Latest news with #ShannonSpencer
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chaos at Rogers Stadium in Toronto has fans fuming after Coldplay shows: 'Nobody thought this through'
Just weeks after opening its doors, Toronto's new temporary 50,000-seat Rogers Stadium is already under fire. And yes, that's Rogers Stadium — not the pre-existing Rogers Centre or Rogers Arena. Billed as a game-changer for the city's entertainment scene, the massive venue has instead drawn criticism from concertgoers who say it was woefully unprepared to host events of its size. Which perhaps isn't altogether a surprise as it was built rather hastily, in an unheard-of nine-month span. Complaints came to a head after consecutive shows by K-pop supergroup Stray Kids on June 29 and British stadium rockers Coldplay, in Toronto for four shows between July 8 and 12, both of which ended in logistical mayhem. 'I just don't think anyone thought this through,' said Shannon Spencer, a local resident who attended both concerts. 'It was clear to me after the Stray Kids show that transit capacity — stations, subway, GO Train — wasn't considered when planning and building this place.' Spencer's concerns echo those of many attendees who documented their frustration online, sharing photos of crowd surges, shaky seats that many described as 'bleachers,' overwhelmed station platforms, limited signage and a shocking lack of access to basics like water and food. The result was not just inconvenience, but real safety concerns. Forget accessibility standards. Many said it took them at least two hours to exit the venue at Downsview Park. Rogers stadium is by far the worst music venue ever constructed. DO NOT BUY TICKETS TO A CONCERT HERE EVER! Worst traffic I've ever seen. Just sat in traffic for 2 hours to go .5 miles, and missed all the opening acts and now might miss signage just a nightmare — Rick outkalt (@RickOutkalt) July 7, 2025 Still can't believe THIS is the Rogers Stadium. Walking to my seat was so damn scary and you could feel the structure swaying during the show 😬💀 — Daphne 🐿️ • ILY reunion 🤟🐿️🤍🌠 (@ArthurNoIro) July 1, 2025 .@Rogers_Stadium this is not safe. Not enough security to check to checking tickets I guess. Major choke point — Joey Doster (@joeydoster) July 7, 2025 'After the Stray Kids concert, the venue staff let us out in slow-moving groups to prevent station overcrowding, leading to some people missing the last GO Train and connections. Despite them using this strategy, there was still overcrowding,' Spencer said. 'The issue was compounded by the fact that there wasn't enough communication between staff and concert-goers, leaving a lot of confusion, pushing and irritability.' The heat didn't help. 'There was a lack of water stations and food,' she added. 'So many people were fainting. We had to call for medical assistance multiple times.' Live Nation Canada, which operates Rogers Stadium, said in a statement that it was 'making adjustments' ahead of Coldplay's four-night stint following Stray Kids. That included more signage, lighting, staff and water stations, but it seems the larger issues remained. Even frontman Chris Martin took notice. At the band's first show on Monday, calling the venue a 'weird stadium in the middle of nowhere.' Later, at Tuesday's show, he addressed it again, telling the crowd, 'Thank you for being here, and especially thank you for travelling on the strange quest that you had to travel on to get to this very bizarre stadium, a million miles from Earth.' Chris Martin greets Toronto on night 2 👋🏼#Coldplay #ColdplayToronto — MuchMusic (@Much) July 9, 2025 Leaders Bang Chan of Stray Kids and Chris Martin of Coldplay on the new Rogers Stadium in Toronto😭 — MuchMusic (@Much) July 9, 2025 While attending the Coldplay show later in the week, knowing what she might face, Spencer said she initially considered leaving early but ultimately chose to stay for the full experience in hopes of getting her money's worth, opting to skip the convoluted transit system entirely. 'I took a Hopp ride-share home,' she shared. 'I am aware that not everyone has the privilege to do that, especially out-of-city folks. [Still,] more signs are needed at and around the venue, especially for drivers. My Hopp driver was totally confused. There was also a lot of traffic since most of the routes to the stadium were closed.' She's not alone in wondering why Toronto's largest venue was greenlit without better infrastructure to support it. 'I wish there had been real coordination between the developers, the City, TTC, GO Transit during the planning and development stages of the stadium,' Spencer said. The TTC has since said it will add more staff to its Downsview Park and Wilson stations and Metrolinx will 'closely monitor' GO train ridership levels on concert nights. In a statement on Wednesday, Councillor James Pasternak said noise levels and neighbourhood disruptions in Downsview on concert nights are being taken 'very seriously,' and that all bylaws are being followed. In addition, he said, 'We continue to be concerned about the partial street closures, the noise levels, community safety and traffic management. If many of these issues are not resolved, we will bring them to City Council. … We understand the frustration.' Still, no formal statement has been issued about what went wrong, or what major steps are being taken to fix the many structural and logistical issues plaguing the stadium. All of which also raises broader questions about whether Toronto's transit network is even capable of supporting mega-events like this without significant upgrades. (And free transit is certainly not enough to assuage the chaos.) Whatever the case, the pressure is on; Coldplay is set to perform two more shows this week, on Friday and Saturday. If the stadium doesn't address the transit, accessibility and crowd-control concerns, it could lose public trust and putting concertgoers at real risk. Rogers Stadium is hosting two highly anticipated shows by band Oasis on August 24 and 25, the group's first tour in 16 years. K-pop group Blackpink and R&B singer Chris Brown also headline two shows each at the Rogers Stadium this summer. As for Spencer, she's still hoping for better: 'I wish for more transparency and communication with the surrounding community. It seems [everyone] was excluded from consultation and planning processes.'
