AC/DC Toronto Show Canceled After Venue Damaged In Storm

The AC/DC concert scheduled for Toronto’s Rogers Stadium Sept. 16 has been cancelled, bringing the summer season to a close after the 50,000-capacity venue was severely damaged during a major storm on Sept. 2.

“Safety for employees, fans, artists and vendors is always paramount,” read a statement released by Live Nation Canada earlier this evening. “Last Wednesday’s storm was an exceptionally severe and significant weather event, and in the days since, engineers have conducted a thorough assessment of the venue in coordination with the City of Toronto. That work has determined that sections of the venue impacted by the storm will need to be removed and rebuilt.”

Aerial footage after the storm and subsequent photos and news stories showed large sections of bleachers collapsed into a tangled mess of metal and chairs, with debris scattered throughout the grounds. Some of the other temporary structures were also damaged or destroyed. The food and merch kiosks in the fan plaza are shipping container pods.

Some parts of the Greater Toronto Area were without power — a reported 65,000 customers at its peak — roadways experienced flooding and massive trees uprooted in residential neighborhoods.

In the same press release, Kevin Mahoney, Rogers Stadium’s on-site meteorologist — a DTN Risk Communicator Team Lead and AMS Certified Consulting Meteorologist — explained, “Last week’s storm was an extraordinary weather event. A suspected microburst in the area with extreme winds and heavy rainfall made it a 100-year storm for Toronto.

“We continuously monitor the weather at Rogers Stadium to provide decision support around concert safety. It’s clear by the extreme intensity of the storm that this was exceptional for the region, and forensic meteorological analysis is ongoing.”

The company behind the construction and creative design of the site is BaAM with construction support from Urbacon.

“Cancelling a concert is never a decision we want to make, and we know how disappointing this will be for all of us who have been looking forward to seeing AC/DC close out our summer season,” said Wayne Zronik, president, business operations, Live Nation Canada, in a statement.

“Safety has to come first. Our teams have been working closely with the City and our partners to understand the storm damage and what needs to happen next. The right decision is to take the time to remove and rebuild the affected parts of the stadium to ensure it is ready to welcome fans next summer.”

The second season for the stadium kicked off in May with five shows by Bruno Mars (the opening date postponed due to weather); back to back nights by Luke Combs and BTS; and one-offs by Post Malone, Mumford & Sons, Noah Kahan, Karol G, Guns N’ Roses, and Foo Fighters’ tour kick-off. Stapleton also played two shows weeks apart, the last one the day before the storm.

“Our focus is on completing this work carefully, safely and responsibly, so Rogers Stadium is ready to welcome fans back with confidence next season,” he added. “We’ve had an incredible summer at Rogers Stadium, and while this isn’t how we wanted the season to end, safety for fans, artists and employees will always come before any individual event.”

All original ticket purchases for the AC/DC show will be automatically refunded through Ticketmaster. Fans who purchased through resale sites should contact point of sale.