TORONTO 鈥� Thousands of fans flooded through the gates of Rogers Stadium on Monday evening for the first of four shows by British rock band Coldplay, as organizers promised they were "making adjustments" to improve crowd control at Toronto's newest outdoor music venue.
In the leadup to the show, transit and venue staff were directing fans getting off the subway at nearby Downsview Park station, as long lines formed in front of the stadium gates where a busker performed Coldplay's hits.
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.
Live Nation Canada, which operates Rogers Stadium in the city's north end, said it would add more signage, lighting, staff and water stations to improve the fan experience.
Barb Lucas, who arrived from Oshawa, Ont., for the Coldplay show, said ahead of the event that she was "terrified" after hearing about the long lines for bathrooms, limited water and swaying grandstands at the stadium's first concert.
At the end of the concert, she said she would plan to stay in her seat until the crowds filed out to avoid congestion.
"I thought this was at Rogers Centre," she said, referring to the similarly named stadium in downtown Toronto.
"Had I known it was here, we wouldn't have been going."
Brian Ellis, who drove four hours from Detroit, said he booked his accommodations right beside the Rogers Centre, thinking the concert was at the downtown venue.
Instead of being steps away from the venue as planned, Ellis drove about 25 kilometres to the Sheppard West transit station parking lot and then walked for half an hour to get to the Rogers Stadium gates.
"It's interesting how far you have to walk to get in this place," he said.
But fans such as Emilio DeAngelis, who travelled from Quebec City, said he was embracing the large crowds as part of the experience.
"It's Coldplay. It's normal that there鈥檚 a lot of people," he said.
Pedicab drivers blaring Coldplay hits from speakers sped between the gates and nearby parking lots transporting fans who didn鈥檛 want to brave the long walk to the venue entrance.
One driver said it would cost $20 per person to ride in one of the yellow cabs to the venue gates from a parking lot less than a kilometre away.
For some fans, the ride proved to be worth the price.
"Get us as close to the gates as possible. This is ridiculous," one woman said as she climbed into the back of the pedicab and sped toward the entrance.
Inside the venue, fans lining up for water were being redirected to other areas, where additional water stations had been set up as promised. Hundreds of people stood waiting for a chance to buy merchandise.
Live Nation Canada said the stadium's exit routes would 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 said it would add 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.
Ticketmaster sent an email to Coldplay ticket holders ahead of the show advising them that cellular reception at Rogers Stadium gates "will be limited as this is a large-capacity venue."
鈥� With files from Tara Deschamps.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2025.
Natasha Baldin, The Canadian Press
