What to know
- Toronto’s iconic RBC Amphitheatre officially opened on May 21 with Imagine Dragons headlining the venue’s first night and the final stop of their Loom World Tour.
- The newly rebranded venue replaced its popular thunderbolt artist sign with an RBC-branded amplifier display and added blue-and-yellow arches for new photo opportunities.
- Fans across Reddit and TikTok criticized the heavy corporate branding, with many calling the new signage excessive and mourning the loss of the venue’s classic aesthetic.
- Despite backlash, the Ontario government plans to further renovate the amphitheatre with winterized seating and expanded capacity by 2030, with the venue expected to close in fall 2026 for two years of construction.
The classic Budweiser Stage has now transformed into the RBC Amphitheatre, with its opening night headlining Imagine Dragons on May 21. Although, the new branding isn’t sitting well with concertgoers.
The night was one of many celebrations, with it not only being the first day of the RBC Amphitheatre, but also the last day of the Imagine Dragons Loom World Tour.
The venue’s new features had switched out iconic aspects, such as a classic and photo-friendly thunderbolt sign displaying the artist’s name, instead opting for a smaller, RBC branded amplifier, showing the artist’s name in a similar fashion on the top of the speaker.
It also had new installed blue and yellow arches for more photo opportunities.
Additionally, the concert venue will further transform over the years, with a plan by the Ontario government to “winterize” the location’s 9,000 seats and make it accessible year-round.
The premier’s plan will have renovations completed by 2030.
Reaction to the new RBC Amphitheatre signage
The new changes didn’t come lightly to long-time attendees of the previous Budweiser Stage.
Greater Toronto residents shared their thoughts online about the changes, with the majority of reactions leaning negative toward the new signage.
“Oh wow I’m so glad the focal point is the RBC logo and not the band name!” one Reddit user wrote sarcastically. “Let me go move all my banking to RBC due to this amazing ad!”
“Can’t wait to visit the new branch!” another carried on with the sarcasm.
Many fans who went to the show shared their disdain of the excessive branding.
“Wow f*ck that sh*t,” one Reddit user said. “So much for those classic photo-ops I guess…”
Another agreed, addressing the Canadian bank directly.
“Dear RBC, that is pathetic. Signed, a non-customer that this will definitely not win over,” the Reddit user said.
Some fans tried to give RBC grace, saying the previous sign wasn’t innocent of any branding.
“I don’t like it either, but to be fair the old sign was in the shape of a giant Budweiser logo,” one Reddit user wrote.
“On a positive [note], your group can line up in front of this one, and the band name will be above the group – and you’ll block the RBC logo,” another Redditor agreed.
Still, most fans were unimpressed.
“I miss when stadiums were given their own names and not just named after their biggest investors,” one TikTok user wrote.
The RBC Amphitheatre is projected to close in fall 2026, where construction towards winter enclosures and capacity expansions will take place over two-years.