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chaos at Rogers Stadium in Toronto has fans fuming after Coldplay shows: 'Nobody thought this through'
Just weeks after opening its doors, Toronto's new temporary 50,000-seat Rogers Stadium is already under fire. And yes, that's Rogers Stadium — not the pre-existing Rogers Centre or Rogers Arena. Billed as a game-changer for the city's entertainment scene, the massive venue has instead drawn criticism from concertgoers who say it was woefully unprepared to host events of its size. Which perhaps isn't altogether a surprise as it was built rather hastily, in an unheard-of nine-month span. Complaints came to a head after consecutive shows by K-pop supergroup Stray Kids on June 29 and British stadium rockers Coldplay, in Toronto for four shows between July 8 and 12, both of which ended in logistical mayhem. 'I just don't think anyone thought this through,' said Shannon Spencer, a local resident who attended both concerts. 'It was clear to me after the Stray Kids show that transit capacity — stations, subway, GO Train — wasn't considered when planning and building this place.' Spencer's concerns echo those of many attendees who documented their frustration online, sharing photos of crowd surges, shaky seats that many described as 'bleachers,' overwhelmed station platforms, limited signage and a shocking lack of access to basics like water and food. The result was not just inconvenience, but real safety concerns. Forget accessibility standards. Many said it took them at least two hours to exit the venue at Downsview Park. 'After the Stray Kids concert, the venue staff let us out in slow-moving groups to prevent station overcrowding, leading to some people missing the last GO Train and connections. Despite them using this strategy, there was still overcrowding,' Spencer said. 'The issue was compounded by the fact that there wasn't enough communication between staff and concert-goers, leaving a lot of confusion, pushing and irritability.' The heat didn't help. 'There was a lack of water stations and food,' she added. 'So many people were fainting. We had to call for medical assistance multiple times.' Live Nation Canada, which operates Rogers Stadium, said in a statement that it was 'making adjustments' ahead of Coldplay's four-night stint following Stray Kids. That included more signage, lighting, staff and water stations, but it seems the larger issues remained. Even frontman Chris Martin took notice. At the band's first show on Monday, calling the venue a 'weird stadium in the middle of nowhere.' Later, at Tuesday's show, he addressed it again, telling the crowd, 'Thank you for being here, and especially thank you for travelling on the strange quest that you had to travel on to get to this very bizarre stadium, a million miles from Earth.' While attending the Coldplay show later in the week, knowing what she might face, Spencer said she initially considered leaving early but ultimately chose to stay for the full experience in hopes of getting her money's worth, opting to skip the convoluted transit system entirely. 'I took a Hopp ride-share home,' she shared. 'I am aware that not everyone has the privilege to do that, especially out-of-city folks. [Still,] more signs are needed at and around the venue, especially for drivers. My Hopp driver was totally confused. There was also a lot of traffic since most of the routes to the stadium were closed.' She's not alone in wondering why Toronto's largest venue was greenlit without better infrastructure to support it. 'I wish there had been real coordination between the developers, the City, TTC, GO Transit during the planning and development stages of the stadium,' Spencer said. The TTC has since said it will add more staff to its Downsview Park and Wilson stations and Metrolinx will 'closely monitor' GO train ridership levels on concert nights. In a statement on Wednesday, Councillor James Pasternak said noise levels and neighbourhood disruptions in Downsview on concert nights are being taken 'very seriously,' and that all bylaws are being followed. In addition, he said, 'We continue to be concerned about the partial street closures, the noise levels, community safety and traffic management. If many of these issues are not resolved, we will bring them to City Council. … We understand the frustration.' Still, no formal statement has been issued about what went wrong, or what major steps are being taken to fix the many structural and logistical issues plaguing the stadium. All of which also raises broader questions about whether Toronto's transit network is even capable of supporting mega-events like this without significant upgrades. (And free transit is certainly not enough to assuage the chaos.) Whatever the case, the pressure is on; Coldplay is set to perform two more shows this week, on Friday and Saturday. If the stadium doesn't address the transit, accessibility and crowd-control concerns, it could lose public trust and putting concertgoers at real risk. Rogers Stadium is hosting two highly anticipated shows by band Oasis on August 24 and 25, the group's first tour in 16 years. K-pop group Blackpink and R&B singer Chris Brown also headline two shows each at the Rogers Stadium this summer. As for Spencer, she's still hoping for better: 'I wish for more transparency and communication with the surrounding community. It seems [everyone] was excluded from consultation and planning processes.