Rap fan says huge crowd at free Calgary Stampede show a 'recipe for disaster'

Amir Said · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 09, 2025 7:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

A Calgary Stampede performance headlined by hip-hop superstar Don Toliver has raised safety concerns among attendees, with immoderate wondering whether the creator — who presently has implicit 35 cardinal monthly listeners connected streaming level Spotify — was excessively fashionable for a escaped amusement successful a comparatively tiny venue.

The Houston rapper took the signifier Tuesday nighttime astatine the Calgary Stampede's Coca-Cola Stage, which offers complimentary outdoor concerts included successful Stampede admission.

Serena Freitas said she needed help from information to get retired of the assemblage for her ain information aft the rapper's first fewer songs.

"It was conscionable excessively crowded and mode excessively pushy.… I stopped being capable to respire beauteous quickly," she told CBC News.

Freitas said she had spent 11 hours successful beforehand of the Coca-Cola Stage waiting for Toliver's show earlier helium came connected astatine 9:30 p.m. 

'A look for disaster,' says concertgoer

As an avid instrumentality of the rapper, she knew the performance would beryllium "really crowded," but that the concern rapidly got retired of power erstwhile helium took the stage.

"I've ne'er had to beryllium pulled retired of a performance successful my life," said Freitas, who shared footage of her acquisition connected TikTok.

Known for his energetic music, Toliver has released aggregate RIAA-certified platinum songs including deed records After Party and No Idea.

After headlining arenas astir the satellite connected his 2024-2025 North America and Europe tour, the announcement of Toliver's escaped show successful Calgary came arsenic a astonishment to fans.

"To person a beauteous large artist, successful a escaped show, successful a smaller venue is benignant of a look for disaster," concertgoer Elise Pigeon told CBC News.

Fan says she was 'being crushed' by crowd

Pigeon was 1 of the galore radical who attended the concert, which besides featured performances from R&B singers Tinashe and Charlotte Day Wilson.

Further backmost successful the crowd, Ereyka Alfarero said the acquisition was a "nightmare" for her.

"Literally, I was being crushed," she said. "I'm 5'2.… I'm conscionable determination trying to survive."

Alfarero said she had already seen Toliver execute 3 times, truthful she rapidly decided to permission soon aft the rapper took the signifier — though leaving proved hard for her.

"I was dragged into the beforehand by radical pushing and pulling, and determination was nary mode out," said Alfarero.

No connection connected injuries

Social media footage appears to amusement immoderate concertgoers struggling to determination oregon permission during the performance, portion different videos diagnostic radical enjoying themselves, singing on and dancing.

No accusation connected immoderate injuries is presently disposable from officials.

Aaron Paramedical provides standby aesculapian services astatine the Calgary Stampede. According to institution president Scott Wardley, determination were eight to 10 unit assigned solely to the Coca-Cola Stage.

Representatives of Toliver could not beryllium reached for remark up of publication.

Stampede says performance 'was a large success'

Kerrie Blizard, the Calgary Stampede's manager of nationalist safety, said during a media availability connected Wednesday that the performance "was a large success."

"The performance had large attendance past nighttime and it's not immoderate levels of attendance that we didn't anticipate," she said.

To grip the anticipated assemblage size, an alternate viewing determination for the performance was acceptable up astatine different site, with a livestream of the performance offering a "laidback atmosphere" compared to the Coca-Cola Stage's mosh pits.

Blizard said footage of the assemblage shows that "there was ample country for radical to creation and determination about," and that "when we heard the remarks from the fans leaving astatine the extremity of the night, the bulk of what we heard was precise positive."

She said Stampede Park arsenic a full has "no assigned capacity" for the fig of visitors it welcomes. According to the Calgary Stampede, 193,033 radical were astatine the parkland connected Tuesday.

Police 'aware of concerns' earlier show

Five hours earlier Toliver was scheduled to instrumentality the stage, constabulary addressed concerns astir the lawsuit successful a societal media station connected Tuesday afternoon.

"We are alert of concerns circulating connected societal media regarding the size of the assemblage expected for tonight's Coke Stage show astatine the Calgary Stampede," work the statement, which also outlined steps for staying safe.

Police officers joined Calgary Stampede information unit to assistance negociate the crowd.

During the Wednesday media availability, the Calgary Police Service's Stampede incidental commandant Scott Campbell declined to remark connected the information of the concert.

He noted officers responded to aesculapian incidents during the amusement and "arrested and ejected" a idiosyncratic for "climbing connected a operation during the concert."

Campbell added determination is "no indication" a stabbing Tuesday night, which near 3 radical earnestly injured, "has thing to bash with the concert."