STADIUM VIEW: Live Nation Canada says a new 50,000-capacity stadium will go a long way toward making sure major tours make a stop in Toronto. (Courtesy Live Nation)
Site held Rolling Stones-led Molson Canada Rocks for Toronto in 2003
Live Nation Canada has announced the construction of a brand-new “seasonal” stadium in the north end of Toronto, on site of the old Downsview Airport Lands, which closed earlier this year.
The 50,000-capacity outdoor venue, opening next June, will be named Rogers Stadium, sharing a naming rights partner with many high-profile venues in the country including Rogers Centre, the downtown home of the MLB Blue Jays.
Downsview is the site of the biggest outdoor ticketed concert ever held in Canada, 2003’s Molson Canada Rocks for Toronto, aka SARSfest, which was headlined by the Rolling Stones and attracted an estimated half-million people. It also hosted Pope John Paul II in 1984 and 2002, the latter drawing a reported 800,000 people.
Bombardier Aerospace sold the site in 2018 to Northcrest Developments, which has an ambitious commercial and residential community vision for the 370 acres, known as YZD, for a cost of CAD$30 billion ($22.2 billion) over three decades.
Erik Hoffman, Live Nation Canada’s president, was first to address the media during the half-hour announcement held at a hangar on the grounds and streamed on Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s YouTube page, and featuring all the major players at the lectern from politicians to Rogers and Northcrest.
(Rendering Courtesy Live Nation Canada)
“Thank you for being here on the doorstep of this exciting new YZD development. Thrilled to finally unveil what we’ve been working on, and where the world of live is headed in our city,” Hoffman said.
He called Toronto “the” market in Canada for music, “whether you’re a young artist coming onto the scene or for bigger, more established acts, hosting major large scale events.” He said he has noticed an energy among music fans that wasn’t there before.
“Today, Toronto isn’t just Canada’s greatest music city for artists, it’s one of the most important must-play markets in the world,” he said, as renderings of the new venue were shown.
An exclusive Toronto Star article which came out just as the announcement was made public reveals that the stadium will only operate for about five years before Northcrest transforms the space. Hoffman told the Star the stadium is privately funded, at a cost of “tens of millions of dollars” and that 12 to 15 concerts will be staged there from June until the end of September.
“So, today, we unveil a transformative new venue that will elevate Toronto’s already celebrated live music world to extraordinary new heights. It’s with great and immense excitement that I introduce Rogers Stadium, a unique destination that’ll be home to some of the biggest artists and bands on the planet,” Hoffman said.
The need for a large-scale outdoor venue in the city was clear, as Rogers Centre’s busy baseball schedule and configuration creates challenges for hosting and scheduling concerts.
“This was a natural response to an unprecedented amount of stadium-level artists on the road today,” Hoffman said. “We now have another home for them to perform. This venue is designed to be more than a temporary seasonal venue. It’s a space where unforgettable moments will be formed, thousands of jobs created, and millions of dollars injected into the local economy.”
Hoffman said the open-air venue will also offer food and beverage options and “fan experiences that resemble a first-class music festival,” but did not give further details.
He added that Live Nation Canada will continue to host concerts during the summer at Rogers Centre as well. The venue will host six dates of Taylor Swift’s “Eras” tour, which is followed by three nights at BC Place in Vancouver for the tour’s grand finale, although those are produced by AEG Presents partner Messina Touring Group.
Hoffman stressed Live Nation Canada’s commitment to multicultural programming, including Latin and South Asian music, and sustainability.
There was no concert announcement to go with the venue reveal, but it is rumored that Oasis could be the first act to perform at the temporary facility.