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chaos at Rogers Stadium in Toronto has fans fuming after Coldplay shows: 'Nobody thought this through'
Just weeks after opening its doors, Toronto's new temporary 50,000-seat Rogers Stadium is already under fire. And yes, that's Rogers Stadium — not the pre-existing Rogers Centre or Rogers Arena. Billed as a game-changer for the city's entertainment scene, the massive venue has instead drawn criticism from concertgoers who say it was woefully unprepared to host events of its size. Which perhaps isn't altogether a surprise as it was built rather hastily, in an unheard-of nine-month span. Complaints came to a head after consecutive shows by K-pop supergroup Stray Kids on June 29 and British stadium rockers Coldplay, in Toronto for four shows between July 8 and 12, both of which ended in logistical mayhem. 'I just don't think anyone thought this through,' said Shannon Spencer, a local resident who attended both concerts. 'It was clear to me after the Stray Kids show that transit capacity — stations, subway, GO Train — wasn't considered when planning and building this place.' Spencer's concerns echo those of many attendees who documented their frustration online, sharing photos of crowd surges, shaky seats that many described as 'bleachers,' overwhelmed station platforms, limited signage and a shocking lack of access to basics like water and food. The result was not just inconvenience, but real safety concerns. Forget accessibility standards. Many said it took them at least two hours to exit the venue at Downsview Park. Rogers stadium is by far the worst music venue ever constructed. DO NOT BUY TICKETS TO A CONCERT HERE EVER! Worst traffic I've ever seen. Just sat in traffic for 2 hours to go .5 miles, and missed all the opening acts and now might miss signage just a nightmare — Rick outkalt (@RickOutkalt) July 7, 2025 Still can't believe THIS is the Rogers Stadium. Walking to my seat was so damn scary and you could feel the structure swaying during the show 😬💀 — Daphne 🐿️ • ILY reunion 🤟🐿️🤍🌠 (@ArthurNoIro) July 1, 2025 .@Rogers_Stadium this is not safe. Not enough security to check to checking tickets I guess. Major choke point — Joey Doster (@joeydoster) July 7, 2025 'After the Stray Kids concert, the venue staff let us out in slow-moving groups to prevent station overcrowding, leading to some people missing the last GO Train and connections. Despite them using this strategy, there was still overcrowding,' Spencer said. 'The issue was compounded by the fact that there wasn't enough communication between staff and concert-goers, leaving a lot of confusion, pushing and irritability.' The heat didn't help. 'There was a lack of water stations and food,' she added. 'So many people were fainting. We had to call for medical assistance multiple times.' Live Nation Canada, which operates Rogers Stadium, said in a statement that it was 'making adjustments' ahead of Coldplay's four-night stint following Stray Kids. That included more signage, lighting, staff and water stations, but it seems the larger issues remained. Even frontman Chris Martin took notice. At the band's first show on Monday, calling the venue a 'weird stadium in the middle of nowhere.' Later, at Tuesday's show, he addressed it again, telling the crowd, 'Thank you for being here, and especially thank you for travelling on the strange quest that you had to travel on to get to this very bizarre stadium, a million miles from Earth.' Chris Martin greets Toronto on night 2 👋🏼#Coldplay #ColdplayToronto — MuchMusic (@Much) July 9, 2025 Leaders Bang Chan of Stray Kids and Chris Martin of Coldplay on the new Rogers Stadium in Toronto😭 — MuchMusic (@Much) July 9, 2025 While attending the Coldplay show later in the week, knowing what she might face, Spencer said she initially considered leaving early but ultimately chose to stay for the full experience in hopes of getting her money's worth, opting to skip the convoluted transit system entirely. 'I took a Hopp ride-share home,' she shared. 