On Sunday evening, concertgoers faced significant challenges as they exited Rogers Stadium. They had just come from an electrifying performance by the world-renowned K-pop group Stray Kids. Though the event itself was a huge success with a packed house, it unfortunately concluded with a very ugly and disturbing scene as fans tried to leave the premises. Reports paint a picture of a crowded “surge of crowds,” temperatures, long lines and operational failures that ultimately had many people disappointed with their experience.
As the concert ended and camped up, stadium personnel started to evacuate attendees “in waves” creating an utter gridlock. For others, this translated into hours of waiting and chaotic environments. Many concertgoers said it took two hours to get out of the stadium. This drawn-out process fluctuated between stomach-churning insecurity with respect to security and crowd control.
Limited Access to Water and Medical Emergencies
It became an inhumane scenario for many attendees with a lack of access to water within the venue itself. Concertgoer Shannon Spencer recently witnessed the good side of this new policy, after purchasing a cold water bottle from one of the stadium’s frequent vendors. She spent $7 on it. For some, like Autumn Halvorsen, the challenges were even more severe.
Halvorsen drove seven hours from Michigan to catch the performance. When people around her began to faint while evacuating, she immediately sounded the alarm three times, alerting medical professionals. She criticized the warm water provided at refill stations, saying, “The water poured into my bottle at the stadium was warm.”
In addition to this limited hydration option, an uncomfortable environment was augmented by the long exit experience. Spencer recalled experiences watching people wait more than an hour just to get their water bottle filled at the free refill stations.
Long Waits and Frustrations
On top of the lack of access to water, concertgoers experienced terrible wait times for security screening as well as washroom access. These delays added to the confusion and frustration felt by many attendees who had just been cleared from an eight hour day of taking in a live performance.
Halvorsen expressed her dissatisfaction with the overall management of the exit process, stating, “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 explained that one of the girls in her pod sold her access to another concert at Rogers Stadium. This decision was made only after she had a bad experience.
Spencer told The Washington Post that she intends to leave her next concert early to prevent such pandemonium. She even has plans to attend an upcoming Coldplay concert at Rogers Stadium next week. To avoid a crush, she tells them to plan to leave 20 minutes before the last act.
City Officials Respond
Toronto city councillor and MetroConnects co-founder James Pasternak accepted concertgoer grievances. Specifically he focused on the challenges that attendees were having in terms of exiting the stadium. He stated, “We want this to be a teaching moment where we can fix some of the problems.”
Learn how desperate officials need to address the floodgates of complaints over crowd control and amenities at Rogers Stadium. Fixing these shortcomings is crucial to making the experience of attending future events better and more enjoyable.
