A Day in the Life at SARS-Stock
July 30th, 2003
Morning Preparations
Well SARS-Stock is over ... What an event with so many great moments and memories to last a lifetime.
Its been a long time since I last attended an outdoor festival of this size, nearly 30 years to the day (Summer Jam - July 28th, 1973 at Watkins Glen Raceway, New York).
The circle is now complete...
Interestingly, nowhere have I seen reported any reference to this great concert, which by far was the largest attended 1-day concert with close to 650,000 that came to see the Grateful Dead open and play for 5 straight hours, followed by The Band who played for 3 hours and The Allman Brothers closed out with a 4 hours set. At 2am all 3 bands came back out to jam for an encore that lasted well pass 3 am. It was great and so was SARS-Stock.
Well Sars-Stock began for me long before dawn at 3:45am (earlier than the planned 5am) I wonder why? No moving Déirdre my recently married daughter this early so what to do … but listen to the Stones on the Q for a while. We were on the road a little past 5am, which was great.
I had scouted out the park a week earlier and planned a route which would bring us up Hwy 400, along Finch and down Chesswood where parking I figured would be had at many of the industrial plaza's. We saw a steady stream of people walking all the way from Jane/Finch over to the park ... must be a good 5-6 mile walk as we drove right by them and more importantly got to the gate long before they did.
Parking spot secured less than 5 minutes from the gate …felt real good about the day ahead.... A little unsure about the guy collecting the $20 so quizzed him a bit to make sure he was associated with one of the stores there ... took down his license plate in case it was a scam as I might want to pay him an unexpected visit later.
A tailgate party had already begun here with a few cars in from New York. We chatted and were offered a beer ... but I had a bigger mission ahead and so departed. Can you believe that! I suggested to them that they move the party up to the gate as I figured the crowds would start to swell from 6am on.
We arrived at Gate 3 before 6 am ... and already there are about 5 to 10,000 on hand. A great set up as they had a fenced off area where people could camp out on the grass, relax and get ready for the gates opened at 8am. Around 7:30am everyone got their stuff together in anticipation of the gates opening and I suspect the crowd probably swelled to 20,000 by 8am.
Gates opened shortly after 8am and Security (we went thru 2 checks) was fine and bags were tagged. I could easily have brought some camera equipment rather than the disposable. Oh well will just have to get close to the stage.
Gate 3 was at the north end of Downsview Park and we probably had a 2-mile walk to get to the stage area ... our main objective to score as good a position close to the stage as possible. Many of the concert goers ran but we kept a brisk pace as we trekked across the uneven field and also kept an eye out for the water area's, toilets, food and merchandise along the way (these were all on the perimeter … A good idea from a security perspective).
There were 3 entrances to the event ... Gate 3 in the North, Gate 1 in the South with the main Gate 2 in the East and closest to the stage. The majority of people came thru the main gate and along with the crowd from the south gate they quickly filled up the East side of the stage area with the West side being filled from Gate 3.
We were lucky enough to get within 60 feet of centre stage ... unbelievable. A major coup indeed to be so close. We could have worked our way even closer to the stage but didn’t fancy being in the Pitt … where the expected body surfing would be and where people would be standing all day. Everyone staked out their own space by placing blankets on the ground ... this would be cool only for a few hours but was pleasantly surprised to see everyone respect this till mid afternoon. I suspect this must have been when most of the 450,000 arrived.
By 9am the video's were being played and every half hour or so announcements from the stage.
We quickly made friends with our neighbours, as I knew full well it was going to be a long arduous day and we would have to help each other protect our space.
Anna a lovely 5'10 Swedish blonde mid 40's from Guelph was next to us ... and at her first concert too leaving hubby at home ... good on her! An RN too … bonus!!
I couldn't quite take to the couple on the other side.... Stella & Joe ... but hey they were my neighbours. Maybe it had something to do with her being bosomy (as George C would say) and wanted everyone else to see her show so much in the bikini top but not a pretty sight at her age.... Everyone had to be thinking the same I'm sure.
