First-ever concert to be held at Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium will be a big one

Over 20,000 fans will pack the Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium on the campus of the Université de Moncton to see one of rock's biggest acts on Saturday night.

Guns N' Roses will begin the North American leg of their 2023 tour in Moncton, and their show will be the first-ever concert at the stadium.

It has hosted numerous sporting events since it opened in 2010 playing host to the FIFA Women's World Cup and three Touchdown Atlantic regular season CFL games.

In past years, the Magnetic Hill concert site has hosted rock and country's biggest names, but Guns N' Roses are playing a stadium tour and the city centre was a better fit for them.

Shane Porter, the director of events and venues for the City of Moncton, said on Friday they’ve always wanted to have a major concert at the stadium.

“That concert is here this weekend. Guns N' Roses, one of the biggest tours out there this year. And a nice little addition of Carrie Underwood joining us as an opener,” said Porter.

Porter said in a perfect scenario, the city would be able to host shows at both venues.

“Obviously with Magnetic Hill, people ask a lot of questions. The last show we had there was in 2019. Some people are asking why this show wasn’t at Magnetic Hill but if you look at this tour they’re playing stadiums and it fit the bill perfectly to kick off the concert venue,” said Porter.

Jamie Hutt-Semple came from Truro, N.S. to see the concert and will be staying two nights in Moncton.

“Guns N' Roses are actually my favourite band and to get the opportunity to see them locally here in the Maritimes is great,” said Hutt-Semple. “Usually you have to fly and spend a lot of money, so to see them in our community is great. Good for the local economy too.”

The concert is expected to have a huge economic spin-off for the hospitality industry and Steve Gallagher, the owner of The Old Triangle, said it’s great for business.

“I mean, when you bring in 20, 25,000 people to downtown, I'm going to make a bold prediction that every hotel and restaurant will have a banner weekend for sure,” said Gallagher.

Gallagher would love to see at least one big show at the stadium ever summer.

“Obviously they have the venue there,” said Gallagher. “Ideally, I would like to see the city promote groups and bands and singers every weekend throughout the summer. I don’t think that would be feasible, but it would be nice.”

Business is also booming at the downtown hotels.

Residence Inn Marriott sales coordinator Tanya Cassidy said as soon as the concert was announced, calls started coming in that day.

“We were kind of curious to why the phone was so busy and then we figured out it was an actual group coming and found out it was Guns N' Roses and we were booked within days,” said Cassidy.

Porter said an event of this magnitude is big deal economically.

“Anytime we've done economic impact assessments on these concerts, I mean, anywhere from four to $12 million depending on the size and scope,” said Porter.

Porter said as of late Friday morning a few tickets for the double bill were still available.

The RCMP sent a message on social media Friday morning reminding concert-goers of traffic delays, police check points and a significant increase of pedestrians.

Police are asking people to please plan accordingly and to not drink and drive.

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