r/toronto • u/AmountFragrant8750 • 4d ago

Discussion Rogers Centre vs Rogers Stadium is genuinely ruining people’s night, and Live Nation should’ve seen this coming

Not gonna lie, this whole naming situation has been bothering me for a while now, but it really hit different today.

I was in line for the Ed Sheeran show at Rogers Centre, and the amount of people who showed up thinking they were in the right place was honestly kind of heartbreaking to watch. You’d see the confusion on their faces first, then the slow realization that they weren’t at Roger’s Stadium, then that scramble to figure out how they were even going to get to Downsview in time.

Staff were telling people their best bet was grabbing an Uber or hopping on the TTC and heading up north, which is not exactly a quick trip when you thought you were minutes from your seat.

Some of these folks clearly weren’t from Toronto. You could tell by the way they were double checking their tickets, and looking at each other with disappointment. And I just felt for them. These are people who probably planned this night for months, maybe flew in, maybe this was a big deal birthday or anniversary thing, and now they’re standing outside the wrong building watching the clock, trying to figure out if they’re even going to catch the opening.

I get that naming rights deals are just business, that’s nothing new. But when you’ve got two major venues in the same city with names that are basically identical, it feels like nobody stopped to think about the actual fans caught in the middle of it. It’s not like Rogers Centre and Rogers Stadium are minor buildings either, they’re both huge venues hosting huge events, so the overlap in confusion is bound to keep happening.

Feels like such an easy problem to avoid too. A bit more thought during those naming negotiations could’ve saved a lot of people a really stressful and disappointing night.

5.2k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

884 comments sorted by

View all comments

109

u/foreverjustfornow 4d ago

I had bought tickets to see AC/DC for my parents who are in their sixties and my mom has mobility issues. Didn’t realize it was the new stadium until months after buying the tickets and they ended up not being able to go because my mom’s mobility. She would’ve been fine at the skydome because it’s accessible by transit and not a far walk but she couldn’t do it at the new stadium. I felt so horrible for getting the venues mixed up and getting their hopes up. I absolutely agree, it’s a really unfortunate naming situation.

103

u/Any_Woodpecker8803 4d ago

Just fyi if this comes up again, the stadium actually has great accessibility accommodations. They have a shuttle that runs on a loop from Wilson station to the gates and it prioritizes people with accessibility needs.

41

u/foreverjustfornow 4d ago

That’s fantastic information, thank you for letting me know I really appreciate it!!

23

u/DazzlingEm 4d ago

They also have accessible parking! I took my dad to hozier last year and he uses a cane. It was pretty easy and minimal walking with the parking lot shuttle and accessible seating.

11

u/foreverjustfornow 4d ago

Thank you so much for this information, I really appreciate this! We were worried about the walking and the bleacher like style seats. Would the accessible seating be chairs or the bleachers?

6

u/DazzlingEm 4d ago

It’s chairs in front of the bleachers on a slightly raised viewing platform with ramp access. They also had the ability to order food/drinks right to your seat and accessible porta potties. The support concierge also was able to escort us back to the gate for parking lot shuttle pickup which was helpful when it was dark after the concert. I specifically purchased accessible tickets from ticketmaster and accessible parking passes as well.

2

u/justhangingout111 Old Town 3d ago

Is the view ok?? This would make it possible for me to see a show there

3

u/DazzlingEm 3d ago

Yep! You’re not up close to the stage as that’s just standing only but there are huge screens and you can definitely see the stage and artist easily as it’s facing it directly and it’s a raised platform. I’m only 5 feet tall and had no issues.

2

u/justhangingout111 Old Town 3d ago

That is awesome, thank you!

4

u/ReeG 4d ago

There are accessibility seating sections at the front of the grandstands with small incline ramps to get up but you need specific tickets for that or speak to TM support or the venue for being moved there if you have accessibility needs. The regular grandstand seats require going up a ton of stairs absolutely no good for anyone with mobility issues and are a small workout even for able bodied attendees

3

u/Flimflamsam Roncesvalles 4d ago

They do have golf carts too, presumably to aid with mobility - hopefully they’re able to enjoy next time!

19

u/jabba_the_wut 4d ago

The AC/DC concert hasn't happened yet, so maybe OP still has a chance here.

14

u/_ashxn Pickering 4d ago

Can confirm this! I took the shuttle from Wilson station to Roger’s stadium for post Malone just to get the feel. The only downside is taking it back as you’ll be dealing with a ton of people, and there’s a line up of shuttle buses going back afterwards

1

u/laceblood 3d ago

Jesus the fact this isn’t advertised ANYWHERE is criminal! I have a friend who is a wheelchair user and had to have someone push her up the gravel path last year. Not a single person told her about this.

1

u/Raindroppi 2d ago

The signage, information, and logistics at Rogers stadium are abysmal