Later in the morning Joe was getting all stressed out by people walking on his blanket. They went to the beer tent and we were wondering if they ever would return, as they were gone nearly 3 hours. Why would you even bother and miss the show from a prime area.
When they returned mid afternoon most of their blanket space was gone as everyone was standing. Joe was complaining over the beer line-ups being 1-½ hours … too crowded … all this must have peeved them as they left shortly afterwards to go home. Go figure!!
First task at hand was to scout out the merchandise as I knew full well you could forget it later … Anna & I left shortly afterwards while Déirdre looked after the blankets (protected the space) … Walked right up … no line-ups at 9am and got 2 souvenirs tee shirts and bought some water on the way back …we only brought in the allotted 2 per person and knew this wouldn’t last long.
When we returned they announced The Stones were paying for breakfast for all in the park. I had made lots of sandwiches (enough for ourselves and our neighbours which was appreciated during the day). I wasn’t keen on going out for breakfast as it was a good mile away … it was cool just chilling to the videos.
Déirdre was lying down snoozing most of the morning, which was ok for a while, but I worried the lack of circulation and the heat wouldn’t help her later in the day. As the sun rose and the crowds swelled we were able to keep our space with her lying down and I was shading her from the sun. Mind you she was a busy gal making lots of trips out to the port-a-potty’s … and each trip was taking longer and longer … what took like 30 minutes early morning was now taking 90 minutes by mid afternoon.
Before we knew it … SARS-Stock was underway.
Jann Arden sang the National anthem. We had an aerial display from parachuter’s which someone close by remarked must be our entire air force. All 9 of them.What a great line-up of acts and many I was unfamiliar with. The musical portion of the day kicked in with a performance by the Have Love Will Travel Revue , featuring actors Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi who delivered a short blues set. Dan was a better host announcer.
Positioning Sam Roberts from Montreal near the top of the bill was great as he sure got the crowd rocking. He broke some teeth after hitting the mike. I would have liked to hear that 4th number from him but he was only allotted 15 minutes of fame.... must get some of his CD’s for sure … great tracks ‘Don’t Walk Away Eileen’, ‘Brother Down’ and ‘Where Have All The Good People Gone’.
Kathleen Edwards from Ottawa followed and would have been better suited for a folk festival than this.
Quebec's La Chicane, presumably brought on board to represent francophone Canada, worked hard to overcome its relative anonymity. The performance leaned heavily on ensemble rock and it was a largely a thankless chore for the band and there was no getting around the sense that its inclusion in this event was obligatory.
Tea Party's set was prefaced by a plug for the beef industry from Aykroyd. The set was pretty lame except for slipping in a Jimi Hendrix-style ‘All Along The Watchtower’ into one of the numbers and then followed with a medley that included the Stones ‘Paint It Black’. Respect to the main act I guess.
Never heard of The Flaming Lips from Oklahoma who arrived on stage with an orchestra playing what I am sure was an Olympic theme song from years ago. They were great and loved ’Fight Test’ and ‘Do You Realize’. While the lead singer doesn't have the greatest voice he sure was having a ball out there ... visually pleasing with all the people dressed in animal costumes. Exhorting the crowd to rise and dance with ‘C’mon’ on Toronto c’mon’. …Shades of David Byrne/Talking Heads detected in their music. Great!
Sass Jordan came on next and this brought things up a notch with some great old style rocking with ‘High Road Easy’ and then closed by bringing out Jeff Healy for ‘Make You A Believer’. Can this dude play a guitar … not bad for a blind guy!
Things heated up even more with the Isley Brothers. It was great to see so many people rock to performers who were old enough to be grandparents to most in the audience. They were the best of the afternoon performance set.
The afternoon session concluded with a solid set from Toronto’s Blue Rodeo. Back by a brass section they opened things up with ‘Trust Yourself’. It might have been a tad low-key presentation but solid and crowd-pleasing.
