Come mid-2025, Toronto will be home to a second 50,000 capacity concert venue — albeit temporarily.
Live Nation, the entertainment conglomerate that owns Ticketmaster and several concert venues in Toronto — including The Opera House, Velvet Underground and Budweiser Stage — says it will build the temporary, open-air concert venue by June of 2025.
Called Rogers Stadium, the new music venue will be constructed on the grounds of the former Downsview airport in North Toronto and will start hosting events next summer.
The highly anticipated Oasis shows are scheduled to be held at Rogers Stadium late next August.
Erik Hoffman, president of music at Live Nation Canada, argued for the new arena, stating in a press release that there is greater demand for large concert venues than ever before.
“The number of stadium-level acts touring today is unprecedented, with more acts than available nights at existing venues. That’s why we’re making this investment — to ensure Toronto fans don’t miss out on world-class artists,” Hoffman said.
At a press conference last month announcing the new stadium, Premier Doug Ford pointed out the economic boost it will give the city.
“This exciting venue will bring even more tourists and investment to our province, boosting local businesses, creating new jobs and drawing in artists and events from around the world,” he said.
But music industry experts in Toronto aren't so certain Rogers Stadium will actually benefit the city’s music scene.
Dalton Higgins, a Toronto-based music publicist and former music journalist, said what the city really needs are more small to mid-sized venues.
"The need in Toronto is for mid-sized venues. That's where we are in a bit of a crisis situation. These are venues that can accommodate 250 to 600 people. That's where the gap is," he said.
According to Higgins, most Toronto musicians are independent, which means they don't have the same resources that are afforded to acts like Oasis and Taylor Swift.
"[These musicians] are not attached to major labels, they don't have big booking agents and they don't have large management companies representing their interests," he said.
"If the majority of musicians in Toronto are independent, they don't have the ability to sell thousands upon thousands of tickets. And that's what these large venues are here to cater to."
As for the task of future proofing the city's existing venues, Higgins says we may have missed the mark at giving concert halls like The Opera House a financial boost.
"I think there should be a new campaign to make the Canadian music scene viable again," he said. "There's a post Covid reality that has hit the scene. I don't think people were able to foresee just how bad it would be."
When it comes to the consumer side, the average price of concert tickets has risen at a rate that well outpaced inflation.
In 2023, the average ticket price of the top 100 concert tours was $122.84, according to the live music trade publication Pollstar. In 2019, concertgoers could see their favourite artist for $91.86.
With the building of the new Rogers Stadium, Higgins isn't sure if concerts will actually be accessible to everyday Torontonians.
"[The stadium] is going to sell a lot of tickets, but I don't know if your average working class Torontonian can afford concert tickets at venues that cost a fortune," he said. “People have to think about, ‘Am I going to see a show at this venue in the city, or be able to cover groceries?’”
As someone who has worked in the music industry for two decades, he said he wouldn't list the new stadium "as a priority item when talking about stimulating the Toronto music landscape."
"While this is great for Live Nation and their corporate interests, I don't think Toronto area musicians are losing sleep as to whether it gets built."
The venue will be constructed on the former Downsview Airport lands — not to be mistaken for nearby Downsview Park, where music festivals like Veld are held — before eventually being redeveloped into housing.
It is a 30 minute walk from Wilson subway station, per Google Maps, or a short bus ride.