A Calgary Stampede concert headlined by hip-hop superstar Don Toliver has raised safety concerns among attendees, with some wondering whether the artist — who currently has over 35 million monthly listeners on streaming platform Spotify — was too popular for a free show in a relatively small venue.
The Houston rapper took the stage Tuesday night at the Calgary Stampede’s Coca-Cola Stage, which offers complimentary outdoor concerts included in Stampede admission.
Serena Freitas said she needed help from security to get out of the crowd for her own safety after the rapper’s first few songs.
“It was just too crowded and way too pushy.… I stopped being able to breathe pretty quickly,” she told CBC News.
Freitas said she had spent 11 hours in front of the Coca-Cola Stage waiting for Toliver’s performance before he came on at 9:30 p.m.
As an avid fan of the rapper, she knew the concert would be “really crowded,” but that the situation quickly got out of control when he took the stage.
“I’ve never had to be pulled out of a concert in my life,” said Freitas, who shared footage of her experience on TikTok.
Known for his energetic music, Toliver has released multiple RIAA-certified platinum songs including hit records After Party and No Idea.
After headlining arenas around the world on his 2024-2025 North America and Europe tour, the announcement of Toliver’s free performance in Calgary came as a surprise to fans.
“To have a pretty big artist, in a free show, in a smaller venue is kind of a recipe for disaster,” concertgoer Elise Pigeon told CBC News.
Pigeon was one of the many people who attended the concert, which also featured performances from R&B singers Tinashe and Charlotte Day Wilson.
Further back in the crowd, Ereyka Alfarero said the experience was a “nightmare” for her.
“Literally, I was being crushed,” she said. “I’m 5’2.… I’m just there trying to survive.”
Alfarero said she had already seen Toliver perform three times, so she quickly decided to leave shortly after the rapper took the stage — though leaving proved difficult for her.
“I was dragged into the front by people pushing and pulling, and there was no way out,” said Alfarero.
Social media footage appears to show some concertgoers struggling to move or leave during the performance, while other videos feature people enjoying themselves, singing along and dancing.
No information on any injuries is currently available from officials.
Aaron Paramedical provides standby medical services at the Calgary Stampede. According to company president Scott Wardley, there were eight to 10 staff assigned solely to the Coca-Cola Stage.
Representatives of Toliver could not be reached for comment ahead of publication.
Kerrie Blizard, the Calgary Stampede’s director of public safety, said during a media availability on Wednesday that the concert “was a great success.”
“The concert had great attendance last night and it’s not any levels of attendance that we didn’t anticipate,” she said.
To handle the anticipated crowd size, an alternate viewing location for the concert was set up at another site, with a livestream of the concert offering a “laidback atmosphere” compared to the Coca-Cola Stage’s mosh pits.
Blizard said footage of the crowd shows that “there was ample room for people to dance and move about,” and that “when we heard the remarks from the fans leaving at the end of the night, the majority of what we heard was very positive.”
She said Stampede Park as a whole has “no assigned capacity” for the number of visitors it welcomes. According to the Calgary Stampede, 193,033 people were at the park on Tuesday.
Five hours before Toliver was scheduled to take the stage, police addressed concerns around the event in a social media post on Tuesday afternoon.
“We are aware of concerns circulating on social media regarding the size of the crowd expected for tonight’s Coke Stage performance at the Calgary Stampede,” read the statement, which also outlined steps for staying safe.
Police officers joined Calgary Stampede security personnel to help manage the crowd.
During the Wednesday media availability, the Calgary Police Service’s Stampede incident commander Scott Campbell declined to comment on the safety of the concert.
He noted officers responded to medical incidents during the show and “arrested and ejected” a person for “climbing on a structure during the concert.”
Campbell added there is “no indication” a stabbing Tuesday night, which left three people seriously injured, “has anything to do with the concert.”
