Latest news with #Pasternak
Global News
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Toronto's Rogers Stadium set to welcome Coldplay, with crowd control ‘adjustments'
Rogers Stadium is set to welcome tens of thousands of Coldplay fans tonight for the first of four shows by the British rock band, as organizers say they are 'making adjustments' to improve crowd control at Toronto's newest outdoor music venue. After the venue's inaugural concert last Sunday, some attendees said it took up to two hours to exit the stadium as the site and transit services seemed ill-equipped to handle the large crowds. Concertgoers also complained about limited access to water at the stadium, with some describing hour-long lineups at bottle filling stations that dispensed warm water in some cases. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Live Nation Canada, which operates the stadium near Downsview Park, says it will be adding more signage, lighting, staff and water stations to improve the fan experience. It also says the stadium's exit routes will be reconfigured to disperse crowds to all three nearby subway stations in order to mitigate crowding at the Downsview Park station, which also serves GO train passengers. Story continues below advertisement The Toronto Transit Commission has said it will be adding more staff to its Downsview Park and Wilson stations on concert nights, while Metrolinx only said it would 'closely monitor' GO train ridership levels for events at the stadium. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster has sent an email to Coldplay ticket holders advising them that cellular reception at Rogers Stadium gates 'will be limited as this is a large-capacity venue.' James Pasternak, a city councillor whose ward includes the Downsview Park area, said 'respectful but blunt' conversations about what needs to be improved at Rogers Stadium took place on Wednesday during a meeting with Live Nation and Northcrest Developments, which owns the property. 'With concerts scheduled all summer and shortcomings apparent from the first performance, we put pressure on all responsible parties to sort out concerns,' Pasternak said in a social media post.
Winnipeg Free Press
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Toronto's Rogers Stadium set to welcome Coldplay, with crowd control ‘adjustments'
TORONTO – Rogers Stadium is set to welcome tens of thousands of Coldplay fans tonight for the first of four shows by the British rock band, as organizers say they are 'making adjustments' to improve crowd control at Toronto's newest outdoor music venue. After the venue's inaugural concert last Sunday, some attendees said it took up to two hours to exit the stadium as the site and transit services seemed ill-equipped to handle the large crowds. Concertgoers also complained about limited access to water at the stadium, with some describing hour-long lineups at bottle filling stations that dispensed warm water in some cases. Live Nation Canada, which operates the stadium near Downsview Park, says it will be adding more signage, lighting, staff and water stations to improve the fan experience. It also says the stadium's exit routes will be reconfigured to disperse crowds to all three nearby subway stations in order to mitigate crowding at the Downsview Park station, which also serves GO train passengers. The Toronto Transit Commission has said it will be adding more staff to its Downsview Park and Wilson stations on concert nights, while Metrolinx only said it would 'closely monitor' GO train ridership levels for events at the stadium. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster has sent an email to Coldplay ticket holders advising them that cellular reception at Rogers Stadium gates 'will be limited as this is a large-capacity venue.' James Pasternak, a city councillor whose ward includes the Downsview Park area, said 'respectful but blunt' conversations about what needs to be improved at Rogers Stadium took place on Wednesday during a meeting with Live Nation and Northcrest Developments, which owns the property. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. 'With concerts scheduled all summer and shortcomings apparent from the first performance, we put pressure on all responsible parties to sort out concerns,' Pasternak said in a social media post. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Toronto's Rogers Stadium set to welcome Coldplay, with crowd control ‘adjustments'
TORONTO - Rogers Stadium is set to welcome tens of thousands of Coldplay fans tonight for the first of four shows by the British rock band, as organizers say they are 'making adjustments' to improve crowd control at Toronto's newest outdoor music venue. After the venue's inaugural concert last Sunday, some attendees said it took up to two hours to exit the stadium as the site and transit services seemed ill-equipped to handle the large crowds. Concertgoers also complained about limited access to water at the stadium, with some describing hour-long lineups at bottle filling stations that dispensed warm water in some cases. Live Nation Canada, which operates the stadium near Downsview Park, says it will be adding more signage, lighting, staff and water stations to improve the fan experience. It also says the stadium's exit routes will be reconfigured to disperse crowds to all three nearby subway stations in order to mitigate crowding at the Downsview Park station, which also serves GO train passengers. The Toronto Transit Commission has said it will be adding more staff to its Downsview Park and Wilson stations on concert nights, while Metrolinx only said it would 'closely monitor' GO train ridership levels for events at the stadium. Meanwhile, Ticketmaster has sent an email to Coldplay ticket holders advising them that cellular reception at Rogers Stadium gates 'will be limited as this is a large-capacity venue.' James Pasternak, a city councillor whose ward includes the Downsview Park area, said 'respectful but blunt' conversations about what needs to be improved at Rogers Stadium took place on Wednesday during a meeting with Live Nation and Northcrest Developments, which owns the property. 'With concerts scheduled all summer and shortcomings apparent from the first performance, we put pressure on all responsible parties to sort out concerns,' Pasternak said in a social media post. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.
