While Post Malone fans may have had a blast at his concert in Toronto on Tuesday night, some residents near North York’s Rogers Stadium said the noise emanating from the venue was far too much to bear.
“It was ridiculously loud. It was insane,” Mirella Ardizzi, who has lived and worked in the area for almost 30 years, told CP24 on Wednesday.
Ardizzi, whose home is just north of Wilson Heights Boulevard and Sheppard Avenue West, said, in general, she is supportive of Rogers Stadium and the various benefits, notably financial, that it brings to the community.
“I’ve never had a problem with (the venue). However, these past two concerts (Post Malone and Luke Combs on June 5 and 6) they had, especially the one yesterday, were ridiculous,” she said.
“It takes a lot for me to complain.”
Ardizzi said she could hear the Post Malone concert, part of the American singer’s “BIG ASS Stadium Tour Part 2″, clearly from inside her house—with the windows closed.
“I’ve never heard it that loud before. … It was excessive,” she said.
“We need to be more aware of and sensitive to the surrounding area.”
Area resident Lili Berenchtein said she was recovering from a migraine inside her home with the windows shut on Tuesday evening and couldn’t get a break from the “unbearable” noise coming from the 50,000-seat open-air venue.
Berenchtein, who previously signed a petition against the noise coming from Rogers Stadium, also lives in the vicinity of Wilson Heights Boulevard and Sheppard Avenue West. She said she’s called the community home for a decade. The neighbourhood is about 3.8 kilometres away from the venue.
“(Last night) was the noisiest it’s ever been. … It was so loud,” she told CP24.
“I’m just confused why people need such high volume to enjoy music.”
Berenchtein said she enjoys music and concerts, adding the noise from the Bruno Mars concerts last month was manageable with the windows closed.
Alissa Fidelman had lived in the area for around eight months. She called the noise from last night’s Postie show “disruptive,” saying that while it’s “not the end of the world,” there must be a way to come to a compromise that works better for everyone.
“I don’t want it shut down, but it would be really nice if (the venue operator) could talk to the neighbours,” she said, adding she wonders what the noise is like for those living closer to the venue.
“It would just be nice if the concert wasn’t blaring into my window.”
Operator has ‘strict sound regulations’
Live Nation, the primary operator of the stadium, underlined that the venue “operates under strict sound regulations established by the City, with extensive operational oversight in place at every show.”
“We continuously monitor sound levels, and independent Municipal Licensing Officers are onsite and in surrounding communities to ensure compliance with permitted limits,” a spokesperson said in a written statement.
Live Nation noted that Tuesday night’s Post Malone concert did not exceed permitted sound levels or violate bylaw requirements.
According to Toronto’s Noise Bylaw, amplified or instrument sound in the city cannot exceed 70 decibels between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
“As with any large-scale outdoor concert venue, community feedback is expected. We remain committed to being a responsible neighbour operating within all compliance requirements while balancing the fan experience,” the spokesperson said.
Councillor working to ‘find a balance’
Local Coun. James Pasternak said while steps have been taken to mitigate the noise at Rogers Stadium, like soundproof cladding, “many residents across four wards in Toronto and parts of Vaughan are very upset at the sound levels that are coming from the stadium.”
“The concerts are disturbing families with young children, other residents of all ages including seniors and of course it agitates pets. Quite frankly, I believe the in-stadium concert experience can be just as great at a lower decibel level,” the York Centre representative wrote.
Pasternak reiterated that he would continue to “work to find a balance between those who are enjoying and benefiting from this venue and those who are upset by it.”
“There is no doubt that concert goers, local businesses, the city economy, the arts industry, the over 1,000 people who work at the stadium and the tens of thousands going into music programs and scholarships at local schools, are positive outcomes for this venue. But the noise levels disturb many,” he said.
“The next step really is capital investments in the stadium that contains and muffles the noise. Many who attend these concerts say it was the musical experience of a lifetime but it comes at a price to many local residents.”
