Rogers Stadium: Live Nation Adjustments After Opening Weekend
- Toronto's newest and largest live music venue is coming off of its opening weekend, but apparently Live Nation Canada is "already making adjustments" based on fan feedback.
- The 50,000-seat stadium officially opened to the public on Sunday (June 29), hosting a concert from K-pop superstars Stray Kids.
- People have likewise noted that transit operations at Downsview Park station didn't seem well-equipped to handle the sheer volume of fans going to and from the concert.
Is it a Rogers Stadium summer? Toronto’s newest and largest live music venue is coming off of its opening weekend, but apparently Live Nation Canada is “already making adjustments” based on fan feedback.
The 50,000-seat stadium officially opened to the public on Sunday (June 29), hosting a concert from K-pop superstars Stray Kids. Concertgoers voiced concerns about crowd management at the show, with some attendees claiming that it took them two hours to exit the venue afterward [via CityNews].
People have likewise noted that transit operations at Downsview Park station didn’t seem well-equipped to handle the sheer volume of fans going to and from the concert. Rogers Stadium announced last week that it would be offering free transit rides after all 14 of the performances scheduled to take place during its inaugural season.
However, if you decide to go the Uber route, you may not fare much better: as Autumn Halvorsen told CBC News, she had to walk for 20 minutes to find a spot from which she could be picked up. She said Uber drivers kept cancelling rides, which she believes is due to the venue not being easily accessible by car. “It was just kind of a nightmare,” Halvorsen said.
Live Nation said in a statement that it is “already making adjustments based on fan and community feedback and will continue to refine our operations to ensure a positive and safe experience for everyone at Rogers Stadium and in our neighbouring community this summer — working closely with city officials, the TTC and Metrolinx, emergency services, and our community partners along the way.” The entertainment corporation also called Sunday’s concert a “landmark moment for live music in Toronto.”
City Councillor James Pasternak is reportedly arranging a meeting with the Rogers Stadium City Working Group ahead of the next show on July 7 — the first of four as part of Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour — to address problems community members have pointed out and find solutions. See a few of those concerns voiced via social media below.