A Toronto city councillor says the noise coming from Rogers Stadium is too loud and is calling on the venue’s operator to turn down the volume.
“We remain very concerned about the sound levels,” Coun. James Pasternak said in a statement to CTV News Toronto on Monday. “These concerts can be heard miles away, and we feel the venue operator can turn down the volume significantly and still offer a strong concert experience. Something must be done.”
Pasternak, who represents York Centre where the 50,000-seat open air venue is located, made the comments following one of two back-to-back nearly sold-out Oasis concerts on Sunday. This is the only Canadian stop of the British rockers’ reunion tour.
The City previously told CTV News Toronto that, so far, all events at the stadium that opened this summer have been compliant with permitted noise levels.
According to the City’s website, concert noise cannot exceed 55 decibels or 70 decibels between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. when heard from an outdoor living area or 50 decibels or 65 decibels between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. when heard from an indoor living area.
However, residents in the area have complained that they can still hear the noise, and some have even said the vibrations from the speakers are strong enough to rattle their windows.
“Just because it is technically in compliance does not mean it meets acceptable levels for the community,” Pasternak added.
CTV News Toronto has reached out to Live Nation, which operates the venue, for a response to Pasternak’s request but has not received a response.
Rogers Stadium opened in June to mixed reviews following its inaugural concert, with some fans complaining of long waits to exit and accessibility concerns. Since then, Live Nation has said it has made adjustments to enhance the concert experience.
The venue located at the site of the former Downsview Airport Lands isn’t permanent and will eventually be demolished to make way for a new mixed-use development, though it’s unclear exactly when that will happen.
Pasternak has previously acknowledged that the speed at which the project was approved left gaps in planning.
“You had a private land owner and private concert promotion company who wanted to get this done… they got it done pretty fast, surprisingly fast… but things should have been thought out,” he told CTV News last month.
Oasis plays again Monday night. Heavy metal outfit System of a Down takes the stage early next month, followed by folk singer Hozier.
With files from Jermaine Wilson