Post Malone and Jelly Roll took the stage at Rogers Stadium Tuesday night, and while fans walked away with a night to remember, some North York residents wish they could forget it.
Last summer, residents in the neighbourhoods surrounding the stadium raised concerns about the noise levels, and Live Nation announced technical improvements ahead of this year’s concert schedule, including replacing the vinyl on the grandstands with new cladding to keep the sound from travelling.
But when the season opened this year with Bruno Mars, the sound of concerned neighbours also returned, with some as far away as York Region and Vaughan adding their voices to the mix.
“It was incredibly loud, I could hear every single word Bruno said,” said Al Sillito, who lives within four kilometres of the stadium near Keele Street and Finch Avenue. “The windows, you could feel the boom, boom, boom.”
Sillito tells CityNews he’s been in touch with the city and was told Tuesday’s concern was “the loudest this year.”
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In a written statement to CityNews, Live Nation did not comment on how loud Tuesday’s show was but did say it did not exceed permitted sound levels or violate bylaw requirements.
“We continuously monitor sound levels, and independent Municipal Licensing Officers are onsite and in surrounding communities to ensure compliance with permitted limits,” read their statement.
York Centre Coun. James Pasternak says the issue is on his radar.
“It can reach the legal limit, that doesn’t mean people like it,” he says, adding he hopes to find a balance and plans to bring a motion forward to city council to have staff work with the venue on further noise mitigation measures. He notes the venue is great for the local economy and employs one thousand workers.
“Some of the things that have been talked about include noise-absorbing materials on the upper tiers of the stadium, a berm across the Alan east lands to the east of the stadium as well as adjoining lands.”