Coldplay fans are gearing up to watch the band perform this week in Toronto, but some say they are concerned after mixed reviews about the concert’s venue, Rogers Stadium.
The new 50,000-seat open-air venue in north Toronto will host the British rock band for four performances taking place between Monday and Saturday.
Maria Stracham, who is going to watch Coldplay on Tuesday and Saturday, said she was “shocked” to hear people’s experiences at Rogers Stadium.
“I’m trying not to dwell on all the negative aspects of the publicity that has been going around about the new stadium. I’m trying to stay positive, but I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t just a little bit concerned about some of the safety aspects,” Stracham told CBC News on Sunday.
The concerns come after some fans who attended the stadium’s inaugural concert from K-pop group Stray Kids said it took up to two hours to leave, as the venue and transit services from Downsview Park seemed ill-equipped to handle the throngs of people coming in and out of the show.
Others voiced complaints on social media about long wait times leaving the stadium and hours-long journeys to catch a train, bus or Uber after the concert.
Stracham said the decision to have the Coldplay concerts at Rogers Stadium doesn’t make sense.
“If you’re visiting from out of town, there are no hotels around there. There are no restaurants, so you have to make your way back downtown. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense,” she said.
“I don’t understand why we couldn’t have these shows at the Rogers Centre because it is sitting empty every night that Coldplay is playing.”
Many fans, like Rebecca Lukowski, who attended the inaugural concert, also complained about the venue’s lack of accessibility.
“They were not prepared,” Lukowski told CBC on Sunday.
She said the stadium was supposed to have shuttle buses to take people to the accessible parking, which was too far from the venue, but the shuttles never arrived.
The lack of signage was also a concern, Lukowski said.
“There was no signage on the roads. There was no signage for the accessible parking either. We drove around for almost 30 minutes,”she said. “That’s very confusing, especially for someone who’s out of town or might not know the area.”
Mel Farenzena attended the Stray Kids concert with her three daughters. They drove for seven hours from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., to Toronto.
Farenzena said she waited two hours in line to refill their bottles at the water stations. She eventually gave up and bought water, which cost her almost $60 in total.
“We ended up buying six waters from vendors because we had no time,” she told CBC News, adding that “7 p.m. came and we were like, ‘No, we’re not missing this concert because of water.'”
Kevin Kennedy, the owner of Kennedy Crowd Safety Solutions, said it is normal for a new venue to experience hiccups for its first event.
“Not only is the crowd new to the site — so they’re not familiar with how the site works, it’s their first time there — but the employees on the site are also new,” he said.
Kennedy said fans attending this week’s concerts should plan ahead and follow the venue’s instructions, especially in case of an emergency.
“During an emergency, things are a little bit more chaotic, and the only thing I can say to fans in that case is follow instructions from those that are on site providing that direction because they have a bigger operational view of what’s going on,” he said.
On Monday, Live Nation Canada responded to the concerns from concertgoers at the Stray Kids event, saying it was “already making adjustments.”
“We are 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 concert promoter and operator said in a statement to CBC News.
Concertgoers in the upper grandstands also complained that they felt their seats move during the show. Live Nation Canada said it is aware of the complaints but that it is “expected as part of the design of the venue,” which “exceeds” international safety codes.
New outdoor concert venue coming to Toronto’s Downsview Park in 2025
Coun. James Pasternak, whose ward includes the area where the stadium is located, met with Live Nation Canada, landowner Northcrest Developments and Toronto emergency services last week to discuss possible solutions.
Pasternak told CBC News that there was a “really strong determination” by the teams to fix the issues raised by concertgoers.
“We are hopeful that we can fix many of these problems. The onus is on Live Nation to make it happen, but we will be there to support a safe, enjoyable concert experience and make sure that people can get out and get to the venue safely and that people have a positive experience when visiting Toronto,” he said.
Pasternak said he expects to see some changes in place for the Coldplay concerts this week.
“I would hope that access to fresh water, especially on hot summer nights, is more easily available,” he said.
The councillor also said police are looking into conducting some road closures in the area to accommodate crowds walking on the streets and sidewalks.
