‘Winning the Ticketmaster war should be the most work a fan has to do’: Meet the creator behind Concerto, the Toronto-based app meant to make concert planning easier

Going to a concert isn’t as simple as booking a ticket. Once you’ve made it through the Ticketmaster scramble, you still have to figure out your commute, find where to eat, and, if you’re travelling, where to stay. But what if an app could make it all easier?

That’s the gap Concerto is trying to address. The app brings some of those pre- and post-concert details together in one place, from transportation and restaurants to accommodations.

Why build an app around concert planning?

Concerto founder Jayce Wells says the idea came from her own experience during the Eras Tour in 2024.

“I was planning my trip to night six of the Eras Tour in Toronto. I’d lived in Toronto, but I wasn’t familiar with the area around the Rogers Centre,” she told Now Toronto.

With multiple tabs open from Google Maps to OpenTable, Wells struggled to find somewhere to eat, where to stay, and things to do around the stadium. That’s when, at 23, she decided to develop an app that brings all that information in one place.

“Winning the Ticketmaster war should be the most work a fan has to do. With the technology we have, planning the rest should be easier,” Wells explained.

For locals, outdoor venues like the RBC Amphitheatre can bring a mountain of challenges:

• Since it’s so suburban, how do I get there?
• If it rains, what do I wear that works with the weather and the venue’s rules?
• Where do I eat beforehand if there’s nothing nearby?

So, Concerto tells you what to know for such venues. 

However, Wells emphasized that concert planning is hard enough when your concert is in your hometown; imagine another country.

“The Eras Tour brought people from all over the world into cities they’d never visited before. If I was struggling to pull everything together after having lived in Toronto, I could imagine how overwhelming it might feel for someone visiting from another country,” Wells said.

Why are the places around a venue, such as restaurants and transportation, so important to the concert experience?

Wells says the concert experience doesn’t end with the three-hour concert.

“It’s dinner with your friends before the show, the drinks and debrief afterward, the hotel if you’ve travelled, and the walk or ride to and from the venue. For a lot of fans, especially those travelling for a show, all of that is part of the trip,” Wells said.

“Our slogan is “From the Concert to the City” because we believe exploring the city is part of the concert experience,” she added.

What does Concerto do for you?

Wells says the app has lots of free features: venues, tours and near me.

• Venues: Information on bag policies, parking, rideshare, restaurants, hotels, and things to do nearby.
• Tours: Includes tour dates and setlists.
• Near me: Helps you discover nearby entertainment.

The paid features include AI bag check, which helps you assess whether your bag meets a venue’s published policy, and Plan My Night, which helps you build your itinerary.

“You spend less time researching and more time enjoying the night,” Wells said.

Concerto covers more than 600 venues worldwide, from the most popular stadiums and arenas to smaller venues.

“I rely on official venue sources and careful research, and fans can report incorrect or outdated information through the app. I haven’t visited most of these places, so the goal is to give a first-time visitor the practical information they need to feel prepared,” Wells explained.

You can download Concerto for free on the App Store or visit concertocity.com. It’s available on iPhone now, and Android is coming soon.