Scotiabank Arena in Toronto has a lineup of concerts scheduled for later this year

It's been more than a year since concerts and other large-scale live events have been allowed in Toronto, and the city is on the brink of losing some of its most storied venues on top of the ones that have already had to permanently close as a result of the health crisis.

But its biggest, the Scotiabank Arena, is still apparently holding out hope that normal activities — like gathering with thousands of other fans in a giant indoor space — will become a reality again in the near future as it continues to host Leafs games with empty stands.

JUST ANNOUNCED: @kanebrown is coming to Scotiabank Arena on November 19, 2021 with @jordancwdavis + @RestlessRoad. Tickets on sale next Friday 4/16 at 10AM. #KaneBlessedFreeTour pic.twitter.com/lEMYjrac9z

— Scotiabank Arena (@ScotiabankArena) April 8, 2021

The nearly 20,000-capacity venue has, like all others, had to reschedule nearly all of its 2020 events, many of them still set to take place later this year.

These include My Chemical Romance on Sept. 9, Harry Styles on Sept. 28-29, and Trevor Noah on Oct. 2, all of which currently have tickets for sale.

Some earlier events, like Justin Bieber's 2021 World Tour, slated to hit Toronto July 3, 16 and 17, seem scheduled far too soon for the shows to materialize given that we are currently in a full shutdown and under a stay-at-home order until at least early May as daily case counts in Ontario continue to surge over 4,000. 

Is this happening this summer??

— Michelle Saucier (@MichelleSaucier) March 10, 2021

As noted on the arena's website, tickets for events that end up having to be postponed "will be valid for newly rescheduled dates once determined," just as the tix for last year's cancelled events are valid for this year's new dates.

A representative from Scotiabank Arena owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment tells blogTO that upcoming events are "scheduled as is" until the artists officially announce postponements or other changes to their tours, which are then reflected on the website.

This is an important next step in our ‘Back in Action’ plan that will see additional measures for welcoming back fans being announced, once deemed safe by local and provincial public health officials.

For more information, visit: https://t.co/4uGhnGyX2O

— Scotiabank Arena (@ScotiabankArena) March 15, 2021

For now, the industry remains perhaps naively optimistic, mostly because it has to be in order to push on until the day they can open their doors once more.

As Phoenix co-owner and operator Lisa Zbitnew told the CBC last month, "If I knew then that it was going to be a year of closure, I don't know that I would have had this strength or courage or fortitude to keep going."