edwards, La Chicane, Tea Party, Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan with Jeff Healey, Isley Brothers, Blue Rodeo, Justin Timberlake, The Guess Who, Rush, AC/DC and the Rolling Stones.

• Up to 180 hotel workers helped out by volunteering to flip burgers and turn sausages at the concert. Four western premiers were on hand to cook beef, hoping to send the message that Canadian beef was safe in the wake of the mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) scare.

• Organizers had hoped to draw up to 150,000 Americans to the concert, but only 45,000 tickets were sold south of the border. CNN was the only U.S. television network to cover the event.

• While the full economic impact of the concert is unknown, some estimates put the economic boost to the city as high as $50 million.

• There was considerable debate both before and after the concert over whether Toronto Rocks would really help Toronto's recovery (see the additional clip Getting Toronto back on its feet, or dumb publicity stunt?).

Toronto SARS relief concert

Medium: Television

Program: CBC Television News Special

Broadcast Date: July 30, 2003

Guest(s): Sam Roberts

Reporter: Jian Ghomeshi

Duration: 2:27

Last updated:
Sept. 1, 2009