STONES RULES EASED: NOW WE'RE ROCKING

Police May Turn Blind Eye To Dope

Parking Found For 50,000 Vehicles

Fun and surprises.

Secret parking spots.

The scent of marijuana.

Next week's Rolling Stones event - which looked last week as if it would be
no-fun, on-your-feet-day-and-night and obey-the-rules drudgery - seems to
be turning into what it was supposed to be: a rock concert.

Remember how rigid the rules seemed? How people would have to walk home?
And don't try to smuggle in a little dope.

Well, organizers are lightening up a little. Parking has been found for
50,000 cars and cyclists can lock their bikes along the perimeter fence.
And while the police wouldn't actually say it, they don't seem to be all
that worried if a rock music fan - gasp - smokes a little pot.

The July 30 concert is now scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m., with Dan
Aykroyd and Jim Belushi and Have Love Will Travel kicking things off for
the afternoon set, followed by Sam Roberts, Kathleen Edwards, La Chicane,
Tea Party, the Flaming Lips, Sass Jordan, the Isley Brothers and Blue Rodeo.

Belushi-Aykroyd will also kick off the evening set, followed by Justin
Timberlake, the Guess Who, Rush, AC/DC and the Rolling Stones.

The order of appearances may change and the prospect was raised that Mick
Jagger might have something up his sleeve, maybe a duet or two, maybe a
surprise guest appearance.

"I think you can expect a couple of surprises through the day," said Riley
O'Connor, vice-president of the House of Blues, Molson's promotional wing.

At yesterday's news conference held by Molson's to promote the event, the
mood seemed much lighter than last week's, when promoters took heat for
looking so disorganized. They tried to quell those fears yesterday, saying
they've had more time to get the site ready ? two weeks ? than the usual
one or two days.

"I am absolutely confident that at the end of the day, people will judge
this event as nothing but amazing," said Steve Howard of TGA Entertainment,
the Stones' tour management company, adding the band is "so jazzed" about
the concert that it's an "hourly" topic of conversation on their European tour.

The Stones plan to arrive in Toronto on Monday, after a gig in Prague. How
they're getting to Downsview Park two days later "is a secret," said Howard.

For the rest of the 430,000 people expected at the concert a week from
today, getting in might be less of a hassle than originally feared.
Organizers are still saying the best way to get there is by the TTC, but
have now said cyclists can lock their bikes against the perimeter's
chain-link fence. And if you want to drive, well, now you can.

But to park, drivers must phone 1-877-365-7090 to reserve a spot. Callers
will be given a location and a confirmation number. Parking costs $25 and
if parking spots are far away, shuttle buses will take fans within walking
distance.

Ann Corbitt, the event's transportation manager, said the lots are being
kept secret because "we're trying to control access to it so people really
have to call to find out where the lots are." They're all within 6
kilometres of the site, mostly malls and industrial parks, she said. A free
shuttle service to Downsview Park is available for those parking far away,
she said.

Profits from the parking - and from the show itself - will be split between
two charities: one for laid-off hospitality workers, the other for
health-care workers.

As for recreational drugs, fans will be searched. Officially, no drugs will
be allowed in the park, said Staff Superintendent Gary Grant. But he added
later: "The last thing we want to do is go into a crowd and eject someone
for smoking a joint."

To prevent the police from finding anything, the suggestion was it would be
better to throw it away. There will be a "receptacle to drop off stashes,"
said a smiling Grant, adding, "We're there to see people have fun."

Organizers also said there will be no rush to clear the site after the
show, so those who just want to sleep it off, can do so.

"There's no camping," said O'Connor. "We're not forcing people off.
Obviously people are going to be sitting down, resting. If they're sleeping
for a couple of hours, we're not going to roll them off.

"If it takes them six, or seven or eight hours to get off the site, fine."

On the way in, there will be three gates, at least 30 metres wide, so
volume shouldn't be an issue. But there will be searches, including a
"wanding" by metal detector for weapons. Bags will be searched. Once inside
the park, there will be no reserved seating for the concert. About 1,200
police officers will patrol the site with 1,500 private security people
helping to prevent overcrowding near the stage, which is barricaded.

"We've allowed for any build-up of crowd, to ease any pressure," said
O'Connor. "We have multi-channels of egress as far as barricading is concerned.

"This is field and an airstrip. Sit on the grass, by all means. There's a
lot of room here."

About 430,000 folks are expected to show up - down from last week's
estimate of 500,000 - but it still makes this event the "largest single-day
ticketed event in North America," said O'Connor.

He said tickets will be available for sale up to 6 p.m. on the day of the
show, but O'Connor is urging everyone who has purchased tickets to pick
them up as soon as possible. About 40,000 visitors are expected from the
United States.

David Jones, director of public relations for Molson's, said the company
was not yet ready to announce the prices for beer and concession items but
promised that they would be lower than what is generally paid at other
attractions.

Waste from the 3,500 toilets will be hauled to a disposal site to avoid the
sewage overflow that occurred during World Youth Day last summer.

The plan for crowd and traffic control from World Youth Day has been dusted
off, but a few changes were needed because the Stones event is on a
Wednesday night, not an easier-to-handle Sunday, and because everyone will
be leaving at once, not in dribs and drabs the way they did during the
Pope's visit.

"I think we have a plan that has a number of options in it, that gives them
walking routes, that gives them public transit, the car, bus, we give them
a little bit of everything," said Corbitt, who was also manger of
transportation for World Youth Day.

The TTC will run a shuttle service along Sheppard Ave. to the subway along
with more subways running throughout the city. GO Transit is running extra
buses up Yonge St. and has scheduled the last trains leaving Union Station
for 3:13 a.m. (eastbound to Oshawa) and 3:43 a.m. (westbound to Hamilton).

Allen Rd. will be closed all the way south to Eglinton Ave. for pedestrian
traffic. Police Chief Julian Fantino is expected to brief councillors
tomorrow on security for the concert.

Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby, acting chair of the police services board,
has raised concerns about whether the city will be on the hook for the
overtime bill for police officers.

Event promoters have agreed to pay the costs for off-duty officers inside
Downsview Park, but additional police officers will be needed elsewhere,
which will drive up overtime costs.