‘Weird stadium in the middle of nowhere': Coldplay's Chris Martin makes dig at Rogers Stadium as fans test latest fixes
Eight days after K-pop group Stray Kids christened the 50,000-seat stadium at Downsview Park and left fans stuck in hours-long lines to exit, struggling to find cold water, complaining about swaying grandstands and dealing with poor cell service, Live Nation rolled out a slate of changes aimed at improving fan experience.
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Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Jane Birkin's original Hermes bag is up for auction in Paris
Published Jul 10, 2025 • 1 minute read This combination of pictures created on July 9, 2025 shows the "Birkin" bag by Hermes which belonged to British-French actress and singer Jane Birkin at the Sotheby's auction house in Paris on July 2, 2025 and which will be auctioned by Sotheby's as part of the Fashion Icons auction sale. Photo by ALAIN JOCARD and JACQUES DEMARTHON / AFP via Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. PARIS — Sketched out on an airplane vomit sack, it became fashion's must-have accessory. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Hermes created it for — the late Jane Birkin — is up for auction in Paris on Thursday. The so-called Original Birkin is expected to fetch hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars) at the sale by auction house Sotheby's. Created for the London-born star by the Paris fashion house in 1984, the commercialized version of Birkin's bag went on to become one of the world's most exclusive luxury items, with its extravagant price tag and years-long waiting list. The fashion accessory was born of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s with the then head of Hermes, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin recounted in subsequent interviews that the pair got talking after she spilled some of her things on the cabin floor. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Birkin asked Dumas why Hermes didn't make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit sack the sort of bag that she would like. He then had an example made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Hermes asked whether it could commercialize the bag in her name. The bag became so famous that Birkin once mused before her death in 2023 at age 76 that obituaries for her would likely 'say, 'Like the bag' or something,'' adding: 'Well, it could be worse.' Sotheby's said that the all-black leather prototype was handcrafted for Birkin. It described it as a 'legendary handbag' and 'one of the most iconic fashion items ever created.' The bag has seven unique design elements that set it apart from every Birkin that followed, the auction house said. 'More than just a bag, the Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon. Its presence spans the worlds of music, film, television and the arts; it is a red-carpet staple, a fashion magazine mainstay, and a coveted piece in the wardrobes of celebrities, artists and stylists,' it said. Toronto Blue Jays NHL Olympics Uncategorized Toronto & GTA
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Judas Priest, Rick Springfield, John Oates and Bob Geldof reflect on 40 years of Live Aid
NEW YORK (AP) — Forty years ago, the legendary Live Aid concerts aimed to do a lot of good — helping to raise over $100 million for famine relief in Ethiopia and inspiring worldwide awareness for a cause it might otherwise have ignored. Simulcast from Philadelphia and London on July 13, 1985, Live Aid was the most ambitious global television event of its time: 16 hours of live music in two different continents featuring Queen, The Who, a Led Zeppelin reunion and more. A lot has changed in the years since. 'Live Aid, '85 to now, is the same distance as the Second World War from Live Aid,' notes Rick Springfield, laughingly. 'That's how long ago it was.' Artists who performed at Live Aid — Springfield, organizer Bob Geldof, Hall and Oates' John Oates and Judas Priest's Rob Halford — reflected on the event and its impact in interviews with The Associated Press ahead of the 40th anniversary on Sunday. Here's what they had to say: Reflections on an unprecedented event At John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Springfield performed between Run-DMC and REO Speedwagon — just a taste of the diversity of performers featured on the transnational lineup. 'Run-DMC, I remember thinking, 'What is this? Three guys talking over a record player. What is that? Little did I know that it was about to change the whole game,' he says, laughing. He remembers playing an electric set — no 'Jessie's Girl,' because 'back then, it was just my first hit. … It hadn't gone on to become this cultural thing.' Hall and Oates' John Oates had a different experience. His band also played in Philly — their hometown — and in 1985, his band was one of the biggest on the planet. They played near the end of the night, joined by the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin and remained on stage to back the Rolling Stones' dynamic frontman Mick Jagger. The British rockstar had a trick up his sleeve. 