Cell phones worked ok in the morning but were down in the afternoon. Glen, Lisa and Raffaela called a few times but I could hardly hear them being so close to the music at center stage :). Too bad they were so far away.
By mid afternoon it was getting more difficult making the trip out to the toilets. Déirdre left around 3pm and didn't return till 4:40pm. Being a veteran rocker (meaning an old fart who had a lot more hair then than now) I tried to convince her when she wanted to make another trip later, to forget it, as there would be no way she'd make it back for the main acts and I'd be far too worried.
The idea of a blanket, circle of friends and squatting just didn't appeal to her ... Kids just don't want to listen...
This required some quick thinking which later proved to being a pure stroke of genius ...
We were close to the pathway which split the center stage area between the East and West sides and so I was able to speak with one of the EMS personnel and asked if she could be taken to the hospital to use the toilets. No way as this was the backstage area and I quickly convinced the EMS person that she was getting quite dehydrated and would require attention.
For a brief moment I'm thinking man here goes losing a great spot as The Guess Who were coming up shortly but it was the least of my concerns. I didn’t mind missing Timberlicker as Justin was affectionately called. During the afternoon the word was spreading that this set was a good time for the whole park to vacate and all 450,000 go for a P** break … well I did my part … and Gerrit de Boer from Idomo must sure be relieved too. I heard there were a number of boo’s and bottles thrown during his set … too bad … Not called for.
Sure glad I left, as no sooner did we get into the hospital that the cool air made her quite weak and dizzy. The cool air was what we both needed and she was back on her feet quickly. We hung around for a while cooling off and drinking free Gator Aid.
The hospital is accessible to the public behind the back stage area and the security guy at the entrance there wouldn’t let anyone thru to the backstage area without a pass. I couldn’t convince him we had come thru this way from the front of the stage and were told to work our way around the perimeter again which you could forget. I’d miss all the evening performers..
And then, even a better view ...
The medical staff had access to the back stage area … I guess for their breaks and so I went back in and got the nurse who attended to us and she got us thru the security check by confirming we had been in there. Major score!
The backstage area was sectioned off into a number of paddocks and I managed to get a view from on top a water truck looking out at a sea of people as far as the eye can see. Unbelievable perspective to see this while The Guess Who performed on stage with ‘Taking Care of Business’ and ‘American Woman’ worked the crowd to frenzy.
Check out the great photo's from the event !
In the back stage area I got to see a number of performers wandering about within a few yards of us … Dan Aykroyd, Jim Belushi, Randy Backman and Mick the man himself walked by me … got a great shot of this. Too bad I only brought 1 disposable camera with me.
Rush were up next and was great to see them slip ‘Paint it Black’ into ‘Spirit of Radio’. ‘Closer to the Heart’ was great as well.
Cleared another security check backstage by helping EMS guys load cases of water onto golf cart and we were able to work our way up the corner of the stage under the west side video screen. The only thing preventing us to sneak onto the stage was a stairs being watched by 2 lovely young ladies who I was convinced as soon as AC/DC took to the stage they would want to take a closer look as well. Many people had access to the stage area and were viewing from the wings so the plan was to make a move if they did and we could run right up the stairs.
Déirdre wouldn't have any part of it and wouldn't allow me either as she was convinced I'd be hauled away and she wouldn't have a ride home. Offering the car keys didn’t work either (maybe she felt responsible for me or what!) … Kids today!
Sure enough when Hell Ain't a Bad Place started the 2 gals briefly departed and like a 10 year old I wanted to dash up the stairs but listened to the voice of reason instead and could only imagine what it would have been like from there.
It was interesting to watch the show from where we were and I had some fun acting like a security guard to let some security guys pass thru the linked fencing, which I undid. Around 8pm the riot squad arrived in full regalia into the back stage area and I let them thru the fencing to the corner of the stage.
