Search - Toronto Rocks on DVD

Good show, but Timberlake embarrasses himself

John S. Harris | Memphis, TN | 08/06/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

".....as one would expect. This DVD is a much pared-down version of an all-day concert event. The meat of the show was Rush, AC/DC, The Guess Who, and the Rolling Stones. How Justin Timberlake got invited to this is anybody's guess. I don't know who thought that a rock and roll crowd would be willing to sit still and behave during a boy-band alum's teeny-bopper Pop set. Just a bad decision. A real buzzkill in that kind of music line-up. Imagine watching Rush and The Guess Who perform, then, while frothing at the mouth waiting for AC/DC and the Stones to perform, you have to sit through a set by an N*SYNC member. Whose lame idea of musical continuity was that?? Audience members were booing and pelting Timberlake with water bottles. To make matters worse, Timberlake joined the Stones onstage during "Miss You". And he looked absolutely ridiculous. Mick is up there gyrating as usual, and Timberlake is trying his best to look cool, but he looks like someone doing a lame attempt at dancing like a hip-hop artist.

I'm sorry, but if bubble-gum Pop and Rock and Roll don't belong in the same concert line-up, the CERTAINLY don't belong on the same stage at the SAME TIME!

My favorite part of the DVD was the camera work during Rush's brief set. I've been watching the "Rush in Rio" DVD quite a bit lately, and loving every second of it. But for some reason the camera work on Rush in this DVD is more approachable and accessible. You feel like you are there with them. That probably has something to do with the light - it is broad daylight during Rush's set. You'll have to see it to see what I mean. And the camera angles on drummer Neil Peart (who looks simply delighted when he meets Charlie Watts - as shown in the documentary footage) are more inviting and satisfying. You can't help but love watching Neil pound those skins!

There is a lot of fluff in this DVD presentation (Timberlake and the Aykroyd/Belushi segments), but the Rush, AC/DC, and Timberlake-less Stones more than make up for it."

A Must for any AC/DC or Stones Fan.

James Baack | Monster Island | 03/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great DVD that should be on a priority list for all Stones and AC/DC fans.
The great thing about this is the pure rawness of The Rolling Stones performance. I'll explain. I feel for too long the Stones on stage have been so polished and professional that its lost a little of the excitement. The feeling that I got from this is that they plugged in and let it kick. When Justin Timberlake performs "Miss You" with Mick and disappoving fans show their angnst by throwing bottles on stage, Keith stops playing and confronts them during the performance.
That was a beautiful throwback (if only for a moment) to "Gimme Shelter Glory Days".
When Angus and Malcom Young of AC/DC join the Stones on stage for "Rock Me Baby" the atmosphere is filled with pure magic. The chemistry and the way their playing complements each other brings chills.
I'm not sure why Justin Timberlake was included with the line up. This is a Rock and Roll Show- The fans were there to rock, not see an ex-member of a "boy band". I actually felt a little sorry for Justin, but it was clearly not his fault. That type of mix was too extreme for 490,000 people standing in the hot July sun drinking lots of beer and ready to feel power chords in their gut.
The extras are great too- its fun watching AC/DC and the Stones get along like old friends and possibly offer a glimpse of a North American tour maybe someday together.
If you are a Rolling Stones or AC/DC fan as I am, Take it from me, If you do not own this already,- Get it Today!....Hurry!"

Justice not served to Toronto

Zak Remen | Canada | 07/23/2004

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Like many thousands upon thousands of other people, I also witnessed the concert live at the Downsview Park, and may I say that the only word to describe it was awsome, but this 2 Disc DVD set does not capture it.

The first problem is the fact that it is not the complete concert. OK so it would be almost impossible to have the entire concert in 2 disc's but they should have at least done it well. On the first disc everything seems alright, each band has at least 3 or so songs which more then enough covers the early acts.

But where things start to go sour is on disc 2, which should have been the most memoriable containing the star acts such as the Guess Who, Rush, AC/DC, the Rolling Stones and yes even Justin Timberlake. However, all the artists here seem to get LESS then 3 tracks, yes thats right LESS. AC/DC gave "a perfromance that won't ever be forgotten in these parts"(quoted from the booklet inside" get's 2 tracks, just 2, and that's a memoriable performance? They played 12 songs and they get 2??? The Guess Who also has 2/5 tracks on the disc, and Rush gets 3, which does not do this concert justice. And you would think that the Stones would get quite a few right? Nope. Instead, you get 6 tracks, but only 4 of them are done solely by the Stones withotu Justin Timberlake or AC/DC playing onstage. They get 4 tracks, which is the same amount as Sass Jordan received, and who gives a rat's buttux about Sass Jordan when you payed $19 for the concert, and $34 for the DVD, for the Stones, or maybe any of the other's that got the short end of the stick. O ya, and this would probably have gotten a 1 star if not for "Miss You" played with Justine Timberlake, and the reason I am saying this is if you watch really closely, you can see someone throwing something at Justine, brilliant.

The bonuses are nothing special, if you were there you probably won't care too much about some of htem, and the press conferance done after the show was the most interesting of the bunch, and runs far too short.

In conclusion only pick this up if you cna find it cheap, but I would recommend waiting for a box set which will(hopefully) arrive before a riot occur's over this travesty equal to taht of the Rolling Stones Altomount Concert."

Decent concert compliation at a good price

Danno | NY, NY | 12/22/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In 2003, Toronto's tourism industry was crippled by exaggerated reports that the disease SARS was running rampant. To lure tourist dollars back into the city and prove that all was safe as milk, several major classic rock bands agreed to appear at the reasonably priced music festival. This DVD contains roughly two hours of highlights from that 12 hour festival.

The DVD isn't perfect. Dan Ackroyd is the show's emcee and he unfortunately dusts off his tired "Blues Brothers" schtick one too many times. (Yes, I know neither he nor Jim Belushi don shades or cheap suits but that has more to do with the concert being held at the end of a very hot July). Sheesh, where's Mike Myers when you need him? Absolutely nothing accounts for Justin Timberlake's presence; even if Timberlake were a competant performer - which he isn't - this Canadian crowd is solidly in the classic rock camp and wouldn't be interested anyway. Also, considering this is a Canadian show, comparatively few of the Canadian acts that appeared on the bill are also on the DVD.

However, the bulk of the concert is definitely enjoyable. The Flaming Lips are as goofily surreal as ever. The Isley Brothers provide some much-needed grit to the proceedings, and give us a chance to watch Ernie Isley chew up the stage with his Jimi Hendrix paraphrasings. The Guess Who's reunion is rather bloated but treats us to an excellent live version of "No Time." Rush are a sheer joy, blasting through relatively straightforward versions of "Free Will" and "Spirit of the Radio." It's some of the best live Rush recorded in the past few years. AC/DC get fairly limited screen time (and Angus Young's guitar isn't mixed loud enough) but it's exciting seeing these Aussies rile up the crowd for the main attraction. The Rolling Stones get most of the time on this DVD, and provide us with what we expect from latter-day Rolling Stones. The Stones take every stage they perform on as though they own it and if the set list isn't as imaginative as you'd like, you still have to acknowledge that the Stones have become the most consistently professional and dependable of their peers. Besides, Keith Richards swaggers around as though he's having the time of his life here. The only downside? Timberlake duets with Jagger on "Miss You." Ugh.

Given the price and the sheer variety of artists here, the DVD is an excellent purchase if you're looking for a classic rock sampler. Used copies of this 2003 concert can be easily found, adding to the bargain. This can't compare in historical significance to either Woodstock or Live Aid, but it's one heck of an entertaining show to watch."