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Last Friday’s Weeknd show at the Rogers Centre in Toronto was called off because the venue couldn’t open the doors

Some 46,000 people traveled from far and wide witness The Weeknd’s world tour opener/giant homecoming show at the Rogers Centre in Toronto last Friday. But less than an hour before the doors were set to open, the whole thing was called off and everyone was told to go home. Meanwhile, the Roger Waters show down the block at the Scotiabank Arena and the Keith Urban gig at nearby Budweiser Stage went off just fine. How was that possible?

Well, they couldn’t open the doors at the Rogers Centre because they couldn’t open the doors.

The Rogers Centre relies on Rogers infrastructure. Everything from ticket processing to point-of-sale terminals all run on Rogers. And so does security and security systems, including the network required to electronically unlock the doors. There was no way to let people in.

Meanwhile, Scotiabank Arena and Budweiser Stage have completely different networking, which eliminated the Rogers conundrum. The Scotiabank Arena was also able to provide free WiFi to fans so they could access digital tickets on their phone. That resulted in some long lines and a delayed start of the show (20 minutes or so), but for the most part, everything was fine.

How embarrassing, eh, Rogers? You couldn’t even open the doors.

(Via the Globe and Mail)

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

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One thought on “Last Friday’s Weeknd show at the Rogers Centre in Toronto was called off because the venue couldn’t open the doors

  • Say hurrah for the IoTs. It’s what employees me but I would be ever so mad if this happened for PSB/NO in October. I do feel terrible for the attendees. Truly. The really horrible thing is that I’m still laughing. Bad Ruins!

    This will have me laughing for the rest of the night. It’s like it’s my birthday and I got the best present ever! But these are the things that the new world makes happen just for me. Few and far between they are but when they happen…

    Once upon a time, we use to call that an ill sense of humour. If only that friend were around, she’d be laughing too…

    Reply

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