Like a rolling stone

Tonight was the night... Toronto hosted a concert for nearly 500,000 paying customers to prove to the world that SARS is under control. When all is said and done, the economic spin-off from this concert will probably be minimal. Those business owners that were naive enough to think the influx of people would spend any part of their day doing anything other than trying to get into the concert, trying to get a good vantage point, and trying to exit as quickly as possible afterward will be crying in their coffee come Thursday morning. I hadn't realized the Toronto TV stations would be broadcasting the concert in near-real-time. For those of us that did not flock to Downsview Park, we probably had the best view in the house.

Except for the energy and experience of being at a big-name concert, most people don't go to concerts for the music. I can't tell you the number of times I've been disappointed with "live" versions of songs, after being bowled over by the studio version. Of all the bands I've ever seen, I think Supertramp and Boston did the best job of recreating the feeling of the music you had actually come to hear. Judging from what I heard on TV, I would have to say I'm glad I didn't pay money to hear the Stones.

I was much more impressed with the performance of Rush, one of 15 acts that played today's concert. Their music was most like what I remember them sounding like. Anyway, a music critic I'm not, so I'll end here. From the news video, it seems the crowd was well-behaved, and I hope everyone who went came away feeling good about their investment of time and money.