Garth Brooks Concert Tickets

Garth Brooks is doing a one-time concert on November 14th at the brand new Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Ticket scalping has become a sophisticated industry and the Brooks concert organizers, along with the City of Kansas City, are trying to find some equitable means of selling tickets.

The tickets go on sale today at 10:00 AM. In a nutshell - here is what the promoters are doing. Ticketmaster outlets in Missouri and Kansas, about 40 outlets, have been ’selling’ wristbands. Here is where there is some confusion. Some are saying the wristbands cost $30, non refundable. The wristband only insures you a place in line to buy the real concert ticket. The wristbands are numbered and there will be a lottery of sorts to determine where the wristband holder gets to stand in line. Tickets for the concert are $31 - that is probably the best bargain of the decade. You gotta admire Garth Brooks. We should also admire the promoters who are trying to find a process that does not exclude Joe Public.

The State of Missery has just passed a law that makes ‘ticket scalping’ legal. Missouri is run by moral majority Republicans - what are they thinking? There is something wrong with capitalism and taxes when we, as a civilized society, have to sanction casino gambling, convenient store lotteries, and ticket scalping.

And there are more tickets scandals - this time it's Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus vs. Garth Brooks Tickets

The Hannah Montana ticket scandal has hit epic proportions for Miley Cyrus. Government officials are now involved, parents of kids are furious and astronomical prices for tickets to her concerts are being asked for by brokers, scalpers and individuals alike. Garth Brooks was as huge as Miley long before she ever even came into the world. The Garth Brooks tickets are being handled in a much better fashion.

Brooks was a star of astronomical proportions even when Miley's dad Billy Ray Cyrus was singing "Achy Breaky Heart" and making his splash on the country scene. Now things have changed so much when it comes to music and live concerts. It's all about the Internet and that means it is all about ripping off fans.

The fans get absolutely screwed. With the Hannah Montana tickets fans were asked to shell out thirty bucks to join the Hannah Montana fan club to get the first shot at tickets, but that didn't really work for most parents. Many believe that ticket brokers and other shelled out the thirty bucks for the club and dashed in front of their kids for the tickets. When the tickets went on sale, the scalpers used their full force to buy the tickets and the common fan was shut out. On eBay tickets are as high as three grand right now to see a fourteen year old. When the general tickets went on sale they were lapped up in as little as four minutes.

Parents didn't stand a chance. Legitimate ticket brokers and scalpers got tickets, though and they will sell them at a premium price. Brooks tried a different plan for his show in Kansas City. “Garth is adamant that tickets be made available to his fans,” said Shani Tate Ross. The Kansas City Star reports the idea was to allow local fans to have to show up and get their tickets. That could cut down on the controversy that followed the sale of tickets to the upcoming Hannah Montana concerts in that city. Promoters for the Brooks show have set aside a certain number of tickets that can only be sold at the outlets where people line up. They hope this will level the playing field a little bit more.

The Hannah Montana scandal was handled about as poorly as any in recent memory. Someone in her camp needs to take a look at how the tickets are distributed. There really can be no more "Hannah Montanan Fan Club" preference and tickets need to be limited to a low number (perhaps even two) and the majority of the tickets need to be available to people in each city where they must be picked up personally and with a local ID or drivers license.

A whole bunch of tickets need to also be available only to be purchased in person at the box office where people line up and get wristbands to get in a lottery to get the tickets. This will give local fans an even better chance at the tickets.