AC/DC concert cancelled at Toronto’s Rogers Stadium because of storm damage

TORONTO – An upcoming AC/DC concert in Toronto has been cancelled after a severe storm damaged the venue.

Live Nation, the operator of Rogers Stadium, said engineers determined that the sections affected by last Wednesday’s storm will need to be removed and rebuilt.

Powerful winds tore through the stadium during major thunderstorms that caused localized flooding and power outages in the Toronto area. The next day, photos of the open-air venue in the city’s north end showed blue bleachers strewn across partially collapsed grandstands, torn signs and other damage.

“Last week’s storm was an extraordinary weather event,” said Kevin Mahoney, the stadium’s on-site meteorologist, in an online update from Live Nation. 

“A suspected microburst in the area with extreme winds and heavy rainfall made it a 100-year storm for Toronto. 

“We continuously monitor the weather at Rogers Stadium to provide decision support around concert safety. It’s clear by the extreme intensity of the storm that this was exceptional for the region, and forensic meteorological analysis is ongoing.”

Wayne Zronik, president of business operations with Live Nation Canada, said they know it’s a disappointing decision but that safety has to come first.

“Our teams have been working closely with the city and our partners to understand the storm damage and what needs to happen next,” Zronik said in the update. 

“The right decision is to take the time to remove and rebuild the affected parts of the stadium to ensure it is ready to welcome fans next summer.”

The company said all original ticket purchases for the concert on Sept. 16 will be automatically refunded through Ticketmaster.

The AC/DC concert was to be the 50,000-capacity venue’s final show of the season.

An unsafe building order was issued by the city after the storm, requiring Live Nation to submit an engineering report by no later than Tuesday identifying the damage, remedial measures and a schedule for the required work.

The city did not share details of the report’s findings but said it would continue to work with the stadium owner throughout the process. 

Doug Perovic, an engineering professor at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the report, said prior to the cancellation announcement that it was unlikely the necessary repairs and inspections would be done in time for the concert.

Perovic said visible damage that includes the collapse of parts of the stadium’s north grandstand seemed “quite serious,” and it takes a lot of time to fully assess and fix damage, as well as inspect the repair work.

The seating that collapsed was a purpose-built modular structure, which could further complicate the repair work, Perovic said. 

“They’re going to need to find … exact components to replace, so there may be a supply chain timing issue with that,” he said. 

Once the venue is fully reconstructed, he said it has to be “rigorously” inspected as part of the city’s order, to make sure it meets safety standards and codes. 

More than 14 years ago, one person died and several others were injured after a stage collapsed during a Radiohead concert in Toronto’s Downsview Park.

Perovic, who was involved in the investigation of that collapse, said while an amendment was added to the Ontario Building Code in response to the incident to make temporary structures such as grandstand seating safer, there is still a gap in regulation of such structures. 

“So that needs to be looked into in more detail,” he said. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2026. 

–With files from Jordan Omstead