I was relieved they stayed in the back stage area as it sure could have incited a riot if they marched out to the front of the stage. Well done Julian Fantino and all the police and security forces on how you handled yourselves and less not forget 450,000 well behaved kids of all ages ... but we wouldn't expect anything less from Canadians (for the most part).
The EMS people worked real hard all day and were unbelievable. Even while the main acts performed many of the EMS volunteers were hauling cases of water out front to pass into the crowds. These guys are the unknown heroes who toiled all day to make sure people were cared for.
AC/DC had an amazing set and they stole the show ... and this coming from a Stones fan seeing them first back in 69 and now for the 7th time.
Opening with Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be’, ‘Back In Black’, ‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’, ‘Thunderstruck’, ‘If You Want Blood (You Got It)’, ‘Hells Bells’, ‘The Jack’, ‘I'm TNT (Dynamite)’, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’, ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’, ‘Let There Be Rock’, ENCORE: ‘Highway To Hell’.
What a set and performance.
Ran out of film during the AC/DC set ... damm ... but soon had that problem overcome .. While helping the EMS load water onto the golf carts I arranged with one cool EMS guy to take camera's from 2 cool dudes (my neighbours) and go right out to center stage to get some closeups of the Stones. Just waiting now for the photo's to arrive.
And finally, the guests of honour ...
As expected The Stones opened with ‘Start Me Up’, which has opened their last 3 tours. ‘Brown Sugar’, ‘Tumbling Dice’, ‘Don’t Stop’, ‘Ruby Tuesday’ and on and on. Always great to listen to these classics. This probably was their least energetic performance but don't get me wrong still a decent one ... for 60 year old rockers ... A few of the numbers dragged with unusual interpretations and some loose finishes. Let's put it down to jet lag as they do not typically cross-continents like this on short notice and perform right away.Update … The Stones cancelled a show in Spain 6 days later due to Mick’s illness.
A little disappointed with the sound system but figured those wall columns on either side were probably rented. Shame that the rental company couldn’t deliver a better sound system. Nothing has come close to the 100,000 watts on the Steel Wheels tour that hit with such force a lot of internal body parts rocked as well. Lucked out being up close for that one too back in 89.
Knowing the concert was soon going to wrap we decided to leave when the Stones played ‘Honky Tonk Woman’ as we didn’t want to be caught up in all the crowds. It was surreal making the 2 mile trek back to the North gate around Midnight as we were the only 2 people walking a dirt road in the middle of the park listening to the strains of ‘Satisfaction’ and ‘Jumping Jack Flash’ float on the breeze across the park.
Off in the distance on the other side of the fencing were all the concertgoers making their way (in parallel to us) to the north gate? We happened on this dirt road as we exited from the secured area while most of the concertgoers did not.
I was relieved when we walked up Chesswood to see my car still there. We were quickly on the road and got home around 12:50am and lucked in watching CBC Newsworld replay highlights of the show until 3:30am.
A wonderful and somewhat mystic 24 hours ..... and A Great Day in the Life …
Takin' Care of Business ...
Well-done Toronto for putting on an event of this magnitude in such a short period of time and pulling it off without a hitch.Lets not forget the Pope who opened the gig a year ago and set up the infrastructure to host this event.
The global media impact is incalculable as it sent a signal to the world that Toronto and Canada are back 'Takin Care of Business'
The concert will be remembered for the music, which is a great and powerful healer and helps people to move forward. To those who took a pass because of the inconvenience you just might have missed the point. Hardship and discomfort are inherent parts of rituals, of pilgrimages, of journeys with purpose. They are marks of commitment and devotion.
To those who made the trek to Downsview …thanks for coming you were great.
Thanks to all involved for another great memory and as Déirdre, my daughter said on the way home “Thanks Dad for a great show ... I could never has imagined this”.
Music revives memories and years from now when we hear a song or two we may well reminisce and be overheard to say ‘Remember when….’ I know I will.
'The Circle is now complete ... and will be forever Unbroken'.