Manitoba

Sound 'muffled' at Jay Z and Beyoncé Winnipeg concert

Beyoncé and Jay Z brought their On the Run tour to Winnipeg on Sunday.

Beyoncé and Jay Z make stop in Winnipeg as part of On The Run tour, some fans complain about sound quality

Sound 'muffled' at Jay Z and Beyoncé Winnipeg concert

10 years ago
Duration 2:05
Pop superstar power couple Beyoncé and Jay Z brought their On the Run tour to Winnipeg on Sunday, and some fans have said their experience was affected by the sound quality of the show.
Pop superstar power couple Beyoncé and Jay Z brought their On the Run tour to Winnipeg on Sunday, and some fans have said their experience was affected by the sound quality of the show.

Thousands of fans arrived hours before the scheduled 8 p.m. start time, but the performers kept them waiting until around 9 p.m., when they hit the stage to an uproar of applause.

Meghan Wilford was sitting in the upper deck of the stadium with two friends.

"You really couldn't hear the vocals, it was really muffled and it took about a minute into each song before you realized what song it actually was," said Wilford. 

Wilford, who sat in the 200 section, said she has seen other events at Investors Group Field and never experienced a problem like this.

"We paid $270 for all three of us, so we don't think it was actually worth our money when we could have sat somewhere else or sat outside the stadium and heard the concert for free."

True North Sports and Entertainment told CBC the speakers and sounds are the responsibility of the tour group.

Live Nation, the concert's promoters. have not responded to a request for comment.

'Spectacular show' despite sound

Not all the reviews were negative or focused on the sound quality.

Shelley Cook, a freelance reporter who reviews concerts, said she was blown away by the show.

"It was a spectacular show, I've never seen anything of that calibre,"

Cook did notice a little distortion in the sound, but it didn't bother her.

"It didn't take away from the concert, I still enjoyed myself I still gave it a really, really good review because I think it was minimal."

Fans from far and wide

The audience wasn't just populated by Winnipeggers — hordes of excited fans came from around the province to take in the Grammy award-winners.

"I'm gonna pee my pants, I'm so excited," said one fan before the show got underway, who made the trip from Killarney, Man. "I can't breathe."

"Just seeing them interact and seeing their relationship and stuff, I think that's cool. We are super excited to be here. We just drove three hours and can't wait to see Beyonce and Jay Z."

The concert wrapped up around 11:30 p.m.

The city was one of just two Canadian stops. The other was Toronto on July 9.