色色啦

Live Nation pledged more staff inside and outside the venue, clearer signage, extra water stations and a new plan to funnel crowds toward three nearby subway stops instead of overwhelming Downsview Park station alone, which also provides GO train services.

In addition to free subway and GO train service home from Downsview Park, Sheppard West and Wilson stations for up to 90 minutes after the show ends, the TTC announced increased support for commuters in the area, including more staff at Downsview and Wilson stations.

Monday night was the first real test of those adjustments, but did Live Nation pass?聽

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin acknowledged聽fans’ logistical headaches in getting to the show.

“I would like to say thank you so much for coming through all the bulls鈥攖 that you have to come through to this weird stadium in the middle of nowhere,” Martin said at the beginning of the concert.

“Thank you for coming through the traffic, the travel and the trains, and the waiting and lines and all the nonsense. I hope you’re OK and we’re really so grateful to see you.”聽

Staff at the venue聽held up red lights and instructed people to wait inside the venue before they could proceed to transit areas 鈥� a tactic Live Nation called “pulsing.” Similarly to a traffic light, once the red light turned green, fans could go. Pulsing was used at the Stray Kids concert but Live Nation said they would be restructuring it to help direct people to various exit routes so that crowds would be dispersed.

‘It has the makings of a disaster’

Even with the updated crowd control techniques, some of the concert-goers said they were worried future events would still face issues.

Leigh Marshall and Adam Archdekin said they felt they felt 鈥渉erded like cattle鈥� as they were held in the venue for 40 minutes after the show ended.

鈥淚t has the makings of a disaster,鈥� Marshall said.

Attendees planned early exit to avoid congestion聽

Others made the decision to leave early so they could avoid the crowds afterward.

Laurie Gatto and Jody McComb said they left partway through the final song and it only took them about 10 minutes to leave.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e ever left a concert early, but I think we鈥檝e heard so many negative things about this venue that we thought better to leave five minutes before the end,鈥� Gatto said while rushing back to her car, which was in a nearby lot.

Both also noted that additional water stations had been set up, there were enough bathrooms and they found the signage to leave clear.

Long walk from parking lot to venue

Some attendees crossed the border to watch Coldplay perform and found themselves confusing the venue with a similarly named one downtown.聽

Brian Ellis, who drove four hours from Detroit, said he booked his accommodations right beside the Rogers Centre, thinking the concert was at the downtown venue.

Instead of being steps away, Ellis drove about 25 kilometres to the Sheppard West transit station parking lot and then walked for half an hour to get to the Rogers Stadium gates.

鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting how far you have to walk to get in this place,鈥� he said.

‘Everything felt well run’

Some attendees were more forgiving on social media, saying there was plenty of water, no waits to use the bathroom and helpful staff at the venue.

“The only two things that remain are the stupidly long walk to actually get to the stadium itself, and the way the stands got swaying when things got going,” one attendee said in a .

“Everything felt well run and put together,” another commenter chimed in, adding there was enough signage and the exit plan was “seamless” despite the enormous crowd.

‘Just a nightmare’聽

For another fan who聽,聽the stadium logistics were “just a nightmare,”聽adding they sat through an hours-long traffic jam and missed the opening acts.

“This is so 色色啦,” another user said in a , complaining that people were packed into the show “like sheep” and transportation felt like an afterthought.

With files from The Canadian Press