'I am aware that not everyone has the privilege to do that, especially out-of-city folks. [Still,] more signs are needed at and around the venue, especially for drivers. My Hopp driver was totally confused. There was also a lot of traffic since most of the routes to the stadium were closed.' She's not alone in wondering why Toronto's largest venue was greenlit without better infrastructure to support it. 'I wish there had been real coordination between the developers, the City, TTC, GO Transit during the planning and development stages of the stadium,' Spencer said. The TTC has since said it will add more staff to its Downsview Park and Wilson stations and Metrolinx will 'closely monitor' GO train ridership levels on concert nights. In a statement on Wednesday, Councillor James Pasternak said noise levels and neighbourhood disruptions in Downsview on concert nights are being taken 'very seriously,' and that all bylaws are being followed. In addition, he said, 'We continue to be concerned about the partial street closures, the noise levels, community safety and traffic management. If many of these issues are not resolved, we will bring them to City Council. … We understand the frustration.' Still, no formal statement has been issued about what went wrong, or what major steps are being taken to fix the many structural and logistical issues plaguing the stadium. All of which also raises broader questions about whether Toronto's transit network is even capable of supporting mega-events like this without significant upgrades. (And free transit is certainly not enough to assuage the chaos.) Whatever the case, the pressure is on; Coldplay is set to perform two more shows this week, on Friday and Saturday. If the stadium doesn't address the transit, accessibility and crowd-control concerns, it could lose public trust and putting concertgoers at real risk. Rogers Stadium is hosting two highly anticipated shows by band Oasis on August 24 and 25, the group's first tour in 16 years. K-pop group Blackpink and R&B singer Chris Brown also headline two shows each at the Rogers Stadium this summer. As for Spencer, she's still hoping for better: 'I wish for more transparency and communication with the surrounding community. It seems [everyone] was excluded from consultation and planning processes.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chaos at Rogers Stadium in Toronto has fans fuming after Coldplay shows: 'Nobody thought this through'
Just weeks after opening its doors, Toronto's new temporary 50,000-seat Rogers Stadium is already under fire. And yes, that's Rogers Stadium — not the pre-existing Rogers Centre or Rogers Arena. Billed as a game-changer for the city's entertainment scene, the massive venue has instead drawn criticism from concertgoers who say it was woefully unprepared to host events of its size. Which perhaps isn't altogether a surprise as it was built rather hastily, in an unheard-of nine-month span. Complaints came to a head after consecutive shows by K-pop supergroup Stray Kids on June 29 and British stadium rockers Coldplay, in Toronto for four shows between July 8 and 12, both of which ended in logistical mayhem. 'I just don't think anyone thought this through,' said Shannon Spencer, a local resident who attended both concerts. 'It was clear to me after the Stray Kids show that transit capacity — stations, subway, GO Train — wasn't considered when planning and building this place.' Spencer's concerns echo those of many attendees who documented their frustration online, sharing photos of crowd surges, shaky seats that many described as 'bleachers,' overwhelmed station platforms, limited signage and a shocking lack of access to basics like water and food. The result was not just inconvenience, but real safety concerns. Forget accessibility standards. Many said it took them at least two hours to exit the venue at Downsview Park. Rogers stadium is by far the worst music venue ever constructed. DO NOT BUY TICKETS TO A CONCERT HERE EVER! Worst traffic I've ever seen. Just sat in traffic for 2 hours to go .5 miles, and missed all the opening acts and now might miss signage just a nightmare — Rick outkalt (@RickOutkalt) July 7, 2025 Still can't believe THIS is the Rogers Stadium. Walking to my seat was so damn scary and you could feel the structure swaying during the show 😬💀 — Daphne 🐿️ • ILY reunion 🤟🐿️🤍🌠 (@ArthurNoIro) July 1, 2025 .@Rogers_Stadium this is not safe. Not enough security to check to checking tickets I guess. Major choke point — Joey Doster (@joeydoster) July 7, 2025 'After the Stray Kids concert, the venue staff let us out in slow-moving groups to prevent station overcrowding, leading to some people missing the last GO Train and connections. Despite them using this strategy, there was still overcrowding,' Spencer said. 