'He didn't tell us that he was bringing Tina Turner out,' Oates says. 'We had rehearsed a certain amount of songs with him. But then when he brought her out, it just jacked up the level of energy like you can't believe.' Judas Priest singer Rob Halford counts 'Mike and Tina, of course,' as one of his Philly Live Aid highlights. 'Led Zeppelin, too.' But most exciting of all for the heavy metal frontman? Meeting folk hero Joan Baez. The band had previously covered her classic 'Diamonds and Rust.' 'I thought, 'Oh my God, she's gonna come and kick me in the ass for wrecking her beautiful song,'' he recalls. 'She gives me a quick hug and goes, 'The reason I'm here is because my son said to me, if you see Rob Halford from Judas Priest at the Live Aid Show in Philadelphia, will you tell him from me that I prefer Judas Priest's version to my mom's version?' … It was a display of such kindness.' From Live Aid to Live 8 and beyond Twenty years after Live Aid, Geldof organized Live 8 — an even larger undertaking in the new internet era, with 10 concerts happening simultaneously and across the globe. If the trend were to continue, there should be another event taking place this year. Notably, there isn't. Geldof says that's because there couldn't be a Live Aid-type event in 2025. He cites social media as a cause. In his view, algorithmic fracturing has made it impossible to create monolithic musical and activistic moments. Instead, he views the current media landscape as bolstering 'an echo chamber of your own prejudices.' For something like Live Aid to work, 'You need rock 'n' roll as a creature of a social, economic and technological movement,' he says. 'And I think the rock 'n' roll age is over. … It did determine how young people articulated change and the desire for it. … That isn't the case anymore.' Springfield agrees. 'I think we are too divided,' he says. He believes the world wouldn't be able to agree on a single cause to support, or even which musicians to back. 'You could never do a thing with the size of Live Aid unless it was some kind of universal thing of, 'Let's bring everybody together.'' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. 'Never say never, but I highly doubt it,' says Oates. 'The landscape of music and entertainment in general has changed so drastically.' He points to 'We Are The World,' the 1985 charity single for African famine relief that included the voices of Michael Jackson, Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon and many more, as an example. 'The idea of that happening with the stars of today all in one place, I can't even imagine that. And plus, who would they be? … How many songs are released every day?' Hope for he Live Aid's legacy to continue Halford echoes the other's sentiments. There's an undeniable 'extremism in the world right now,' he says, that would make a Live Aid event challenging to pull off in 2025. But he doesn't think it's impossible. He uses January's Fire Aid — the LA wildfire benefit concert featuring Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder and a Nirvana reunion — as a recent example. 'There will always be empathy from people,' and in the right hands, maybe another event like Live Aid could take place. 'It was a tremendously beautiful, humanitarian example … that provided us opportunity to do something ourselves to help.'
CTV News
12 hours ago
- CTV News
Negative stories about Rogers Stadium are ‘branding poison' for the sponsor, marketers say
Concert-goers wait to enter Downsview Station as they exit Rogers Stadium in Toronto, Monday, July 7, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sammy Kogan TORONTO — As a marketing expert, Markus Giesler was aghast after hearing Coldplay frontman Chris Martin blast Toronto's brand new Rogers Stadium onstage. 'It sent shivers down my spine,' Giesler said of Martin's comments at the 50,000-capacity venue built to attract big acts to the city over the next five years. When he took the stage Monday night, Martin thanked fans for persevering through logistical challenges to get 'to this weird stadium in the middle of nowhere,' adding to early complaints from ticketholders about poor crowd control and transit woes to access the location in Toronto's North York suburb. Giesler, a professor at York University's Schulich School of Business, said that's 'the worst case of sponsorships,' for the telecommunication giant, whose name is on the outdoor venue operated by Live Nation on land owned by Northcrest Developments. 'It's the kind of branding poison that you're trying to avoid at all costs,' he said. Experts say that's the risk that comes with putting your name on a facility you don't own. As of Wednesday, Rogers spokesman Zac Carreiro said Live Nation has been improving the venue's operations and 'we know they will continue to make enhancements at the stadium.' A Live Nation Canada spokesperson said those adjustments include 'improving crowd flow, easing traffic congestion, enhancing accessibility and comfort to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests.' 