RBC Amphitheatre has the headlining act for its opening night.
Today (April 14), the summer favourite outdoor Toronto venue revealed that Imagine Dragons will take the stage on May 21, serving as the first-ever headliner for the updated amphitheatre.
Last October, it was announced that Budweiser Stage would be named RBC Amphitheatre and would be expanding to a year-round venue by 2030. The event space is expected to close for renovations in fall 2027 and reopen in spring 2029, with full-year capabilities complete by the following summer.
“Opening night at RBC Amphitheatre marks an exciting milestone, and we’re proud to partner with RBC to bring a stadium-level act like Imagine Dragons to kick off another record-breaking season,” says Erik Hoffman, president of music at Live Nation Canada, noting that it's "their only amphitheatre performance in North America this year."
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The Las Vegas rock group were a major force in the 2010s, with hits like “Demons” and “Thunder,” both of which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100. They scored three No. 1 albums on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart, including 2015’s Smoke + Mirrors, 2017’s Evolve and 2018’s Origins.
RBC Amphitheatre will expand its indoor and outdoor capabilities. By becoming a full-year venue, it will include an expanded capacity in the summer and approximately 9,000 seats in the winter, featuring seated and an open-air lawn section from May to October. With the proposed changes and transformation, RBC Amphitheatre is set to significantly increase its show count, hosting over 1.5 million fans annually.
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"We have to continue to invest in cultural infrastructure so that we can accommodate these shows," Wayne Zronik, president of business operations at Live Nation Canada, told Billboard Canada, after the venue’s renovation announcement. "The Amphitheatre is 30 years old; by the time this is done, it would have been 35. You have to revitalize these things."
In recent years, Toronto has become one of the biggest global touring markets, which has inspired Live Nation's expanded presence in venues, including Rogers Stadium, which opened last summer. Both Rogers Stadium and RBC Amphitheatre were named in Billboard's top music venues of 2026.
Following presales on April 15, tickets for Imagine Dragons will go on sale to the general public on April 17 at 10 am local time. Find out more here.
