Toronto SARS Benefit Concert

Rush performed for approximately 450,000 people in Toronto's Downsview Park as part of the "Molson Canadian Rocks For Toronto" concert on July 30th to benefit Toronto's SARS-depressed economy. The list of performers for the nine hour concert included The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, The Guess Who, Justin Timberlake, Sam Roberts, The Flaming Lips, Kathleen Edwards, The Isley Brothers, Sass Jordan, La Chincane, and Dan Aykroyd with Jim Belushi and the "have love will travel revue". Rush's 35 minute set of mostly hits included an instrumental cover of the Stones' "Paint It, Black" (setlist: Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Dreamline, YYZ, Freewill, Closer To The Heart (no jam), Paint It Black, The Spirit Of Radio).
In typical fashion, Rush received little media recognition for their performance, which preceded both AC/DC (55 min. set) and The Stones (70 min set), and were not even mentioned in CNN's online review of the show. Additional news coverage can be found at CBC News and Billboard.com.
"When we were first asked to play Molson Canadian Rocks For Toronto, it seemed impossible to say yes. We had been off the road for 8 months, our gear was in the warehouse, most of our crew was out on other tours, and even we were all over the place - Geddy with his family in France, Alex working in the studio mixing our Rio de Janeiro show, and me on my motorcycle in the California mountains. However, when we thought about everything Toronto meant to our lives, to our work and play, our homes and families and friends, it seemed impossible to say no!" Neil Peart, Rush.com Newsletter, July 3, 2003