Live Nation Canada announced at a press conference this morning that it is in the process of building Toronto's largest purpose-built outdoor concert venue, set to open in 2025.
Donning the inspired name of Rogers Stadium, the 50,000-capacity open-air facility is being constructed at the 44-acre former site of the Downsview Airport. Starting next June, the corporation plans to host 12 to 15 events at the stadium annually for approximately five years before Northcrest Developments transforms the industrial land into new neighbourhoods.
"We already consider ourselves a top-tier market in North America, but things have changed in the last couple of years," Erik Hoffman, president of music at Live Nation Canada, said in an interview with the Toronto Star earlier this week. "There's an unprecedented number of stadium-level productions on the road, and while we still intend to use the Rogers Centre, they have a very full baseball schedule, so it made sense to ideate a purpose-built concert venue."
The city's very similarly named Rogers Centre will be hosting several massive shows over the next several months, including Taylor Swift's six-night Eras Tour stint in November and Metallica's M72 World Tour next April.
Despite the likeness in name and capacity, Hoffman said Rogers Stadium will provide a unique concert experience with the venue's horseshoe structure, wherein the seats will wrap around the stadium floor and will be able to be reconfigured based on each event's needs. The new build also boasts an open-air concourse with "elevated" food and beverage offerings.
The timing of this announcement feels like it's not a coincidence, either: earlier this morning, Toronto was confirmed as one of the international cities Oasis would play on their 2025 reunion tour, with the venue and date(s) for said concert(s) yet to be announced.