'We're pleased to see the changes have already had a positive impact,' the Live Nation Canada spokesperson said in an email. Still, the early impressions could cast a shadow over Rogers' reputation, Giesler said. 'When the spotlight is on the venue, the brand's name shines just as brightly, both in a good and in a bad way. And that has to do with the fact that the fan experience, in some sense, almost directly translates to how we think and how we feel about a brand,' he said. If the fan experience is great, he said, customers are more likely to have a positive association with the brand attached to it. For instance, last year Rogers billed itself as the company that brought Taylor Swift to Canada for six sold-out nights in Toronto and three final shows in Vancouver that many fans described as a highlight. But the inverse is also true, even if Rogers isn't in charge of the experience. 'I don't think anyone really knows that Live Nation is operationally in charge. But that's the kind of assumptions that we have. The place says Rogers, clearly Rogers must be in charge, right? But that's not the case,' said Giesler. Claire Tsai, a marketing professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, noted that Rogers' size means it's big enough to absorb the negative press, with millions of customers unlikely to change their telecom provider based on a bad concert experience. 'For existing Rogers customers, I think this is probably not going to affect them too much. But for people who are considering switching brands, maybe right now the sentiment is a little on the negative side. They may hesitate.' However, she doesn't believe the complaints around the stadium are likely to last. 'The venue will figure out a way to solve these problems,' she said, suspecting some complaints have been blown out of proportion. One thing that's less changeable is the venue's location. It's on the far outskirts of the city, roughly 15 kilometres north of the downtown core. It could take an hour or more to get there by subway from Union Station, the city's main transit hub, including a trek that's more than a kilometre from the nearest subway station. Again on Tuesday, the Coldplay frontman referenced how remote it was, calling it a 'very bizarre stadium a million miles from Earth.' 'We are solely testing the premise 'if you build it they will come,'' Martin quipped. 'I'm very grateful that you did come.' But the location was a source of confusion for some, who thought they were attending a show at the similarly named Rogers Centre, located downtown. Brian Ellis, who came to the show from Detroit, was among the concertgoers who booked accommodations next to the Rogers Centre under the mistaken belief he'd be able to walk to the show on Monday. Instead, he walked a half-hour from the Sheppard West subway station where he parked his car. On the positive side, with Rogers Stadium, the company is now associated with a purpose-built concert venue that can attract acts such as Coldplay and Oasis, said Michael Naraine, a professor of sport management at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont. Large musical acts have had to compete with sporting events for time slots at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena and the Rogers Centre, a problem Rogers Stadium was meant to address. The Rogers Centre — which is both owned and operated by the telecom company — also recently went through renovations that mean seats on the 100 level are no longer pointed toward the centre of the venue. Instead, they're directed toward home base. It makes sense when the venue is being used for baseball, but not so much when it comes to other uses, he said. 'If you're ... a concert venue where the central act is going to be in the middle, you can't really have your seats focused off stage right,' Naraine said. But the Rogers Stadium won't be a long-term solution to Toronto's concert crunch, as it's temporary by design. Located near the former Downsview Airport, the site has been earmarked for a massive live-work-play development that's expected to house more than 100,000 people upon its completion in a few decades. In the meantime, University of Guelph marketing professor Timothy Dewhirst said there may not be much incentive to drastically improve the customer experience for concertgoers, given that Live Nation and Rogers own much of the city's other medium-to-large concert halls. 'Often if there is that kind of concentration of the market there can be complacency. There isn't sufficient competition of an alternative,' Dewhirst said. 'It often leads to higher prices, and anyone that's attended a music or sports event in Toronto can probably attest that it's gotten very expensive.' If music lovers want to see massive acts such as Oasis — who is performing two nights in August on their only stop in Canada — while avoiding the trek to Downsview, they'll likely have to travel even farther: to Montreal or Detroit. 'To see them in Toronto, there really is not an alternative other than maybe to decide not to go,' Dewhirst said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025. By Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press -With files from Natasha Baldin
