CTV News reports a total of 272 noise complaints during the 2026 concert season, more than 40% more than its inaugural season in 2025, with over 30% coming from two concerts by Chris Brown & Usher and Bruno Mars.
The stadium's second season saw a higher number of concerts by blockbuster stars, but also a 40% uptick noise complaints. According to CTV News, the Downsview Toronto outdoor venue received a total of 272 noise complaints via phone call between May and September 2026, up from 192 complaints logged in 2025.
Bruno Mars' season-opening Romantic tour show (May 31) and Chris Brown & Usher's second night of their R&B tour (Aug. 12) contributed to over 30% of complaints, with the latter receiving 60 calls and Mars receiving 50 according to the report. While the R&B stars played two shows as part of their joint trek, Mars played a record-setting total of five nights at Rogers Stadium, the most by an artist in the venue's two-year history.
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Mars May 31 show wasn't always set to be his opening night, as a severe rainstorm forced his inaugural date on May 30 to be postponed. Weather conditions have played a role in enhancing noise complaints, as the city of Toronto's senior communications advisor Jas Baweja explained to CTV that fog, rain and humidity can help sound travel larger distances, and these conditions were prominent during the two most-complained-about shows. BTS also played their first sold-out night in Toronto (Aug. 22) under heavy rainfall, and members J-Hope and RM attended the Brown and Usher show just weeks prior.
In addition to the original sound-proofing that was installed around the venue in 2025, the stadium added vinyl cladding this year to try to control the noise, although its effectiveness has waned during concerts with more booming sound. "It is quite good when it comes to acoustic or a regular guitar, but when it’s a heavy bass, it doesn’t work as well,” Toronto city councillor James Pasternak tells CTV.
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Since opening in 2025, the venue and the city of Toronto have been in an ongoing back-and-forth in terms of compliance requests and implementing adjustments. In June, Pasternak filed a motion for Live Nation to pay for sound monitoring across the venue, with the goal of lowering sound emissions past the venue. While Live Nation said that all of its concerts were below the maximum decibel level, the allowed level has still been disruptive for surrounding residents.
The vinyl cladding was destroyed along with some of Rogers Stadium's seating structures, which collapsed following a "100-year storm" that swept through Toronto at the beginning of September. The damage sustained by the 50,000-capacity venue put an early end to the 2026 concert season, as AC/DC's Toronto show was subsequently cancelled. The cladding is included in the required repairs, which began earlier this week on Oct. 1.
"Throughout the process, Live Nation Canada will continue to work closely with the City of Toronto and relevant authorities to ensure the work is completed safely and efficiently," Rogers Stadium said in a statement. "All construction activity will be carried out in accordance with local requirements, including applicable noise bylaws."