Global News
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Leaving first show at Toronto's new Rogers Stadium was a ‘nightmare': concertgoer
Fans who attended the inaugural concert at Toronto's new Rogers Stadium on Sunday night are calling for better crowd control after some say it took up to two hours to exit the venue. With performances set to take place throughout the summer at the 50,000-capacity open-air venue in north Toronto, concertgoers say the stadium needs a different strategy to manage the throngs of people coming in and out of shows. Shannon Spencer, who attended a concert by the K-pop group Stray Kids on Sunday evening, said the crowd came to a standstill at the end of the night as stadium staff were letting people out 'in batches' and funnelling them towards nearby Downsview Park station. With limited parking on site, fans were encouraged to take public transit, with rides from the stadium offered for free from Downsview Park TTC and GO Transit stations. Story continues below advertisement But even with extra trains departing after the concert, Spencer said the stations were congested and ill-equipped to have thousands of people passing through at once. 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. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy It took Autumn Halvorsen more than an hour to get out of the stadium after Sunday's concert. Then she had to walk another 20 minutes to a spot where she could catch an Uber as drivers kept cancelling rides, which she believes is because the venue can't be accessed easily by car, she said. 'It was just kind of a nightmare,' she said. James Pasternak, city councillor whose ward includes the Downsview area where the stadium is located, said he heard complaints of a 'surge of crowds' leaving the stadium at the end of the concert, as well as long lineups for security and bathrooms and limited access to water. There were also concerns over high noise levels from residents close to the stadium, the councillor said. Pasternak said he's meeting with Northcrest Developments, which owns the land, and Live Nation Canada, the venue's operator, on Wednesday morning to discuss possible solutions. 'We want this to be a teaching moment where we can fix some of the problems,' Pasternak said. Story continues below advertisement Live Nation Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Spencer said she heard of people standing in line for over an hour to fill their water bottles at the free water refill stations, and said she worried it could put people at risk in hot weather. She said she alerted medical staff three times as people around her were fainting when trying to leave the stadium. When Spencer returns to Rogers Stadium next week to see the British rock band Coldplay perform, she plans to leave the concert at least 20 minutes early to beat the crowds rushing out of the venue, she said. 'It's quite annoying because I paid a lot of money to see the whole show, but I have to do a trade off: do I want to get stuck in this situation again, or do I ensure I get home at a good time and be safe?' she said. While Halvorsen was able to fill her water bottle inside the stadium, the water was warm that poured into her bottle was warm, she said. Ultimately, she decided to pay $7 for a cold water bottle from one of the stadium vendors, she said. Halvorsen, who drove seven hours from Michigan to attend the concert, said she would not return to Rogers Stadium — a sentiment she said was shared by some of the others at the show. Story continues below advertisement 'One of the girls next to us in that huge crowd leaving was selling her tickets to a concert that she had at that same stadium because she didn't want to go back,' Halvorsen said.
Winnipeg Free Press
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fans, Toronto city councillor call for better crowd control at new Rogers Stadium
TORONTO – Fans who attended the inaugural concert at Toronto's new Rogers Stadium on Sunday night are calling for better crowd control after some say it took up to two hours to exit the venue. With performances set to take place throughout the summer at the 50,000-capacity open-air venue in north Toronto, concertgoers say the stadium needs a different strategy to manage the throngs of people coming in and out of shows. Shannon Spencer, who attended a concert by the K-pop group Stray Kids on Sunday evening, says the crowd came to a standstill at the end of the night as stadium staff were letting people out 'in batches' and funnelling them towards nearby Downsview Park station. With limited parking on site, fans were encouraged to take public transit, with rides from the stadium offered for free from Downsview Park TTC and GO Transit stations. But even with extra trains departing after the concert, Spencer says the stations were congested and ill-equipped to have thousands of people passing through at once. Others voiced complaints on social media about long wait times leaving the stadium and hours-long journeys to catch a train or a bus back home. James Pasternak, city councillor whose ward includes the Downsview area where the stadium is located, said he heard complaints of a 'surge of crowds' leaving the stadium at the end of the concert, as well as long lineups for security and bathrooms and limited access to water. There were also concerns over high noise levels from residents close to the stadium, the councillor said. 'We want this to be a teaching moment where we can fix some of the problems,' Pasternak said. Spencer said she heard of people standing in line for over an hour to fill their water bottles at the free water refill stations, and said she worried it could put people at risk in hot weather. She alerted medical staff three times as people around her were fainting when trying to leave the stadium, she said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. When Spencer returns to Rogers Stadium next week to see the British rock band Coldplay, she plans to leave the concert at least 20 minutes early to beat the crowds rushing out of the venue, she said. 'It's quite annoying because I paid a lot of money to see the whole show, but I have to do a trade off: do I want to get stuck in this situation again, or do I ensure I get home at a good time and be safe?' she said. Pasternak said he's meeting with Northcrest Developments, which owns the land, and Live Nation Canada, the venue's operator, on Wednesday morning to discuss possible solutions. Live Nation Canada did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 30, 2025.