'The issue was compounded by the fact that there wasn't enough communication between staff and concert-goers, leaving a lot of confusion, pushing and irritability.' The heat didn't help. 'There was a lack of water stations and food,' she added. 'So many people were fainting. We had to call for medical assistance multiple times.' Live Nation Canada, which operates Rogers Stadium, said in a statement that it was 'making adjustments' ahead of Coldplay's four-night stint following Stray Kids. That included more signage, lighting, staff and water stations, but it seems the larger issues remained. Even frontman Chris Martin took notice. At the band's first show on Monday, calling the venue a 'weird stadium in the middle of nowhere.' Later, at Tuesday's show, he addressed it again, telling the crowd, 'Thank you for being here, and especially thank you for travelling on the strange quest that you had to travel on to get to this very bizarre stadium, a million miles from Earth.' Chris Martin greets Toronto on night 2 👋🏼#Coldplay #ColdplayToronto — MuchMusic (@Much) July 9, 2025 Leaders Bang Chan of Stray Kids and Chris Martin of Coldplay on the new Rogers Stadium in Toronto😭 — MuchMusic (@Much) July 9, 2025 While attending the Coldplay show later in the week, knowing what she might face, Spencer said she initially considered leaving early but ultimately chose to stay for the full experience in hopes of getting her money's worth, opting to skip the convoluted transit system entirely. 'I took a Hopp ride-share home,' she shared. 'I am aware that not everyone has the privilege to do that, especially out-of-city folks. [Still,] more signs are needed at and around the venue, especially for drivers. My Hopp driver was totally confused. There was also a lot of traffic since most of the routes to the stadium were closed.' She's not alone in wondering why Toronto's largest venue was greenlit without better infrastructure to support it. 'I wish there had been real coordination between the developers, the City, TTC, GO Transit during the planning and development stages of the stadium,' Spencer said. The TTC has since said it will add more staff to its Downsview Park and Wilson stations and Metrolinx will 'closely monitor' GO train ridership levels on concert nights. In a statement on Wednesday, Councillor James Pasternak said noise levels and neighbourhood disruptions in Downsview on concert nights are being taken 'very seriously,' and that all bylaws are being followed. In addition, he said, 'We continue to be concerned about the partial street closures, the noise levels, community safety and traffic management. If many of these issues are not resolved, we will bring them to City Council. … We understand the frustration.' Still, no formal statement has been issued about what went wrong, or what major steps are being taken to fix the many structural and logistical issues plaguing the stadium. All of which also raises broader questions about whether Toronto's transit network is even capable of supporting mega-events like this without significant upgrades. (And free transit is certainly not enough to assuage the chaos.) Whatever the case, the pressure is on; Coldplay is set to perform two more shows this week, on Friday and Saturday. If the stadium doesn't address the transit, accessibility and crowd-control concerns, it could lose public trust and putting concertgoers at real risk. Rogers Stadium is hosting two highly anticipated shows by band Oasis on August 24 and 25, the group's first tour in 16 years. K-pop group Blackpink and R&B singer Chris Brown also headline two shows each at the Rogers Stadium this summer. As for Spencer, she's still hoping for better: 'I wish for more transparency and communication with the surrounding community. It seems [everyone] was excluded from consultation and planning processes.'
CBC
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Rogers Stadium concert-goers raise concerns after opening night
Social Sharing 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. 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. 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. WATCH | Live Nation announced the new venue in September: New outdoor concert venue coming to Toronto's Downsview Park in 2025 9 months ago Duration 4:56 A seasonal 50,000 person venue is coming to Toronto's Downsview Park, Live Nation announced Thursday morning. Rogers Stadium is expected to open next summer. CBC's Shawn Jeffords has the details. 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': councillor 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. 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. 'A trade off' 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 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.
